Home Roasted Coffee Beans!

Two years ago I decided to buy an espresso machine (the Rancilio Silvia if you're interested). I researched models, did the math, and figured out that in the long run it would save money to make my own cappuccinos and lattes. The funny part about this is that my husband John was not a coffee drinker but would enjoy the occasional latte with milk and flavored syrups - yet within a couple of weeks he became quite the barista! We have espresso (usually lattes) every morning, and I'd say he makes the espresso for us both (split double shot) about 85% of the time. I love it! And yes, we officially became coffee snobs! Every once in a while I'll get in a mood for straight up coffee, so I'll just grind the beans coarse (espresso is ground fine) and make some up in my French Press.

After about a year of pondering, John decided to take things one step further... and ordered a coffee bean roaster from Sweet Maria's which came with 8 lbs of green coffee beans! Here are some pictures he took of his first roast. Aren't these pictures great? My husband is so talented!

Measuring out the green coffee beans...

The roaster.

Load 'em up!

Let the roasting begin!

Watch the temperature.

Roasting nicely.

The cooling process...

The finished product, at home in their vacuum pumped container!

John only roasts the amount of coffee beans we need for 1 week. So we always have fresh, great tasting coffee! So far he's only roasted an espresso blend he created himself. I've already put in my request for a roast for straight up coffee. Mmm... The only down side to roasting our own coffee beans, is that it stinks up the house! The first time he roasted them in the kitchen under the stove vent and p-ew. The second time he roasted them in the garage and though some of the smell lingered inside, it wasn't nearly as strong. Until he rigs up some contraption to incorporate with the stove vent, roasting is banished to the garage. I do wonder what our neighbors think - no comments so far!

The Ant

I have no words for this - it speaks for itself! Scary true, isn't it?

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by phildavi

Mmm... COOKIES!

I have been wanting to experiment with making a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies for a while now. Today I finally searched for some recipes and pieced my own together that is fairly "clean" (relatively speaking). I'm so impressed with the results, and so is my husband! Here are some pictures of my Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Here's the recipe I pieced together:

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup brown sugar (next time I will try half honey, half brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter (I used Smart Balance)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 generous cup old fashioned rolled oats (I read somewhere that regular rolled oats are best for chewy cookies, and quick cooking oats give you wimpy cookies)
1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% cocoa)

Cream the butter and brown sugar (and/or honey) together. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk and stir until it's all combined and creamy. In a small bowl, stir all the dry ingredients together and then slowly add them to the wet batter. Mix, then add chocolate chips, and mix again. Spoon cookie batter out on parchment paper lined cookie sheet (cheating I know, but so much easier). I used a generous tablespoon per cookie. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes, until the cookies are nicely browned.

Mmmm... so so good, and I don't feel guilty for eating them!

That's not Tang...

This video, which had me crying laughing is about NASA's Water Recovery System on-board the International Space Station that turns urine into drinking water... There is some bad language so consider yourself warned!

That's Not Tang - watch more funny videos

It is very "green" to recycle sweat and urine into drinking water! It is also very economical for NASA considering it costs thousands of dollars to ship a pint of water to the ISS. You can read more about this on NASA's website.

Have you seen a pink dolphin?

Wow, at first I didn't believe what I was reading... I had to check and make sure I wasn't on The Onion. Check out this blog about a PINK dolphin. Image below by birdologist on flicker.

Here's a snipbit from the blog:

"The young dolphin, which was first sighted as a calf in June 2007 and photographed a few weeks later, gets its brilliant pink color and bright red eyes from blood vessels that lie just below its layer of blubber. This pink color is masked by pigments in the skin of normally-colored gray animals."

ZapRoot: Roadkill and Oil News

Entertaining as always.

Why I Prefer Daisies Over Roses

For Valentine's Day this year, my husband got me the prettiest arrangement he's ever given me... the pictures really don't do it justice (taken with my iPhone). He finally listened, and believed me when I said he didn't have to buy me the traditional dozen roses! I like roses, they are beautiful and delicate, and I can appreciate why some women would prefer them... but not me. I prefer daisies, and my favorite flower is the Gerbera Daisy. They just make me smile and feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I have no idea what the pink and white large flowers are in the arrangement but I love them. I'm still trying to find out what they are - if you know please enlighten me by leaving a comment! I think they are in the daisy family.

Another reason I prefer daisies is that they last so much longer than roses! By day 4, the roses were wilted and drooping. The Gerbera Daisy - the single red one in the center - hung on for 8 days. But check it out, it's day 12 and look at what the remaining flowers look like now (I just took this picture)! Love it! 12 days later and they are still making me smile every time I look at them.

So I can't resist... I have to post this picture of my wedding cake. Our florist decorated the cake exactly how I described, in my eyes it was perfect! I was so excited over this cake, and was so sad when we had to cut it - if you were there you probably remember the look on my face!

And my attendant's bouquets:












What a great trip down memory lane... it was the perfect day with rain and all! And I still do not regret one cent we spent on flowers!

You can go here for all the information you'd ever want to know about Gerbera Daisies.

News!

I am now an Independent Distributor for Shaklee!

Why? Because I am a huge fan of their products (specifically their "Get Clean" line) and want to share them with my friends and family! Their philosophy - which I love and believe in is,

"It is always safe. It always works. And it is always green."

A link to my distributor website will be posted on this page as soon as I get it up and running! I am already taking orders, so please let me know if you're interested in any of their products, or have any questions.