Milk Street Coffee Sugar Sampler Pack

Posted in baking, Coffee, cooking, food, Milk Street by bloomingbeautybites

Happy Wednesday loves! I hope your week is going great so far! It’s been a hectic week, let me tell you!

So I have this new idea where I post about food related topics like recipes and new products coming out.

What do you guys think?!

I’m starting off this series with a Coffee Sugar Sampler pack made by Milk Street.

What is Milk Street?

It is a multimedia (magazines, books, online shopping) and instructional food preparation created by Christopher Kimball, who is an American chef, editor, publisher and a radio TV personality. Check out his podcast!

What exactly is Coffee Sugar?

There is actually 6 different coffee sugars that Milk Street Offers.

*Caramel Brulee – sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla

*Coconut Ginger Cream – coconut milk cream powder, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, bay leaf and cloves

*Burnt Sugar Orange – sugar, cinnamon and allspice

*Turkish Cardamom – sugar, cocoa, cardamom and cinnamon

*Mexican Mocha – sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and dehydrated chili pepper

*Honey Spice Tea Sugar – sugar, honey, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, allspice, peppermint and lavender

How to Use Coffee Sugars?

Let me tell you: The possibilities are endless! You could use them on baking recipes. I.e. cakes, cookies, pancakes, coffee, tea, yogurt, french toast. I would even try the Mexican Mocha and the Turkish Cardamom on meat! However, just a pinch.

What do you guys think? Would you try this?!

14Feb2017

February’s Daily Goodie Box Preview

Posted in Coffee, foodie, freebies, Subscription Box by bloomingbeautybites

Happy Wednesday loves!

What would you say if you could get a box full of goodies for free just for giving your honest opinion!? Well this amazing idea does exist and it’s called the Daily Goodie Box! There’s a variety of products in here ranging from snacks, home and health. I’m excited to try all of them but there’s a few that made my mouth drop. :p

*Coffee Blocks*- “a better butter coffee” A squeezable coffee block that has coffee and butter?! As if you guys didn’t know yet, I’m a coffeeholic so when I saw I was receiving this, I was ecstatic.

*Nature’s Bakery Raspberry Fig Bar*- I first heard and tried this out at last year’s Cake Expo in Los Angeles. Ever since then, it’s a snack i’ve been getting. When it first came out, I only found it at Winco, but they’ve started selling it at grocery stores.

*Gorilly Goods Coast Sweet Curry Cashew & Fruits* – I don’t know about this one since I’m not a big fan of curry but still interested in trying it out. It’s organic, raw, vegan, non-GMO, Gluten Free, and nutrient dense. By the looks of it, you could order it online on their site or at your local natural grocery store.

-may I mention the brand name and logo is amazing. You’ve got an outline of a gorilla hence the name!

*Vermont Smoke & Cure Cracked Pepper Beef & Pork Stick* – I always like trying new beef sticks, it brings back childhood memories of Slim Jims. You can find them at Whole Foods, Target and Super Target.

*Just Chill Jamaican Citrus (Calm+Focus)* – I’ve seen this a few times at Vons but never tried it. It appears to be a stress relieving and focusing sparkling calming beverage. It claims to support calm and focused mindset, helps reduce stress with Suntheanine. This drink is available at your grocery store, seems like this is an easy product to get your hand on compared to these other snacks.

*Aloha Daily Good Greens Chocolate Blend* – I’ve actually tried the original Aloha Daily Good Greens so I’m excited to see the difference between them. It’s a dietary supplement and whole food powder that energizes, provides nutrients and makes you feel great.

*XyliChew Spearmint Gum* – So it’s a gum sweetened with Birch Xylitol which is extracted from US forests. It helps balance your pH in your mouth reducing acid-producing bacteria that erodes tooth enamel. Now I’m excited to try this one out. You can purchase this at your local Sprouts and/or online stores such as Amazon, Vitacost, Herbvive just to name a few.

