Perkdup

My mind has been known to wander.  Especially when I'm immersed in a good cup of coffee. Last night, I grabbed a bag of Dunkin' Original Blend Coffee beans from the shelf at Target.  In part, because I was killing time while waiting for my daughter who was buying shampoo.  Which, for her, can take a really long time.  In part, because I'm anxiously anticipating Dunkin' Donuts west coast expansion.   As I'm sitting here this morning with my freshly brewed cup, in a very quiet house, I recalled the first time I tried Dunkin' Coffee.  It was long before you could just go online and order it up.  I had read an article in Marie Claire magazine about how Dunkin' Donuts coffee was one of the best kept secrets around.   I had to try it.  I scoured the internet and found a shop in New York to ship me a few bags.   And that's where it all started. I'm happy to say that this morning's cup was just as good as I remembered from all th...

Sometimes you find great coffee in the most unlikely places. I will be perfectly honest, when I opened my Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and saw that she had sent us a Collins Street Bakery Fruitcake , I was delighted.  Really.   I believe there are three categories of fruitcake people.  Those who hate fruitcake and those who love fruitcake. I'm in the third category, people who only like Collins Street Bakery's fruitcakes.  I'm the first to admit, I was not "feeling fruitcake" until my mother-in-law started sending these over a decade ago.  And now, I can't complete my holiday without one.   Yet, I wasn't expecting much from the coffee she sent along with the fruitcake this year.  I'm picky about my coffee.  In fact, I didn't even open the bag of coffee until this weekend. What a shock!   You only buy this Cinchona ® Costa Rican Coffee from Collins Street Bakery.  And, just in case, you're not near Corsicana, Tex...

I like to savor all the elements of each season.  Although, here on the west coast, the seasons tend to get a little blurred.  I'm not complaining.  Just an observation. And while we can definitely use some more rain here in California, I'm also not complaining about the beautiful weather we've had this week.  Gives us a chance to dry out from the rain as we recover from Super Bowl 50. It's also a great time to connect with friends.  Knit with friends.  Enjoy a Teavana  Passion Iced Tea (sweetened) with friends. Which is exactly what I did today at lunch.  If this weather keeps up, I might even finish the scarf I started last fall before summer. Knit One, Sip One.

This is one of my very favorite coffee times of the year.   Just as I'm winding down on my Holiday Blends, the February Favorites roll around.   One such blend is the limited offering  Guatemala Casi Cielo from Starbucks. Medium Roast.  Never disappoints.  Chocolately.  Smooth.  Rich.  Sexy.  Yes, I said "Sexy!" Maybe it's the name.  But one thing is true, it seems to get better with age and this year is no exception. Perfect for before dinner.  After dinner.  Morning, noon or night! 14.95 for a one pound bag of beans. Also available in single-serve Keurig K-Cups ® Buy some for now and stock up for later.  Because when it's gone - it's gone.

I bought these donuts on a dare this morning.  Well, somewhat. My sister and I went out to get a Sunday paper and on the drive back home, we passed the donut shop. I said, "I'm going to resist getting a donut."  My sister replied, "Yes, sometimes you just have to resist." Well, who died and made her the "Carb Police?"  Just for that, I took a sharp left, made a u-turn and drove back to the donut shop. Maybe I shouldn't have, but you know how it is when someone tries to "guilt you."  Well, you've just got to shoot yourself in the foot and bite the bait.  Or in this case, bite the donut. And, fyi, I drank my coffee black so as not to increase my already high sugar intake. After all, moderation is the key. (wink-wink)

Coffee does lots of great things for me.  Like give me energy and make me smile. Like give me energy to make chocolate chip cookies on a Sunday night and pretend that I've got an extra weekend day. If coffee is good enough, like this delicious cup I'm drinking right now, it can even make you forget that it can also keep you awake.   And when it does that, you can always share your excitement on your blog page. I've decided to step my cookie game up.  I've always sort of claimed bragging rights to great cookies but the last few batches have fallen short.  Literally. Tonight's results were probably a 3 out of 5.  Which means that it's back to the lab to see what I can do to get back on the "MVP Cookie Baker" list. Stay tuned.  And caffeinated.

I'm always excited when I find a K-Cup that is close in flavor to what I get from an electric brew or pour over. I must admit I wasn't initially sold on this one.  It's dark-roast, which I like, but it took me a few sips to really acquire the taste for it. I picked up this box of Green Mountain Sumatra Aceh at a good price at Home Goods.  Not my usual "go to" place for buying coffee but it had a really good "sell by" date and who doesn't love a bargain? Not sure that I would buy them at full-price but for the price, it's definitely not bad.