I often get asked questions about what buttermilk is and how to substitute for it because people don’t keep it “on hand.” The best answer to this is to say that buttermilk is a wonderful dairy product that makes for some delicious baked goods, and it should always be kept on hand if you like to bake more than just the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies. Buttermilk is thick and has a tangy, buttery flavor - sort of like a cross between melted butter and sour cream. Despite its thickness, it is low in fat. Some people like to drink it plain, but it is usually best utilized in cakes, pancakes, breads and other dishes where it lends a lot of butter flavor without the extra fat of more butter or full-fat sour cream.

Buttermilk is so named because it was originally the liquid left over after the butter-churning process was complete. These days, buttermilk is cultured, made by adding lactic acid bacteria to [pasturized] nonfat or lowfat milk to thicken it and give it a tangy flavor. The easiest substitute is to add 1 tbsp of vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk to curdle it and give it a sharper flavor. This also provides a similar level of acidity to buttermilk, so it will work in recipes in the same way (it doesn’t have the buttery flavor of buttermilk, however).

Buttermilk is usually sold in smaller containers than regular milk and it is usually quite inexpensive (usually around a dollar, in my next of the woods). It has a longer shelf life than regular milk, so you have more time to use it up. With cakes, pancakes, breads, salad dressings to choose from, there are plenty of options to choose from.

• Buttermilk Lemon Bars
• Buttermilk Pancakes with Nectarines
• Buttermilk Pie
• Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes
• Strawberry Buttermilk Shortcakes

The principle behind iced tea is simple: make hot tea and serve it cold. Unfortunately, getting a good batch of iced tea is not always as easy as it sounds. It’s easy to over-steep the tea, making it bitter, and it is equally easy to over dilute it with ice, leaving you with a less-than-refreshing drink. I find that the best way to make iced tea is to brew extra strong tea by using a few extra tea bags (depending on the size of the batch), stir in a generous amount of sugar or honey while the tea is hot, then chill it overnight without adding any ice. Ice should be added to the glasses just before serving.

My current favorite way to serve iced tea is to use frozen fruit in place of ice cubes. The frozen fruit keeps the drink cold while they are defrosting, and they don’t add excess water - unlike ice cubes - that dilutes the tea. In fact, they add a little bit of fruity sweetness to the tea, so each glass will be even more flavorful than it would be with ice alone. Frozen fruit will be good in any type of tea, but it’s even better if you brew a fruity tea to begin with. The tea pictured above is Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea (review here), which I iced with frozen strawberries, raspberries and cherries, then garnished with a sprig of mint.

Cookies and milk go together like, well, cookies and milk. Even though they “go together,” I tend to keep the elements separate - drink in a glass, cookies on a plate - as long as you don’t count any crumbs floating in the mug after an extended dunk! This set of Coffee Cup Cookie Cutters has given me some new perspective on how the two elements can pair up. The cookie cutters are designed to give each cookie a small cutout so that they fit over the rim of the a mug or glass. It’s basically using a cookie as edible garnish for your drink!

The cutters are sturdy and each has a rounded handle, making them easy to use for even the smallest hands. They’re sold in a set of four with one each of four different cutout designs: flower, heart, star and tree. The tree is a pine tree shape and would be great for the holidays. While I’m not going to start doing all my drinks, these would be a great addition to a dinner party or even a family get-together, just to make sitting around chatting over coffee a little bit more fun.

I always use a coaster near my computer just to try and keep any moisture from drinks- “sweat” on cold glasses on hot days or drips down the sides of other beverages - away from my computer. Most are pretty boring, as the majority of coasters are still sold in sets with the intention of being used in a more formal room where the wood of the table needs to be protected, not just computer equipment. The Splat Stan Coaster is not boring at all and is a real jump away from the old mold. The coaster, sold individually, is made of silicone rubber and looks like a little orange guy has been partially flattened by your cup (silicone extends under the cup to protect the desk while Stan mostly sticks out to one side). It’s really cute and is a really neat toy to have in the office - even if you work at home.

Both coffee and tea are staples in my diet, with breakfast, with baked goods and with dessert. I also often take an insulated mug or thermos out with me when I’m on the go, especially on chilly mornings. This works best with coffee, as tea bags left in thermoses will easily oversteep, and loose leaf teas take extra time in their preparation. When I saw this Loose Leaf Tea Tumbler, I immediately was drawn to it. The thermos’s lid has a specially designed tea steeper built into it for loose leaf teas! Simply fill the wire mesh basket with the tea of your choice, fill the thermos with hot water, screw the lid on and flip the whole thing upside down. With this design, the tea can steep in the water as long as you’d like and when it’s done, simply flip the thermos back over. This stops the steeping and you can drink your hot, perfectly-brewed tea as you might from any other thermos or teapot.

I also think that this, along with a couple of loose leaf teas, would make a fantastic gift for someone who likes tea, whether they already drink a lot of loose-leaf or want to venture out from pre-bagged teas into more exciting options.

Last week, the Starbucks stores in my neighborhood rolled out their holiday drinks - namely the gingerbread (yum!), peppermint mocha and eggnog lattes. I noticed that several stores had special announcements of another drink: a shortbread latte. The drink wasn’t on the regular menu board, but merely written up on the chalkboard with the rest of the specials. My first thought was that it was a concoction that some creative baristas came up with, but as I saw it listed at more and more stores, I realized that it was a new, up-and-coming holiday drink. My barista confirmed my suspicions and was more than happy to make me up a sample.

The drink is made like a typical latte - espresso and steamed milk - but enhanced with a shortbread syrup and topped with whipped cream and shortbread cookie crumbs. I was completely surprised that I liked the drink, given that “shortbread” usually makes me think of butter and the idea of a butter-flavored drink (my initial expectation) was not particularly appealing. The drink actually tastes much better than it sounds, subtle and buttery with a cookie aftertaste. The shortbread crumbs are delicious and a very unusual touch. I’m never one to get whipped cream, but I’m glad I tried the full drink for the shortbread crumb effect.

No idea if - or when - Starbucks will put this drink out into a wider release, but if it’s available in your area and you’re a fan of shortbread (or even just of cookies in general), it’s definitely worth a try!