Coffee, Sweet Coffee

Actually, I don't really like my coffee super-sweet, but I do LOVE coffee in general and lately I've been mixing up a yummy iced coffee for these hot summer days. Here's how: Take 1 1/2 cup fresh brewed coffee (the stronger the better) in a glass measuring cup. Add 2 tsp. sugar, 1 tbs. DaVinci Gourmet Vanilla or Caramel Syrup, and about 2 tbs. half and half. Stir well. I like to pour mine over shaved ice. Simple to make - just throw some ice in your blender and here's what it will look like:


Pour the fresh-brewed coffee mixture on top:


This should make at least two drinks, depending on the size of your glass! Enjoy!

Cherries, Cherries, Cherries

Blame it on the Texas heat - I seem to be stuck on reminsicing about my northern Michigan memories this week. It would be shameful to neglect mentioning another one of the adorable shops in Glen Arbor. During our visits to Glen Arbor, a mandatory stop was Cherry Republic. Michigan is one of the nation's largest cherry producers (Click here for more on MI Cherries) and Cherry Republic is dedicated soley to cherry products: cherry salsa, cherry jam, cherry soda, cherry wine, cherry pie, chocolate covered cherries, cherry BBQ sauce - they have it all. They offer in-store samples of almost everything they make and this quickly became one of the favorite stops for my children. Just in case it all sounds to good to be true, you can check them out at: www.cherryrepublic.com - they ship nationwide!

Coffee Addicts Stop Here!

I want to take just a minute to give a quick hoo-ray to one of my favorite places in all of America....well, honestly, I have many favorite places, but this one gets special recognition for today!

While my husband was working on his doctorate degree, we were fortunate to have made many fabulous friends. One particular couple was gracious enough to occasionally give us the key to their second home "up north" so that we could get away and relax. We have many fond memories of these trips. I absolutely fell in love with the little town of Glen Arbor, MI and the many quaint shops there. This picture was taken in 2006 on one such rendezvous:


One of our regular places to visit in Glen Arbor, was a fabulous little coffee dive called the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company. True to their name, they roast all of their coffee beans on site and offer a fabulous variety as well. The best part is, anyone can order their coffee-they ship nationwide! Check them out at: www.coffeeguys.com.

Blueberry Picking

This morning I enjoyed the company of friends while picking 3.5 lbs of fresh blueberries - yum!


I resist the urge to devour all of them and instead prepare to freeze them for use in the winter.....well, we never really have winter here in Texas, so we'll enjoy them in the "off-season"!