Support your local Coffee Shop

And talking about "Coffee Shops" we all know the big chains, which of course we love and enjoy... wait, wait... Let me interrupt myself to tell you that  you HAVE to check out the wonderful post of my friend Morgan , who won this month's giveaway here in the coffee Shop ($25 dollar Starbucks card), check out how she used it! Thanks for blogging about it Morgan! I am glad you and your boys treated yourselves! She is a great blogger and I love her sense of humor and creativity! So you TRULY have to stop by her blog!

Back to my original idea... I was saying that we can all enjoy a cup of coffee... you know... from Starbucks and big chains like that... but let's not forget about our local restaurants, coffee shops, and businesses in general, let's try to show some support! You might find your self pleasantly surprised like I just did last night when I went to enjoy a cup of coffee at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. it is not only in a great location (Bayview), the whole concept of the place is really attractive! I predict a great and even more successful future to this (still small) Coffee Shop! The place is really clean, loved the style and decor, coffee was excellent (and many times roasted in front of you!) and who doesn't like to be welcomed with a big happy smile? I know I do... Anodyne (at least last night when we were there) has a very nice, active and dynamic girl who seems happy to greet you!

I wish I could've taken more pictures, but my girl (who came with us) was acting up... and my camera was acting up too! My poor camera is dying! So it is time to get a new one (hopefully soon!) here are some of the pictures I took in Anodyne (I wish I had more!):

Their coffee

Their coffee roaster

One of their cute cookies!

So, go ahead ... and support your local Coffee Shop!  And do not forget about our Coffee Friday

Drink coffee, take pictures and promote your blog!

Good morning everyone! Thank God is Saturday! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far....

Today I want to encourage you to be part "COFFEE FRIDAY"! What's "Coffee Friday"? you ask.... Well... every Friday I will be publishing a "coffee-related picture" that YOU take.... (NO pictures from another site or owned by someone else will be allowed), this is how it will work:

1. Take a picture in your favorite coffee shop or at home of something that is related to coffee "coffee mugs, coffee beans, a shirt that says "I love coffee" on it, ANYTHING related to coffee".

2. Write a short caption about the pic (20 words max), a description or message about your blog (about 1 paragraph), a link to your blog and a link to one of your best posts.

3. Send it to love.for.coffee@gmail.com

4. Your picture, caption, message and links will be published here, on our Facebook page and on TWITTER, so make sure you join those 3, I will be choosing the best picture(s) to be published, and some others will appear in the following weeks.

5. Please make sure your caption or message does not include any offensive or foul language...  I will NOT publish any picture or message that uses that type of language.

6. Once your picture (and blog) was published keep sending pictures, I will post links to the blogs that send pictures during the week and might use them for other posts (mentioning you and your blog of course).

So... Let's start taking pictures!.... I will be receiving pics all week! and posting some of them (depending on how many I receive) every Friday!

For any questions please contact me via e-mail love.for.coffee@gmail.com


Enjoy!

My haunted kitchen...

Yes... weird things happen in my kitchen... things appear all the time... those things that seem to have life of their own... coming out of nowhere.... crawling up my table, my sink and my counter.... those things I've been fighting against and make me tired... it seems they'll never leave... no matter what I do to defeat them.... No matter how much I fight... when I get rid of one two more come and take its place.... They terrify me, annoy me and make me upset... I wish they would disappear forever............ if you are a housewife and your kitchen is haunted too you will know what I am talking about... I even took a picture of "them" .... those horrible enemies I face everyday....  here they are........

DIRTY DISHES!!!

Where do they come from??? When I feel I am done there is another pile..... I just drink out of one glass and rinse it and leave it to use it again! But  there are always more dishes to wash!

I do not have a dishwasher and it's fine... I actually prefer to wash them completely by hand... but... I wish the sink could stay empty for at least the whole afternoon............. Am I asking too much???

By the way... do not take me wrong... there are times I enjoy washing dishes... you know, the smell of the soap, the foam, the sound of the water and the feeling of accomplishment once they are all done... but the problem is that after I am done... they are all dirty again... it seems there is nothing else I can do during a day... Am I "attached" to the sink forever???

Caldo de Pollo and Cinnamon tea!

Poor hubby, he was very sick yesterday, he woke up at 1 in the morning feeling trapped and unable to breath, really congested, coughing and very uncomfortable, he tried to sleep the rest of the "night" in the couch of the living room, I checked on him at 6 in the morning to see if he was planning on going to work, and he wasn't, he was even worse so he called his boss and people from his job to let them know he was going to stay home. Hubby hates sleeping, even at night he tries to go to bed as late as possible, but I knew he was definitely sick 'cause he slept and slept, I made "caldo de pollo" for him, which is a Mexican "chicken soup with vegetables", It has the whole thighs and big pieces of vegetables, it is really good and everybody knows is the best thing when you are sick, so my soup had chicken thighs, cilantro, onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, potatoes and corn (seasoned with salt) and then once you serve it you add some lime juice to it.... It is delicious and very, very good for you! I also made the "traditional" cinnamon tea we drink in Mexico, we drink it because we love it (specially in winter) but we also drink it when we are sick, to make it you just need to boil a big cinnamon stick in about 2 cups of water, let it simmer for a little bit and serve it hot, when you are sick it is great to add some fresh lime juice and about a tbsp. (or even more) of honey... so that's what I gave him, he was very thankful and I stayed busy trying to keep our girl from wanting to play with "dada"  I succeeded for the most part, there was just one moment when I wasn't looking and I just heard like a "grunt" and then I realized the grunt was more a word saying "heeeelp", when I looked hubby had a big plastic container (where she puts her toys) on his head and she started hitting the container with her hands... poor hubby but it was actually quite funny....

