Craving something sweet

I was craving something sweet earlier so we went to Publix.  Bakery...eh....nothing really jumped out at me and then I suggested ice cream.

While standing in front of the Ben & Jerry's....I couldn't find one of my favorites so I just looked at each tub for a little while and finally settled on the Smores.

Oh my word.....................It was sooooooooooooooo goooooooooood!  I will definitely have to get this one again.

Keurig and My K Cup

Last Christmas we got a Keurig.  I love love love it.  We even bought one of the My K Cup filter baskets.  I have certain coffees that I love and they don't have K Cups.  When I would use the My K Cup basket, the coffee always tasted weak even though I had filled it with coffee grounds.

Recently I was looking through the New England Coffee Company site and I noticed on some of the exclusive coffee types, there were a few different options for grind.

A is coarse This grind is perfect for stove top and electric percolators



B is medium This grind works well with auto-drip machines like Mr. Coffee and Bunn


C is fin Use this fine grind for espresso-type pressure brewers


D Whole Bean
 
Well that makes sense!!!  The Keurig is a pressure brewer so you would need a finer grind right????  What I buy in the store is regular retail ground, hmmm I wonder if I scoop out what I need and quickly pulse it in a coffee grinder if that will make the coffee stronger???  I think I may need to email them to get the answer.
 
Stay tuned.......

Freebie Mugs!

Yesterday the UPS man came and I had no idea what he could have dropped off.  I already received the items for our Taste Of Mardi Gras dinner....

Hmmmmm??????

I didn't even look at the shipping label, I just grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the packing tape and opened the box.  First thing I saw was an envelope and in the envelope very pretty card.  On the outside was a very "New Englandy" picture with an old town with a covered bridge, barns, and a church.  It was my friends at New England Coffee Company.

Woo Hoo in the box, packed really nicely was two of their mugs and two little tins of peppermints.  I love them!!!

I cannot wait to use them when the weather cools of this fall/winter.  Or maybe I will use it tomorrow night for my Cafe Au Lait!!

What's Bean Happening

So What's Bean Happening?

Guess what I am currently having on this rainy, first day back at school and Marcel's birthday?

If you guessed an Ice French Vanilla in my Try Me Iced cup you would be correct!!  Stop on over at the New England Coffee Company site and see what kinds of yummy coffee they have and OH!!!  Publix had a BOGO on their coffee this past week.  Gotta stock up!

New England Coffee Company

So this morning I was going through my email and I received an email from a woman at New England Coffee Company.  She wanted my permission to post a comment that I put on Facebook, on their main site in the What's Bean Happening section.

Sure I said!!!

So my comment will be on their site the week of August 23rd!

Woo Hoo for giving positive comments!!!

Duke's Mayonnaise

Right after we moved from Massachusetts to South West Florida, I would see ads for Duke's Mayonnaise. I kept thinking, I have never heard of that up North and it really can't be as good as Hellman's. There are just some things I prefer brand name. Well Publix had it on sale and I picked up a small jar and used it in Potato Salad and I have been hooked ever since.

There is no funky after taste or chemical smell to it.

Have you heard of Duke's? And have you tried it? What brand do you prefer?

New England Coffee Company

I LOVE MY CUP!!! It is perfect for the cup holder in my car.

New England Coffee Company cup updated

Back on May 17th, I blogged about a free give away from New England Coffee Company. Well when I got the mail, there was a mystery box in the mail I had no idea what it could be, I hadn't ordered anything...

To my surprise it was my new cup!!!



I can't wait to try it out tomorrow!!!

New England Coffee Company

I really love New England Coffee Company coffee at home. I even use my k-cup filter filled with New England Coffee Company coffee. During the warmer months I use my little 4 cup maker and make iced coffee. When brewing at home for iced coffee, I always use double the recommended coffee grounds for hot coffee,that way the coffee doesn't get watered down with the ice.

This morning while I as on Facebook, up pops up an update from New England Coffee Company about Try Me Iced. So I clicked on the update and they are having a free give away! Want to know more about the free give away, check it out HERE.

