Category Archives: Coffee

Double dose.

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Some days you just need more.  

More help.  More time.  More coffee. 

Mama said there would be days like this.  And these are the days for simple, healthy meals like this recipe for Coffee Cornmeal.

“Eating Well For Only $2 A Day”  looks like a fabulous addition to my cookbook shelf.  I have not yet ordered it, but judging from the 9-page-preview available on the book’s website, its going to be pretty amazing.  Definitely worth checking out! (Good Christmas gift idea???)


I love the premise behind this book.  Eat Well.  Save money.  Simple as that. 

“Coffee lovers rejoice! Your dream has now become a reality – you can have your coffee IN your breakfast…alongside a cup of coffee. Double the dose.”
The following recipe is taken from Eating Well For Only $2 A Day, a food budgeting book that teaches people how to do precisely that…spend only $2 a day on food! It provides the tips and principles necessary to show anyone how to save some serious money without relying on coupons and includes over 150 inexpensive and delicious recipes like the Coffee Cornmeal dish provided. You can see a preview of the book at www.only2dollarsaday.com. Enjoy! 

Coffee Cornmeal

Yield: 4 Servings

1 1/3 cups Cornmeal $0.21
1 1/3 cups Cold Water $0.00
3 cups Hot Coffee $0.07
4 tsp Margarine $0.03
6 Tbsp Sugar $0.09
1 tsp Salt $0.00
4 Tbsp Cream $0.22

Total: $0.62 ($0.15 Per Serving)

1. Combine the cold water and cornmeal in a small bowl and mix until the lumps are gone.
2. Heat the coffee and salt in a medium saucepan on med/low heat until it’s near boiling.
3. Add the cornmeal and cook about 3 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.
4. Add the margarine, sugar, and cream and mix well.
5. Enjoy!

(Note:  I have included the original recipe, but I substitute butter for margarine.  That’s just how I roll.)

Read a Guest Post by co-author, Chris Tecmire at Premeditated Leftovers.
Continue the coffee love by joining my facebook page:
Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

This post is a part of Frugal Tip Tuesday and Simple Lives Thursday.

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Creature Comforts.

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“Knitting, he thought, was a comfort to the soul. It was regular. It was repetitious. And, in the end, it amounted to something”

–Father Tim from At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

There is a certain comfort to be found in the familiar.  A steamy morning coffee.  An old song laden with memories.  A dependable friend.  

And today is a noteworthy day in my little world.  Eleven years ago, I began the most remarkable of journeys with “my dependable friend.”  

It’s our date-aversary.  

Perhaps we are among only a handful of couples that celebrate the anniversary of our first date, but it’s a pretty big day in my mind.  Without it, there certainly would have been no wedding and no children.  We spent the day at an apple orchard in Minnesota and then he took me to Applebee’s.  (We love apples… and by association, Applebee’s.)

I don’t write about my stellar husband very often and I think he prefers it that way.  

Because of the nature of his line of work, we frequently moved around the country early on in our marriage (four states… one of them twice).  We soon learned that no matter what happens, what relationships are formed, what connections are made, the only thing we took with us when we moved was each other.  We made a decision to more intentionally invest in our relationship and our marriage, because in the end, it would amount to something.

This road has not been perfect.  It has not been easy.  But I would gladly do it all over again.  

(We know a married couple that claims they never have an argument, but instead engage in “intense fellowship.”  Beautifully stated.  I must admit there has been a little “intense fellowship” along the way, but I suppose that is how we keep things interesting.)

I choose to love this man.  Every day.  Even when I don’t feel like it. (Even after he has forgotten to rinse out his cereal bowl.  Again.)  And I am grateful he chooses to love me back.  (Even after I forgot to iron his Sunday shirt.  Again.) 

It’s a beautiful partnership.  I respect his work, his provision, and his leadership.  And he loves me.  No matter what. 

And then there’s the coffee.  Our mutual love for this celestial brew is unmatched.  You are a treasure, my dependable friend.

HAPPY DATE-AVERSARY! 
I love you madly.

 
“Hang my locket around your neck,

   wear my ring on your finger.
Love is invincible facing danger and death.
   Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.
The fire of love stops at nothing—
   it sweeps everything before it.
Flood waters can’t drown love,
   torrents of rain can’t put it out.
Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold—
   it’s not to be found in the marketplace.”

