flavors

I’ll Have a Grande Vanilla Latte… With Three Scoops of Oatmeal

Published on April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 by mchiang1231 Comment

by Audrey Thorne ’19

There are a lot of reasons I wanted to try the new Oatmeal-Coffee craze – it solves the problem of not drinking coffee on an empty stomach, it might add flavour to otherwise dreary oatmeal, it is cheap, easy, and quick to make – but the number one reason why I wanted to try oatmeal-coffee is how absolutely strange it sounds. I am not an adventurous eater, but I am a curious one. I wonder what drew people to try replacing the water in oatmeal with coffee, and what led them to keep doing it. Here are the three D-Hall coffee substitutions of oatmeal.

1. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Signature Blend No 4 Decaf Medium-Dark Rich and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

Bitter from the first time the spoon touched my palate, decaffeinated Oatmeal – Coffee is definitely for people who enjoy the taste of coffee. Not my cup of tea (or coffee) but definitely the perfect oatmeal for a coffee lover.

Personal rating: B-

2. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Signature Blend No 4 Medium-Dark Rich and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

When swallowed quickly, it tastes like normal oatmeal. The longer it sits in my mouth, the more bitter it is. Still, every time I finish a spoonful I want another bite. I do not understand what the draw is, but I cannot stop eating it. I definitely had both more oatmeal and coffee together than I would have of either on their own.

Personal rating: B +

3. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Vanilla and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

Sweet with only slight undertones of coffee flavoring. Vanilla Oatmeal-Coffee tastes almost identical to lightly sweetened oatmeal.

Personal rating:

A+

Pumpkin Muffins with a Spice

Published on October 26, 2015 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Richa Chaturvedi ’18

In an effort to test how yummy Buzzfeed suggestions really are, I spent my Friday afternoon making these pumpkin muffins! Spoiler alert: never shall I doubt Buzzfeed again.

Pumpkin is always a tricky ingredient – it has an interesting consistency and tends to overpower everything else in the dish. A basic rule of thumb for cooking with pumpkin is to enhance the flavor with the correct spice, but to make sure to incorporate more dynamic elements into the recipe so that pumpkin isn’t the only flavor. This is why I added chocolate chips to these muffins. Chocolate and pumpkin is actually an underrated combination, plus they look amazing together!

The recipe also calls for pumpkin spice, which is just a combination of basic fall flavors: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. Since I’m a normal college student, I didn’t just have those lying around so I was very generous with cinnamon and vanilla extract. It still tasted great! The big takeaway from this is that recipes aren’t set in stone. As long as you have the basic chemistry down, you can take liberties to personalize and experiment with the dishes you create. After all, you’re the one eating them so it’s really up to you.

Above all else, don’t be scared to try new recipes and ingredients. I’m basically inept – there was a period of time in high school when I was banned from using the microwave due to an unfortunate aluminum foil incident – but I was committed to making myself something nice and pumpkin-y and, I’m not going to lie, I crushed it. It’s helpful to remember that if you don’t make yourself chocolate chip and pumpkin muffins, then you won’t be able to eat chocolate chip and pumpkin muffins. With that inspiration, go forth! And happy fall from Crimson Crave.

Make it yourself!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin spice
¼ tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 (16 ounce) can pure pumpkin
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
24 pumpkin-shaped candies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper or silicone liners and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt. Set aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing after each addition until uniformly combined.
Using a large cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups nearly to the top with batter. Bake about 25 minutes, rotating the muffin tins halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely.
While the muffins are cooling, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Frost muffins using a spatula or a pastry bag and piping tip of your choice. Top with pumpkin candies.

*Recipe courtesy of CulinaryHill.com.

Behind the Counters of J.P. Licks

Published on September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Angela Yi ’19

One does not simply go to Harvard and never visit J.P. Licks. Conveniently located in Harvard Square, this famous ice cream store is a favorite of many Harvard students – and Sabrina Yates (Harvard ‘19) is no exception.

Sabrina began working at J.P. Licks on September 5^th because she loves being busy. And the extra cash to support her love for eating out and shopping – and not to mention the 50% discount on ice cream all employees of J.P. Licks receive – certainly doesn’t hurt, either. And today, she gave us an exclusive insider look at what goes on behind the counters of J.P. Licks.

What is the most annoying thing that customers do?

When people come in, and they just try a lot of flavors – one girl came in and tried three flavors and then just left without ordering anything. That’s problematic. And yesterday, someone came in and ordered a large with two toppings. And then when he checked out, he changed his mind and said he didn’t want it. That’s obnoxious, too, when you do that after we make an entire ice cream for you.

Is there a secret menu?

No, but we have so many interesting delicacies that are unique to the J.P. Licks family that there’s no real need for a secret menu.

But are there certain combinations of ice cream flavors and toppings that aren’t well known but definitely should be tried?

Everything’s good! Yesterday, I had oatmeal hard yogurt with caramel, and it was so good. No one eats it, but it’s so good that I just have it all the time.

Is there anything at J.P. Licks that you would never try?

Rum Raisin. If you like alcohol, just drink alcohol. Don’t eat ice cream flavored like alcohol.

What is it like working at J.P. Licks?

Working at J.P. Licks is a rewarding experience because you always make people happy. Except when there’re bratty kids, but that’s a different story. And my coworkers are cool and fun to talk to when there’s a lull in the service.

Apple Crips and Cookies ‘n’ Cake Batter, with almond topping.

What does J.P. Licks really emphasize?

We really emphasize on making the customer happy. If someone has a nut allergy, we go in the back and get out a new spoon to scoop up the ice cream for them. All of our stuff is also made locally, so it’s only in the Boston-Cambridge area.