My relationship with coffee is complicated. It's mostly my fault, not coffee's.
I have a confession to make: I swill down store-bought coffee like it's the last beverage on Earth but abandon my mug of homemade coffee cold and half-full. I'm just as whiny as the next person when it comes to dropping $5 on a mediocre, sugar-bomb coffee drink but for some reason, the coffee I make myself rarely satisfies me. This may be a problem I have with edibles in general; I don't really enjoy eating anything I cook myself but if someone else were to make the exact same dish I'd consume it happily. Now, back to the coffee dilemma. I think I've solved it. Okay, I didn't solve it, but I found the solution. Readers, let me introduce you to my coffee saviors: pumpkin spice syrup and homemade marshmallows, taken from the blog A Simple Pantry. I made both the syrup and marshmallows on a whim, thinking it'd be a fun fall project. I've never had - and never will have!! - a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte so it wasn't like I saw this recipe and thought, "WHAT?? I MUST TRY THIS AND SEE IF IT TASTES JUST LIKE STARBUCKS!!" I just thought, "I like pumpkin, coffee and marshmallows individually so ... might as well try it." And I am so, so happy I did. I brewed some coffee, poured in about three tablespoons (or more) of syrup and then dropped a few marshmallow squares on top. I didn't even bother with the foamed milk, that's beyond my ability and patience. I took one sip, shouted how yummy it was, and then made my mother try it (she also liked it and she's a diehard tea drinker). Yes, I drank the entire mug, reveling in the subtle spiciness of the syrup and the sweetness of the marshmallow the whole time. For all of you coffee drinkers, dedicated and otherwise: what's your favorite at-home coffee tweak? |