The Food Pusher: Chile Colorado Burritos

The Food Pusher: Chile Colorado Burritos: Chile Colorado Burrito.  My Mexican comfort food. Great Mexican food is hard to come by so far here in Des Moines, Iowa. This recipe ... My family tried this recipe tonight. My husband and I loved it, our girls not so much. The only thing we might due different is add a little spice to the meat while cooking. We like our food with a little more kick! Try it. I think you will like it. It is extremely easy to do.

Keurig Vue 700 Product Review

I have been a faithful Keurig user since December 2009. My first Keurig was the B70. It lasted about 20 months then the pump quit working and it wouldn't produce any water. As I have been a member of the Cafe Express Coffee Club since I got my first Keurig, they replaced it for free. Unfortunately, this one died two days ago. So within 32 months I have had two B70 units.

In researching single-serve coffee makers, I wasn't sure what to get. My luck with the B70 hasn't been all that great. Just so you know, my husband and I usually have two K-cups each a day. First just a cup in the house, then fix a to-go cup for work. Occasionally in the winter I might make a cup of decaf in the evening.

I looked at the B70 again, since I have several boxes of K-cups, I considered the Cuisenart as well. The Cuisenart's reviews were horrible. So then I looked at the Vue. I wasn't sure I wanted to pay $249 for a coffee-maker. But I really wasn't looking forward to dealing with the B70 again either. Then after a lot of Internet research I decided to give the Vue a try. I got a 20% off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond which made the Vue $199. I figured I could live with that. Then I researched the cost of the Vue packs. Since I am a platinum member of Cafe Express, the cost of buying the same amount of Vue-cups as K-cups for me is only $5 more a month (I order 96 coffee pods a month). So off I went to get my Vue.

Unpacking was very easy and it came with 10 sample Vue cups to try.

 

Since it was 102 degrees outside I decided to try it out by making iced tea instead of coffee! 😄. I had tried iced tea with the B70 and didn't care for it. It always seemed watery. Much to my delight, iced tea with the Vue was very good. The first time I brewed the tea for 8oz. The second time I tried 10oz. As I like my tea medium strength I preferred the 8oz brew.

 

This morning I finally got to try the coffee! ☕ I usually drink Gloria Jean's Hazelnut and that is what I made this morning. Although the coffee from the B70 was ok, it was never what I would call outstanding. I never could really taste the Hazelnut flavoring. However this morning that all changed! I brewed my coffee using the 10oz setting as I don't like overly strong coffee, but I like good flavor. The Vue did not disappoint. It was the best cup of coffee I've had since buying my B70. Make sure though that you run at least one full reservoir of water through the machine to get rid of the plastic taste.

I did experience one anomaly with the Vue today. The reservoir was full of water but the display said to add water. When the display says to add water it will not let you brew anything. The instruction manual said to empty the reservoir, refill it, and replace it on the machine. I did that and the message went away.

Now to make sure everyone understands, I don't get paid to write any reviews. In fact no one even knows I am writing this. I just noticed there were not a lot of independent reviews of the Vue and I wanted to give my thoughts so others could make their decision. Bottom line I am thrilled with the Vue so far. I will try to add to this review in about six months to see how it's holding up!

Enjoy!

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Black Cherry Peach Mojito

As its summer I thought I would share. My favorite summer drink recipe. If you have ever eaten at The Outback, they serve this drink.

1 shot (oz) Black Cherry Cruzan Rum

2 shots (oz) Peach Schnapps

4 mint leaves

1/4 lime wedge (or 8 to 10 drops lime juice)

Sprite

 

Muddle mint leaves add to glass with ice. Juice lime wedge or add drops of lime juice. Pour in the rum and schnapps, top with Sprite.

I use Sprite Zero to cut down on calories and I grow my own mint in my garden. It grows very fast and spreads like crazy. Way cheaper than buying it at the grocery store!

ENJOY!!

 

S'mores Cupcakes

My oldest daughter made her first batch of cupcakes from scratch today. She got the recipe from a book she read called It's Raining Cupcakes. They were delicious. Here's the recipe!

 

Cupcakes

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup water

3 T. Unsweetened cocoa

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup buttermilk

Icing

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 7oz. Jar marshmallow cream

12 Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking soda together with a whisk. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the water and cocoa on low heat. When completely melted, remove from heat.

Whisk egg in a separate bowl and add to flour mixture, along with the melted butter mixture and buttermilk.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 fill. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, beat softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add marshmallow cream and mix. Spread on cooled cupcakes.

Crush graham cracker squares and sprinkle on cupcakes. Top with Hershey kiss.

 

The First

My intent for this blog is to memorialize and share with those interested my photos, family, pets, home improvement projects and whatever else may seem interesting to me. As I have a full time job, two beautiful daughters, three dogs, two cats and one wonderful husband, daily blogging will most likely not be possible. But I hope to update my blog at least once a week. So I look forward to sharing my journey with you.