He is now all better, still a little bit congested but he doesn't look half as bad as he did yesterday, he went to work and as he was leaving he said "Thanks princesa (that's how he calls me), your Mexican cooking really helped!" ... we know it was the prayers and God's answer that made him feel better... but my Mexican caldo and cinnamon tea did help too!

NY cheesecake!

I just made a NY cheesecake! I used a recipe from Allrecipes.com and it was SOOOO good!! My only "variation" was that I used some chocolate chips over the "pie crust" ... I am not so sure yet what I think about that.... I don't think I cared much for those chocolate chips though! Hubby loved it! When he had the first "bite" he immediately said: "Wow! this is awesome!" so I am glad for that! We had it with a cup of coffee while watching TV.

This is the link to the recipe: Chantal's NY cheesecake

And these are my pics:

 

 

Great Lakes Barista Competition! - 2010

 For those of us who love coffee, coffee shops, coffee art and having fun, it is important to stay updated regarding the events that involve any or all of the above! And in this case, Milwaukee will have the great honor to host the 2010 Great Lakes Barista Competition which will take place on March 12th to March 14th at Milwaukee’s Discovery World Museum!

Alterra (my favorite coffee shop) will be the host! And I am sure it will be a great event, this is an annual competition of the best baristas of the 5-state area back to Milwaukee.

This is what the competition entails:

Time: 15 mins.
Four cappuccinos
Ffour shots of espresso
Four signature drinks.

All this will be prepared in front of a panel of judges, which will consider quality, cleanliness and professionalism.

I will keep you updated in regards to this event... You can also get more info at: US Barista Championship website

Let the best one win!

We are on a date... yes, the three of us!

Our date night was fantastic! And as romantic as it could be with a 16mo. girl as a "chaperone"... Still, the three of us had a lot of fun in Alterra (by the lake), this coffee shop is just great, the aroma, the service, the flavors, the atmosphere... everything is just so inviting and pleasant! Perfect for a date for those who love coffee! My girl started acting up when we tried to put her in a high chair, my husband was getting a little bit frustrated and annoyed by it, but leave it to mom! (we always know what to do) It had been a while since I was there (before my girl was born) so I wasn't going to let anything ruin it... I bought a slice of banana nut bread and brought some of the wooden sticks to stir the coffee to the table so she could play with, and that was it, she was as happy as she can be! I knew it would be fine, I wouldn't have stayed if she had continued being difficult, I mean... you don't want to disturb the rest of the people who are trying to enjoy a peaceful time and a cup of coffee in such a special place like Alterra! If you have never tried their coffee... you TRULY do not know what you are missing, they have coffee for EVERY TASTE, even the "pickiest" person will find something perfect for his/her taste!

Our dates are never too expensive and they are always SO MUCH FUN! You do not need too much money to have a great time if you are with the right company!  Hubby had a cup of his favorite coffee.... "El Salvador" which is a VERY VERY strong roast! You should see him right now as I type, he is not only VERY awake but he is looking for something to do! so hyper!  he also had a bar of milk chocolate, in my case I had a large mocha! it was so good! and a bar of dark chocolate... and there we were, the three of us! Enjoying our date... love was in the air! Hubby and I value our time on our own... but we also know that having children does not mean that " the fun is gone"  Our love for her strengthens our love for each other... so the date tonight was a date of 3 and it was the perfect date!

A bar of chocolate goes great with coffee

"El Salvador" For those who enjoy strong coffee!

Our girl....

My "date (s)" (sorry about the blurriness)

What a great place!

Our coffees and chocolate bars

Our girl and her banana bread

Date for three!

What a wonderful date it was!

Date night!... with a toddler!

 Hello dear coffee lovers! How is your weekend going? Mine is going pretty well... playing online and not doing much of anything else... Even moms deserve a lazy Saturday once in a while, don't we? Hubby said he is taking me to my favorite Coffee Shop (my favorite one is this one, where I write and I keep in touch with you ... followers, readers or stop by"ers") but let's say my favorite outside of the virtual world... it's a coffee shop in front of a beautiful lake (Lake Michigan)... I just love the coffee there and its location is perfect for a nice date! This date I am talking about will not be too romantic, because our daughter is coming with us... but it will definitely be fun! What about you? What are you doing this weekend? Share it with us!

