Reviews

Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

A Guide so Easy a Complete Idiot Could Succeed!

by Joi

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

I have nothing but crazy wild love for the Complete Idiot books. I have so many of them that some of my bookcase shelves are entirely orange! I was recently sent a few of these consistently wonderful books to review on the food blog, causing me to do a happy dance across the kitchen floor. One of these books was the one you see pictured above, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Meals in 30 Minutes or Less.

This priceless 450+ page  book contains more than just 500 recipes you’ll use again and again, it also has great tips and tricks of the trade dispersed throughout under the headings of…

  • Definition. Cooking terms you may not be familiar with are defined and explained.
  • Minute Morsel. Information that makes cooking even more fun.
  • On the Clock. Tips for making something simpler, quicker, faster, and easier.
  • Time Waster. Alerts for things to watch out for – mistakes, misunderstandings, and potential hazards.

One of the recipes I’m most anxious to try is the Fast Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  My own Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe, which I make OFTEN (to the delight of all involved) takes about 1-1/2  hours to make – including baking time! I also notice that it would… cough, cough… appear to be a much healthier, calorie-friendly recipe than my own. So, I can’t wait to take this one for a test drive.

Fast Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 (14 oz) can artichokes, drained
1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
Dash hot pepper sauce
Tortilla chips or wheat crackers

  1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process spinach, artichokes, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, mozzarella cheese, garlic, and hot pepper sauce until thoroughly combined but still very chunky.
  2. Scrape mixture into a microwave-safe serving dish, and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until bubbling.
  3. Stir and serve with tortilla chips or wheat crackers.

Seriously??? You could practically do this on a commercial break!  Sounds delicious.

About the Author

Food and wine writer Tod Dimmick is the author of four cookbooks. His work has been mentioned in the New York Times and the Boston Globe, and can be found on bookstore shelves from Boston to Sydney. Since a book project in 2005 oriented around healthy eating, Tod has increasingly focused his food writing on topics related to a healthy diet, and the evolution of produce purchase decisions from those based on price to those based on quality and provenance. For 1000radishes, the Will Work For Food Project, and for the Powisset Farm CSA, he supplies recipes and suggestions for local, in-season produce. On the more indulgent side, he also creates recipes for the Phantom Gourmet television show. The Phantom crew films these recipes in Tod’s kitchen outside of Boston.In 1991, he founded Tasting Times, the food and wine publication for busy people on a budget. The Tasting Times Wine Hotlist and Wine Minute blog have an international following. In 2000, he agreed to design and write The Busy Person’s Guide to Gourmet Cooking on a Budget web page for WZ.com, the well-known online guide site. In less than a year, subscribership to his email newsletter of the same name grew from 0 to over 75,000.

Before you even get to all of the recipes, you have a couple of very informative (and creative) chapters:

  1. “Faster and Better” – You’re reminded of the importance of good meals and reassured that cooking meals quickly doesn’t compromise the taste or the quality.
  2. “Stocking Your Pantry” – Learn the essential ingredients you need to have in your pantry at all times. These “go to” ingredients are the ones no cook wants to be caught without. You’ll also learn more about herbs and seasonings, fun foods to have on hand, and a very convenient primer on substitutions.
  3. “Essential Equipment” – Pots, pans, tools, knives, technological marvels that’ll get you in and out of the kitchen in less time than I’m spending on this review!

