DIY Gingerbread Coffee Syrup

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On Saturday, I was psyched to find a copy of Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This! in my mailbox. I won a copy from Heather's giveaway and was so thrilled that I did since, well...I really wanted this one. Can you tell?

Oh and not only is it a winning copy, but it's also signed by the man himself. Not to shabby, right? I can't wait to dive right into this one since the entire book consists of Rocco's own recipes on how to make classic indulgences a bit healthier. Some sample recipes include macaroni & cheese, penne a la vodka and even chocolate chip cookies. I will believe the deliciousness when I taste it, but I have high hopes for this one!

Meanwhile, you may remember my tirade regarding overpriced coffee beverages earlier this Fall, which resulted in my DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup. Many of you seemed to love this recipe (as did I!)! After speaking to some of you about the winter beverages (and my continued righteous indignation), I decided to change it up for the holiday with a Gingerbread Coffee Syrup! It's not all that different than the pumpkin syrup, just a few changes which altered the flavor for the season.

DIY Gingerbread Coffee
2-3 tbsp molasses (or more depending on your desired level of gingerbreadness)
1/4 C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 C water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
ground coffee (as much as you want to make)
half and half or milk of your choice

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine molasses, Splenda, water, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir or whisk together until ingredients have melted together. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens, resembling syrup, but making sure that it doesn't get too thick. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn. This entire process took about 5 minutes. Like the pumpkin syrup, the Splenda blend worked like a charm to turn these ingredients to coffee bliss.

And you might remember that I store my coffee in a sweet mason jar that I snapped up at Michael's for around $1 or so. Gotta love an inexpensive item that goes a long way to make your cabinets look nicer!

And while I was picking up some new baking sheets at Bed Bath & Beyond on Sunday, I also snapped up 2 new coffee tumblers for Shaun and me. Sold in a pack of two, these sweet travel cups were a mere $9.99 (for both). Add your 20% coupon, and you've got 2 new mugs for $8 total.

So there you have it. My answer to a $5+ calorie-filled latte. Oh and for another spin on holiday lattes, try adding a splash of eggnog to your coffee! It's delish and way healthier! Meanwhile, how are you getting down with holiday beverages this season? Lattes? Hot chocolate? (My weakness is the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks, so when I master that, I'll be set :)) Coffee? Chai? Ooooh chai....

DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee

It's Friday! We made it! Hurrah!

Now that our collective celebration is out of the way, let's get down to the fun stuff. Last night I baked a pumpkin pie (which I'm crossing my fingers that the crust cooked all the way through, but won't know for sure until it's go-time), made white turkey chili for dinner and curled up to watch Fringe. Is anyone else watching? It has been so outta control good this season. Plus, an hour of Joshua Jackson ain't so bad either. I'm so excited for spending time with friends and family this weekend and for getting to rock my brandy new Giants zip up on Sunday!

Anyhow, after two weeks of sipping on delicious pumpkin spice coffee, I thought it time to share my tale with all of you!

Today's recipe is a result of my plight of righteous indignation over expensive coffees and other coffee-laden drinks. You see, all summer I've had an injured wrist. After finally having it looked at by none other than a hand specialist, I found out that the problem was all stemming from a cyst - aka a giant egg on the top of my wrist. After a not-so-pretty shot and a splint, I was sent on my way. And since I was such a good patient, I felt that my inaugural pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks was just the ticket as a reward for my good patient behavior. You know, like I'm an eight-year-old.

Imagine my outrage that a Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte was nothing short of $5.17. I mean...seriously? Ok for a once in a while splurge, but how could I possibly justify over $5 per day to get my pumpkin spice fix? There had to be a better way.

And that's when I came across a yum-inducing recipe for Coffee Shop Pumpkin Syrup on Savvy Eats. Bingo. I altered the recipe a bit to eliminate more sugar and overall, this recipe really hits the mark for a super delicious autumn coffee. Oh and minus all the extra calories of a latte!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee
*Adapted from Savvy Eats
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
1/4 C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 C + 2 tbsp water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves (or leave out altogether if you have an aversion to its pungency)
ground coffee (as much as you want to make)
half and half or milk of your choice

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine pumpkin, Splenda, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Stir together until ingredients have melted together. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens, resembling syrup, but making sure that it doesn't get too thick. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn. This entire process took about 5 minutes. I had many reservations about the Splenda's ability to syrupify, but it worked! Hurrah for not wasting calories! I poured mine into that pretty saucer you see above to cool and then transferred it to a plastic container and stored in the fridge.

