Keurig in my cup!

Recently, I decided to forego washing my hair (but that story is for another day)! This morning I wanted to share my recent success in completely eliminating processed, store bought coffee creamers from my coffee regime. I feel a great sense of pride in this victory as I have pretty much been addicted to coffee since my mom first put her stainless steel Puerto Rican coffee pot on our stove when I was 10 years old! Cafe con leche is more important than food in my book!

Anyway, for the past week and a half I have played with several variations of homemade flavored creamers....and they work! Oh my goodness they are delicious! Enough bragging, I know you are ready to concoct your own milky delightfulness!

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

1 Cup Whole Milk                   4 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Cup Heavy Cream                1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon (or 3 cinnamon sticks)
3 Tablespoons pureed pumpkin (you can use canned if you want)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract     1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice (I use McCormick)

Whisk together all ingredients except vanilla extract. Pour into a sauce pan and heat on medium low until the mixture begins to let off steam. Then pour it all through a stainless steel strainer or a mesh sieve. Use a funnel to pour it into a glass bottle, and refridgerate.

Anna's Peppermint Mocha
(in honor of my good friend, who usually waits all year for her holiday favorite)

1 Cup Whole Milk                   4 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Cup Heavy Cream              3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract    1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract

Whisk together all ingredients except vanilla and peppermint extracts. Pour into a sauce pan and heat on medium low until the mixture begins to let off steam. Then pour it all through a stainless steel strainer or a mesh sieve. Use a funnel to pour it into a glass bottle, and refridgerate.



I hope you like these as much as I do!

CHEEburger CHEEburger!!!

You asked for it....CHEEburger Casserole, Crockpot style!
1 Pound ground beef - (to 1 1/2 lbs)


2 onions, coarsely chopped
5 red potatoes, chopped into quarters
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 can of ro-tel
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 Tablespoons of worcestershire
1 bag of fresh frozen peas
1/2 bag of baby carrots (chopped into 1 inch pieces)
8 large slices of sharp red hoop cheddar

Brown your onions and beef with the garlic, black pepper, and worcestershire. Toss your meat, onions, and garlic into the crock pot. Pour your can of ro-tel in before adding any other ingredients. Then, layer your veggies (without mixing) on top of your meat. I like to put the potatoes second to last, then the peas (keeps the peas from getting soggy). Turn your crock pot on low and let cook for 5-6 hours. Add the hoop cheddar about 2 hours before you are going to eat! Tasty, tasty.


Let me know what you think!

Super Crock Pot Saves Starving Husband!

Have I mentioned that I have a crock pot? Yep, and I love it, let me explain.

Well, you see, my husband has gained 30 pounds since we got married....seriously. Not to mention that he regularly tells me there is nothing to eat in the house! Oh, and I recently accepted a job working in an office with office hours (so I don't get home until after 5:30 every day). All said and done, I have been desperately trying to struggle the demands of a hungry husband, a new job, housecleaning, purchasing a new home, and reaching out into our local community. Here is where the crock pot comes in....what better way to save time and feed my growing boy? I have a myriad of recipes thanks to some cook books and my crazy foodie brain. Over the past 2 weeks I have chopped, browned, and tossed ingredients into one pot for several hours, only to discover a scrumptious meal waiting for us at our house upon return home! Below, I will share a recent favorite and if I get lots of happy comments I will share more soon.

Keep in mind that my measurements are approximate as I never measure anything, I just throw it all together. This is probably why baking sweets is my least favorite form of cooking!

Oh, and another note on ingredients: I always try to buy organic and local. I won't add "organic" as a word before each ingredient, but you can assume I either bought it local or used organic.

Apple Cider Stew (awesome Fall stew)

1 pound beef stew meat
2 Tablespoons of real butter
1 bag of baby carrots
4 small sweet potatoes, sliced (the smaller they are, the better flavor they have)
3 of your favorite type of apple (I prefer washington or sweet green), diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
crushed, fresh thyme
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups apple cider
1/2 cup golden raisens
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup celery, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of nutmeg
dash of allspice

No need to brown your meat for this recipe, just toss all of your ingredients into the crock pot and put on low for 10-12 hours! This savory-sweet stew is one of my VERY favorites!


Please let me know what you think! If I notice people are using these, I will continue to add more!