coffee

Plant of the Day: Wild Coffee

I’ve never before seen this color in nature, so of course I had to take a picture. Our guide told us that this plant is the wild coffee bush, introduced to Madagascar when humans first began inhabiting the island 2,000 years ago. The berries are white or pale yellow at first. They then turn turquoise and finally red when ripe, … Read more

Recipe: Mocha-Cream Muffins

I recently went to visit Mindy Celeste for the Christmas holidays. Before leaving, I threw my unused half-and-half into the freezer, since  it would have spoiled in the week I was gone. Alas, thawed half-and-half isn’t great in coffee. It tends to separate in the freezing process, so when you put it in your coffee you get a smattering of … Read more

Recipe: Amarula Muffins (High Protein, Low Sugar, Gluten-free)

Look, I found yet another way to make moccachocarula muffins! Maybe most people wouldn’t care, but I do. And if you’re into stuff with lots of protein, no gluten and no added sugar (except what’s in the Amarula and chocolate, if you add chocolate), then it might be up your alley, too. If not, fear not. I’ll run out of … Read more

Recipe: Moccachocarula Muffins, version #2 (high protein)

After my success in baking moccachocarula muffins a couple weeks back (muffins flavored with chocolate, coffee and the South Africa cream liqueur Amarula), I decided to make another batch. But this time I wanted: To go for a more cupcake-like texture To use up some of the chocolate whey protein powder that’s been sitting in my pantry untouched for eons Inspired … Read more

Recipe: Mochachocarula Muffins

I recently had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. A safari guide and tracker introduced me to a delicious drink called the mochachocarula: coffee, hot cocoa powder, and the South African cream liqueur Amarula. While getting out muffin ingredients today, I remembered the drink and used it as inspiration. Read more …

How to clean a Keurig K-cup coffee maker

In the past year or so, I’ve found at least half a dozen K-cup coffee makers sitting on the curb or next to Dumpsters on trash day. All of them turned out to be perfectly functional once I cleaned the hard water buildup from the works. My guess is that they were thrown out because the previous owners didn’t know how to remove … Read more