Now it's morning and time to put it altogether! Get your coffee grounds and make your coffee as usual...

I store my Dunkin' Donuts original blend in this pretty mason jar that I scooped up for just a few buckaroos at Michael's. Isn't it so much nicer than dealing with that awful and annoying bag that coffee comes in?

Since the syrup has a tendency to sink to the bottom, I mixed a teaspoon of the syrup with a bit of half and half (ok, more than a bit...I like my coffee creamy! You see why I don't have calories to spare on extra sugar) in a mug and microwaved it for about 20 seconds so that the syrup could dissapate into the cream. Yum!

Not to mention that adding warm cream to the hot coffee makes all the difference in the world! I carry mine around in a sweet tumbler that I bought at Target a couple of years ago. Add any further sweetner that you deem necessary and you're set with your cheap DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee! Now do the happy dance because you are saving mucho moola with this creation.

So there you have it. A cheap and easy way to enjoy an autumnal favorite. What do you think? Do you ever prefer to DIY things in the name of saving a few bucks? Am I the only one outraged by the prices of Starbucks and other specialty coffee shops? And bonus question, what are you most looking forward to this weekend?

On the cheap: Iced Coffee

This week, we've finally gotten a bit of a break from the heat. Plagued by 95 degree days for the last few months, Manhattan has been something of a sweat box. In an effort to combat the extreme temps, I've dabbled in a daily iced coffee. After weeks of spending a minimum of $2.50 per day on iced coffee from my local bodega, and sometimes an admitted $3.25 per day at Dunkin’ Donuts, I decided it was time for a change. While it's not a huge expense, I'm all for cutting corners where I can and saving up a bit of cash to put towards more fun things, like a good Sunday brunch. And can we take a moment for the fact that iced coffee should in no way cost more than hot coffee, which can easily be scored for under $2? Not only is it the same product but they are in fact giving you less coffee. There had to be a better way; a way to do it on the cheap.

Enter my new friend and commuting buddy - the COPCO iced coffee cup, a heavy duty reusable plastic cup and straw with a screw-on lid. Can we say genius?

Just when I thought I was the only person living under a rock and had just discovered this wonderful invention midway through the summer, I was pleased to find that I wasn’t the only one who was frustrated and looking for a solution. As I was riding the shuttle to the Path last week, a few co-riders marveled at it, their amateur eyes lighting up with envy. And I have to tell you, I don’t blame them. It is pretty wonderful.

The cup has long since paid for itself while saving me time in the morning, not to mention daily dollars. I simply brew my coffee at night, let it come to room temperature, store it in the fridge overnight and dress it in the morning. And so you know this isn't just hot air, here's the breakdown:

COPCO iced coffee cup: $7.99 (though technically free since my wonderful Mom purchased it for me)
1 bag Dunkin’ Donuts French Vanilla ground coffee: $8.99
Half & Half: $1.29 (though already had, for my weekend coffee)
Total: $18.27 for at least 3 weeks of morning coffee and counting

For $18, this would buy me 7 days at my local bodega (at $2.50/cup) and a mere 5 days of coffee at Dunkin Donuts (at $3.25/cup). Is it me, or does this make so much more sense? And quite honestly, I think the coffee from my own home tastes so much better, not to mention the fact that now I get to enjoy my coffee during my entire ride to work rather than having to wait until crossing into Manhattan. Oh happy day.

So that's how I've managed to save some coin each day while celebrating a personal victory that I'm not being taken advantage of for my $3. So what do you think? Do you BYO or prefer to purchase?

PS - TAA was in no way paid to or offered any compensation or incentive to push the COPCO iced coffee cup. We just happen to think it's tops and want to share!