Today is our anniversary. Thirty-three years ago we gathered with family and friends to pledge our lives together. My husband has been my knight-in-shining-armor. It has been quite a journey–5 states, 3 countries, and 3 continents. And that’s just the places we’ve lived! Many more states and countries were destinations for travel and we’re hard-pressed to say which is our favorite.
To sit on our deck, in the cool of the day, watching the squirrels raid the bird feeder would be a great way to celebrate. And then to end the day with some decaf coffee. Happy Anniversary sweetheart!
In honor of Independence Day which is just around the corner, it is a good reminder that tea was one of the proverbial “last straws” that broke the final tie with Britain.
In that Boston harbor, the precious cargo of tea was dumped overboard because our forefathers refused to pay the tax levied against it. As you enjoy your iced tea during your celebration this year, remember the cost in human lives and suffering that was involved in gaining our independence–for eight years. And pray for our current military on foreign lands.
It is better to buy espresso whole bean. For a traditional and exceptional cup of espresso, the beans should be ground immediately prior to use. Decaf Espresso Verdi is a “Seattle style” roast with a very distinguished, bold flavor that is held in high regard with coffee aficionados.
For best flavor, beans are decaffeinated in the green, or raw, state prior to roasting. Since roasting gives the beans a lot of the espresso flavor none of that is lost due to the decaffeinating process. Great flavor without the side effects of caffeine. Even the decaf Verdi can have the desired intense flavor and heavy body of the fully caffeinated blend.
Espresso is a thrill to the senses…the strong aroma, the thick heavy mouth feel each sip brings and the long acidic finish all encompass a true espresso cup. Decaf espresso Verdi is truly bellisimo!
When we think about drinking our morning tea or coffee, often it’s more a sinful delight that includes cream, sugar, caramel, or chocolate. Unfortunately starting off your morning with a sweet treat like this leads to an inevitable crash later in the day, and also doesn’t do much to kick start your metabolism. It’s best to start your day with a balanced breakfast, or if you can’t do that, at least avoid the sugar rush by drinking green tea. Green tea is a natural antioxidant; essentially what it helps to do is move the fat cells that are stored in your body into your blood stream where they are processed as energy. It’s been estimated that drinking a cup of steeped green tea actually burns 70 calories, and it’s quite rare that you will find any consumable that actually helps you to burn calories.
Switching to green tea in the morning will provide you with the caffeine necessary to tackle your day, and also assist in keeping your body healthy. While most people define green tea as either being from China or Japan, there are also quality Indian green tea options available.
Yesterday was a mistake. I love iced tea…for lunch, for break, for dinner. But yesterday was too much caffeine; last night proved it to me!
Solution? Thanks to years of experimenting with growing techniques, processing tweaks, and brewing types, tea now comes in decaf form as well as the full-bodied drink. Tisanes, herbals, and even favorite flavors come as decaf tea. I am definitely switching to one of those for today.
During one of my husband’s military temporary duty stations (TDY), we fell in love with Italy. The colors are brighter, the sights are spectacular, and the taste of the food is outstanding! Need I say that I am jealous of my sister and her husband who are in Italy for the summer with college art students.
I’m sure one of my sister’s favorite pastimes is to sit at a sidewalk cafe, watching the world go by while enjoying a cup of Italian Espresso coffee. When she and her husband return to the states at the end of the summer, we will ohhh and ahh over the sketches and paintings they will have created. But the experience can be remembered when they are on their own patio in West Texas, savoring Italian espresso coffee as the sun settles in the west.
Yesterday I promised to add a recipe for iced coffee.
Making iced coffee is a money-saver over the commercially purchased cups of frothy at the local coffee houses. The key is a slow extraction of flavor from the coffee which does take time. You will want quality, fresh coffee, filtered water, and 12 hours for steeping.
Start with 1/4 C of French press [a more coarse grind] coffee of high quality coffee beans. Flavored coffee can also be used. A dark roast yields a more satisfying flavor of iced coffee. To the coffee, add 1 cup of cold filtered water. This can be in a quart mason jar. Now your patience is needed–let it steep for 12 hours.
At the end of your wait, add one more cup of water. Strain the grinds from the coffee. Add your sweetened syrup and mix thoroughly. Now is the time to add milk if you prefer. Froth it up in a blender if you’d like and pour over a chilled glass of ice.
Any leftover? Chill in ice cube trays for your next iced coffee treat!
As summer quickly approaches and the temperatures (not so gradually) rise, thoughts turn to “How can I cool down?” Here is one answer: iced coffee! But how is it made?
Here are a few quick variations…
1. Freeze the last bit of your morning coffee in ice cube trays instead of tossing it. These will keep for several days. Add to your coffee drink next time. Try this with flavored coffees for a distinct addition!
2. Mix instant coffee in cold water and add ice cubes. (this one is not highly recommended)
3. Pour hot coffee sweetened and creamed to your preference) over ice cubes and wait a moment while it cools. This would be a good use for those coffee cubes in variation #1. Warning! Unless you let the coffee cool before pouring over the cubes, use a plastic cup. The ice will cool down the glass and when hot liquid is poured in, the glass will crack.
4. Cold brew coffee. Either by a special cold brew machine or a common Mason jar. I’ll give the recipe tomorrow.
With any of these, dark roasted coffees yield the best flavor for iced coffee. Add any sugar or syrup while the coffee is hot so it will have the heat to fully melt the crystals into a uniform flavor blend.
I attended a celebration at a friend’s house yesterday. For refreshments, she served fresh fruit and a delicious iced tea. I didn’t have to add any sweetener to it so I was curious about the flavor.
My friend had used green tea and peach tea, combined in a large glass container, filled it with 2 quarts of water, and let the sun do the work. The container can be put in a sunny window or to get the full effect of the warmth, put in direct sunlight (you may have to keep moving the container to follow the roving sunlight.) You choose when it is at a strength you prefer. This is a soft brewing method that results in a milder flavored tea. Be sure to use it up in a couple of days as it doesn’t keep as well as boiling water brewing.
The sweetness of the peach tea with the delicate flavor of the green tea was a good combination.
Monday mornings at work can be tough. Many workers are still thinking about all the fun they had during the weekend, and are loath to fathom the five full days of work ahead of them. It’s usually that first cup of steaming, hot coffee that gets the brain moving and the creativity flowing.
The hubbub of Monday morning can seem like a blur; from the mad dash to get out of the house on time, to the six-car pile up on the freeway, and the stop at your local coffee shop. With so much going on who has time to think about whether that morning cup of coffee is fair trade coffee? And, is it really worth it to spend 20 cents more for fair-trade coffee?
Here are some free-trade coffee facts that my help influence your future morning java purchases:
~Fair trade ensures an equal and fair partnership between consumers in Africa, North America, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The Fair Trade movement works to get coffee farmers throughout the world a fair price for their harvests. Without Fair Trade many coffee farmers would struggle to make a living.
~The small famers that are regulated by Fair Trade are usually better stewards of the environment because they don’t clear forests, use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. So those who buy Fair Trade coffee are also doing their part to protect the environment.
~Fair Trade-certified coffee is monitored in order to make sure it is produced under fair labor conditions. Throughout the United States, more than 100 companies are licensed to sell Fair Trade coffee.