Just like Ree.

Kinda.




I'm a big fan of Ree Drummond- The Pioneer Woman. She's a blogger, author, photographer and Food Network host with a love for the Lord.

Her blog is the funniest thing on the internet. Besides the Corgi Flop.



You should really check her blog out.



But really.

You won't stop laughing.

You'll be sitting in a quiet place and suddenly burst out laughing uncontrollably.

            (photo by Ree Drummond)

......Or maybe that's just me. Check her out though, it's time well spent.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/


Anywho, on to today's quest.
In an effort to entertain myself, I was reading through Ree's blog and happened upon a side-bar called "Perfect Iced Coffee" with a very tempting picture.

Those are three wonderful words.  I just had to click. Once I clicked and read, I was hooked. I had to try it.  Ree lamented about an iced coffee problem similar to mine- by the time I get my coffee iced, it's no longer coffee. It's just.... awkwardly creamy/brown water.


I thought I'd try her recipe and report back to you all.

What you'll need:
-a pound of coffee (in my case, half a pound of coffee. You'll see later)
-a large pitcher
-a strainer
-some paper towels
-copious amounts of time to wait before you consume said iced coffee

Step 1: Realize that you're not in Syracuse so you don't have your Shelbylicious apron.
Realize that you have another really cool apron at home and put it on. Change is good, right?

Gather your materials.

Step 2: Buy the coffee that Ree used in her blog. It was really cheap.

Step 3: Realize that the can is in Spanish. No comprende!

Step 4: Realize the other side is in English. Ah-ha!

Step 5: Combine half a pound (8 oz.) of coffee and 1 gallon of cold water.

Step 6: Attempt filling the pitcher from the cold water tap on your refrigerator. But don't do it. There aren't enough hours in the day....

Step 7: Ahh, much better. Fill and mix, fill and mix.
Make sure all of the coffee grounds get moistened.

It makes this oh-so-delicious looking brown-ish slurry-thing. Ick.

Except for don't eat it. Really.

Step 8: Now put the cover on the pitcher and walk away.

Walk away.

Just walk away. You don't need to put it in the refrigerator, you don't need to stir it. I know, it's hard. Just make sure all of the grounds have gotten wet and walk away. It'll still be there in the morning, unless you have a pesky Leprechaun that steals your iced coffee in the night.



....8 hours later....

Phew! It's still there!

Step 9: Assemble what you'll need for the straining phase of the operation- and find an assistant!
Get another container (another pitcher would be preferred) and place the strainer over the top. Ree recommended using two cheesecloths for fine straining, but all I had were paper towels. Three of them layered worked pretty well!


Cheesecloth has always been quite a mystery to me. Where do you buy it? Is it re-usable? Is it like a towel, but thinner?

Anywho. Step Step 10: Ask your handy-dandy assistant to slowly pour the sludgy-coffee mixture into the strainer.

Lookin' good!

Mmm! Sludgy!

While she was doing this, I got out some Mason jars to drink our coffee from, to really finish off our Pioneer Woman Parody.

haha. Alliteration.


Wait. Is that alliteration? I'm not quite sure. I always had a lesson during English.
Anywho...

Step 11: Once it's all strained out, put it in the final container of your choice- I kept the concentrate in this container while I washed the first pitcher out.

Yay! There you have it, folks. Iced coffee concentrate. Store it in the fridge once it's done. Here's how we made it into drinkable iced coffee (it's TOO strong in this state!):

Step 12: Fill your glass with ice and then half full (not half empty! haha!) with the concentrate.

Step 13: Add your favorite type of dairy/non-dairy stuff. Add a lot of it. A lot. This stuff is really strong.

We tried Silk, Almond Silk and Fate Free Half and Half.

We were surprised. You know which kind of "cream" tasted the best? Almond Silk! It's in the McDonald's glass. You can use more of the Almond Silk, too, without fearing your coffee turning completely white.

And 2 Splendas. 1 won't do.

So... there you go! Ree Drummond-style iced coffee concentrate!

Just like Ree!

...Kinda.


Lots of love,
Shelbylicious

A Moveable Feast.

Correction: A Moveable Persian Feast.

I'm reaching into the Shelbylicious picture files for this one.... I've been gone for a couple of weeks. I'm sorry. Two words= Finals week.



Then I had to clean and move out of the apartment.
But that's more than two words.

I digress.







So... the week before finals week, Mrs. Y (T's Ma) came over to the Sassy Pineapple to cook my roommates, friends and I some Persian food.

Mrs. Y's Persian food is legendary in my mind. I had it the first time I went to Buffalo to stay with her and the rest of T's family.




I'm a big fan of Buffalo. And Mrs. Y.
The whole family, really.

This is their dog, Hershey. She's really good at 'stay.'

And she has a pretty watermelon bandana. I love this dog!




















T's little brother really likes her, too. A boy and his dog! There's no better bond!



Anywho...
Not only does Mrs. Y make really good Persian food, she arranges pretty flowers!

But today is about Persian food.

Lubia Polo, to be more specific.

What is it? Well, to my non-Persian mind, Lubia Polo is kinda like Spanish rice....
Except for without the tomato-ey taste.



And there's chicken in it.


And green beans.


And it gets all warm and delicious.....and crusty on the bottom.



Now that I've peaked your interest, I'll tell you how to make this delicious dish of Persian-y goodness.

i.) Don your snazzy apron with your name on it.

1.) Attain some lubia polo mix from T's grandpa. 

This contains the secret, yellow-y/red-ish sauce and vegetables used as the base.

2.) Add some butter, water, and salt. Put the pot on the stove let the butter melt for awhile.

3.) Next, be sure to re-have the discussion with your roommate and boyfriend's mom about how you STILL can't make rice successfully. 

Even after going through a WHOLE BAG of Basmati rice.

If she's anything like T's mom, she'll smile sweetly at you and tell you it's going to be okay.

A.) Wipe your tears, and proceed onward with the rice portion of the dish.... Letting Mrs. Y do that part, for quality control purposes, of course.

F.) Let Mrs. Y explain to you the next part of the plan:

7.) Measure out the rice, rinse it, and let it soak for awhile. 

12.) Add the green beans into the increasingly-happy mixture.

C.) Add the drained rice to the party. 

CC.) Breathe. You just added the rice to the pot. It's going to be okay. Mrs. Y is here. 

3.) Let it get all happy and cook down....

U.) then cover it (with a paper towel for moral support!) and let it go!

That's right.

Walk away.

Don't stir it. Don't open the lid "just to peek."

I know, it's hard! You can do it!

The result is a scrumptious dish (on the left) that has crunchy rice on the bottom. That's the best part! They call it Tadeec. 

It's.... everything you could ever want in a rice dish. 

And more. 

I'm in love.

Going to scour my cupboards for some Persian food,

SL

Shelbylicious