Chicken Tostadas (Tostadas de Pollo)

Hello dear Coffee Lovers! Ready for another easy, delicious and affordable recipe? I hope so... This recipe is Mexican but I do not know why for some reason in Mexico they are called "Siberian style tostadas" anyway, we will not get in the trouble of finding out why right now... what matters is that they are delicious and I know you will love them!

You will need:

Ingredients: (Makes 8 tostadas)
- 4 cooked and shredded chicken thighs or 2 big chicken breasts (boiled in water with some salt)
- 2 hass avocados - the bigger the better- (ripe, not mushy, not green, to know how to pick avocados click here
- 2 red tomatoes (or roma tomatoes) chopped in cubes
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup of "Mexican style cream" - crema Mexicana you can find it in your grocery store, ask for it, if you do not find it then use sour cream instead, it will be good but not the same.
- 8  corn tostadas (corn tostadas, you will also find them in your grocery store probably in the hispanic food section and probably in packages of 10 or 12)
- pickled jalapeno peppers (in slices) - optional (but trust me ... it gives a really nice delicious touch!


1. "Puree" the avocados in a container and mix the tomatoes in it once it is all "guacamole texture" add the 1/2 tsp. of salt
2. Spread the mixture of the avocados and tomatoes over the tostadas
3. Add the shredded chicken on top of the tostadas with the mixture.
4. Top each tostada with the "crema Mexicana" (and add more salt to taste if needed)
5. (optional) add 1 or 2 slices of jalapeno peppers per tostada (or finely chop the jalapeno slices and add some on top)

Enjoy!

Featured Member TODAY!

I am really thankful and excited for the great opportunity Half Hour Meals  gave me to be the Featured Member of their site TODAY! I was recently contacted by Anne Coleman, one of the contributors of the Half Hour Meals website where she asked me if I would be interested on answering some questions for an interview to be the featured member... Of course I gladly accepted, it is a great honor for me...

So please go and check out the interview.... I hope you will enjoy it... And join Half Hour Meals if you haven't yet!

For the interview click here:



(To know the name of the winner for the Starbucks giveaway please check my previous post... and CONGRATULATIONS again!)

Thanks for your support!

The WINNER for the Starbucks giveaway is:

I am soooooooooo excited for the response the "Starbucks giveaway" had! You have all been wonderful and I really wish you were all winners... But we had fun, didn't we? And there are more giveaways coming, so if your name is not the winner do NOT get discouraged... there's more to come and you will probably soon see your name!

I want to publish the winner name now because TOMORROW I might be the Featured Member on the "Half Hour Meals" website, and if that's the case I want my post to be about that...

I know, I know... You want to know who is the winner already....

So here it is :

just click here: --->  WINNER!!!

and her blog is: ----> Winner's blog

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I will be contacting the winner tomorrow to get the info and send her the card.

And thanks again everyone! Please continue to follow "The Coffee Shop" for more news, interesting topics, giveaways ... and just for fun!

Saturday Fun!

Hello dear Coffee Lovers! How was your weekend? I know! Tomorrow is Monday! but think about it positively... it's a new beginning, even if you forgot of some of your "year's resolutions" this weekend it's ok... it can all start again tomorrow!

This weekend was really great for me! (and tonight will be great too as I am looking forward to watching 24!)

I hope those "24" followers are as excited as we are, I hope this will be a good season! While you wait for 24 to start go brew some coffee and enjoy some of the posts of your favorite virtual Coffee Shop! We have a variety of topics prepared for you and remember.... the winner for the Starbucks card will be announced tomorrow!

Right now I just want to share some pictures I took last night in the wonderful Buffet hubby and I went to... (which by the way was very nice and classy for a Buffet!). Hubby and I definitely had a blast and enjoyed a great conversation with a couple of friends, good food, great desserts and even better coffee!

Here are the pics...  Enjoy!

Giveaway ends tonight!

Good morning everyone! I hope your weekend has started well and you are all enjoying yourselves!

I wanted to just remind you that the giveaway ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. so you are still on time to be part of it in case you aren't yet... For the giveaway post click here .

-------

Tonight Hubby and I will be going to a Casino (the one in the pic above). We are just going for dinner at their restaurant, not for gambling or anything like that...  Their buffet is really good ... And today's special is:

Saturday Premium Buffet
Slow-roasted prime rib and Alaskan snow crab, kung pao shrimp and lemon herb roasted salmon

So, you can imagine how much I am looking forward to it... I promise I will bring pictures!

Enjoy your day!

Crochet Hat

Today's post has nothing to do with food.... but if we think about it... coffee keeps us warm and hats too!

So, I just wanted to share with all of you some pics of a hat I made for my daughter.... it is all star stitch and double crochet stitch, it is very simple and I really enjoyed making it, I had a ball of yarn of this color and didn't know what to make with it so I made the hat, I want to make some mittens with it too for her!

I hope you like it!

And please, do not forget the people in Haiti.... Please check my previous post for donations.