Christmas Smörgåsbord

The word "smorgasbord" has come to mean any table covered with platters upon platters of delicious food. However, the traditional Scandinavian denotation of Smörgåsbord refers to a buffet of (mostly) cold treats. For my Norwegian family, the ultimate Smörgåsbord occurs on Christmas morning.

Cups of hot tea and coffee (depending on your preference), soft-boiled eggs, shrimp, smoked salmon, and piles upon piles of cold cuts for open-faced sandwiches.

I know, I know, someone who calls herself The Coffee Breaker should be drinking coffee with breakfast instead of tea. But I still haven't been able to mix the flavors of shrimp and coffee together in the morning, so during a Smörgåsbord I opt for hot tea.

Merry Christmas!!

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Christmas Party Mix

The first big snow of the year has finally fallen, finals are over, and I'm officially in the Christmas spirit. Which means it's the perfect time for the ultimate holiday treat - Christmas Party Mix.

This delectable and oh-so-simple recipe is a family staple, mainly because it makes the perfect mini gift. I absolutely love gift giving, but when I was younger, it was always such a struggle to figure out how to get my 20+ close friends gifts without completely burning through my bank account. This recipe was my go-to, because it makes about 10-15 bags of delicious chocolaty salty goodness. 

So, if you find yourself in a similar predicament, or need something to bring to all your holiday parties this season, whip up a quick batch of this stuff. I guarantee anyone can make it, and your friends will regard you as an iron chef after sinking their teeth into this. It's so addicting that my family has nicknamed it "Christmas Crack."

First, grab these ingredients:

Plastic wrap

5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Corn Chex

10 ounces mini pretzels

1 pound M&M's (the holiday colored ones!)

2 packages vanilla chips

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Start by covering a large table or counter with plastic wrap.

Grab an extremely large bowl and pour in your pretzels.

Next, add your Cheerios.

Then your Corn Chex.

And top it off with your M&Ms.

Stir your mixture around a bit so that the ingredients are well-combined.

Next, place your chips in a microwave-safe bowl.

Add your oil to the chips.

Then place the whole thing in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once. Then microwave fo another 10 seconds and stir again.

At this point, the people around you might start to smell the deliciousness and look for taste tests.

Once your chocolate is melted, pour it over your dry foods mix, stirring gently to combine. Work in shifts, pouring a little bit, then mixing, then pouring some more and mixing again until you're completely out of chocolate.

Pour your mixture over the plastic wrapped counter and spread it out. Let it dry for a couple of hours.

When you're done, your should end up with a clumpy salty-sweet delicious mixture.

To give this away as a gift (if you can bear parting with any of it), put some mix into a decorative holiday bag and close with a twist tie or a ribbon.

Easy, simple, and delicious. Happy Holidays!!

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The Perfect Cappuccino

Around this time of year, I'm a sucker for Starbucks. What can I say, their Gingerbread Latte just does something magical to me that I can't explain. And sometimes, when the cold wind is whipping at your face and you've got a pile of books to read, a normal drip coffee just ain't gonna cut it.
However, since standard coffee shops will charge you nearly $5 for a decent-sized specialty drink, this habit can't be funded for long (unless your lattes are replacing your meals, which I don't recommend). 
Fortunately, there's a solution. You can make your own lattes and cappuccinos at home.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're terrified that you'll mess it up, or you don't have the right equipment. But I promise, all it takes is practice and some simple tools to build my favorite creation - the Sweet Cap.

The Sweet Cap is my indulgent and dangerously simple creation - a combination of espresso, frothed milk, and whipped cream. This gives the creator the freedom to add his or her own flavors to it as well.
To make this, all you need are two simple things. 1.) something to make espresso with.

I like to use my little moka pot for some quick on-the-stove java. Very cheap, only $18 here.

2.) You'll need something to froth milk with. You've got a couple of options here. If you want super-cheap, a hand frother does the job. If you want super-luxurious, Nespresso makes an amazing frother. However, I rely on a medium-grade version:

This Kasbahouse hand frother gets the job done for around $20. Find it here.

Once you've got these materials, or something similar, all you have to do is brew your espresso, pour it in a cappuccino cup, froth your milk, and pour it on top. Again, feel free to throw in your own flavors. Then, be sure to top with whipped cream.

If you want to play with flavors, my newfound favorite is to place a cinnamon stick in the cup and sprinkle a pinch of ground cloves over the whipped cream. It tastes like Christmas in a cup.

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Belgian Chocolates

As most of you know, for the majority of this semester, my friend Katie has been galavanting across Europe (feel free to check out her travel blog here). Whenever I'm feeling lonely or unadventurous, I snuggle up in a blanket and let Katie's blog take me through the various museums, coffee shops, and bars that she's been to.

One of my favorite posts documented her trip to Belgium, where she toured some of the world's best chocolate shops and I drooled onto my keyboard.

Much to my surprise, Katie foresaw my chocolate craving and sent me an early Christmas present - a box of handpicked assorted chocolates straight outta Belgium.

I love this bright red packaging - it even looks like a Christmas present!

This bright gold box looks positively royal.

And it's safe to say the chocolates inside are fit for a Queen. Katie was even nice enough to handpick the assortment, including tons of coffee-filled options! Perfect for me.

Thanks Katie!!

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