Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

You know those days when you wake up craving chocolate? Let me restart. You know how every morning, you wake up needing a chocolate fix? No? Just me? Well this is awkward.

If as a child, your favourite cereals were cocoa puffs and cocoa krispies, and when you were out of cereal, you either slathered Nutella onto toast or ate a double chocolate Pop-Tart, then this recipe is for you!

Only now that you're older, you have to pretend that you've grown out of your love for those sugary bowls of crispy, chocolatey, heavenly goodness, and opt for the boring bowls of sludge called oatmeal.

But wait. I am here to let you know that not all hope is lost. If you still need that morning chocolate fix, (of course you do) then you can have it in the healthier form of baked oatmeal! Yaaay!


Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp. Cocoa powder
1 small ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1) Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. And grease a single- serving ramkin.
2) Combine first three ingredients.
3) Stir in first the banana, then the milk.
4) Bake until no longer liquidy in the center, or about 25-30 minutes.

Notes:
·For a sweeter, fudgier oatmeal, use more banana.
·For a richer oatmeal, as half of a mashed avocado, or a.tablespoon of coconut oil in step three.
·To be a happier person, mix in a handful of chocolate chips in step three.

Enjoy!
-Liesl

How to: The Perfect Brew

Brewing times. It’s something the majority of us don’t usually consider when making a steamy cup of tea. Boil water, pour it over the tea bag in the cup, drink. It sounds like the world’s most simple recipe. But there seems to be an art to brewing the perfect cup of tea. You, lucky reader, get to have the secret to becoming a tea-brewing master. 

Green and White Tea:

These delicate teas get special treatment when it comes to brewing. To get the perfect flavors here you should heat the water to just before the boiling point. Water that’s too hot can “cook” your tea leaves(which is not our goal here). Let the green tea steep for 1 minute or less and the white tea for 1-3 minutes. (Matcha tea has the same heating instructions, but no steeping time of course!)

Black and Oolong Tea:

With these two, you can boil the water to your heart’s content before pouring it. Then let each of them steep for 5-7 minutes.

Herbal Tea:

As with black and oolong, Herbal tea can be made with boiling water. However, this time, you can let it steep for 5-7 minutes depending on your preference of flavor strength.

Here's a handy little chart that puts it all together

As for how to remove the tea bag, you can take a look at “The Great Squeeze Debate” to help you make your decision.

And for the very last step: Drink and enjoy! *But be careful not to burn yourself, it always ruins the experience*

-Elizabeth

The Best Creamy Peanut Butter

It seems like everywhere, I am seeing the instructions for making one-ingredient peanut butter. The whole "one ingredient" thing is convenient, but since I grew up on the hydrogenated-oil laden stuff, the taste of the peanut-only peanut butter just doesn't cut it. Who is with me? Because if you are, this recipe is for you.

By simply adding a few extra ingredients, I was able to manipulate the flavor of this peanut butter to mimic its store-bought cousin. The flavor was not an exact match, but I actually thought that the taste was superior to what I grew up on. (Thanks, vanilla extract!)

Note: You will need a high powered food processor to make this get to the best consistency. I use a Ninja system.

The Best Peanut Butter
2 c. Dry Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar*
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Process all ingredients an a strong food processor until desired consistancy is reached. First, it will become coarse like sand. The it will become a thick paste, like Play-Doh. Keep on processing until it becomes more like a liquid.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Feel free to play around with the ratios if you so desire.
*honey or maple syrup can be substituted.
~Liesl

Letter Writing: A Lost Art

When was the last time you sent a letter to someone?
Letter writing is a valuable form of communication that is too often neglected. I mean why take the time to write out a letter, figure out the address of the recipient, and pay a whopping 50 cents for a stamp?

Although the convenience of text messaging, phone conversations, and even e-mails are definitely dominant forms of communication in this day and age, there is just something so special about receiving a letter. 

Need some reasons to send out a letter?

Because letter writing takes "so much more" work than most other communicational outlets, whenever I receive a letter, I get the sense that the sender really cares about me. So when I want to let someone else know that I care about how they are doing, letter writing is the perfect way to do so.

Probably my favourite reason to write a letter is stationary, one of the loves of my life. This may just be me, but there is something about stationary that draws me in and motivates me to write more letters. Or if you want to get creative, make your own note cards or stationary with some good quality cardstock and a gel pen!

Here are a few inspiring note cards:

These floral note cards are not only adorable, but also eco-friendly!

{$15.50/12 cards}

How cool are these Personalized notes? I love the color scheme!

{$12.00/10cards}

I adore the font on this set of minimalistic personalized stationary! Yes please!

{15.00/12}

And although a response should never be expected, many times, when you write a letter, you'll receive one in response! Talk about exciting!

