It's a holiday! What did you get me?

Did you know today is National Coffee Day!?! I didn't even know there was such a thing until my good friends at 417coffee.com told me! How are you going to celebrate? May I make a suggestion? I recommend visiting Coffee Ethic on the square; so quite and relaxing. The talented baristas made this cappuccino for me a couple of weeks ago, and of course punched my Disloyalty Card. :-). Happy Holiday!

Another punch to prove how disloyal I am.

If you don't have a disloyalty card yet from 417coffee then you really should find one...quick! On this card you will find 8 participating area coffee shops who claim they have the best coffee. In fact they are SO confident that they are encouraging you to go to their competitors just to prove that they are that good and you will come back for more; thus, proving where your loyalties really are. How it works - obtain a disloyalty card at any of the participating coffee shops, grab a cup of coffee at each of the 8 places and have them punch your card, once your card is full, take it back to your favorite of the participating shops for a free cup of coffee and an entry into a drawing for cool coffee prizes. For more info go to 417coffee.com. I only need two more punches. I DEFINITELY have a favorite but don't want to persuade anyone nor make a judgement before visiting all locations. :-) I'll reveal my fav later! Let me know your favorite place to get a cup of joe!

Just a couple of my favorite things....

That's right, Jeremiah and Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt are just a couple things on my long list of things I love. If you have not been to Orange Leaf you are missing out! It's located on Republic and Fremont in Springfield or on The Landing in Branson. This froyo is unlike any other frozen treat - it actually taste like yogurt! They have a variety of flavors that they switch out often and a variety of very unique toppings - including Cap'n Crunch cereal! How cool is that!?! Another very cool feature is the fact that you pay by the ounce. So if you don't want to spend a lot - control your portions! You are paying just for what you want to eat, unlike other ice cream shops that charge a big price for a big portion that you may not be able to (or should not) finish. :-)

Jeremiah's favorite combination has been banana and peanut butter froyo with of course mismatched toppings such as cherries, sprinkles and gummy worms.

Matt usually gets the white chocolate paired with cookies and cream or cake batter froyo with an array of crushed cookies as a topping.

As for me, well, I get something different every time but I would have to say the coconut and pomegranate froyo with moci balls (Japanese rice) or the coffee froyo with raisinettes have been my fav!

Hello, E.V.O!

One of the best salad dressings is created by mixing Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar. These ingredients were purchased from Old Town Oil in Chicago but rumor has it there is a similar oil shop on The Landing in Branson so check it out!

You might have heard of a few nutritional benefits of EVO, such as it's a "healthy" fat and it's heart healthy properties. While all of that is true, it's still FAT and fat has a lot of calories. Extra calories means extra body weight which makes it harder for the heart to pump. EVO contains the type of fat that can actually help protect the heart but that certainly does not mean the more the better. So enjoy and eat in moderation!

A Labor Day Weekend to Remember

Last summer, Matt and I took Jey to St. Louis for vacation. One of our stops was the St.Louis City Museum and ever since then we have been dying to take our nephews knowing they would love it as much as we did. So this weekend we loaded two cars full of family, friends, kids, all the stuff that kids require and headed that way. It was everything we thought it would be - SUPER FUN! Our fun started with the St. Louis zoo (which is very cool for a free zoo!), continued with some hotel swimming, a trip to Trader Joes, some more swimming, the coolest museum ever, diner on The Hill, and Ted Drewes.

You can't go to ST. Louis and NOT get Ted Drewes Frozen Custard! So glad we were the ones that got to introduce the Murray's to Ted Drewes. Pictured above are the boys patiently waiting for their custard.

Thanks for the great weekend!