Recipes Included in this Awesome Book:

  • Healthy Buttermilk Waffles
  • Quick and Healthy French Toast
  • Light French Toast with Fresh Strawberries
  • George Ames’s Blueberry Muffins
  • Raspberry Crunch Yogurt
  • Breakfast Yogurt
  • Frozen Berry Shake
  • Italian Herb Omelet
  • Baby Shrimp Omelet
  • Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomato and Sweet Onion
  • Apple and Toasted Pecan Salad
  • Chickpea Salad
  • Three Bean Salad
  • Jean’s Oriental Cabbage Salad
  • Barry’s Taco Salad
  • Tuna-Cannellini Salad
  • Hearty Chili
  • Vegetarian Chili
  • Grilled Chicken and Sweet Onion Sandwiches
  • Tuna Salad Wraps
  • Vegetarian Wraps
  • Chicken, Mozzarella, and Roasted Pepper Bites
  • Corned Beef Cornucopias
  • Quick Crab Balls
  • Boiled Mushroom Caps with Fresh Mozzarella
  • Garden Salsa
  • Salsa Verde
  • Grilled Hummus Triangles
  • Crab Ricotta Dip with Roasted Red Peppers
  • Red Pepper-Parmesan Dip
  • Mozzarella, Almond, and Spinach Wraps
  • Sun Dried Tomato Spread
  • Tofu Salad Spread
  • Mexican Chili Dip
  • Baked Sole
  • Crisp Fried Haddock
  • Whisker-Licking Good Catfish
  • Grilled Shrimp Scampi
  • Lightning Seafood Stir-Fry
  • Quick Crab Cakes
  • Drumroll Chicken
  • Buffalo Wings
  • Quick Home-Style Barbecued Chicken
  • Orange Chicken
  • Aunt Jean’s Dijon Chicken
  • Chive Chicken
  • Mustard-Glazed Chicken Breasts
  • Chicken Paprika
  • Grilled Apple Chops
  • Steak and Onions
  • Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
  • Fast Stuffed Peppers
  • Ratatouille
  • South-of-the-Border Eggs
  • Stuffed Tomatoes
  • Sizzling Tofu and Asparagus Stir-Fry
  • Vegetable Stir-Fry
  • Portobello Pizza
  • Red Beans and Rice
  • White Bean Salad
  • White Beans with Olive Oil, Gorgonzola, and Sage
  • Italian Farmhouse Stew
  • 20-Minute Tomato Sauce
  • Fettuccini Alfredo
  • Linguini with Hot Pepper and Oil
  • Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Pizza
  • White Pizza with Olives and Fresh Mozzarella
  • Feta and Black Olive Pizza
  • Orange French Toast
  • Light and Fluffy Pancakes (calls for unsweetened applesauce!)
  • Secret Cheeseburgers
  • Meatballs
  • Quick Tacos
  • Chicken Quesadillas
  • Pepperoni Pizza Dip
  • Garlic Toast with Tomato Dipping Sauce
  • Onion Rings
  • White Beans and Dark Greens
  • Balsamic Green Beans
  • Baked Cauliflower
  • Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
  • Steamed Asparagus
  • Fried Tomatoes (green or red!)
  • Baked Acorn Squash
  • Skillet Parmesan Artichokes
  • Sauteed Spinach
  • Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  • Fast and Easy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Quick Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry
  • Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon
  • Bacon, Eggs, and Rice
  • Spaghetti Carbonara
  • Penne Pasta Salad
  • Carol Ann’s Tortellini Salad
  • Garden Bruschetta
  • Skillet-Baked Cornbread
  • Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Scones
  • Peach Yogurt Parfait
  • Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
  • Blueberries and Cream
  • Almond Piecrust
  • Mixed Fruit Betty
  • Dad’s Baked Fruit
  • Velvet Fudge
  • Mocha Mousse
  • Chocolate-Chip Cookies
  • Almond Chocolate Parfaits
  • Almond Oatmeal Cookies
  • Grandpa Phil’s Pudding
  • Lightning Strawberry Shortcake
  • Grammalane’s Lemon Pie

And those are just the ones I’ve marked to make this month!

I LOVE everything about The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Meals in 30 Minutes or Less, but I’m especially excited about the SCADS of breakfast recipes and tips. There’s a very small window of opportunity to put breakfast on the table (or in a hand as it rushes out the door). These recipes will come in… pardon the pun.. very handy.

Click through one of the links or the picture for more information. You’re going to love this one!