So I purchased a few bags recently and just clipped off the UPC codes, taped them to the form and put it in the mail.

Woo Hoo in 6-8 weeks I will have a cool new New England Coffee Iced Coffee cup!

Check them out on Facebook or at their site.

Tostitos Dipping Strips

Have you seen these???

I spotted them at Walmart this morning and picked up a bag for guacamole tonight. They have to be way better than trying to stuff a regular chip or scoop in your mouth right???

Got an addiction, um I mean sprinkles?

A fun look into my "sprinkle cabinet", yes that is what I call it.

I think I seriously have an addiction to cute Wilton sprinkles, jimmies, colored sugar, and luster dust.

The bottom shelf is for baking ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, salt, meringue powder, color flow. I also have a square gladware container filled with different extracts.

Above that is my "sprinkle" shelf. Self explanatory...LOL

Next shelf up is tubes of decorators icing container and a container of Wilton Gel Food coloring, piping gel and toothpicks.

Next shelf up is loaf and muffin pans that I don't use all the time.

Can you figure out what is missing? I kind of (blush) ran out of space in this cabinet for all of my cookie cutters and muffin liners. They are in shoebox size containers on the laundry room shelf. The cookie cutters are even organized into groups like; Halloween, Valentines Day, Autumn, Christmas and a miscellaneous bin.

So there is a fun look into my "sprinkle" cabinet.

Cape Cod Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Chips

WHOA! I spotted these Cape Cod Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Potato chips at Sweetbay this morning and picked them up and a bag of the Russet chips.

I cannot believe how good they are! Well yes I can because I love Cape Cod Chips.

New York Style Focaccia Sticks

Oh my...I love Bagel Chips by New York Style. Well they now make Focaccia Sticks, you must try them!!!

Here is a link to the New York Style Focaccia Sticks. I am currently munchin on the Roasted Garlic & Herb. They were really great last night with hummus.

Mmm Coffee, Tea & Catalogs

Everyone that know me, knows that I am a huge fan of Dunkin Donuts. Well I have used their coffee at home and well...it just isn't the same.

I think my favorite coffee to brew at home is New England Coffee Company. The non-flavored one I like the most is their New England Breakfast Blend. I recently picked up a bag of their Hazelnut Creme and it is really good!!!

I saw a couple other flavors in the store and I am very curious about the Blueberry Cobbler. I am just not sure if I would like it. Since it is Fall I will HAVE to pick up some Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread Cookie, and maybe Eggnog.

I also love good tea. I found Stash Tea a few years ago and they sell some fantastic products! For Christmas a few years ago, Marcel bought me some Tea for One sets.

Some of my favorite teas from them are English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast. I also really enjoy their Christmas Eve & Christmas Morning tea and their Orange Spice tea is incredible.

Want to sweeten the tea, they have Honey Sticks. They are really neat and the amount in the stick is just right (for me anyway). They also sell some sweet treats to go along with all their great teas.

What goes great with coffee and tea...yummy treats!!!

I just received the King Arthur Flour Holiday Catalog and you can't help but drool at all the yummy things in there. I have a mental wish list a mile long from it!

Broth, Water & Bouillon cube, or Stock?

Broth, Water & Bouillon cube, or Stock?


When a recipe calls for broth or water & bouillon cubes I think icky! To me broth..well it is just flavored water. What is worse than that? When a recipe calls for water & bouillon cubes or granules...to me it is just a little block of salt.


What do I use when a recipe calls for either of those? I use a stock from a box. I am picky and only use Kitchen Basic Stock. The stock tastes so much better and so flavorful.

Have you ever used it?

Coffee Mate

Since I couldn't get my Dunkin Donuts fix over the summer, I made coffee and iced coffee at home. I tried a new flavor from Coffee Mate, it is the Italian Creme flavor. It is really good, but I only add a tablespoon or two, just to add some flavor.

So my question....Do you add any flavors to your coffee? If so what kind?

