Making Apple Cider

I've been at college for three weeks now. So far, I'm enjoying it. There's plenty of homework, but also plenty of fun activities. I'm really liking my classes too, which is good (well, most of them—I'm still trying to convince myself that I like speech class).

This weekend I am getting away from campus and am in Michigan at my roommate’s house for labor day. Even though I’m not in a foreign country, I’m still having new experiences. This weekend they were food-related (the best kind)!

I made apple cider! I feel like a pro, even though I only helped for a few hours, and I mostly just put the apples in the top of the apple grinder. What’s the apple grinder? Don’t worry, I’ll explain the whole process.

What’s the first thing you have to do when making apple cider? Pick the apples, duh! I didn’t help with this part, but the Smiths have quite a few apple trees on their property that they picked the apples from.

Next, they rinsed them off in some water. No unnecessary dirt in my cider, please!

Then the apples had to be cut into quarters so that they would fit in the masher. If the apples are a little bruised or mottled, no worries! They will still taste good when made into juice. Just throw out the rotten ones—yuck!

The apples then have to be ground into chunks so that they can be easily squished. One person put quartered apples into the top of this machine while another turned a helm-ish looking wheel. The ground apples came out the bottom, and every so often someone had to scrape them down into the bowl.

After being ground, the apples can finally go into the press, a contraption that squishes the apples between wooden blocks; a piece of mesh strains the juice from the squished apples. The juice comes out a tap at the bottom, and flows through a funnel into a bottle.

And that’s it! It takes quite a few people working on this to get it done efficiently. At least four to work at a good pace, but more is always better to trade off when muscles get tired.

We, of course, were doing this all by hand, but most farms will use machines.

Joanna and I got a jug to take back to Bethel as a reward for helping! Apparently apple cider is really good with ginger snaps...

Later that night, I was wondering what the difference between apple cider and apple juice is. Well, it turns out it’s not a straightforward answer. Here are three ways that companies may base labelling on:
1) Apple cider is less processed and less strained than apple juice.
2) Apple cider is made with apples picked early in the season.
3) For some companies, only the label is the difference between the two.

At the end of the day, we sat down together with friends and had an amazing meal of venison burgers and homegrown sweet corn. The Smiths shot the deer and ground the meat themselves for the venison burgers; it was so good that if I had had room, I would have eaten a second! The Smiths also grew the sweet corn in their garden—how awesome is that?! Along with this meal, we had our freshly made apple cider. So much homemade food. It just doesn’t get much better.

If you want to learn how to make your own apple cider, this is a great resource to ensure the safety of the final product.
If you want to make easy, flavorful (but not completely traditional) apple cider, this looks like a great recipe.

Sources: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-apple-cider-apple-juice-word-of-mouth-178470

Russian Hot Chocolate

To say "I love chocolate" would be an understatement. But get this—I didn't have my first sip of hot chocolate until I had traipsed this earth for 16 years.

And guess what? Chances are, you haven't had real hot chocolate at all. Now you're probably really confused, but let me clarify. Many people do not realize this, but there is a difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa.

Hot cocoa is what we usually think of when we hear the words "hot chocolate". It is made with cocoa powder (hence the name hot cocoa) and sugar mixed with hot milk or water. It is more or less the consistency of milk—think hot, chocolate milk.

Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is much thicker and creamier than hot cocoa. As its name implies, it is made by melting chocolate into milk and cream. Because hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and thick beyond belief, it is wise to have a glass of water nearby. Hot chocolate has a much higher fat content than hot cocoa because it usually contains more dairy, and it is made using chocolate rather than cocoa powder. Hot chocolate is a popular drink in Russia and France.

The first time that I had real hot chocolate was at Shokoladnitsa, a Russian cafe chain that is very popular here in Russia. Because their hot chocolate is so intense, you can order just a teeny-tiny cup of it; but there are also bigger sizes of chocolatey bliss for more serious chocolate lovers (i.e. me!). No matter the size, though, it always comes with a glass of cold water, otherwise people would constantly ask for some.

It took awhile, but I've come to realize that in Russia, when you ask for hot chocolate, that is what you get. It is a big surprise for some foreigners when they see hot chocolate on the menu and they get a very rich, thick drink! If that's not your cup of tea hot chocolate, many places also offer hot cocoa.

Ever since taking my first sip of hot chocolate, I've wanted to try making it. It was difficult to find a recipe because many people call hot cocoa by the incorrect name of hot chocolate (though, I admit it, I'm guilty of this too, at times). But at last, I found what I was looking for on wellplated.com…a drink worthy of a cold, snowy, Russian winter day.

And honestly? It's not that difficult to make.

You just need some chocolate. Pure chocolate.

But before chopping that magic up, get some cream and milk heating. It needs to be drinkable!

Then chop your chocolate...

...and add it to your warm cream and milk.

Whisk it up!

It will start to look something like this. Make sure it all melts before pouring it into mugs.

After all of the chocolate has melted and been stirred into the milk and cream, it will become a thick, dark, creamy, rich, chocolatey consistency, and you know it's ready.

Perfection in a cup.

Rich Hot Chocolate
Servings: 3-4*

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. espresso powder (optional; will intensify chocolate flavor)
1-2 tsp. vanilla, mint, or peppermint extract to taste (optional, choose one)
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, at least 72%, chopped*

Optional Garnishes:
Whipped cream
Marshmallows
Peppermint sticks
Cinnamon sticks
Scoop of ice cream

Directions:
1. Over medium heat in a medium pot, whisk whole milk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and extract. Heat until there are bubbles around the edges; do not allow it to boil.
2. Remove pot from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate until melted. Return to low heat if the chocolate is not melted completely.
3. Serve warm. For leftover hot chocolate: cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container, and refrigerate. Carefully reheat in microwave or in a pot over low heat.

*Just quarter the recipe for a single serving.
*Better chocolate yields better hot chocolate, so use the highest quality possible. Do not use chocolate chips.

Recipe from: http://www.wellplated.com/french-hot-chocolate/

Chai Tea

I've only had chai a few times before, and the only thing I remember about it some kind of sweet taste. Having heard raving reviews from my parents about it, I decided I needed to change that.

We had all the ingredients (well, except whole cloves...but ground cloves ended up working fine), so I decided to make it, which was fun and different because I had to grind up all of the ingredients.

The chai made the house smell wonderful. In fact, I think I need a chai scented candle so I can smell chai all the time :)

I did have a bit of a problem with the condensed milk though. Apparently it is as slow as molasses (at least that's how it felt!) and having only a small hole in the can did not help. At all. My arm got tired of holding it, even after I punched four additional holes in the top!

The day was gray and dreary, making the chai even more satisfying. I now understand completely why everyone likes it so much!

Chai Tea

Serves 10

Ingredients:

10 cups water

2 tsp. bay leaves

2 tsp. fennel

5 whole cloves or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3 white cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

5 tea bags (Lipton)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Boil 10 cups of water.

2. Crush up bay leaves, fennel cloves, white cardamom, and cinnamon sticks using a mortar and pestle. Add to water. Boil for 5 minutes.

3. Turn down heat, add tea bags, and steep until black, about 10 minutes.

4. Add sweetened condensed milk.

5. Remove tea bags when chai turns a creamy golden-brown color.

6. Strain and enjoy hot or cold!

Recipe from: Dr. & Mrs. Ketchum