*Dream Water Sleep Powder* – Just the name of it, makes you wonder… lol We’ve all had those somewhat sleepless nights where you try everything and just still can’t fall asleep. It’s best to take this right after brushing your teeth and 30 minutes before going to sleep and if sleep is interrupted, then take another one. I’ll have to try this out when I’ve got to wake up for a really early shift. You can get these at your local grocery stores, some drug stores and even online.

*Jack n’ Jill Natural Toothpaste* – Wow this toothpaste is even suitable from 6 month old babies and older. It’s all natural and safe in case the kids swallow it. It’s SLS free, no fluoride, no preservatives, no added color. Xylitol is their main ingredient…Hey that was also the main ingredient for the gum! It’s an Australian company so you can only order online.

*Nellie’s All-Natural Wow Stick Stain Remover* – We all hate those random stains on your clothes right? Well wet the stained area of the fabric and rub the stick on the stained area. Agitate the stain under water and laundry away. It’s got lemongrass and sweet orange oil work with the cleansing ingredients to fight those odors caught in the stains.

There you have it loves, a preview of my February Daily Goodie Box. I can’t wait till I get another one! Do you have any favorite subscription boxes?! I’d love to hear about it. 🙂

7Sep2015

Cream & Sugar Cafe

Posted in Coffee, food, Restaurants, Southern California, Zomato by bloomingbeautybites

Happy Monday loves! I hope you had a great weekend 🙂

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food” -George Bernard Shaw

With that being said, I found a new coffee shop in La Mirada, California called “Cream & Sugar Cafe” and OMG it is adorable! Located in a small strip mall, the front doesn’t give it justice. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much.

The Decor:

The color of the walls are medium gray and there’s lots of artwork on the wall. A drawing of the world map, a big wooden headboard that has HELLO in silver letter and sometimes it lights up! One of my favorite little detail about this place is that on every table there is 1 mason jar that contains sugar and another mason jar that has mini coffee creamers. The menu is actually a chalkboard that has all of the options available.

The Food/Drinks:

The first time I came here I had got the Iced Mint Coffee. *Yes I know: iced coffee with mint?!* It’s not as sweet as you would expect, but in my opinion, sometimes too much sweet takes away from the coffee taste. This iced coffee had more of a light hint of mint. *A little about me: I love mostly everything mint!* What I also love about this place and their coffee, is that when you order for here, you get your coffee in a mason jar. They were so sweet that they gave me a sample of the iced mint coffee before I ordered to see if I would like it. The sample was in another mini mason jar!

The second time I purchased something here was the Watermelon Mojito. My favorite alcoholic beverage is a mojito so you can imagine of course I had to get the non-alcoholic version of this. I love the different layers shown in this pic! You’ve got the lemonade flavor on the bottom while the watermelon is on the top and that cute little mint sprig as the topping. It’s such a refreshing drink especially in the summer!

The last thing I ordered recently was the Roast Beef with Horseradish sandwich. It has roast beef, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and a horseradish dressing on a baguette. I’m honestly not a big fan of horseradish but for some reason it fit perfectly in the sandwich.

27Jun2015

Smart Coffee App Review

Posted in Coffee, iPhone app, review, Smart Coffee by bloomingbeautybites

Happy Saturday loves!

I was lucky enough to become selected to try out an app called Smart Coffee. This app is amazing if you’re a person who loves coffee and loves different types of roasts. You basically just have to answer a few questions and it picks out your coffee based on what you answered. It’s a free There are 5 features on this app!

Coffee 1o1

There’a a coffee guide written by Paul Katzeff who is the creator of this app. He’s also the co-founder of Thanksgiving Coffee Company and has over 45 years of experience. With every chapter there is a detailed explanation.

Chapter 4: The Nine Basic Principles

Glossary:

A-Z for coffee phrases and words even coffee aficionados may not know such as Maillard Reaction: at about 440 degree F the sugars in the roasting coffee bean combine with the remaining fats and proteins in the bean to create exquisite flavors found wherever proteins, fats and sugars combine a high temperatures (BBQ, bacon and Red Ale) Who would have known?!

