Instant Mocha Latte Mix

If you know me well, you know I am not a "morning person."

I hate waking up, in fact I have hated it since I was a kid.  I can remember epic battles with my mother, as early as kindergarten, where she would be trying to get me out the door while I was throwing a fit.

When I was a few years older, I also tried to get out of walking to school by telling my parents that "my legs don't work in the morning."  I'm sure you can imagine how that ended... with me trudging grumpily to school.

I'm happy to report that at this point in my life, I don't cry and scream anymore (though Mr. Vittles might disagree) and my legs work just fine at 7AM.  But no matter what time I wake up, or how smoothly my morning duties go, I still always seem to be scrambling at the end.

In case you didn't know, I am also a coffee-a-holic, so those aforementioned "duties" typically include making myself either iced coffee or a latte.  Or if things are REALLY going well, I may forgo that duty and stop to buy one instead.

But then there are those mornings when nothing goes right.

When... every outfit I put on looks terrible.

When... I happen to notice I forgot to put on makeup (eek!)

When... the Mini is running around, refusing to get her clothes and/or coat on (maybe she inherited my morning-hating?), OR decides that 30 seconds before we leave is a good time to test-drive her fresh diaper.

When... I can't find my keys, anywhere.

When... I'm pulling out of the driveway and I realize my cell phone is still sitting on my dresser.

Or maybe some awful combination of the above, who knows.

But whatever the reason ... there are sad, sad days when I get to work coffee-less.  And for dire times like these, I keep a stash of instant coffee at my desk.

Coffee snobs are likely horrified, and I'll admit my early experience with instant coffee was not too positive - but when Starbucks came out with their Via line, I felt instant coffee was redeemed.  Then, when I recently saw their new instant lattes, I was even more excited.  I'll take a hot latte over a hot cup of coffee any day.

It pains me to say it - I am a Starbucks lover from way back, and gold card-holder for many years - but these lattes just have a weird taste... which I happen to dislike immensely.

So my disappointment gave me an idea.  What if I made my own mixture, and I could save the servings in little baggies at my desk?

Well it turns out, not only does this NOT taste weird (at least, not to me), it has the added benefit that you can adjust the mix to your personal preferences.  If you like the coffee flavor to be strong, add more espresso powder.  If you like it super sweet, add more confectioners sugar (or vice versa if you prefer less sweet, or even unsweetened).  If you like it creamier, add more milk powder.

It's the little things that make the mornings a little more bearable :)

Instant Mocha Latte Mix

• 5 T. nonfat dry milk powder (I used Carnation brand)
• 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 T. confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 t. instant espresso powder (I used Medaglio D'Oro brand)

Combine all ingredients and mix until evenly distributed.  Store in airtight container until ready to use.  To make a latte, empty mixture into mug and add 1 C. boiling (or very hot) water.  Stir until powder is dissolved, and enjoy.  Makes 1 serving.

Original Recipe

Irish Cream Mocha Fudge

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

I would have liked to post this before the holiday, but this past week really got away from me!

I made this fudge on Friday night for a party we went to yesterday in NYC.

In the spirit of starting festivities early, some of Mr. Vittles' friends hosted a brunch... in their amazing apartment that has not one but three decks.  It turned out to be a beautiful day, so we were able to spend a lot of time outside.

But since we wanted to take the train into New York, which takes about an hour & 45 minutes from our house, we had to be on the train by 7:50AM.

Usually on a Saturday morning, I am not even awake yet at that time.   (I get up at 6:15AM on weekdays for work though - don't worry, I'm not a total bum).  And to make matters worse, I overslept because I set my alarm incorrectly, so I was rushing and had no time for coffee or food.  The foggy weather here yesterday morning was not helping me pep up, either.  So I would have liked nothing more than to take a little nap on the way up to NYC... but I quickly found out that was not in the cards.

The train was filled with young (mostly college-aged) people, all decked out in green, I guess heading into the city for the St. Patrick's Day parade.  NJ Transit allows people to drink on the train, so they were already getting rowdy.  About twenty minutes into the trip it was already standing-room only.  On our particular car, there was a girl who was apparently having a birthday, and we must have heard the song "Happy Birthday" about ten times over the duration of the trip.  Not to mention other songs ("99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"), various screams and chants, and also lots of banging on the roof of the train car.

My dad warned me from experience that the "drunk train" was going to be interesting.  But we were expecting that to be at night, not at 8 in the morning.

Surprisingly the train ride home around 5PM was much calmer.  I think at that point people were exhausted from drinking all day and ready for a nap.  Luckily, that early in the evening we were with either the lightweights or the smart people who had enough sense to call it quits - not the heavyweights, or ones that were forced by their friends to rally for the good of the group, and would likely end up spending more time in the bathroom than their seats.

If they even made it that far.

...

Yucky.

So anyway, St. Patty's Day is not one of my favorite holidays (mainly for the above reasons).  But we had a great time at the party, and hopefully everyone enjoyed the fudge.

It has loads of sugar, so it at least got the Mr. Vittles seal of approval!

Irish Cream Mocha Fudge

• 1/3 C. Irish cream (such as Bailey's)
• 1 T. instant coffee granules
• 3/4 C. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
• 3 C. sugar
• 1/2 C. evaporated milk
• 1 12-oz. bag milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• dash salt
• 1 t. vanilla

Line a 9x13" pan with foil, and grease with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips with salt in a large heatproof bowl & set aside.

Combine Irish cream with instant coffee in a small, microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup.  Microwave 20 seconds (more if needed) and stir to dissolve coffee granules.  Set aside.

In large saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, marshmallow creme, sugar, and evaporated milk, stirring until melted.  Slowly add irish cream mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  (Reduce heat if mixture starts to burn).

Pour mixture over chocolate chips, and add vanilla.  Stir until mixture is smooth and creamy.  Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly to sides.  Let chill in refrigerator until set, then cut into 1" squares.  Can be kept at room temperature, or in refrigerator if desired.  Makes one 9x13 pan of fudge.

Recipe Adapted from Justapinch.com