2 Sisters 2 Cities

Image Map

Hello Pumpkin Season!

Posted by on

While I am always a bit sad to see the summer come to an end, I am getting more excited by the day for one of my favorite seasons to arrive- pumpkin season! While it’s more  universally known as “fall” or “autumn,” I consider it the kickoff of a great season of pumpkin-flavored recipes and pumpkin pie spice coffee!


pumpkin pie spice

{Photo Courtesy of David from Spiced Blog}


International Delight is rolling out their Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer to your local grocery store over the next few weeks.  Be sure to grab a bottle to add a little spice to your morning coffee this September!  Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer is great with hot or iced coffee. Check out the ID website for more information on where you can find it.  You can also follow the International Delight Pumpkin Delight board on Pinterest for plenty of pumpkin pin-spiration.

Here are a few pumpkin-themed recipes from the 2S2C archives that I am looking forward to making this fall:

pumpkin bread

Stack-of-Pumpkin-Doughnuts.jpg

Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Granola

Turkey White Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

sister m signature

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

5 Things I’m Loving: June 2014 Edition

Posted by on

Keelin and I have been talking since the beginning of the year about putting out a monthly post with some of our favorite things each month.  Since we are approaching the halfway point of 2014, it seems only fitting that I actually get going with my first post of this new series!  We hope to continue these types of posts in the future as our way of sharing our latest finds!  Without further ado, here are my top five things I’m loving this month:

International Delight Iced Coffee

1.  International Delight Vanilla Flavored Iced Coffee: Although I love to make cold-brewed iced coffee, sometimes I don’t plan ahead and it can take 12-24 hours to “brew.” International Delight’s iced coffee line is perfect when I’m in a time crunch and need my iced coffee fix for the day!  ID’s iced coffee also comes in Original, Mocha, and Caramel Macchiato.

fitbit

2.  Fit Bit Flex: Our entire family has recently jumped on the Fit Bit bandwagon!  The Fit Bit Flex is a pedometer that you wear on your wrist to track your daily steps, but is also estimates your distance, active minutes, calories burned, and sleep efficiency.  You can add friends who have a Fit Bit to compare 7-day step counts and that has proven to be a great motivator for me!

Here’s what the main dashboard on the iPhone app looks like:

fitbit stats

It measures my daily steps in 15-minute increments throughout the day:

fitbit steps

It even measures your sleep efficiency (at least I’m efficient at something!)

fit bit sleep

 

raised garden beds

3. Raised Garden Beds: Earlier this spring, we built raised garden beds using these very detailed and helpful directions from the Pioneer Woman.  We planted lots of vegetable plants about a month ago and we love checking out how things are growing every day.  I’m crossing my fingers that we will soon be making Caprese Salad and Mediterranean Dip with our garden bounty (that is if our pesky forest critters stay away!)  I’m chronicling my gardening journey this summer with Instagram- follow me at 2Sisters2Cities and search for the hashtag #barryfamilygarden.

Audible

4. Audible: One of my favorite hobbies is reading books, but I struggle to get through a lot of books these days with my two little guys pulling me in all directions.  I try to read at night before bed, but I usually get through a page and a half before I’m falling asleep.  I recently started listening to audio books via the Audible app on my iPhone and I’m loving it so far.  I’m already on book #3!  I try to use the app whenever I’m cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, or out running errands (without T in the car as he pretty much insists on listening to kid’s music 100% of the time.)
Dark_Sky_App

5. Dark Sky app: I love that the kids can play outside almost everyday lately, but summer weather can be a bit unpredictable with sudden rain and storms.  Someone recommended I try out an app called Dark Sky.  It can tell you (pretty accurately) if it’s going to rain or not within the next hour.  It also has detailed forecasts of periods of rain or clouds for a full 7-days on a hyper-local level.

So there you have it…my first round-up of things I’m loving this month.  What are you currently crushing on this summer?

sister m signature

 

 

 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

2014 Summer Bucket List

Posted by on

2014 Summer Bucket List

This past holiday weekend, my family and I sat down to make our 2014 summer bucket list!  It always feels like summer flies by so we wanted to make a list of everything we are hoping to do this summer.  I’ve seen a lot of different ideas on Pinterest for making a summer bucket list, but we just wrote everything out on a large piece of paper using different colored markers.  Here are some of the items on the list:

