When you think of the National register of Historic places you think of Independence Hall, Plimouth Plantation, The cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born….or at least I do.  Places that are historically significant in some way should be on there!

Right?

Well, the Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee Shop  has been added to that list of important places.  Built in 1965 it is part of Lake McDonald Lodge at Glacier National Park.

First of all…I think it is cool but I am not sure that i feel like 1965 is a particularly historically significant year.  I started kindergarten….I learned to tie my shoes…I think I was in my cousin’s wedding as a flower girl (or was that ‘63?).

Surely something that is five years youger than I am cannot be historially significant? Please?

The lodge is beautiful, built in a Swiss chalet style.  You can see images here.

I wouldn’t mind drinking coffee there….for the rest of my life…

image:morguefile

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Everyone that knows me knows that I am big on DIY projects.  Gayla even said that I was a cross between McGyver and Martha Stewart…She knows me so well…

But this is the coolest DIY project I have seen in a long time!

Perfect for the coffee lover, and an awesome recycling project…you have to love these coffee cup computer speakers!  I found them on Gizmodo but there is another link to the actual pages.

The possibilites are awesome…Starbucks coffee cups for my computer…Whataburger kids meal cups for the kids computer…

What do you think..cool or no?

Image:Morguefile

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Hawaii has voted to ban the growth of  genetically modified coffee on the Island.  Anyone caught violating the ban faces up to a $1,000.00 fine.

While there may be some benefit to genetically modified foods (and that is a BIG maybe) the basic premise of genetically altering something bother me alot.  Consider what happened when Monsato genetically altered rapeseed (Canola oil) in Canada.  The M. company planted fields with a crop that was genetically altered to NOT be affected by weedkillers.  So the planes were able to fly over, release pesticides and weekillers and the crops were not damaged.

That sounds good, right?

Well, it seems that M. had patented the genetics of the new rapeseed plants.  But somehow God did not get the memo.  WInd carried pollen from the fields and into the fields of nearby farmers.  Soon the weedkillers weren’t killing anyone;s plants because all the plants were genetically modified.  So… M. sued the farmers for stealing a patented seed.  ::rolling eyes::  What’s worse..they won!  There was a counter suit and of course it was a big mess.

So, besides that fact that I hate that type of thing why am I happy that coffee isn’t being genetically modified?

Because once something is modified there is really no way to ensure that it doesn’t affect other plants in the same species.  What if 20 years down the road we find that genetic modification causes cancer.  Pollen drift could create a situation where there were literally no plants left that were not genetically modified.

Someone has to take the stand somewhere…so..Kudos to Hawaii!

And..another reason to stick with organic coffee!!

image:morguefile

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You know, alot of people go shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  Personally, I think they are all insane…but whatever.

What I DO think is a great idea though, is to invite all of those insane shopper-friends of yours over to a Day After Thanksgiving Tea.

After all, you have lots of left-overs to work with, right?

Decorations are going to be pretty easy.  If you have decorated forThanksgiving you can use the same decorations for your tea party.  If not get some of those little, tiny pumpkins that are bound ot be on sale and use them as place card holders.  Just slit the skin a little and put the namecard in so it is held firmly.  Pile some gourds, pumpkins and other autumn things in the center of the table, perhaps spilling out of a basket.

Or, try using a footed compote, similar to this:

Just fill it with grapes and have them spilling out over the sides.  You can put a pillar candle in the middle if you like.

Food is easy.

• Make turkey salad finger sandwiches.  Use leftover turkey, add dried cranberries, pecans, and mayo and spread on thin slices of bread.  You can also toast the bread, trim the crusts, make the sandwiches and then cut in three long pieces.  Or make triangles.
• Ginger Scones
• Leftover desserts cut in small bite sized pieces…If you don’t have any leftover desserts just buy some Milano cookies.  Keep it easy!
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles

The only other thing you need is, of course, TEA!  here are some to consider:

• Adagio Almond Oolong 
• Teavana Oolong Revolution
• Republic of Tea Cranberry Blood Orange
• Earl Grey

Imagine, a cozy afternoon, sharing tea with friends.  A perfect way to end Thanksgiving and begin Christmas, don’t you think?

images:marye audet

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The search for Holiday coffee continues. :)

Let’s face it…finishing your perfect holiday dinner with a coffee that tastes like last weeks dishwater is just not super cool at all.

And we all want to be super cool.  Yes?

I thought so.

I am still in the process of deciding on a coffee to serve at Thanksgiving, myself.  So I will be letting you know what I find as I find it.  I also want to find some teas..

I have not tried Caribou Coffee’s Reindeer Blend because I haven’t found it locally but it sounds very good.  Caribou Reindeer Blend is a blend of Sumatra, Indonesia, and Columbia beans in a medium dark roast.

The flavor is described as caramel and spice, perfect for washing down that fourth piece of pumpkin pie, right?

Find it at Caribou for 14.99 a pound

image:morguefile

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Marc and I went to Starbucks the other day and as I was about to order I saw a package of their Thanksgiving Blend coffee on the counter.  It looked interesting, it was categorized as bold so I grabbed the bag and asked them to french press me the Thanksgiving Blend as well.

No more lattes, chocolates, or macchiatos for me for awhile people…Yes…sigh….it’s that time of year when I ……:::shudder::::::diet.  Why do I wait until the holidays you ask? Obviously because I am self destructive.

Anyway..I had the Thanksgiving Blend, cupping it black of course…and then adding half and half and stevia. I do low carb so cream and half and half are o.k..

How was it?

I think this is one of the better blends that I have had from Starbucks.  It was bold, but lacked alot of the scorched taste that many of their other coffees have.

The beans were oily and dark, heavily aromatic with a clean, chocolatey scent.

It was bright, slightly sweet, and had a pleasant, almost eucalyptus taste that is hard to describe. It was good black but also held up to the half and half and the stevia well.

I think they did well with this one. It would definitely be versatile enough to compliment the various components of Thanksgiving Dinner.

$10.95 per pound.  This is one I would be tempted to stock up on and freeze.

Images:Marye Audet

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Flavored coffees are the favorite of many but did you ever wonder how they got the flavor in the beans?

Generally the beans are roasted and then flavorings are added.  Many times the flavorings are chemical based, although not always. It is also sad to say that the beans are generally the ones that don;t pass muster for unflavored coffee, since any flavor that is added will cover up the poor quality of the bean.

Let me say that I love flavored coffee. :)  I just think it is important that you know what you are drinking.  After all, we should all drink responsibly, right?

With many flavored coffees the aroma is better than the taste because the chemical dissipates in  hot water.  All of that aroma that you smell is the scent of the flavor leaving your coffee.  Again, this depends on the coffee, the flavoring agent being used, and other things.

There are other ways to get those flavored coffees you love.  One easy way is to add flavored coffee syrups.  Like southern pecan flavored coffee? Get a good medium roast and add a tablespoon of Monin pecan syrup, and a half tablespoon of Monin Vanilla. You may prefer Da Vinci to Monin, and that is fine.

Most of the companies that do syrups have twenty to fifty different flavors so that you can create any flavor that you like, or that you can imagine.

You can also add a piece of vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, or hunk of nutmeg to the ground coffee when you are brewing it.

So, buy flavored coffees by all means, just know what you are buying.

Image:Maple Brown Sugar Snickerdoodles (c) Marye Audet

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I was unable to participate in Jan’s tea party this month but don’t forget to go by and check the blogs that did.

I just had too many real parties to deal with today! But as long as you are here anyway…grab a piece of cake for the ride over to Jans…

image:marye audet (link to the recipe)

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