Mommiedaze

Can I get a Kiddie Size No-Caf Mocha Skinny Latte in a Sippy Cup?

My son, David, has seen me every morning, practically since birth, with a cup of coffee in my hand. When I was allowed to eat solid food again in the hospital after my C-Section, coffee was one of the first things I ordered from the cafeteria. I’d been drinking decaf for nine months and was ready for something stronger. (Hospital food has made great advances BTW. At this particular hospital they have a menu to order “room service” from that includes everything from Prime Rib to Lucky Charms. It was fantastic! Add in the 24 hour nanny service and house keeping nursing care and the shower with a comfy seat in it, and, honestly, I didn’t want to leave. I think I’ll do just fine in the nursing home someday.)

Anyway, it was inevitable that David would taste a sip or two of coffee as a tot. Several times I’ve caught him slurping from my mug. I like to add lots of Splenda and skim to my coffee, so it’s pretty sweet and he loves it. To anyone who doesn’t like coffee, I say you just don’t put enough sweetener in it. Coffee is just like chocolate. You wouldn’t like chocolate either if it wasn’t sweetened. (Ooh, coffee and chocolate. They go so well together. Espresso and a Hershey bar, that’ll get you hopped up.)

Well, David was begging me for a sip yesterday. Now, I’m not stupid enough to give a three and a half year old a mug of coffee. More than two sips of the high octane stuff, and I’d have to tie him down to keep him from climbing the walls. (With the exception of the caffeine though, coffee is actually good for you. It’s loaded with antioxidants.) So being the responsible parent that I am, I brewed a pot of decaff for him. (I keep a can of unleaded on hand for those night time coffee cravings.) I filled his little Oscar the Grouch mug with coffee, enough skim to cool it off and stirred in some Splenda. He knocked it back like a shot of whisky, slammed the mug down on the table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and and asked for more.

Does Starbucks have a Kid’s menu?

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Girl Talk: Perk Me Up

I can’t start my day with out at least 2 cups of coffee. I like to sip it in my pajamas, and watch the morning news. If I skip that part of my A.M. routine, the rest of my day just doesn’t feel right.  Sometimes I have a cup for a pick-me-up in the afternoon. And there’s nothing better than some girl talk with friends over a good cup of coffee. I love the smell, I love the taste and I love the caffeine. Here’s some “girlie” things to make your coffee break even more enjoyable.

Perk your coffee in this pretty pink coffee maker from Cuisinart.

Like to grind your own fresh coffee from beans? I love this pink retro coffee mill from Kitchen Aide.

You’ll feel glamorous even if you are still in your PJs when you drink your coffee from a high heel shoe mug. Choose from several styles at the High Heel Shoe Museum on-line store. (I know, I know! High Heel Shoe Museum? I’ll save that for next week’s post.)

Savor a yummy cup of Chocolate Raspberry Coffee from Ghirardelli.

Happy percolating!

Want to join in on some Girl Talk? Post about anything girlie on your blog, let’s keep it PG-13 at least, and link back to this post. Don’t forget to sign the Mr. Linky form below and enter your post permalink. Feel free to grab the Girl Talk button and use it on your blog. I post this once a week on Thursdays, usually in the afternoon when my son is sleeping. You can link up any time between now and next Wednesday.

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Cookie of the Week: Cafe Mocha Cookies

There’s one thing I love almost as much as chocolate and that’s coffee. So I jump at any opportunity to combine the two. These Cafe Mocha cookies are definitely a treat.

These cookies are easy to make, but require a lot of waiting time, ergo the reason I’m finally posting this at 10 o’clock at night. I whipped the cookies up in about 15 minutes this morning. As I was looking to see what temperature to bake then at, I saw that I had over-looked one crucial instruction, “Refrigerate over-night before baking.” Oops. Well, I didn’t wait that long. I gave them just 10 hours in chill box. And were they are worth the wait!

Cafe Mocha Cookie Recipe

1 cup of butter softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 tbs milk

2 tbs instant coffee granules

2 eggs

1 tsp rum extract

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter in a large bowl. Add brown sugar. Beat until well blended.

Heat milk in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add in instant coffee granules. Stir until dissolved. Add milk mixture, eggs, rum extract and vanilla to butter mixture. Beat until well blended.

Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture beating at a low speed until well blended.

Shape dough into 2 logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Roll logs up in plastic wrap and refrigerate over-night.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut rolls into 1/4 inch slices and place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. (Keep unbaked rolls and slices in refrigerator until ready to put in oven.)

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, heating for one minute and then stir and heat at 20 second intervals until all the chips melt. Dip one end of each cooled cookie in the chocolate. Let dry on wax paper.

I didn’t have any rum extract, but I did have almond extract so I substituted with that.

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