Song of Solomon 8.6-7 (MSG)

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Withdrawal.

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I did not know it was a problem.  I did not know it was quite this intense.  I did not know what it had become. 

I.  Did.  Not.  Know.  Until…

The seething pain began pounding into my brain, much like someone hammering a nail right between the eyes.  For twenty-four hours.  Relentless.

It’s official, everyone… I’m addicted to caffeine.  Without coffee, apparently I am useless (and according to my husband, a trifle grumpy, too.)

Perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising (this is a coffee-themed blog, after all), however, I was still caught off-guard.

Yesterday, we were running late for a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  I skipped the coffee simply because there was no time, and thought nothing of it.  Fast forward two hours, as I am riding a jaunty little choo choo train around the pumpkin patch, my brain in protest from lack of caffeine, and I just wanted to find a dark corner and curl up in the fetal position until the pestilence had passed. 

No such luck.

By the time we arrived home, it was much too late to drink coffee (I do like to sleep eventually) and I was still trying to convince myself that my ailment was the result of dehydration.

A handful of dark chocolate took the edge off as I prepared for bed, but I awoke again this morning with a Goliath headache.

Two Tylenol and one cup of joe later… all is well.

Perhaps it’s time to cut back?  Probably.  But, no thanks. 

Decaffeinated coffee is the devil’s blend. 

Continue the coffee love by joining my facebook page:
Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

Happy National Coffee Day!

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It’s here!  I am not sure how it snuck up on me this year, but thanks to my dear friend, Ranaye, I remembered just in time!  (I choose to blame my memory lapse on this fierce cold I am fighting and my general lack of sleep.)


My love for coffee is magnanimous.  It started just before college and… well… multiplied from there.  There is simply no match for that warm fuzzy sensation I get as the caffeine meets my blood stream.  Coffee has truly made me a morning person.  (How would I otherwise deal with the pandemonium that presents itself at 7:00 am when the little ones start to roll out of bed???)


In honor of this momentous occasion, here is a great recipe for a fabulous treat! 



Wolfgang’s Coffee Shake


5 oz Wolfgang Puck Culinary Iced Coffee
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup fresh cream

Add coffee, milk, sugar and cocoa powder. Blend well and top with fresh cream.


NOTE:  Wolfgang’s Iced Coffees are only 120 calories each. They are organic, kosher-certified and flavors include Vanilla Fusion, Double Blend Mocha, Creme Caramel and Cafe Au Lait.



BONUS!!!  Several companies are offering free coffee today only… Don’t.  Miss.  This.


7-Eleven
Snag a FREE cup of medium coffee today only (9/29) from 7AM-11AM. Check out the 7-Eleven Facebook page for more info


Caribou Coffee
Buy 1 Drink and Get 1 Free (of equal or lesser value) with the coupon found here (can print coupon or show it on your mobile phone) today only (9/29). Not valid on bottled beverages.


Krispy Kreme
FREE 12 oz. cup of the new Krispy Kreme Signature Coffee Blends; valid at Krispy Kreme locations in the U.S. and Canada today only. No purchase necessary! Click here for more info.


Thorntons
Snag a FREE cup of coffee or cappuccino from 6AM-2PM today only. Click here for more info.



I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine!






All together now… tip your cups up! 


Also, this blog has been nominated for the Best Mom Blog Awards at Parents.com!  Be sure to vote by clicking on the button below or by using the button on the top right side of this page!  And tell your friends!

By Best All-Around Mom Blog

Test Drive.

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Chilly September morning.  Warm coffee cup in my hand.  And test-driving a new brew.  Maple Walnut from Cameron’s.  Woodsy, nutty, rich and syrupy… just like I have always imagined a backwoods Vermont maple sugar house to be.  Enchantingly divine.  The only thing that could possibly make this moment better would be this cozy Handwarmer mug.  (This is soooo on my Christmas list!)

And speaking of test-drive… have you seen this?  A jet-powered school bus that reaches a speed of 367 mph?  I can completely relate.  Give me my morning coffee and I can conquer the world!  (Only maybe at slightly less than 367 mph.)

Hand over the coffee and nobody gets hurt.