Like a brand new kitchen

My dear father was generous enough to donate his time and patience to help me put up this gorgeous backsplash that I picked up at Lowe's last weekend. It's added an incredible dimension to the kitchen, and I can't be happier at the results. Take a look! Above is the before. I didn't do a good job of cleaning up before. That definitely helps add to the After. Please bear in mind I haven't put up the outlet covers yet. There are matching contact paper sheets you can put over the outlets, so I have to do that yet. But what a difference a few hours make. (Although had it not been for my dad, I think it would have taken a few weeks and wasted $$ messing up a few panels along the way)

These panels can be purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot. You can also order samples online at http://www.acpideas.com/sampleRequest.cfm?XlinkID=72&XRequireOnce=YES&CFID=3096312&CFTOKEN=44769632

Green Mountain Coffee at Target!

In September 2004, I received a coffee maker as a wedding shower gift; however, I didn't enjoy drinking coffee. I thought it would be good to have for guests. I don't know how it started exactly, but a few months after sitting idly on my counter, we started grinding beans and brewing coffee. Months after that, it became a daily necessity. We have the Melitta Mill & Brew, which sadly seems to be discontinued. It's a phenomenal coffee maker, single-handedly turning me into a self-described "coffee snob."

But in order to achieve Coffee Nirvana, the right beans must be brewed in the perfect machine. One of my favorites is Green Mountain Coffee. I was thrilled to see it at Target. It was $7.68 for 10 oz. plus I had a 10% off pass. At $6.91, it was a steal! They carry it in whole beans and ground. I saw Breakfast Blend, Decaf, and French Roast if my memory serves me correctly. I've made it Saturday and Sunday and am thrilled that I can pick this up at Target and avoid the shipping fee. I just hope they don't raise the price after they get everyone hooked on this great coffee.

Pssst....

So I thought I'd start this thing off with my participation in a new program by General Mills to try out new products and discussing them with others. Looks like the first item is something I use regularly, broth.

Here's the details:

100% Natural Broth100% Great Progresso® Taste• 99% fat free, no preservatives, artificial flavors or MSG*• Chef-inspired broths are slow cooked to deliver rich flavor• Convenient, resealable 32 oz. cartons*except that which naturally occurs in autolyzed yeast extract

The broth comes in Beef, Chicken, and reduced sodium Chicken.

I normally use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free Range natural chicken broth and buy it in bulk at Costco. I never liked the canned broth because I feel like I can taste that "tinny" flavor infused in the broth. I also like being able to reuse the broth from the container.

Lately I've been using my broth for cooking farro (emmer). I regularly order vegetable farro, a dish at our local restaurant, Pandolfo's. It's what I order every time we go. I recently decided to buy my own farro and take a stab at making my own. And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. I bought my farro from a farm in Washington state, Bluebird Farms. I cook it in the broth. Four cups of broth to 1 cup of farro. You cook it for an hour, then drain the broth. It's getting pretty expensive to use the organic broth, so I'm excited to see if I can save using the Progresso.