*** Footnote: I have absolutely NOTHING against microwaves – I love and use mine with pride – but I just had to add this: You’d be surprised how few of the recipes in this book use the microwave!

How to Make Cake Pops and Doughnut Holes: Perfect Every Time

Turn Your Kitchen into a Bakery!

by Joi

Cake Pop and Doughnut Hole Baker

The cutie above is the Nostalgia Electrics JFD-100 Cake Pop & Donut Hole Bakery and, let’s face it, it’s a dream come true.  Who doesn’t LOVE cake pops and doughnut holes – in fact, I love them so much I’m officially dying for some of both right now.

Product Features

  • Make up to 7 donut holes or other baked treats quickly and easily
  • Non-stick coating for easy cooking and clean-up
  • Comes in injector for making jelly or cream filled donuts and more
  • Recipes included for donuts, muffins, brownies bites and more
  • Great for baking both sweet and savory treats of all kinds

Product Description

Now you can cook delicious donut holes and other pastries at home without even turning on an oven. Make jelly donuts, puff pancakes, mini cinnamon buns and more. It’s great for snack time, party time or anytime! A handy injector is included to give your donuts a variety of fillings such as jelly, cream or caramel. Delectable appetizers and h’ordeuvres are ready in minutes. Use your imagination and have fun!

Click through the link or image above for more information. The Nostalgia Electrics JFD-100 Cake Pop & Donut Hole Bakery would serve up countless smiles – the ear to ear variety!

More For Cake Pop Fans:

Bobby Flay’s Guacamole Recipe: Just the Right Amount of Heat

From the New Food Network Magazine

by Joi

Bobby Flay's Guacamole Recipe

The May 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine is one you’ll want to grab. You can’t miss it – there are three HEAVENLY looking tacos on the front cover that’ll catch your eye right away. Inside the magazine, in addition to gazillions of recipes, tips, and tools of the trade, there are 50 delicious and creative ways to make/serve a family favorite: Tacos!

The first recipe I tried from this issue was a Guacamole recipe from Bobby Flay. It was, as you’d expect, exceptional.  Normally, this avocado fanatic just likes her guacamole with avocado and a little lime or lemon – maybe a little salt.  Avocados are so amazing it’s really all I want to taste.

However… this recipe has won me over to adding different ingredients to compliment the avocado.  This particular guacamole recipes is one of the best I’ve ever tried. It’s outstanding.

Bobby Flay’s Guacamole

4 ripe Haas avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the avocados, red onion, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl and gently mix to a chunky consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Along with this guacamole recipe, there’s a recipe for Bobby Flay’s Cumin Dusted Tortilla Chips. Be sure to grab the magazine and check that out!

Guacamole Bowls:

Heart Healthy Recipe: Red Beans and Tuna Fish Salad

Trust Me, You'll Love Every Single Bite

by Joi

Red Beans and Tuna Fish Salad

A Heart-Healthy Recipe: Red Beans and Tuna Fish Salad

There’s really nothing quite like a beloved family member having to undergo open heart surgery to make you think (long and hard) about heart health, heart healthy foods and drinks, heart healthy activities, and heart healthy recipes.

I’ve been researching the most heart healthy foods lately.  I found a great list of the 25 Top Heart Healthy Foods on WebMd.  Some of the foods listed are:

  • Tuna
  • Brown Rice
  • Blueberries
  • Spinach
  • Salmon
  • Broccoli
  • Tomatoes
  • Cantaloupe
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Tea

I hope you’ll click the link above and see the rest. Even more importantly, I hope you’ll write the list down and add the recommended foods and drinks to your daily diet.  Even if you just add a few to your everyday routine, the benefits will improve your heart’s health.  Don’t wait until you’re sitting in front of a grim-faced doctor before you do something about your heart’s health!

