Why Coffee Rocks My World

Yeah, I love coffee.  I sometimes wake up and the only thought in my head is how can I get DH to run down and turn the Keurig on and put grounds in my filter for me. I've been told I am an addict; that my craving and need for coffee is no different than a junkie or an alcoholic looking for their next fix. While that seems over the top dramatic for me, and this is usually said by a water guzzling, herbal tea, non soda drinking individual, they also do not get the other tangible things coffee brings to my world, and most of the other coffee addicts I know. 

1. The varieties are endless and makes for a safe, good, and fairly inexpensive hobby to try out different roasts, infusions, and blends. The down side is when you find a variety in a specialty store or coffee shop that you love and then can't ever get it again, it's a bit of a downer. The good thing about that is it becomes part of a special memory of a coffee date with a friend, a vacation, or even just some great alone time. For me, I miss the Haitian Blue variety that was  served for years in my towns independent coffee house  It closed about ten years ago-some nonsense about a lease disagreement.  I'v never found that blend anywhere else, or even a close replica.  My search continues, but when I think of it, I remember the Friday lunches or late morning breakfasts with my mom and then baby and toddler DD2, where we went almost weekly when mom was still mobile. 

I think of mentoring my niece/God child during her confirmation years, when we would do the study sheets over Haitian Blue coffee and Monte Christo sandwiches with strawberry yogurt. While of course I love all my nieces and nephews, this niece has a special spot in my heart almost like my own children. That niece is now mentoring DD2 before she gets confirmed in the fall. 

2. The coffee pot can always be "put on." A friend drops by in the middle of cleaning, but you so long for a break and a nice chatter. The coffee pot is on! She can keep sipping and talking while you keep on with what needs to be done, stopping for my own sips intermittently.  The reverse happens as well.  Actually, I really only have one friend that likes coffee as much as I do and she keeps a much cleaner house than I do, but the opportunity is there. Plus, when either of us bakes, coffee makes a great excuse for sampling. "I just baked some bread (in her case with almond flour), and started a pot of coffee. Come on over."

3. Holding a warm cup of coffee in my hands while smelling the beans is a brain stimulator for me. I will not go into a planning meeting, or a meeting in which I expect tension, without a cup of coffee. Remember I'm an addict, and need that fix to keep me wired. 

4. I am not one to force my love of something on to others. While some people don't like coffee, I haven't met anyone who is allergic or has sensitivities to it. With cream, with sugar, black, decaf, cold over ice, hot and blended in a drink, coffee aims to please.  I know the acid in the beans can cause sensitivity, but my understanding is people need to drink several cups before that kicks in. If the person I am out with, truly is not a coffee drinker, the options in coffee shops are endless, including ice water, making "meeting up for coffee", as much an expression as the actual meet-up. 

5. There are amazing health benefits to coffee. WebMD sites that coffee drinkers have reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinsons, and dementia. I remember a story a former coworker told me about her 86 year old, independent grandma's medical appointment. Wen asked how much coffee she drinks each morning, she responded one or two. The young doctor thought perhaps that was fine, but she should limit it to no more than the one to two cups she is drinking now. "Cups?" she replied. "I meant pots." 

6. Coffee is international. Every continent and almost every country imports or exports coffee for consumption. According to Tori Avery at PBS's blog, The History of Kitchens, 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed world wide each day. I feel a global societal duty to contribute to that number. World peace may depend on it. So far, I have had coffee in 11 countries.  I have more work ahead of me. 

Coffee for me, hot chocolate for DD2 at a London Pret in 2014.

7. Finally, coffee makes me, well, me. I have tried going coffee free, but when considering the reasons why I would do that, there never seemed to be any strong reason for doing so. My family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors know my coffee habit, accept it, and embrace it.  It makes gift giving for me easy-when in doubt, a new coffee mug or sample size grounds is a hit every time.

The next time you are in Minnesota, reach out for me. I guarantee I wont need to be asked twice if you suggest we meet for a cup. 