The Perfect Cup

Now to the fun stuff! The first question they ask is about the Mouthfeel (the body of the coffee) whether you like the Bright & Lively (edgy) or the Heavy & Mellow (buttery). For this blog post, I’ll show you my custom made coffee according to my questions

After choosing Bright & Lively, it then asks about the Acidity: is a good coffee quality and comes in different flavors and intensities.

After choosing the Blueberry/Strawberry (sweet & sour notes), it takes you to the Flavors page. You can choose 3 flavors that fit your tastes.

After I chose Smokey, Molasses and Honey, it takes me to my blend. I got the blend #37. What I like about this app, is that after choosing your flavors, it shows what I had picked earlier. This is what my blend says:

“You want a sweet coffee with some punch, that tastes like coffee ice cream. Like coffee ice cream with espresso notes and a hint of toasted almonds. Such a coffee exists only in the mind, but we can approach your flavor preferences with a blend of roast colors that will come close.”

According to my results, my coffee is 25% light, 50% medium and 25% vienna.

After getting the name of your coffee blend, it gives you the option of “how to use”, the roast colors or you can buy it now.

I ended up ordering the Thanksgiving Coffee Co. Gorilla Fund Light Roast Fair Trade.

“A light roast coffee from Rwanda with citrus high notes over deep chocolate and maple undertones. Supports the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s work protecting mountain gorillas.”

As for the other 2 app features, there is the picture gallery and then the blend archive. The Blend Archive is basically a list of all the different types of blends that you created.

Rate: 5 out of 5

http://www.thanksgivingcoffee.com/smart-coffee-app/

** This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. End of post: I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.**

12Nov2014

Coffee Code Review

Posted in Ca, California, Coffee, foodie, review by bloomingbeautybites

Hi loves!

I hope you all are enjoying November! Is it just me or are the days going by so quickly?

I wanted to start doing reviews on restaurants and places I indeed believe people should know about! I recently went to a coffee shop called Coffee Code located in Buena Park, CA (across from Knotts Berry Farm) and this definitely is different type of cafe. It’s not what I expected at all. Once I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the scent. It smelled of sweets and coffee. Such a daring mix!

THE INFO:

Name: Coffee Code

Address: 7855 La Palma Ave, Suite 6, Buena Park, CA 90620

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-11pm

Sunday-11am-10pm

Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-code-buena-park

THE DECOR:

From the outside, it doesn’t look like much but when you walk in, the walls are red with quotes and drawings. There’s one awesome quote that says:

Sweet and hot coffee makes me sing,

A piece of cake makes me laugh,

Chocolate covered donuts makes us happy

Come and share with me.

There’s also a TV in the corner (which I never noticed playing), you can’t help notice the LOVE shown under it. It’s so romantic! ❤ This is definitely a great place for a first date.

I do love how in the corner there is a table that has more sugar, creamer and napkins in case you do need it. But when I first noticed the table, I saw the two plaques that had coffee quotes on them! One read: “Coffee made me do it” and the other one read: “Dear Coffee, I love you. That is all.”

Of course the lights!

The COFFEE:

I’ve came here already twice in one week, that’s how much I love the coffee and the art!

First time I came here my friend had ordered the peppermint white mocha and I had ordered the caramel latte. I definitely am in love with the latte art. It’s such a cool creative concept and it is pretty cool to see the baristas doing it. The coffee itself is awesome, a tad bit strong but pretty tasty.

Peppermint White Mocha and Caramel Latte

Caramel latte

Hazelnut latte

Peppermint White Mocha

THE MENU:

Just like any other coffee shop, there’s much more than coffee. They have their famous french toast and waffles that can feed 2 or 3 people! They also have iced coffees, frappes, smoothies, and teas.

PRICE RANGE:

Both times I came here, I ordered 2 drinks and paid about $10 total. I hoenstly think this is more of a splurge 🙂 I will have to try the desserts next time though.

If you guys would like to see my yelp review, you can check it out here!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-code-buena-park?hrid=xTmraLkSX45yWQ6hUYcXkg

What do you guys think? Have any of you tried any great coffee places?!

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