I’m kicking off a new category here on the food blog dedicated entirely to heart health.  I’ll have heart-healthy recipes, foods, heart healthy food reviews, foods to buy and foods to never buy, etc. I’m kicking things off today with a recipe I whipped up for lunch.  I have my uncle (the beloved family member in need of open heart surgery) very much on my mind this week.  I’m also thinking about the rest of my beloved family members – and thinking of ways we can, hopefully, protect ourselves from heart disease.

Naturally, I’m beginning to experiment wildly with heart-healthy foods.  I want to add a lot of recipes to the food blog that are heart-healthy, simple, economical to make, fast and easy, and (as often as possible) made with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

The first recipe up is one I actually just made and enjoyed. Naturally, feel free to add more garlic, or less if you’re so inclined. In fact, add more or less of any of the ingredients – custom fit it to your own tastes. Made as I did, here, the tuna fish flavor is delightfully front and center. Just be sure to leave in the lime – it adds a beautiful little kick.

Red Beans and Tuna Fish Salad

15.5 oz can Red Beans
5 oz. can Chunk Light Tuna in water
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 chopped green onion (white and green parts)
A couple of cloves of garlic, minced OR 1/4 tsp Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets
Juice from 1/2 a lime

Combine all of the ingredients and eat to your heart’s content. Literally. I used 1/4 tsp Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets (review of Garlic Gold products and recipes coming tomorrow) in my recipe, but you could substitute minced garlic.

If you’d like a little crunch, add whole wheat croutons.

Hungry Girl’s Sweet and Spicy Tuna Tacos

All Recipes from the Hungry Girl are Winners

by Joi

Hungry Girl Recipe: Tuna Tacos

Hungry Girl Tuna Taco’s Recipe: Just in time for Cinco de Mayo!

One 4.5-oz. pouch StarKist Sweet & Spicy Tuna Creations®
1/4 cup salsa
4 corn taco shells (flat-bottomed shells, if available)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced tomato
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix Tuna Creations® and salsa.

Evenly fill shells with lettuce, Tuna Creations® mixture, onion, tomato, and cilantro. Yum!!

YIELD: Makes 2 Servings
PER SERVING (2 tacos): 224 calories, 6g fat, 577mg sodium, 28g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g sugars, 15g protein

The Hungry Girl Cookbooks:

If you’ve never watched Hungry Girl on television or tried her cookbooks and recipes, promise me you’ll do so. You’ll fall fast in love AND find yourself eating a lot healthier to boot? Win, Win.

G.H. Cretors Popped Corn: Addictively Delicious, and No Gluten!

Kettle Corn and Chicago Mix Review

by Joi

G.H. Cretors Popped CornG.H. Cretors Popped Corn: Absolutely Amazing

The wonderful people at G.H. Cretors Popped Corn sent me bags of what can only be described as Popped Corn Heaven.  Although they, in the process, created a couple of brand new addictions in my family, I am forever indebted to them for their kindness, generosity, and stoopidly delicious popped corn.

I guess you can tell that this G.H. Cretors Popped Corn review is going to be a ridiculously positive one.

G.H. Cretors Kettle CornI’m a bit of a Kettle Corn addict, to begin with, so the first bag I tore into was the G.H. Cretors Kettle Corn.  If you aren’t familiar with Kettle Corn, let me lay it on the line for you: Kettle Corn is what all popcorn would be if it had a choice.  Kettle Corn is so additively delicious that you’ll find yourself going at it with both hands. G.H. Cretors has the best Kettle Corn I’ve ever tasted – and, believe me, I’ve been around the Kettle Corn block a million times. Okay, a billion times, but who’s counting?  At times, while deliriously throwing in G.H. Cretors Kettle Corn in, I forget to breath – let alone chew.

I keep reminding myself, “Pace yourself. No one’s taking it away from you.”

At one point, my husband (a new Kettle Corn addict – unaccustomed to its power) handed me the bag and told me, “Put it away before I kill myself.”   Oh I put it away all right.

