heaven on my doorstep…

When I got home from work yesterday, my coffee was waiting for me on the doorstep. Talk about fast delivery – i just ordered it Wednesday afternoon (they must know this girl was OUT and NEEDED some caffeine)!!! Anyway, I figured I’d get adventurous and try 2 new seasonal coffees and I’m really happy I did. The first coffee I ordered was the Island Coconut from Green Mountain Coffee Company.

This one is a limited edition and before it goes away, I’m going to buy several boxes. OH MY… it’s HEAVEN IN A MUG! It smells like a tropical vacation and tastes even more luxurious! The fruity, nutty aroma of the coconut is intoxicating and definitely woke me up this morning!

The second one I ordered is the Sugar Bush Maple from Timothy’s and it too is divine! This coffee has a yummy relaxing scent when it is brewing and that first sip just makes you sigh… this is definitely a comfort-coffee! You can taste the maple sweetness without it actually having any sugar in it… Mmmmmmm!

I can’t recommend this coffee maker enough! It’s great for those of you who like 1-2 cups in the morning (not a whole pot) or those who like a little variety.

Mommy’s “juice”…

This is my (relatively) new Keurig coffee maker. iT puts other single cup coffee makers TO SHAME (in a BIG way).

A morning without coffee is like sleep.

Author Unknown

Notice all my Keurig K-cups… I’ve got tons of various flavors and strengths… I LOVE this coffee maker! There is my favorite, the bold French Roast… But I also like the mild Vanilla Avalanch, the pecan praline, the teas and the hot cocoas. Hell, there’s something for everyone!

mmmmm….. Italian cheesy goodness

One of my favorite go-to meals is a big ‘ol pan of hot melty cheezy lasagna and it’s so simple to make. My recipe is never the same and that’s what makes it so wonderful… and exciting! This time I used jarred spaghetti sauce, but I added ground beef and then an additional layer of Italian sausage. Yummie! Anyway for the cheese layers, I usually mix a small bag of Italian blend cheese, a small tub of ricotta and half a tub of cottage cheese. It spreads oh-so nice and what you get is a wonderfully cheesy meaty lasagna.

Hungry yet?

I am… and I have some in the freezer. Yep, you got it… I’m thawing that sucker out right now. Who cares if it’s 10 o’clock… I don’t! Too bad I don’t have a nice bottle of wine to go with it…

happy belated birthday…

to me!

Yes, my birthday was last Friday, October 17th and I turned… ssshhhh… 31! We went to a nice dinner at Fuji Japanese Steakhouse with Joe and Shannon and their 2 kids and then went by the grocery store to get the stuff for Abby and Maggie to make me a cake.Fuji was fun and always exciting! We had spilled drinks, scared kids (scared of the fire on the grill) food all over the floor (thanks to Baby Henry) and a birthday surprise complete with banging pots-and-pans and blowing out candles. It was QUITE fun!

I chose a chocolate cake and strawberry icing (because I knew they’d LOVE the pink icing). We got home so late from dinner that the girls woke up early the next morning to make my cake. Being the control freak that I am, you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you… I let them do it theirselves! That’s right, I did! YAY Me!

All-in-all, I think they did a GREAT job! Abby asked me to help her with the icing and then she and Maggie did the sprinkles and candles. Notice the orange one dead in the center? Yes – my favorite color is orange. Sweet girls.

How could I anybody give me any presents better than the 2 great gifts I have already?

I found this great recipe for homemade peanut butter at Blue Yonder, a blog I frequent. I need to update my blogroll (to the right) and add her to it… one of these days. Anyway, I’m totally going to make some of this next time the kids are home… Peanut butter is a total weakness of mine. What, you don’t eat spoonfulls of peanut butter straight from the jar? It’s even better when you have an apple or even a Hershey’s chocolate bar to dip in it… yummie-to-my-tummy!

2 cups roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons peanut oil (a little more if you like it creamier)
Honey (we just drizzled it over the top, so I have no idea how much we used. Maybe a Tbsp, if I had to guess)

That’s it. Put it all in the food processor and let the kids mash the button to their little heart’s content. Then, slap it on everything in sight…

party!

I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs, Grace Violet, and had to try them when my friend Angie asked me to help her with her daughter’s first birthday party. This was super simple and I will be doing them for every party I throw in the coming years! The possibilities are ENDLESS! Anyway, all you do is melt some white chocolate and add food coloring to the desired shade. Skewer a marshmallow with a cute white skewer (notice I didn’t have skewers and had to use coffee stirrers), dip in melted chocolate and roll in sprinkles (of your choice). These would probably be great rolled in crushed oreos or nuts or anything else, for that matter. You can’t go wrong with this simple and cheap party favor! I think the whole batch cost less than $6 to make…

I’m SO making these for a halloween party I’m going to. I’ll do them with black sticks, orange tinted chocolate and crushed oreos… spooky!