Latte Art-A New Skill to Master

I love coffee. I really love a latte but am usually not willing to pay the price. I found a way via some magazine feed on Facebook for how to make a homemade version of a latte without a fancy milk steamer or frother. Above is a picture of one I made a while back. I put a 1/4 -1/3 of a cup of milk in a container, shake it until it is frothy and heat in the microwave.  I then pour it onto the richest, strongest brew I can muster in my kitchen. It is my little indulgence every now and then. While fancy for my kitchen with the creamy milk going to the bottom and the foam staying on top, it can't compete with coffee house art. But hey, mine cost about $ .50

However, I think I can add coffee barista to my list of jobs I want in retirement if I can master latte art. I got sucked in to these little video tutorials after clicking a Twitter link from @coaccoffeeaddict. I volunteer to be part of the judge and clean-up crew, drinking my way through the samples. I may give this a go tomorrow morning. At least I get to drink my test samples. Blissfully caffeinated-Sam
 

The Favorite Coffee Mug

 

 

This might be a weird personal thing, but I really must have a very large mug from which to drink my my morning cup of java. I've taken pictures with my little blue coffee cups that are part of my fiesta ware dishes, but rarely do they really get used by me personally. If used, it is after dinner when I've actually set the table like I heard regular grown ups do, and even then, just when we have guests. My first go to mug is the clear mug that fits my hand well.  It was a gift from a coworker several years ago, and came with, of course sachet's of coffee.

In the winter months, I like to use this one, another gift, this one form my sister.  She gave it to me along with some soft cushy slippers and a box of hot chocolate mix.  It too is deep and big handled, and the cute picture warms my soul along with my stomach when I'm sipping from it. As all things though, it has a time, and once the snow starts to melt, I do not want to toast to the merits of more snow-particularly after the May 1 snowstorm we had two years ago.


When the dishwasher is full, I resort to using soup bowls like this one. These were from an after Christmas 75% off gift pack that had four soup bowls and two cans of Campbell's tomato soup.

 I have a whole shelf of assorted coffee mugs.  Mugs form my kids from Mother's Day and other Christmas themed mugs from coworkers or Sunday school kids over the years.  I don't think I have any more left from my preschool teaching days, and I sadly miss the one I received from my 4 year olds as a wedding present. I used it for nearly two decades in the work place, and then one day it vanished and never showed up again. I probably left it in the kitchen and it was used by someone else, and either made it's way into their stash of mugs or was broken. It was just a tan ceramic mug with flowers that no one would suspect was anything of meaning.

Yesterday I did some browsing after an eye appointment in Home Goods.  If you don't know about Home Goods, to me it is like the best jumble or garage sale ever, but with new merchandise,laid out and displayed in colorful style. They do have some static departments, but generally the selection changes frequently, and they also clearance out things quickly.  As I am trying to both declutter and save money for upcoming trips and now the added expenses of violin lessons, I talked myself into bypassing all the sweet deals, and just getting inspiration. It took all  my resolve to not nab two white over sized coffee mugs. They were just the same style and size used at Costa, a coffee shop I grew very fond of on our UK trip. The mugs were just $3.00 each, and would have been a low cost gift to myself for being such a good patient at the eye doctor. Alas, I exited the store without mugs in hand. I figured if I still wanted them tomorrow, I could swing over on my lunch break.  I'm actually not working in the office, so now that will need to wait until Monday if I do change my mind, and then, more than likely they will have found their way into someone else's kitchen, holding their delicious java.

Would you have bought them?  Am I going to be regretting the two mugs for a decade to come? What quirky items bust your resolve?

 

If I could find Stevie's cup from Miranda, I would be a happy person.

 

Off the Wagon

I have a serious caffeine problem.  I was doing so well curbing my need for three coffees a morning followed by a minimum of three Diet Cokes in the afternoon.  At my new job, the coffee pot is not bottomless and you pay by the cup. The refrigerator situation is poorly sourced for such a large operation.  These two things were going to keep me from cup after cup. I was having my one travel mug of java, and only a Diet Coke from home when it fit in my insulated lunch bag.  To keep this habit going would have been a $4.50 a day splurge between the vending machine and coffee fund canister. But four + plus weeks later, I have figured out and improvised my sources.  We have a filtered hot water dispenser that works wonderfully with instant coffee crystals which I keep at my desk. As for the Diet Coke, a massive ice machine means I can keep a case in my office, and hear the crackle of ice when I pour the heavenly bubbles in a glass. I'm down to a cup of coffee for $ .12 and a soda for $ .20.  Even at my old rate of consumption I'm under a $1.00 a day, so let the caffeine flow.  