Iced Coffee Recipe

  • Make iced coffee (for me!)- *see below for iced coffee recipe ideas
  • Plant a vegetable garden (more posts to come on our new raised garden beds this year after my first failed attempt at reviving the garden beds that came with our home)
  • Go to the pool
  • Go to the beach
  • Make popsicles
  • Go out for ice cream
  • Make strawberry shortcake
  • Go on a boat ride
  • Trip to Maine
  • Go to the park
  • Watch Planes 2 in the movie theater
  • Blow bubbles
  • Play with the water table
  • Have a picnic
  • Grill hotdogs
  • Watch fireworks
  • Catch a fish
  • Water balloon fight
  • Go to the aquarium
  • Go to the children’s museum
  • Eat lunch at a food truck
  • Run a 5K
  • Farmers market
  • Bonfire
  • Mini golf

*We have shared a couple recipes in the past on how to make cold-brewed iced coffee.  We wanted to share one more way to enjoy your iced coffee this summer- with International Delight flavored creamers!  Add a splash of Caramel Macchiato, French Vanilla Hazelnut, or White Chocolate Mocha to your iced coffee this summer for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!  (A full list of International Delight flavors can be found at the I.D. website.  Plus, be sure to check out International Delight’s new packaging at your local grocery store!)  If you are looking to make a large batch of iced coffee, we recommend this cold-brewed iced coffee recipe.  However, if making just a small batch is more your thing, check out our mason jar cold-brewed method!

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

We are looking forward to crossing off all these life experiences off our summer bucket list and we may add in a few more over the course of the summer.  What are some of your favorite things you must do each summer?

sister m signature

 

 

 

thumb_f9e4e572-d630-11e3-a64a-22000af93a2d

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

Posted by on

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

M and I actually got to spend over three whole days together this week while visiting our parents’ in Syracuse.  The stars aligned for our schedules to match up because I was able to find a plane ticket that I didn’t need to take out a small loan for and M had a free week because it was school vacation week for T.

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

Mason Jar Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

As always, my mom had special meals and treats planned for us, but one of our favorite afternoon pick-me-ups (which I am learning is very necessary with two active babies running around) were the mason jar-brewed iced coffee.  She had made two different types made with regular coffee and a caramel flavored coffee.  The mixture of the strong smooth coffee with the rich caramel flavor, the creamy half and half, and sweetness of the condensed milk was the perfect combination.

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

Print
Mason Jar Iced Coffee
Author: 
Recipe type: drink
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3-4
 
The perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup ground coffee, flavored if you prefer
  • Cold water
  • Half-and-half or milk
  • Sweet condensed milk
Instructions
  1. In a 1-quart pitcher or mason jar add in ⅔ cup of ground coffee. (We used caramel-flavored coffee). Fill with cold water and set on the counter for 12-24 hours.
  2. After the coffee brews, line a mesh sieve with cheese cloth and a coffee filter. Place over a 1-quart measuring cup. Start off spooning the grounds at the top of the jar into the filter. Slowly pour the coffee through the filter until all the liquid passes through the filter, cheese cloth, and sieve.
  3. While the remaining coffee is filtering, rinse out the pitcher or mason jar.
  4. Squeeze the remaining coffee out of the filter. Pour the filtered coffee back into mason jar. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  5. To serve:
  6. Fill glass with ice. Pour in the coffee, followed by a few tablespoons of half and half or milk and then 1-2 spoonfuls of sweetened condensed milk. Stir together and serve with a spoon. Add sugar or sweetener if your prefer your drink sweeter. Enjoy!

sisterk (2)

Coffee and Caramel-Themed Gift Basket

Posted by on

June is such a busy month with the end of the school year, graduation parties, bridal & baby showers, and weddings.  I’m always racking my brain for creative gifts that would be appreciated and I came up with a coffee and caramel-themed gift basket.  While T doesn’t start school until September, I think this would make a great teacher gift for his future teachers next year (God bless their hearts already…they are going to have their hands full!)

I recently gave my little sister a “working girl” graduation present since she will be starting a real office job this summer.  I filled a clear acrylic tray with items that I have always found helpful to have at my work desk.  I brainstormed with K about our favorite cubicle essentials- we came up an iced coffee mug, Starbucks Via iced coffee packets, tissues, antibacterial hand gel, cleaning wipes, lip balm, Altoids, and a Charlie Ticket (which is used to pay for busses and subways in Boston.)  The tray I used to hold all the stuff wasn’t necessarily for work- I figured it would be fun to use as a serving tray while entertaining or organize small household items, such as make-up or stationery.