So go ahead, and write that letter. It will be well worth the the time, effort, and postage!

~Liesl

Guidelines to Reading Classic Literature

We’ve all been there before. And by “there” I mean tried to read a classic novel and found ourselves unable to get through it. For some, it may discourage you from reading anything pre-1900’s again. I’m here to tell you not to give up just yet! Perhaps all you need to get started on your road to being an avid reader of classic novels are a few starter tips.

• 
  Tip #1: Audiobooks are your friend
  So I’ve found that one of the hard parts of reading older books is getting through all the old language. Of course, if you’re watching a Shakespearean play, those old english words sound beautiful. But when you’re reading, it just becomes a hurdle when you have to stop to decipher the spelling differences. However, when there’s someone to read all the funny words for you (with the right pronunciation, too) it makes it ten times easier to finish these types of books.
  
  
  
  Tip #2: Movies are also your friends
  It may sounds counterintuitive to watch movies, but if you can watch ones with that old english vocabulary in them, it still helps you get used to it. Also, watching good movie adaptations can introduce you to classic stories that you might have previously been too intimidated to attempt reading.
  
  
  
  Tip #3: Start small
  In the same way that runners have to train for marathons, you have to work your way up to reading the more difficult classics. Don’t start with something like Les Miserables(it’s called “the brick” for a reason). If you go for an easier read you’ll find yourself enjoying “old books” and it will build your stamina  and enthusiasm to read more!
  
  

  

  "The Brick"

  Here are a few recommendations:
  Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen(the audiobook narrated by Carolyn Seymour is perfect too!)
  Jane Eyre - Emily Bronte (or the audiobook narrated by Susan Ericksen)
  Sherlock Holmes series - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkien
  Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
  The Great Gatsby- F Scott Fitzgerald
  The Narnia series - C.S. Lewis
  
  
  -Elizabeth
  
  

Tea Highlight: The Republic of Tea

So obviously here on Simply Brewed we love tea; all sorts of tea, really. But sometimes it’s hard to find a great variety of teas at any given grocery store. In general, they tend to offer the usual green, black, camomile, etc. And perhaps if they’re feeling a bit crazy you’ll see one with honey or lemon flavorings too.

Don’t get me wrong, plain tea is great, but there are so many other flavor combinations we miss out on if we only stick to the original flavors!Where can we find such unique flavors? you may ask. The answer is: republicoftea.com!

The Republic of Tea is a company that makes a huge variety of premium teas. They have black, green, oolong, matcha, white, herbal, rooibos, hibiscus, and decaf. I can’t even begin to list all of the flavor combinations. Did I mention they also offer it in tea bags as well as loose leaf?

As a bonus, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. It averages $10 for 50 tea bags(20 cents per cup) compared to $3 for 20 tea bags(15 cents per cup) if you get a generic brand. It’s certainly cheaper than someplace like Teavana which can cost almost $1 per cup.

And to top it off, they even take steps to be eco friendly as well. For example, they eliminated the use of staples or glue in their tea bags and the bags are even made out of unbleached tea paper. (I think I’m in tea love)

Head over to their website and check out all the cool info they have on tea health benefits, brewing times, and FAQ's. They’ll even mail you a free catalog!

-Elizabeth

{*Attention* This was not a sponsored post. They're just a great company worth highlighting!}

The Great Squeeze Debate

Tea.

It's the world's most popular drink (excluding water), [Source] and it is simple enough to make that anyone can enjoy it. Additionally, it can be relatively cheap, especially when compared to coffee.

        

So obviously, the majority of the world can agree that tea is a spectacular beverage, but what seems to be the cause for debate in this area is the matter of whether or not tea bags should be squeezed subsequent to brewing.

It makes sense to squeeze tea bags. After all, the liquid absorbed by the bag is usually the most flavorful, and by wringing out the bag, the issue of that tea-puddle disappears.

However, many argue that in squeezing the tea bag, the previously perfect cup of tea takes on a bitter taste.

Which side has a more valid argument?

As it turns out, tea leaves have oils in them, called tannins. These oils are what can cause a cup of tea to turn bitter. When one squeezes their tea bag post-brewing, they are releasing the bitter tannins into their beverage. The bitterness is rather subtle. Enough so, in fact, that many do not notice a difference in flavor!

Typically, black, white, and green teas have the highest amount of tannins in them, while herbal teas have little to no tannins.

So really the choice is yours, whether or not to squeeze the tea bag. If the flavor of your tea seems kind of off, then maybe try not to squeeze the bag or don't let it brew as long. If that tea puddle really bothers you, squeezing the bag will not make such a huge difference on the taste.

Or do it like I do: don't remove the bag at all.

-Liesl