Arnolds Sandwich Thins

My Mum has been raving about Arnold's Sandwich Thins. I finally found some and bought the whole wheat ones.

Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins - 8 pack: These unique sandwich-sized flatbreads are perfect for making your favorite burgers and sandwiches a bit healthier. Available in select markets.

This product is:

Low Cholesterol

Excellent Source of Fiber

Low Fat

0g Trans Fat

100% Whole Wheat

Made with Whole Grains

No High Fructose Corn Syrup

They are fantatic for sandwiches, but I think they would be even better for burgers!

Stouffer's Chicken & Broccoli bake

I recently discovered Stouffer's Chicken & Broccoli when Marcel was on a business trip. I needed something that could be tossed in the microwave, but also had flavor. It is high in fat which is good for Miss V. We all liked it, but Miss V didn't enjoy the top crusty part.




Here is some info from the Stouffer's site.

Tender pieces of all white chicken and broccoli with curly pasta in a rich Cheddar cheese sauce topped with cheesy bread crumbs. Oven baked taste, just like homemade.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 8Oz
Servings Per Container 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories 300 Calories From Fat 130
%Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g
21%
Saturated Fat 6g
31%
Trans Fat .5g
Cholesterol 45mg
14%
Sodium 990mg
41%
Total Carbohydrates 24g
8%
Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
Sugars 6g
Protein 19g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 30%
Iron 8%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

Calories:
2,000
2,500
Total Fat
Less Than
65g
80g
Sat Fat
Less Than
20g
25g
Cholesterol
Less Than
300mg
300mg
Sodium
Less Than
2,400mg
2,400mg
Potassium
Less Than
3,500mg
3,500mg
Total Carbohydrate
300g
375g
Dietary Fiber
25g
30g

Sun dried tomato pesto

My snake stromboli called for Sun-dried tomato pesto and I found it at our local grocery store. It was located on the top shelf near pasta sauces. I have seen it many other times and always thought that it looked interesting.

Well I do believe everyone enjoyed the snake stromboli, since every bite was gone.

Yesterday I thawed out the other two frozen bread loaves to make pizza. Well, I changed my mind and made two calzones. One was olive oil, ham and swiss. The other was an "italian" with mozzarella, provolone, pepperoni and genoa salami and I spread a liberal amount of the sun dried tomato pesto.

Both were very good, but the one with the pesto tasted a little better.

So here is some info about the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto



This info came from the Classico website:

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Basil pesto and the intense flavor of sun-dried tomatoes combine in this savory topping. Spread on a loaf of Italian bread. Or add to pasta with olives and crushed red peppers for the easy-life version of Puttanesca.
Net Weight: Serving Size:1/4 cupServings: Calories: 90Fat Calories: 45
Amount Per Serving
% of Daily Value*
Total Fat
5g
8%
Trans Fat
0g
Saturated Fat
1g
5%
Cholesterol
0%
Sodium
630mg
26%
Total Carbohydrate
8g
3%
Dietary Fiber
1g
5%
Sugars
5g
Protein
3g

VitaminA:6% VitaminC:0% Calcium: 0% Iron: 6% * Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
INGREDIENTS: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Water, Sun-dried Tomatoes (Sulfur Dioxide Added to Retain Color), Basil, Soybean Oil, Onions, Garlic Red Bell Peppers, Parmesan Cheese (Cultured Part Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Olive Oil, Romano Cheese (Cultured Part Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Cellulose), Salt, Red Wine Vinegar (Sodium Metabisulfite Added to Protect Color), Dehydrated Onions, Sugar, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors

I think it would also be a great addition to "Italian butter".

Kelloggs Blueberry Muffin Mini Wheats

Victoria spotted ad for Kelloggs Blueberry Muffin mini wheats last week at the doctor's office and it even had a scratch and sniff part. She said they smelled very good and asked if we could get some.

The other day I found them at Publix and and a coupon for it, so I picked up a box.

Victoria had some for snack and LOVED them. She likes eating them plain, without milk. I just tried some myself and they are really good!!!

You will have to try them too!