I've also picked back up my habit of eating my lunch at my desk. This time though it isn't because I can't afford the time to eat in my schedule, but more that I haven't figured out a good lunch spot.  My division is all on different schedules and comings and goings so I haven't seen that anyone really grabs lunch together unless it is a walk over to the Target deli counter. When the weather gets warmer, I hope to take advantage of  picnic tables outside. I'll charge my Nook reader and get a chapter in and perhaps by fall, I'll have found a little place to hovel for lunch. Soon I'll be telecommuting a day a week, and working a compressed work schedule to flex a couple extra days off a month. It is highly likely I won't have much more time than to heat up some leftovers, grab my soda, and eat while reading e-mails. I can handle that for truly working a normal work week and day schedule. I'm not taking up my old bad habit of being on e-mail all night.  I've kicked that habit.

Tenner Week Day 6 and Rescuing a Flop

I'm holding strong and still have all my US converted currency for Tenner week.  Day six challenge is to go shopping using no money.  The strategy is to find bonus points, gift cards, rebates or any other tool that let's you purchase something with using very little money.  I honestly don't feel like shopping period today, and already have evening plans,so my little  stockpile will remain in place.  I was surprised at my rather impressive inventory should I decide to treat myself. 

Here's what I have:
3-Target gift cards totally $145  I ended up not purchasing a new work tote or tights having cleaned out my office and sock drawer and decided I needed neither.  The new lip and nail color I wanted as a new job reward was purchased so ridiculously low on 90% off clearance (three lip colors for $2.17 total, and three nail polish for $1.65 total, including tax) that I just figured it could be in the regular monthly purchases and not considered a splurge. All are all good neutral or soft colors, my style.  I even scored a black nail polish for DD#2 for  30 cents-not my style!

2- Green Mill Pizza and Pasta gift cards totaling $45 along with a $5 off coupon good until end of year towards any purchase.

1- $25 Panera Bread gift card.

4- $5 Caribou Coffee, received at Christmas through an offer of getting a free $5.00 for each 2 $10 cards purchased.  I bought 8 cards at Christmas for my staff and DD's extra curricular coaches and teachers.

1 free hot drink of choice card, also Caribou, from the Orthodontist.  I should save for DD as a treat when the braces come off next year. 

3- $5.00 Kohls reward points, each good towards a minimum $5.00 purchase.  These do expire tomorrow so I will need to see if I can get creative with a few items DD needs for spring clothes to maximize.  I would need to make separate purchases to max the discount. 

 I went over to my MIL's to give her house a good dusting and vacuuming before she gets back to Minnesota and thought about swinging through the Caribou drive-thru near her house.  Then I remember I had received a pound of Chocolate Brownie flavored coffee beans from some of my staff at Christmas and decided to give them a whirl in the grinder and make my own.  I still have so many bananas frozen, so also whipped up a batch of banana oat muffin's.  The coffee was delicious and the muffins looked divine.  However, in biting into one, I had a disappointing flavor in my mouth.  They had the banana flavor but dull with no sweetness.  Then it dawned on me I never added sugar to the batter!  I rarely look up a recipe for muffins-I have a universal one in my head I modify and the sugar part apparently was omitted from my brain today.  How I could salvage what other wise was a perfect dozen?  I wondered how raspberry jam might taste on one if I treated the muffins more like a biscuit, and what do  you know, they were delicious!  The raspberry with the banana was kind of tasty and with the chocolate coffee, maybe even foody trendy and worthy of a bohemian coffee house. The jam was also a gift, made by the wife of a dear colleague. 

Today has been pretty successful so far.  The weather is gorgeous so will be heading out for a long walk with pup after getting some laundry in the machine and some on the line. I'm looking forward to the improv night, and if pictures are allowed, hope to share a few. I hope your Saturday is a fine one.

