I grew up in a decaf household. It’s not that we never ever had caffeine, but I also can’t really think of any places we would have had it. We didn’t really have coke (meaning all carbonated beverages — I’m from Alabama, remember — but we’ll save that argument for a different day); though we often made iced tea, nice and southern sweet, it was with decaffeinated tea bags. We would have a pot of coffee on weekends, but it was also always decaf.

Incidentally, I was a kid growing up … so caffeine wasn’t high on the list of ideal things for people to give me anyway, but my point still stands.

Caffeine not only keeps my mom awake at night but makes her jittery and shaky at any time of day, which is why it just was mostly not around. She even has to be careful with consuming too much chocolate, a self-restraint that would severely impact my nightly routine of dark chocolate, chocolate protein pudding, and super-chocolately hot cocoa (and yes, I do mean all three). I will never forget the day we convinced her to drink half a mug of regular coffee; I was a hyper teenager then, and distinctly remember the disconcerting feeling that my mom was acting like I normally do. 

As I grew older, I found myself in environments where the norm is switched and decaffeinated is the alternative: aka the real world. It didn’t take me long — only about the time it takes to drink one mug — to realize that I was a very caffeine-naive individual myself. That didn’t stop me from drinking coffee at work or college, it just kept me remembering that by nature and nurture I am affected by it. 

However, if it’s there, I’ll drink it. 

Due to this stance, over the years I have become quite a bit more acclimated to caffeine. I have a thing for beverages, both hot or cold, and typically am working on at least three cups of different liquids at any given point in time. Hydration is important! and sometimes caffeination.

I tell myself I don’t need the caffeine in coffee; that I drink it purely for the flavor. I maintain that that is still true … although I have noticed that the more children I have, the more likely I am to feel the appeal of a cup of coffee. 

Truly the sensory experience is the most important factor. There is something unparalleled about a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, preferably hot, strong, and dark. My body craves that distinct bitterness, especially accompanied by such lovely aroma and flavor. 

Since I’m not drinking it for the caffeine, I can actually drink too much. It’s just so good, and I’ll want to be drinking something, so it might as well be more coffee, right? 

And this is why we always make our coffee half-caf. Brian accidentally made a full-strength pot one Saturday morning (and I do mean full-strength; he likes it “bold,” shall we say), and I couldn’t tell if I should go run a marathon or fall apart on the floor. 

Brian drinks his coffee in the barn, so I only make it once or twice a week for myself. I know I’m an adult, and I don’t necessarily have to justify making a pot of coffee, but it always feels like a bit of luxury and I like keeping it that way. 

However, we had three one-year-olds this week with the addition of some foster toddler twins for respite, so I didn’t have to work hard to justify coffee. Did I need the caffeine? Maybe not. Did it hurt? Absolutely not. 

Creamy Cold Coffee with Cardamom, Cocoa, and Coconut

What started off as a simple iced coffee idea morphed into this drink since I kept coming with C ingredients to add. Fortunately, it still took almost no time to make, and the presence of protein and fat helps temper the caffeine rush as well as give a nutritional energy boost — also not a bad idea. (Ironically, I did make mine with leftover decaf coffee since by the time I got around to making it, it was too late in the afternoon for caffeine, but oh well.) This isn’t a milkshake-y type of blended drink, so if you want it more like that, just blend up the ice instead of pouring it over ice.

Prep tips: I provided ingredient weights, so if you have a scales you can just measure everything directly into your blender container without making measuring tools dirty — or you can just eyeball everything and make it taste the way you want it to. 

• 8 ounces cold leftover strong coffee

• 6 ounces coconut milk (about half a can)

• ½ cup/4 ounces cottage cheese

• ¼ cup/1 ounce cocoa powder

• a couple dashes ground cardamom

• sweetener of choice, to taste

• plenty of ice

Blend all ingredients except ice until smooth, tasting and adjusting to your own preferences. Serve over ice, and enjoy sipping whether your house is clean or not. 

Amanda Miller lives with her husband, two young children, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kids. Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.