Happy National Coffee Day 2012

Perk up and celebrate National Coffee Day 2012!

Why not enjoy a cuppa Jo with the girls?

If it’s espresso for your daily dose, this fashion forward single shot pretend espresso machine offers an early start.

Your career may dictate whether you’re more likely to need that coffee fix during the day.  A  Dunkin’ Donuts/Career Builder survey indicates that the top 10 professions most likely to “need” coffee to get through the workday are:

1. Scientist/Lab Technician
2. Marketing/Public Relations Professional
3. Educator/Administrator
4. Editor/Writer
5. Healthcare Administrator
6. Physician
7. Food Preparer
8. Professor
9. Social Worker
10. Financial Professional

For any of you who may be a bit challenged when ordering your coffee, here is a glossary of terms from the Barista Guide:

Americano: Espresso diluted with hot water to roughly the consistency of drip coffee. Similar to drip, but with more complexity, and the benefits of the espresso’s crema.

Cappuccino: 1/3 Espresso (2oz.) 1/3 Milk (2oz.) 1/3 soft microfoam (2oz.) This drink is always free-poured, and never spooned. If your coffee house spoons their foam, find a new shop. Sometimes topped with Cinnamon or Chocolate powder, but left alone for the purists.

Chai: A spiced Indian tea beverage with varying ingredients, but usually including ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, milk, and, of course, Tea. There are many variations of this list of ingredients, but most will contain at least this, if not anise or fennel, or maybe even black peppercorns. Pronounced “CHigh”

Cuppa: Short for “cup-of-coffee”

Cappa: (or Cappu) Short for “cappuccino”.

Espresso: A ~1oz (single) or ~2oz (double) beverage created by a high pressure extraction at ~9bar pressure from ~8 (single) or ~15 grams (double) of fine, evenly ground coffee, evenly distributed and compacted into what is known as a puck. The Espresso has three major parts to its anatomy. The Crema, the Body, and the Heart. If your coffee house’s espresso lacks Crema, it’s time to find a new shop.

Flat White: Usually ~6oz. In all. Similar to a cappuccino, but with latte proportions of foam.

Frappe: Common terminology for an iced, blended beverage. Often containing coffee. Starbucks has a well-known rendition of their own known as a Frappuccino Blended Coffee (or Frappuccino Blended Crème, depending on the recipe)

Iced Coffee: Just like it sounds. Coffee, cold, and on the rocks.

Latte: A little bit of espresso and a lot of milk, with a thin cap of foam. Generally anything 10oz. And up. Flavorings may be added to form flavored lattes. (i.e.- vanilla latte, hazelnut latte, etc..). Milk may be substituted with Soy milk for a Soy Latte. A latte made with nonfat (or skim) milk is often known as a Skinny Latte.

Latte Macchiato: A latte made by pouring the espresso in last, on top of the milk and foam.

Macchiato: Macchiato is an Italian word meaning “to mark” or “to stain”. A Macchiato is a single or double shot of espresso, marked with a bit of foam or frothed milk, usually with close to equal portions espresso and foam or frothed milk.

Mocha: Named for the drink made popular by Portuguese traders at the port of Mocha, it’s a drink made with chocolate, espresso, steamed (sometimes frothed) milk, and topped with whipped cream.

So, what is a Grande in a Venti cup soy upside down caramel macchianto with five shots of extra caramel? Ooops add whip to that and a double sleeve please.

For a full pot of Java if that’s what you prefer, this pastel pretend coffee maker will compliment the trendiest pretend kitchens.

No bones about it, might as well add a bit more pretend fun; serve up some bones with your coffee.

Make your way over to Food Mayhem to learn this edible bone making magic spell, or skill.

Now Cut That Out

Look at this DIY Halloween Garland idea featured on Forty-Two Roads. We are handing this one over to Erin, our Halloween decorator. Let’s see what see will do with it?

Templates for the cut outs can be found at Paper Crave.

These Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs were a huge hit last year. You might want to try making them with the kiddos for a fun together cooking time.

Deviled Eggs, always for Halloween, but this year we’re laying (out) special spider eggs to creep out some friends.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon (3 oz.)
• 8 hard-cooked large eggs
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon, turning slices as needed, until browned on both sides and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon.
2. Cut each egg in half lengthwise; gently scoop out yolks and place in a bowl. Mash yolks with a fork, then stir in mayonnaise, green onions, mustard, and crumbled bacon until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spoon about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture into the hollow of each egg-white half. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 4 hours.

Science Saturday – Welcome Autumn

Summer officially turns to fall today, September 22,  with the arrival of the autumnal equinox, marking the time of year when day and night are of equal length.

As the days  start getting shorter and the nights longer we head deeper into autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere, building toward the longest night of the year on December 21 which is the the winter solstice.

The Light Up Solar System shown above is a helpful aid in teaching about our solar system.

A sweet way to learn about our solar system could be with these Planet Pops  now available from Vintage Confections in the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The backs of these lollipops are black flecked with silver edible glitter that simulate stars.

Hallo-Green 2012 FREE Costume Exchange

The recycling message is an important one to us at Totally Kids. Green Halloween, National Costume Swap Day  is a fun way of teaching our kids that they too can take a personal responsibility in helping save Mother Earth.

Bring in a child size Halloween costume to swap and take home a “new to you” one.

Hop on your brooms and fly in for fun and games, prizes, hot cider and treats. Start bringing your costumes in NOW!

Keep the GREEN going!

Before you visit us, check under your beds and back of closets for any gently used toys that the kiddos are no longer playing with or need. The toys for Autism collection is a GREEN project that is ongoing year long.

WANTED: GENTLY USED TOY DONATIONS
All parents in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area! Totally Kids
is accepting all toy donations to benefit the locally headquartered group “Parents United Against Autism”. We’ll take the donated gently used toys to local families in need. Aside from helping our friends and neighbors, this is an excellent opportunity to clear out your closets a little and keep those unused toys from ending up on a landfill for the next 100 years. Please bring whatever you can.

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Make an Egg-stra Special Recycled Bat at home. All Free Crafts will show you how.

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Green Halloween food tip: Eat your leftovers! There is over 29 million tons of food waste each year, enough to fill the Rose Bowl every three days and the rotting food in landfills contributes to global warming.

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Recipe for Fun

Bring your Gingerbread Man cookie cutter back to life for Halloween.

These Chocolate Skeleton Cookies will disappear before your very eyes, so we suggest doubling this week’s Recipe for Fun.

The Taste of Home provides this spookily delicious recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• For icing, in a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a resealable plastic bag; fill with icing. Pipe skeleton bones on cookies. Yield: 3 dozen.

For a twist, or to “kick” it up a notch, we’re going to make Ninjabread Men Skeleton Cookies this weekend.

You can dress Like a Ninja too.

Words for Wednesday