Bagels and Bananas

An anomaly occurred today at work.  We hosted a 9:00 a.m. meeting with a huge room of early childhood folks, the kind of people that rarely get  to sit for five uninterrupted minutes let alone sit, and enjoy a breakfast. We were gracious hosts, providing bottomless coffee, bagels ,bananas, and a fruit bowl.  At the end of the meeting, very little food had been eaten.  This is so unlike our full staff meeting where grazing is down to crumbs. Coffee on the other hand was drank by the gallons. They were all going back to the kiddos after all. This meant lots of leftovers in the kitchen.  Bread of any kind is my weakness.  Make that bread in the form of a bagel, smothered with delicious  cream (make that dream) cheese and I am a goner.  I added  half a bagel, slathered with vegetable cream cheese to my lunch.  I felt I needed a pick me up at 4:00 before finishing a report, and that other half was calling my name.  To round both treats out, I also ate 1/2 a banana.  Pup will get another long walk tonight-I have carbs to burn. 

An unexpected pleasure happened post meeting.  Two former staff were at the meeting in their  roles as administrators.  Both these women were delightful employees, and wonderful to see them doing so well in their current work.  I was just in the meeting for moral support to my staff, who did an awesome job with their presentation, so I hadn't seen the rsvp list.  One was expecting her first child, so doubly wonderful. All in all, today was about as good a work day as one could have.  I may have broken my Tuesday dud day curse. 

My reverse Advent catch up includes the following since and including Saturday:
extra donation at Dakota Pioneer Village (I will share some on that soon)
socks for Fill the Red Stocking
Diet Coke for a coworker needing their own pick me up
extra school supplies- pens, pencils erasers, sent with my daughter to leave in her first class

I also was on the receiving end of  delightful gift bag from the staff in one of my departments.  As much as my job is challenging me in so many areas, the immediate people I work with are hard working, talented, and kind.  There just might have been coffee and chocolate in that bag. How is your week going?

Tea Time

I am a coffee drinker.  Make no mistake about that.  I sometimes wake up and the thought of a steaming cup, with a splash of cream or milk, is all I can think about. With trying to keep the budget in check, I use my wonderful Keurig, and most of the time a reusable  basket filter.  A coffee house coffee is a real treat, but more so because it means I am out for coffee with someone, it doesn't necessarily taste better.   The Keurig is also great for just getting a hot cup of water as well without the hassle of heating up the tea kettle.   Nine time out of 10, I am reaching for coffee.  For the 10th cup though, a tasty tea is what I need.

My tea of choice is Good Earth Spicy and Sweet.  You can get it both in a caffeine free, but also in a black tea base, which I prefer.  It is my beverage of choice for late afternoon meetings like todays 3:00 version.  The rich scent is soothing, and the smooth, but kicky taste wakes up my taste buds, which then wake up my mind. Spicy and Sweet is my beverage equivalent to comfort food.  It feels like the tough love hug from your best "tell it like it is" pal,  soothing to the soul but with a jolt of reality.  The tea bags have pithy little quotes as well.  At Kate's bookshelf, she wrote a whole post about the quotes. Kate's bookshelf

I like other teas as well.  A hearty Earl Gray or a chai tea with sugar and milk have their moments.  I have some loose tea leaves of chai and orange concoction that I like brewed, then over ice. I've not been able to tolerate chamomile, no matter how much someone tells me it will be  good for helping me relax.  A coworker brews a strong pungent tea, native to her Argentina.  I probably come across as ungrateful when I  politely decline her offers of a cup. If the smell is pungent, I can't imagine the taste being better. 

I sent my daughter boxes of Spicy and Sweet when she was a student in England.  I carried more on the plane to her when we visited. She found many of her English and Indian friends developed a liking for the Good Earth brand. My son would raid my GE tea supply when he came home from college for his take back care package, and even his last visit in May, I stocked up.  I guess he can't find the brand in Florida.  I'll be travelling myself for the next three days for my job.  I'll pack along, as I always do, a few tea bags, ready to brew before retiring for the night.  

So I put this question out there.  What am I missing in the world of true tea perfection?   Are those of you from tea centric countries  silently shaking your heads at my preferences?  And a final question, why is supper called "tea", even if no one is actually drinking tea?