From G.H. Cretors:

Today we make our Kettle Corn just like Great Grandpa did – with four simple, natural ingredients: popcorn, sunflower oil, cane sugar, and sea salt. That’s all it takes to bring you the perfect combination of sweet and salty – the tastiest fluffiest popcorn – with a little surprise in every kernel. From our kitchen to yours, enjoy!

All Natural…Naturally!

  • No artificial flavors or colors
  • No gluten ingredients
  • We use natural sweeteners
  • We use locally grown Non-GMO popcorn
  • Just four simple ingredients

G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix: Popped Cheddar and Caramel CornG.H. Cretors Chicago Mix

Equally delicious is G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix Popped Corn. Hold onto your seat for this one.  This is a delicious mixture of Cheddar Cheese popped corn and Caramel popped corn. My youngest daughter Stephany loves this particular variety so much I seldom see her without a bag in hand.  I can’t blame her, whatsoever, because this mix is out of this world.

Although I’m obsessed with cheese popped corn, oddly enough I’ve never been much of a caramel popped corn fan. For some reason it’s just too sticky for my taste.  I realize that some people live for that sticky caramel texture, but I’m not into it.  I was THRILLED that G.H. Cretors caramel popped corn doesn’t have that traditional stickiness. Somehow it keeps all the caramel flavor without making your teeth feel sticky and weird.

I love it for that.

From the Website:

Today we make our Caramel Corn just like Great Grandpa did- in old-fashioned copper kettles, one batch at a time. Then we mix it up the Chicago way, with our rich, creamy, Aged Cheddar Cheese Corn to create the perfect combination of Sweet and Salty. You don’t even have to come to Chicago to try this special treat. From our kitchen to yours, enjoy!

All Natural…Naturally!

  • We use Brown Rice Syrup
  • No artificial flavors or colors
  • No gluten ingredients
  • Made with fresh creamery butter
  • We use natural sweeteners
  • We use locally grown Non-GMO popcorn

 G.H. Cretors has the following varieties of Popped Corn:

  • Kettle Corn
  • Chicago Mix (Cheddar and Caramel)
  • Cheddar
  • Caramel
  • Caramel Nut Crunch

Each of these varieties should come with warning labels – these people know their popped corn like no one else.

G. H. Cretors Popped Corn is available on Amazon:

In addition to Amazon, G.H. Cretors is available in many stores across the U.S.  We don’t have any such stores in my area, so Amazon will be my source of deliciousness. Click HERE for the store locator.

G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix Popped Corn

G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix: Cheddar Cheese Popped Corn and Caramel Popped Corn: Unbelievably delicious!

 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Recipe from Ellie Krieger's Comfort Food Fix

by Joi

Ellie Krieger Comfort Food Fix

Not only do I passionately collect cookbooks, the first section I head for at the library is the cookbook aisle.  I’m obsessed with recipes, cooking, and everything remotely connected to food.

Could you tell?

The wonderful thing about checking cookbooks out at the library is you get to take them for a “test drive” and see if they warrant a trip to Amazon.   With some cookbooks, I only find a couple of recipes that interest me, so I simply jot them down on a recipe card. However, other cookbooks, such as  Ellie Krieger’s cookbooks (each and every one!), send me to Amazon.com faster than payday sends me to the store. With speed that breaks the sound barrier.

The most recent cookbook to pass the “test drive” was Ellie Krieger’s Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy.  I realized there wasn’t enough ink in the house to record all of the recipes I’d want to make in this particular cookbook, so I put my pen away and told Ellie’s lovely face I’d see her on Amazon.

Soon.

The first recipe I made from this cookbook was the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.  Like all results from an Ellie Krieger recipe, the hummus was phenomenal.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 larger roasted red pepper, drained and rinsed if jarred
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
One 15 oz can chickpeas, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons water

Finely chop 1 tablespoon of the roasted red pepper and reserve for a garnish. Coarsely chop the remaining roasted red pepper.

