pink coffee!

we love getting a coffee from DD as a treat once every so often, and we really love when we earn enough points to get a free coffee!  whenever we build up enough points for a freebie, we always order an iced macchiato to share.  on a recent visit to DD with a free coupon, we saw that they had a special flavor for valentine's day . . . pink velvet.  in the spirit of the holiday, we gave the new flavor a try and were both surprised by how much we loved it!  we still can't figure out exactly what it tastes like (we've narrowed it down to a combination of chocolate, cherry, and almond) but nonetheless, we enjoyed it!  we heard rumors that the pink velvet was really pink, and it actually was pink in our cup which was fun!

a fun little treat!

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

choco-nut coffee frappe

i may have mentioned before that i worked as a barista at a local cafe for 4 years during grad school and part of doctoral school.  one of the things i loved doing was experimenting with different frappe flavors, and i still like doing this at home.

when i have free time, i like to brew a large batch of my favorite decaf coffee and put it in the fridge for myself for quick-access iced coffee.  i brewed a large batch last weekend since i knew i had a busy week in the theater and at the pavilion.

i often whip together a drink when i'm running out the door, so i don't have time to snap a photo.  however, one evening last week when i had a few free moments at home, i used some of the brewed cold coffee for a frappe.  i grabbed what i had on hand in the kitchen to make a delicious frappe treat.  this frappe combines chocolate, peanut butter, and almond for a great choco-nut flavor!

choco-nut coffee frappe
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large smoothie

ingredients:
1 cup cold coffee
2 teaspoons half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons natural chocolate syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 tablespoon powered peanut butter
6-8 ice cubes

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth

enjoy!

love, laurie