Pumpkin Un-Cocoa

Tired of tea? Can't even consider another cup of cocoa? Or maybe you just want something a little different to warm you up in this cold weather? Here's an easy recipe that takes almost no time at all in the kitchen.

Gothamist featured this un-cocoa a while back-- originally from the Hungry Mouse blog (visit here!), and I made it recently. HOLY goodness. Try it. Takes all of 5 minutes to put together: milk, pumpkin purée, vanilla, spices, and the sweetener of your choice (I used Splenda, the original recipe calls for sugar).

In my world, whipped cream makes everything better (I also lightly sweetened this with a bit of Splenda) and topped with with a dash or two of freshly-shaved nutmeg. The Hungry Mouse author suggests spiced rum as well, but this is also delicious as is. Deeeelicious.

And kitty approved!

Original recipe here at The Hungry Mouse! Follow @Lkpnyc

Food Truck Friday: More Crêpes!

A different crêpe truck was outside my office the other day. Normally The Crêpes Truck is my go-to, but I'm always up for trying something new. The Craffles (crêpes + waffles, I assume) truck makes Belgian style waffles AND sweet or savoury crêpes.

I went for savory this time, ordering the chicken-pesto crêpe. I enjoyed watching the effortless work by the man running the truck, and the smells were making me even more hungry.

The inside of the truck is sparkling clean, and my server used gloves while making my food, and removed them to handle money. (Drives me crazy when people touch my food with the same gloves they just used to accept money-- which is normally filthy!)

The crepe itself was flawless-- crispy on the edges, spongy but not too thick in the middle. The fresh basil was a bit overpowering, so I took about half of it out, but I appreciated the generosity with the fillings.

I saw they also offer hot chocolate, sweet crêpes and Belgian-style waffles, but I was out of cash that day. I'll be back soon to try something sweet from them.

As with most food trucks, the Craffles NYC cart is always on the move! If you want to try their deliciousness, track them on Twitter @crafflesnyc or on their FB page. Follow @Lkpnyc

Downton Abbey-- in Midtown Manhattan!

Are you a fan of Downton Abbey, the delightfully soapy PBS series? If you're anywhere in NYC, there's a fun little tea truck making stops all this week, offering tea, biscuits, and peeks into the series!

My fabulous coworkers & I walked a block away from our office to have some hot tea and a biscuit (what we Yanks call cookies) with a little British touch.

Servers dressed in period garb (okay, covered up in modern coats- it's COLD out this week) were there to serve us hot tea and Biscoff biscuits (have you had these? They're SO GOOD), and they all seemed to be having a grand old time.
All of this fun fuss is to remind fans (as if we actually NEED reminding!) that the fourth season of Downton Abbey airs in the US on January 5th. Set your DVRs, people! This is British entertainment at its most genteel, and genuinely entertaining.

I believe this tea is the English Rose Tea, sold just for Downton Abbey and described by the Republic of tea thusly: "This vibrant, ruby-red infusion of rose, raspberry and hibiscus has fruity, floral notes and a touch of sweetness. Inspired by traditional British desserts, this caffeine-free, luscious tea is perfect as an afternoon treat." (You can order it here!) It is very fruity, and we drank it plain, no sugar needed. I'm still more of a black tea person, but this was fun.. and free!

Do I look proper yet??

There was, shockingly, no real line. We got our tea in seconds, and had a few minutes to linger and pose for cheeky pics and whatnot. Is it high tea, with finger sandwiches and sweets and cloth napkins? Of course not-- but it certainly was a fun break in our day, as we are all quite excited about the upcoming premiere!
Hang in there, fans-- not much longer until we find out what happens with Mary and the rest of the Downton clan!

Thursday, December 12th
The New York Times Center, 41st St. between 7th & 8th Avenue

Friday, December 13
Broadway between 66th and 67th Street

Follow @Lkpnyc

Chilmark Chocolates (Martha's Vineyard)

On our yearly trip to MV, ABF & I met his family for a quick trip to Chilmark Chocolates. It was our first time there, but the rest of the clan had already discovered the delicious bites and was going back for Round Two!

It's a tight fit inside, with room for a quick single file pass by the glass cases. There wasn't too much time to linger, but there were so many possible choices!

I ended up picking a few random bites that sounded good, starting with the dark chocolate/GrapeNuts combo. My mom used to make this crazy-good GrapeNuts pudding when I was a kid (note to self-- make that pudding soon!) and I figured it was probably a great crunchy add to chocolate. I figured right. This was one of my favorites, and I didn't even stop to take a picture.

Every bite was delicious-- their toffee was crunchy, sweet, and just salty enough.

I was planning to bring back a bunch of chocolates for my coworkers, but Chilmark was closed that Tuesday, so we'll have to wait until our next visit. We know better-- this is the time of year when most places are shutting down for the season! Either way, we know now that Chilmark Chocolates is a must-stop the next time we come visit the Island.

Chilmark Chocolates

19 State Road

Chilmark, MA 02535

(508) 645-3013

Follow @Lkpnyc