Using the broad side of a knife blade, mash together the garlic and the 1/2 teaspoon salt to form a paste.  Place the garlic paste, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the cumin, the water, and the roasted red pepper into a food processor and process until smooth.  Season with additional salt to taste.

Place the hummus into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved red pepper.  Drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over the top.  Hummus will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 8 servings

Food Processors

YUM! Virginia Cocktail Toffee Peanuts

Delicious Choice for Gift Baskets and Care Packages

by Joi

Virginia Cocktail Toffee Peanuts Virginia Cocktail Toffee Peanuts: Too Good to Believe

I love what I do… whatever it is that I do.  You know, the thing that allows me to do food reviews, such as the forthcoming one for Virginia Cocktail Peanuts.  I was sent a adorable little tin of Toffee Virginia Peanuts to review and, I have to tell you, it was one of the most delicious things ever delivered to my door.  I’d love to be able to say that I’m enjoying them right now as I’m writing this review, but alas, they aren’t just gone, they’re long gone.

I can, however, say that I’m fondly recalling the flavor as I’m typing the words.  That’s something, right?

After one bite, the first thing I thought of – besides, “Mmmmmm… so good… mmmmm” – was how perfect these peanuts would be for sticking in a gift basket or gift bag.

  • Mother’s Day
  • Father’s Day
  • Birthdays
  • Christmas
  • Graduation
  • Weddings
  • Easter
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Boss’ Day
  • Secretary’s Day
  • Etc…

If you’re like me, you love to give people cool, original things they probably haven’t seen before.  If there were a point system for gift giving, being unique would rack up more points than anything else. When someone looks at me wide-eyed and says, “Where’d you find this????,” I do a little happy dance inside – as the chorus of Yay, Me! plays over and over.

They’d also be a MOST welcome surprise tucked into a care package for that very special someone across the miles. They’d think of you with each crunch.

Virginia Cocktail Peanuts come in a fun variety of flavors (Sea Salt, Toffee, Jalapeno, Milk Chocolate, Cajun, Unsalted), so you’ll find something to suit everyone you know.  A word of warning, though: You’ll most definitely want to order some for yourself.  Trust me, these are impossibly delicious peanuts.  If I hadn’t scarfed mine down so quickly, I could have done something really clever like tossing them into a bowl of popcorn or eating them with yogurt.  You know, something creative we foodies are supposed to do – something worthy of our title.

But, nooooo. I simply enjoyed them right out of the tin. One after the other.

The sad thing is, I’d do it again. Would not change a thing.  I’d pop one sweet and crunchy little toffee peanut into my mouth, make that face we all make (while hoping no one sees us making it), suck my teeth a little bit, then go back for another.

Click through for more information about Virginia Cocktail Peanuts.  I know you’ll want to order some for Mother’s Day.  If you need me, I’ll be in the corner crying because my tin’s empty.

Virginia Cocktail Toffee PeanutsAwww, the memories…

Colorful and Crazy Cool Kitchen Gadget of the Day

Salt and Pepper Grinder

by Joi

This colorful and cool Joseph & Joseph Salt and Pepper Mill, Y Grinder is quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And I love it for that.

This beauty is available on Macy’s website. Click through for more information. You could wax all kinds of brilliant by ordering two of these: One for you and one for you-know-who as a Mother’s Day gift.

I Vow to Never Buy Anything But the BEST Coffee: Starbucks and Archer Farms

Because Bad Coffee Just Isn't Worth Getting Out of Bed For

by Joi

Starbucks House Blend CoffeeA couple of days ago, I bought a bag of coffee that I’d seen advertised on television (as well as everywhere else). The ads were kind of edgy and I’m always ready to try something new when it comes to things I’m obsessed with like coffee, chocolate, and tea.   I won’t name the brand here. I’m pretty much from the school of “If you don’t have anything nice to say…” Plus, I’d never want to be accused of being tacky.