I was recently asked by International Delight to come up with a craft project using an International Delight creamer bottle.  Since a creamer bottle snowman isn’t very seasonal for this time of year (seriously, Google it- there are a lot of creamer bottle snowmen out there,) I decided to come up with a coffee and caramel-themed gift to give to teachers for the end of the school year.  I picked the caramel part of the theme because my favorite International Delight creamer is the Caramel Macchiato flavor.

coffee and caramel‐themed gift tray

I included the following in my themed gift tray:

  • A bottle of International Delight Caramel Macchiato creamer
  • A large bag of Starbucks coffee beans
  • Copco iced coffee cup (I love this cup so much…I just bought a second one since I use my first one so much.  I usually fill it with water or decaf iced tea since I’m still pregnant, but I plan on filling them with large quantities of iced coffee in a few weeks once this baby is born!)
  • Starbucks Via iced coffee packets
  • Fleur de Sel caramels from Trader Joe’s (regular caramels would work as well, but these are extra special!)
  • Caramel Layerer Brownies while I was pulling this gift tray together.)
  • A special thank you note

If this is above your gift budget, it could easily be simplified to just an iced coffee cup filled with iced coffee packets, caramels, and an ice-cold bottle of I.D. Caramel Macchiato Creamer.

coffee and caramel‐themed teacher gift

You could also mix the gift theme up a bit if you knew the recipient preferred a certain flavor.  Just swap out the Caramel Macchiato creamer and Fleur de Sel caramels for any of these combinations:

  • French Vanilla International Delight with a packet of vanilla beans and a recipe for your favorite vanilla bean ice cream
  • Southern Butter Pecan International Delight with a batch of Mini Pecan Pie Bites
  • Hershey’s S’mores International Delight with graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, and wooden skewers
  • York Peppermint Patty International Delight with a big bag of Peppermint Patties
  • Cinnabon International Delight with a Cinnabon gift card

Tie it up with some ribbon matching the school colors.  Your gift recipient will be able to kick off their summer and enjoy their caffeine fix with some special treats!

What’s Your ID? International Delight is looking for their most passionate flavor fans. Put your ID on the map to enter to win a Magical Trip, play games and discover more unexpected delight. Share your ID flavor at http://whatsyourid.com.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

sister m signature

Iced Coffee At Home

Posted by on

Iced Coffee Recipe

This past weekend, we had a bit of a coffee emergency.  I realized that all my normal Starbucks coffee beans were gone, so I opened up new pack of beans that I had picked up at a specialty grocery store.  It was a summer blend, and I had assumed that meant it was a blend of lighter-roasted coffee beans.  Turns out, it was a peaches and cream-flavored coffee.  It was completely vile.  I am generally not strongly opposed to flavored-coffees (even though I don’t usually make them), but the scent of this coffee brewing literally had me gagging for fresh air.

I scooped up baby T (still in his Mickey Mouse pajamas) and we headed to our local Starbucks, stat.  I picked up some two Venti Iced Coffees to go and a couple of bags of coffee beans.  I noticed this particular flavor Starbucks Iced Coffee blend  and decided to buy this bag as well.

Starbucks Iced Coffee Blend

I had seen a number of bloggers make their own cold-brewed iced coffee at home and I have been meaning to try an iced coffee recipe for awhile.  In the past, I have sometimes put hot-brewed coffee in the fridge until it was chilled and served  it over ice.  This process did not result in the same flavor as a Starbucks iced coffee.  However, I am pleased to report that this cold-brewed iced coffee recipe comes very close to the real thing.  I am planning on making this iced coffee recipe a lot this summer:

Iced Coffee Recipe

Print
Iced Coffee
Author: 
Recipe type: Beverage
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 6 oz. ground coffee beans (I used the Starbucks Iced Coffee blend and had them grind the beans in the store)
  • 3 quarts cold water
Instructions
  1. Combine the ground coffee beans and cold water in a large container (I used a large Rubbermaid-type container.) Stir so that all of the coffee grounds are moistened. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Pour the coffee-water mixture through the mesh strainer and cheesecloth into a large pitcher to remove the grounds. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and store the iced coffee in the refrigerator to keep chilled. To serve, fill a large cup with ice and pour coffee mixture over the ice. I prefer to also add half & half and sugar.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Please note that I have decided to take a week off from Fresh Produce Tuesday this week. I will be continuing the series next Tuesday, July 3rd with a post about chard. For past weeks of this series, please be sure to check out the Fresh Produce Tuesday tag. We have a large assortment of recipes for Asparagus, Artichokes, Spring Onions, Peas, Garlic Scapes & Spring Garlic, Rhubarb, Fava Beans, Radishes, Lettuce, Morels, Strawberries, Kale, and Carrots.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...