A Way of Life
The simple things in life and the gentle everyday moments are the best. Nothing truly compares to the grounding peace of a hearty brewed tea or a coffee, paired with the effortless warmth of a laugh and honest chat with a trusted friend. Finding solace in quiet spaces and having genuine connections isn't just a comfort - it is the ultimate luxury, and the very best life to offer.
This page is dedicated to those who love a nice cake and a good cuppa. The recipes and ideas here are ones we like and perhaps you will too.
One of my favourites is a good strong latte with oat milk. Baristas appear to agree that oat milk is one of the best pairings for coffee. Its naturally neutral, subtly sweet flavour enhances the complex notes of the espresso without overpowering them. The use of Barista blend oat milks steam and texture beautifully allowing the coffee to shine. There are several brands I like but I enjoy making it myself and the recipe below is a hybrid one built on food science and common barista tricks. The internet has a great home-barista community who share brilliant blending techniques.
Making barista style oat milk at home requires a high-speed blender, quality oats, cold water and a few add-ins such as neutral oil or soaked nuts to replicate the creaminess of commercial blends. I use this recipe that gives oat milk the chilled, creamy texture and fat content needed to properly froth and mix with espresso.
Ingredients
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1 cup rolled organic oats (certified gluten-free if needed)
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4 cups filtered, ice-cold water
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1–2 tbsp neutral oil (I prefer coconut oil but also like avocado, macadamia, peanut, sunflower).
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1 pinch of sea salt
For a sweeter milk, add 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or 1 soft Medjool date for natural sweetness. If you like a gentle shot of vanilla, add 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract.
If you don’t want to use oils, blend in 1/4 cup raw soaked cashews or macadamia nuts to emulate the fat content of dairy milk.
Instructions
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Blend: Add all ingredients to your blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Do not over-blend, or the oats will heat up, resulting in a thick, slimy consistency.
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Strain: Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Do not press the pulp through the mesh as this makes the milk gritty. You can line the sieve with cheesecloth for a finer texture. If using a nut milk bag, gently squeeze to extract all the milk.
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Chill: Pour into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate. It will last for up to 4–5 days.
Recipes for Sharing Joy
Raspberry Ice Cream
This luscious ice-cream has a beautiful hue and is easy to make without a churner.
Ingredients
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Heavy cream 2 cups (480 ml), chilled
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Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can, chilled (approx. 397g)
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Berries: 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries
Instructions
Prepare Raspberry Purée: Place fruit and a splash of water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook gently for 5–10 minutes, mashing to soften them.
Once the texture turns jam like, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool down before placing in the fridge to chill.
Whip the cream: In a large, chilled bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (about 3 minutes - don’t over whip it to form butter).
Combine: In a separate, larger bowl, gently stir together the sweetened condensed milk and your cooled berry purée until well combined.
Fold: Gently fold the raspberry condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream using a silicone spatula. Be gentle to maintain the light texture.
Freeze: Pour the mixture into an airtight freezer safe container and seal it tightly. Freeze for at least 6 to 8 hours, or overnight until firm.
Raspberry ice-cream beautifully complements white and dark chocolate, toasted almonds, praline, mint leaves.
CoffeeIce Cream
Make this rich, velvety, 4 ingredient coffee ice cream without an ice cream maker.
By whipping heavy cream and folding in sweetened condensed milk, and rich espresso, you can achieve a perfect scoop able texture right from the freezer.
Ingredients
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Heavy cream 2 cups (480 ml), chilled
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Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can, chilled
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3 tablespoons instant espresso powder or good quality instant coffee mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water.
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Alternatively use 3 tablespoons coffee liqueur or espresso liqueur which will add an alcoholic component.
Instructions
Dissolve the espresso powder in the warm water until it is completely smooth.
Whip the cream: In a large, chilled bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (about 3 to 4 minutes).
Combine: In a separate bowl, whisk together the condensed milk and coffee mixture.
Fold: Gently fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overtax or deflate the fluffy texture.
Freeze: Pour the mixture into an airtight freezer safe container and seal it tightly. Freeze for at least 6 to 8 hours, or overnight until firm.
Coffee ice-cream pairs gloriously with
toasted hazelnuts, chocolate covered espresso beans, praline, fudge, cacao nibs, mint leaves.
To make dairy free versions of either ice-cream, replace the heavy cream with 2 cans of coconut cream and use a dairy free condensed milk substitute.
Prior to use, chill the cans of coconut cream and the dairy free condensed milk in the fridge for 24 hours.
