The Daily Grind: What Goes Into Your Favorite Cup Of Coffee

March 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

A lot of effort goes into making a good cup of coffee. After the beans are initially picked, they need to be hulled, polished and sorted before they can be processed further. And that’s not even the hardest part of the process. Many machines are used in the making of a typical cup of coffee. The machines are used to remove layers from the bean, including the entire dried husk. The beans are then polished which helps to determine the quality of the final product.

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After polishing, the beans will be sorted. This is the stage where people can check each bean for defects. Beans that don’t have the right colour or size are discarded. The remaining beans can then be traded to companies that process them even further. It’s amazing to think that all this behind-the-scenes process take place for every different variety of coffee bean you can image, all showcased online on sites such as www.ebay.co.uk.

Coffee from all over the world

According to Wikipedia, three billion coffee plants are cultivated worldwide to satisfy a demand of over 2.25 billion cups consumed every day. When the plants are cultivated they are loaded onto ships and transported across the globe.
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Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie Meatballs

February 16, 2014 by 1 Comment

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If you call something shepherd’s pie on the Internet but you use beef instead of lamb, people freak out. I personally like this recipe better with beef, but it works both ways, so I wanted to leave it open for you to decide. The fun part of this recipe is biting into a meatball to find the soft mashed potato on the inside.

Makes: 30 to 35 meatballs

Heat: 0

Pig-Out Scale: 6.4

 

Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter

2 carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cups (230 g) corn

½ cup (120 ml) cream

 

Meatballs

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce

2 slices bread

2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk

¼ cup (16 g) chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ pounds (680 g) ground beef or lamb

 

Make the Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C, or gas mark 5). Rub the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 ½ ours, until tender.
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Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook

February 15, 2014 by 3 Comments

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Who doesn’t love comfort food?  How about a few of your favorites at the same time? I thought so. This cookbook is fun and has a lot of interesting recipes in it- jalapeno stuffed with mac and cheese? What?  Yes. It’s all true.  What’s not to love about this book?  Not much- most of it is pretty mouth-watering and enticing.  I won’t lie, nothing I made came out half as pretty as the things he cooked, but then, I’m not a professional (that’s what we are going with).  Most of it came out well, even my son and husband were happy with the results and glad guinea pigs.  Check it out for yourself- these recipes will certainly shake up your menu, and even offer cool ways to use your leftovers.
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Country Chicken & Buttermilk Soup

February 13, 2014 by 3 Comments

 

This comforting chicken soup is filled with vegetables and uses nonfat buttermilk and fat-free chicken broth instead of a heavier cream base. It’s as satisfying as chicken and dumplings, with none of the guilt.

chicken soup

Makes 6 servings

Hands-on 35 min.

Total 1 hour, 5 min.

 

2 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ lb.)

5 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 Tbsp. butter

2 medium-size red potatoes, cut into wedges

1 celery rib, chopped

¼ large white onion, coarsely chopped

½ carrot, peeled and chopped

½ cup fresh or frozen green peas
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WIN Chocolate Mint Day Balance Bars

February 13, 2014 by 27 Comments

Disclosure: The below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Looking for a healthier option to chocolate? Celebrate Chocolate Mint Day on 2/19 with Balance Bars.

pic 1Chocolate Mint Day celebrates anything and everything that is chocolate mint flavored. The most common chocolate mint treats are ice cream, candies, and desserts, but it’s great think about healthier options as well.  One such option that is portable, good for meals or snacks, and tastes good too is the Mint Cookie Crunch Balance Bar. Everyone in my house likes them, and they are great for travel as well.

balance bars

“Here’s a refreshing new take on a classic. We’ve added a crunchier cookie base and more mint flavor to this delicious chocolate cookie bar. The chocolate and cool mint come together in a satisfyingly crunchy delight for a perfect chocolate mint Balance Bar.
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Have a Hershey Valentines Day

February 13, 2014 by 4 Comments

Disclosure: The below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

It’s Valentines Day, and you know what that means- Chocolate.  For me, that means one name- Hershey’s!  It’s my favorite, and I love the variety that it comes in.  What better gift to get a choco-holic then chocolate?  Plus it’s the perfect “add on” gift or special something.

valentines day chocolate

Their current collection includes:

Hershey’s® Kisses

Hershey’s® Giant Kiss

Twizzlers® Cherry Hearts

Reese’s® Peanut Butter Heart

Jolly Ranchers®

All these would make any sweets lovers’ holiday complete.   My husband loves the Reese peanut butter hearts.  It is epically huge, and what’s better then a giant Reese?   If you ask my son, the giant Hershey kiss is better- but not by much.  That was always my grandfather’s favorite as well, and it reminds me of him every time I see one.  It’s a great memory, he used to love those. Just be sure to save some of those “giant” candies for later, and not give yourself a cavity and a stomach ache.  Be they sugary sweet candies like Jolly Ranchers, or licorice like Twizzlers, Hershey has a candy for everyone.
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Baby Carrot Soup Recipe

February 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Vidalia onions were first grown during the Depression in the sandy soil of Toombs County, Georgia, where farmers were surprised to find they’d cultivated a variety that was sweet, not hot. Their unique taste balances the slightly hot chipotle peppers in this easy-to-make (yet company-worthy!) soup.

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Makes 5 servings

Hands-On 10 min.

Total 37 min.

 

1 (7-oz.) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 (32-oz.) container reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 (16-oz.) package baby carrots

⅓ cup half-and-half

½ tsp. table salt

5 tsp. reduced-fat sour cream

Toppings: chopped fresh chives, chopped dried chile peppers
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Mac and Cheese Chile Rellenos

February 5, 2014 by 4 Comments

 

A chile relleno is normally stuffed with cheese, so why not add some mac in there, too? More traditional chile rellenos have an eggy batter that is almost reminiscent of eating a chile omelet. For this bastardized mac and cheese version, I did the standard American bar food breadcrumb crust and it matched perfectly. These chile rellenos have an amazing balance of crunch, spice, ooze and comfort!

Makes: 8 stuffed peppers

Heat: 5.5

Pig-Out Scale: 7.9

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Mac and Cheese

2 slices bacon

1 clove garlic

¼ cup (35 g) pickled nacho jalape.os

1 tomato

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cherry peppers, diced

½ pound (225 g) elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 ½ tablespoons (21 g) flour

1 ½ cups (355 ml) milk

½ teaspoon mustard powder

5 ounces (140 g) Cheddar cheese

5 ounces (140 g) Monterey Jack cheese

Vegetable oil

Salt

 

8 poblano peppers

2 cups (240 g) flour

2 cups (230 g) breadcrumbs

3 eggs, beaten

Make the Mac and Cheese: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Chop the bacon into ½-inch (1.3-cm) squares. Mince the garlic. Roughly chop the jalapeños and tomatoes.

In a Dutch oven with just a splash of olive oil, cook the bacon until crispy, about 7 minutes, and remove it from the pot. Let drain on paper towels. In the remaining bacon fat, cook the onion and peppers for about 5 minutes, until they start to brown. While the veggies cook, be sure to continually scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the browned bits incorporated with the food and not stuck to the pot. This would be a good time to get your pasta cooking. Add the minced garlic and butter to the onions and peppers and cook for about 2 minutes, until the butter is melted. Mix in the flour and cook, stirring often, until the roux is slightly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Pour in the milk, whisking until smooth, and bring to a light simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard powder. Strain the pasta and put it directly into the milk mixture. Slowly add the cheeses and stir well until melted. Add the tomatoes and jalapeños and stir. Cool the pasta down to at least room temperature before stuffing the peppers.
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