I will say this, I quickly regretted trying the new guy and wished, immediately, that I’d stuck with my tried and true favorites.  This new brand was a great mystery. I’ve never in my life tasted coffee that tasted nothing like coffee.

I even told my husband, “This coffee might not be so bad if it actually tasted like coffee.”  Sadly, it’s the only coffee I happened to have in the house that day.  Several times I told my cat Alexa, bad coffee mucks up your whole day. She said that’s how she felt about dogs.

Instead of focusing on a brand that’s not quite good enough for this coffee connoisseur,  I’ll focus on my favorites.  Some of my favorites are pictured here in this post.  First up: Starbucks coffee.  I’ve yet to buy a bag of Starbucks coffee that I didn’t love to the ends of the earth and back.  I suppose the one I buy the most often is the Starbucks House Blend Whole Bean Coffee. It’s just pure, simple, wonderful everyday coffee.  That (egads!) tastes like coffee.

In addition to the excellent flavor of all Starbucks coffees, I love that they’re readily available. You can find them in just about any grocery or department store as well as at your local Starbucks.  They’re also available on Amazon.

A quick note: If you’ve never bought whole bean coffee, make a point to do so immediately, if not sooner.  Buy yourself a great coffee grinder and see what you’ve been missing.

A few necessities of excellent coffee are:

  1. Grind your own beans. Trust me.
  2. Use fresh, clean, filtered water.
  3. Don’t be stingy with the grounds.  You don’t want to be able to read through your coffee.

Another favorite of mine is Starbucks’ new Blonde Veranda Blend Whole Bean Coffee (1lb).  Oh. My. Word.  This coffee is absolute perfection.  Yesterday, when I went to my favorite grocery store to buy a new bag of coffee  Starbucks Blonde Whole Bean Coffeebeans (and purge my memory of brand x), I looked for this Blonde coffee, whole bean.  They only had ground, so I immediately reached for the Starbucks House Blend instead.  Once you start grinding your own beans, you’ll never buy ground coffee again.

Unless, of course, it’s all there is!

The Blonde coffee is outrageously good – but, like I said before, every coffee carrying the Starbucks name is great.

If you love really, really outstanding coffee, promise me you’ll try the Blonde Veranda Blend right away.  You’ll be blown away.

Another brand of coffee I buy regularly may be a surprise to you (unless, that is, you’ve tried it for yourself). I’m in love with all of the Archer Farms coffees.   The only place I’ve seen them is at Target – which isn’t a problem since I’m in Target almost daily. And when I say “almost,” I mean I’m there more than some of their workers. Why they haven’t given two of my daughters (Emily and Brittany who are also regulars) our own parking space is beyond me.

It must be an oversight.

If you, in a cruel twist of fate, don’t live near a Target store, buy it at Target.com by clicking HERE. Archer Farms coffee is one a handful that I put on the same level as Starbucks’ coffee. It more than passes the requirements in the Great Coffee Test:

  • Heavenly Aroma
  • Heavenly Taste

Archer Farms CoffeeArcher Farms make a LOT of products which are excellent.  You get great value and taste without paying an arm and a leg.  When it comes to coffee, Archer Farms stands toe to toe with the big guys.

Another favorite of mine is actually a whole different way of making coffee. It’s the Toddy T2N Cold Brew System (pictured below) and the coffee is indescribably good. Click through for more information. Take it from this coffee fanatic, this is a fun, exciting, and delicious approach to coffee.

Toddy Product Features

  • Designed to brew coffee with 67-percent less acid than coffee made with hot brew methods
  • Patented cold brew system uses regular coffee beans to create super smooth hot coffee, but with no electricity required
  • The Toddy Cold Brew System also makes tea, served hot or cold
  • Set includes brewing container with handle, glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 rubber stopper, set of instructions, and recipe guide
  • Get more out of your coffee beans, since the coffee concentrate stays fresh for up to 3 weeks

Toddy Cold Brew Coffee

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