Latte Cup Tag & Recipe for Cold Brewed Coffee

Good morning!  

Welcome to the 2nd day of the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!  

Today's project is a tag that I designed to go along with the teacher gifts we gave last year.  Looking back, I realized I never blogged about this cute little tag.

This tag been hanging in my office for a year and I can't believe how vibrant the CTMH inks are.  I photographed it a couple days ago on my quart jar of cold coffee.  (I didn't have any other mason jars handy and I wanted to share with you my cold coffee recipe)

Like this year's teacher gifts, it was tied on a Mason Jar that was filled with chocolate and coffee (of course!)

RECIPE:  Cold Brew Coffee in a Mason jar!  
Here's the basic recipe. Why re-invent the recipe when they've done a great job photographing it?
 I use 6 scoops of finely ground coffee and fill the quart jar with filtered water.  Be sure to shake it a couple times throughout the day.  I strain it with a similar mesh strainer and then with my old reusable mesh drip basket like this one because I use a pretty find grind.  Other websites suggest a coarse grind but then you'll have to use more coffee.

Don't toss your coffee grounds!  It's a nice big bunch of them.  Take them out and put them around a Hydrangea or Rhododendron to gently acidify the soil.  They will love it!  I have 2 bushes that I can reach from my back step that are loving the extra acid.  (In other words, I can do this in my PJ's)

You'll get a rich, concentrated cold coffee that's perfect for Iced Coffee or home-made Fraps.

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Carmel Glaze

Whenever I have a group over at my home for an event or workshop, I usually bake a little treat …. from scratch. 
Think I’m insane to not pick up a little treat at the store?   I’m not.  I happen to be extremely sensitive to products made with dairy and soy.  I get headaches and worse when I eat them and I shut down.  And that’s the last thing I want to happen when I am hosting a workshop!  So you’re in for a wonderful treat when you come over to my place!  My recipes aren’t 100% free of dairy.  I can fudge a recipe a bit because when things are cooked to 200 degrees for 5+ minutes, it destroys the part of the milk that causes my sensitivity.  
Today’s recipe is adapted from the one found at MyBlessedLife.net   I found it on Pinterest.  It’s in my folder called “Yummy.”  Or you can pin my version too!

Pumpkin Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

Filling & topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts {pecans or walnuts}
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons sour cream

Combine 2 Tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, stir well and set aside with the nuts. 
Cream butter and oil. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, mixing just until blended. Gently fold in vanilla and sour cream.
Spoon half of batter into a greased tube pan. Sprinkle half of the nuts and half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over batter. Repeat layers.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cover with foil to keep the nuts from burning.  Cook 10-15 minutes longer or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean or is 205 degrees internal temp!
**I bake my cake until the internal temperature is 205 degrees per a meat thermometer.  This ensures that the cake is thoroughly done and will not fall.  I’ve had pound cakes pass the toothpick test and come out gooey.  I highly recommend you temperature check your cake even without having a milk sensitivity!   It’s the surest way for baking cakes and breads.  (bake breads to 210-215 degrees)
Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely…about one hour.
Caramel Glaze:

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons white or raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1-2 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Heat butter, sugars, vanilla and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it reaches a boil, boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and continue stirring.  Whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar to thicken. Use more if it needs to thicken more. Spoon glaze over cooled pound cake. Enjoy!
Have a great day and enjoy this pumpkin treat!  BTW, the batter tastes just like pumpkin pie.  I could have ate it (sans the sour cream) all by myself.