Drinks

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

It’s November, which means pumpkin spice everything has been around for 2 months now. As someone who grew up loving pumpkin anything, long before pumpkin spice was a thing, I really don’t mind the craze. For me though, pumpkin is a food that should be celebrated in November, when Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie are most prominent, hence the reason for sharing this recipe now (It’s definitely not because moving halfway around the world, being new homeowners and filling the important role of Matron of Honor in your sister’s wedding pushes back all of your blogging timelines. Definitely not because of that.) Living in Japan for the past three years meant that we missed out on most of the pumpkin spice things, as their version of the pumpkin craze is much different than America’s (you can read about it here). For the most part, I was totally ok with that, but the thing I missed most was pumpkin spice in my latte (or Americano, if you really know me). I’ve always loved putting cinnamon in my coffee so adding pumpkin spice syrup is even better for this pumpkin loving girl. The only thing that really bothers me about the syrup from coffee shops is, what the heck is in it? Why does it turn my coffee orange?!? As someone who prefers a more natural approach to food and loves to try out recipes, I decided to develop my own pumpkin spice syrup. It’s been in the works for the past few years, so I wasn’t totally deprived in Japan, but I finally hit on my perfect version this year.

(more…)

0 comment

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

pumpkin pie smoothie | confections of a dietitian

Pumpkin pie has always been one of my favorite desserts. It’s no surprise since everyone in my family seems to love it too. I have numerous memories of eating pumpkin pie throughout my childhood. Whether it was Thanksgiving, a family gathering or just lunch with my great grandpa on a Sunday, if it was fall, then you could expect pumpkin pie for dessert.

(more…)

0 comment

DIY Cold Brew Iced Coffee

cold brew iced coffee | confections of a dietitian

My coffee addiction started later than most. Somehow, I made it through my undergraduate degree without drinking much coffee. Grad school, on the other hand, was a different story. During my year off between degrees, I worked in a hospital’s nutrition department and spent a decent chunk of that working in the on-site cafe. Fortunately for me, that meant a lot of free coffee drinks. An added bonus was that my sister, whom I was living with at the time, was working as a barista at a really good coffee shop in Boulder. I frequently visited her at work for more discounted coffee. It’s no surprise that after a year of free coffee, I was officially addicted. Moving to Washington didn’t help either. I couldn’t drive more than two blocks in Spokane without passing a cute coffee stand on the corner. As much as I wanted (probably, needed) to get coffee every day, I didn’t want to spend extra money on it (I was in grad school, after all). It wasn’t a big deal in the winter, when I could make hot coffee at home, but in the warmer months, when all I wanted was an iced americano, it was a different story. Brewing hot coffee and cooling it the fridge was a good, quick fix, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor. I started making this iced coffee recipe instead and I haven’t strayed from it since.

(more…)

0 comment