Lean and Lush Latte

I want to do a plug for a terrific site called The Lean Times written by Viviana.  Lush Living  Her motto is Lush living made simple.  The Lean Times is one of the first bogs I stumbled across before I ever knew what blogging  was.  The message is simple- living lean does not have to mean living always without a touch of class and splash, and occasional indulgences.  She writes weekly menu plans, ensuring little waste, but has some really delicious recipes made with simple fare. She writes about dressing with style-not trends. She's not at all a fashion or food "snob", but she does highlight how sacrificing all the time makes life pretty dull.  As other  writers have said frugal living, simple living, and priorities are all relative to an individual. I like a good deal, but not at the expense of others-whether that be cheap clothing from questionable sources, or food loaded with unrecognizable ingredients, or from animals kept in squalid conditions. I'd rather have less things of quality, than more of crap, at least in theory, but so hard to sometimes stay true to in practice when trying to stretch a budget. It is about intentionality with our money, and aligning the money with our own values.  But I digress.

What I really wanted to write about is how I think there is nothing more lush than a rich and frothy latte, being sipped from a generous sized mug, with great music on, and a good book in hand. Earlier this week there was a story link going around the internet on how to make a Latte or any other espresso drink at home without the expensive machine and gadgets. I tried to find again, but couldn't find the same one, but there were a dozen others. While  I love a good coffee, I am not a fan of the high coffee house prices for the specialty drinks. On vacation last spring, our hotel had a Nespresso pot in the room, and every day housekeeping filled it with  new pods.  It was so delicious and creamy, and as the only coffee drinker, all mine.  It probably saved me over $100 in coffee house expense over two weeks of mornings. If you haven't seen it, the hot water  pours through the pods and it creates a  creamy coffee drink that  looks and tastes like espresso made with steamed and foamed milk.  I never remember what is a latte,  cappuccino, café au lait, or café Americana.  Whatever it should be called, it was awesome, except for the little pods. I looked on line, only way I could buy them at home, and not only are the pods pricey, but the single use container is wasteful.  I guess they can be recycled at Sur La Table stores, but no multi use alternative.  My hubby bought me a Keurig a couple Christmas's ago, and there are a variety of reusable filter baskets.  I love the Keurig for getting that quick cup, so using it with my own bagged coffee, I set out to make my version.

Here is my Keurig, with the little red basket for holding my own coffee.  I used clearanced $1.48 bag hazelnut. A couple months back I scored 4 at that price at Target.

 

Next was getting my milk ready.  The article said to use 2%, but I only had skim.  I forgot I did have 1/2 and 1/2 so could have put a little in to give some fat. The directions called for shaking the milk up-I have dandy covered glass tiny bowls for this, until foamy then heat in the microwave. 

 

I brewed on the 10 ounce setting to get a nice strong cup.

 

Here is the steamy frothy milk, and the strong rich coffee.  I simply poured the  bowl of milk probably a 2:1 coffee to milk ratio, into the coffee mug.

 

The finished drink had the nice caramel color, and the foam did stay on top.  If I had used some fattier milk, it would have been foamier and richer. I would say not quite Caribou or Starbucks, or Costa, but pretty darn  lush. 

To estimate cost, I'll use about  $ .10 for coffee, and $ .25 for milk, so $ .35  latte. If using a coffee house premium full price bag of coffee at $8.00 a bag, still under $1.00 compared to $4.00 prepared by a barista.  I think from start to finish, including clean-up was under 5 minutes, so beats the clock compared to waiting in line.  There are many recipe's out there if you want to try some variety.  A women at work squirts Redi-whip on her break room brewed coffee and calls it cappuccino. I'm pretty plain Jane-just milk or cream with regular coffee most days, mostly because I am a multi-cup a day consumer.  But for a change and a little special treatment,  this was a fun little test to see if a home concoction really could compare to coffee houses. While not quite the same in taste, I think my reading nook in my living room has more ambience in which to sit, sip, and indulge my caffeine fix.

 

What about you?  How do you reframe saving pennies in ways to add richness and lushness to your life?