DELICIOUS ANYTIME ....

 

For many of us, summer conjures up thoughts of lazy days, soft breezes, bright sunshine and a tall cold glass of iced tea out on the back  porch ... that is, until Keurig made it so easy for us to enjoy a tall, delicious, good-as-gourmet iced coffee! No matter what flavor or roast of K-Cup you prefer for your iced coffee, we have several tips guaranteed to make this great treat even better!

Tip #1: Never brew iced coffee into a glass cup containing ice cubes as the glass cup might just crack.  Instead use a non-glass container.  There are many attractive 16-oz. personal size drink cups available in just about every kitchen department of your local department store or specialty shop.

Tip #2: Never again wind up sipping a watered down drink when you make ice cubes ahead of time using the same K-cup flavor you plan to use for your iced coffee. 

Now for the best part .... two of our favorite recipes:

HERE'S MUD IN YOUR EYE ...

 Fill a tall 16-oz. cup with ice (made ahead of time with Gloria Jean's Mudslide K-cups) and place under brewer.

Place a Gloria Jean's Mudslide K-cup in your Keurig brewer. Choose the brew setting of your preference (we like the 6-oz. setting) and press brew.

Add a generous helping of chocolate syrup, 1/2 cup of whole milk (or half 'n half, if you prefer) and a tspn. of raw sugar. Stir, top with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon and enjoy the yumminess!   

Looking for a late-night treat? Add some Bailey's Irish Cream and you have a little taste of heaven!  Or if you prefer a non-alcoholic treat, add a scoop of premium French Vanilla ice cream instead.

IT'S ESPRESSO TIME

Fill a tall 16-oz. cup with ice (made ahead of time with Green Mountain's Fair Trade Organic Espresso Blend K-cups) and place under brewer.

Place a Green Mountain Fair Trade Organic Espresso Blend K-cup in your Keurig brewer. Choose the brew setting of your preference (we like the 8-oz. setting for this) and press brew.

Add 1-1/2 cups half 'n half (or whole milk, if you prefer), 1 tspn of finely shredded orange peel and sweeten to taste (we use 2 tablespoons of raw sugar). Top with 1 tspn grated semisweet chocolate and garnish with orange peel strips .... so pretty it's almost a shame to drink it!

Do you have a favorite iced coffee recipe?  Please share. We'd love to try yours!

... AND THEY'RE OFF! (to college, that is)

It's here - that time of the year when we send our future business titans, doctors and professors off to college. Exciting? Yes. Traumatic? For us, absolutely! Regardless of our feelings, we really don't want our children to be traumatized by their first experience at living away from home. Instead, we want them to have a fun-filled, best-time-of-your-life experience and teaching them how to stretch a dollar goes a long way to making that a reality.

 Remember how hard it was to teach a little one the mechanics of money? How many pennies make a nickel? How many nickels make a dime? That's nothing compared to the arsenal of money handling tips kids today need to make it through the month/semester/year without running out of money. Some of these tips are super easy, like don't get talked into signing up for a credit card. And most students learn pretty fast to buy used textbooks instead of new ones. Harder, though, is learning how to make a budget, and harder still, is learning how to stick to it. The ability to budget is a skill that will last your scholar a lifetime. Here are some of the less common budget in's & out's that may be helpful to your college student:

1) Act and spend like a college student, not like a college grad with a job. Going to class and studying is your job and your #1 priority.

2) Everyone also needs "fun" time.  Check the college schedule for free activities. When going out, frequent local restaurants that feature happy hours where drinks are less expensive and snacks are free.

3) If you see something you want, ask yourself if you really need it. If the answer is "Yes," wait a week and then ask yourself again. If the answer is still, "Yes," then comparison shop for the best price before actually making the purchase. Avoid impulse buying at all costs.

4) Track your spending. Take a few minutes at the end of every day or every week to mark down what you've spent, along with when and where you spent it.

5) If you're not living on campus, get a roommate. Furnish your shared apartment with thrift store finds or bargains that can be had at local garage and tag sales.

... and our last tip: Instead of spending chunks of cash at Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, ask mom and dad to send you off with a personal Keurig brewer. The B130 is small yet mighty and brews a perfect 8 oz. cup of coffee in less than 3 seconds. You'll save tons and you'll be able to enjoy your favorite kcup coffee any hour of the day or night while you're studying for an exam or finishing a term paper.

Note to mom & dad: One Cup Connection is offering you the chance to purchase the Keurig B130 brewer on special from now thru August 31st for only $59.95. Use Coupon Code: KB130. And check out our website for money-saving deals on kcups. Your college student will love you for it!

LUNCHBOXES WITH PIZZAZ

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a whole new phenomenon that's arisen from our country's current economic conditions -  it seems that even executives are looking to cut pennies by bringing their lunch to work! Never a nation to overlook ways to "make a million," enterprising designers are busy producing lunchboxes that don't look like lunchboxes but instead disguise themselves as laptop bags, wine cooler totes or even fashionable purses. 

At more formal companies, secret brown-bagging managers carry cases roomy enough to hold an adult-size meal, functional enough to keep food from getting soggy and cold, and stylish enough to be mistaken for a pricey accessory.

While we understand the importance of maintaining a certain appearance, do you find it humorous that self-conscious executives will go to these extremes? Or do you applaud the proud brown-bagger who doesn't give a fig if we know he's bringing a peanut butter & jelly from home? Would we try to mooch some of his chips? What's your opinion on this newest development in the fascinating world of Big Business?