Coffee tricks and summer spice

                             Coffee tricks for those willing to play with their brews

                             If you can secure your little chocolate square with a toothpick or cocktail fork, you can dip it into steaming coffee and pull it out before it dissolves to savor a warm, bite that melts in your mouth.

                             I’d hate to lose mine into the coffee, though what’s the worst? It dissolves and you get a mocha coffee.

                             One of those fun-sized or bite-sized chocolates are perfect for this job.

                             My mother has fond memories of traveling with my dad. They’d drop  a hard candy into their travel mugs. It flavored the coffee as it melted.

                             I just read that if you need to make a gravy and have some leftover coffee, you can add that into your pan instead of water. I had a chance to try it the very week I read it and my only regret is that my husband spied me doing it and questioned my motives. He needed more convincing and the finished dish did that trick.   

            Here’s some other new foodie releases to try:

            *McCormick Grill Mates Rubs and Lowry’s Liquid Marinades are here just in time for summer grilling.

            I sampled some rubs in the line on everything from meats to eggs. I even boiled shrimp in the Sweet & Smoky rub. We southerners will try anything to get seafood into us. You can play, play, play with these rubs all season. Besides Barbecue and Applewood, there’s also Honey Hickory, Maple BBQ and Mesquite.

            With the marinades, I grabbed Chipotle Molasses first and Honey Bourbon next. These also made quick dips for wraps and veggies.

            Get to grilling.

            * TOPBiT is a slim packet of filling product that fits into your pocket so can do something crazy, like sprinkle savory herb crunchies onto avocado on toast or eggs or mixed berry onto your fruit and yogurt at lunch.

            I like the nutty flavor with a pop of something extra. The term "protein food topping" could take some getting used to, but it’s good stuff.              Bits of organic hemp seed, pea protein isolate, lentils, organic brown rice protein, and the stuff of chia seed, dehydrated fruit, etc. come into play. It's handy and fun and you'll be getting 10 grams of protein, all 9 essential amino acids and antioxidants. It's real food and real fun.

                             Darragh Castillo loves pepper heat on her food and experimenting with new things. If you’ve run into something fun, food-wise, contact her at:

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com