Finding Your Bliss In Peanuts and Coffee Beans

picture: thedailygreen.com

Our Wholefoods has three magical grinders. One containing peanuts, another containing honey roasted peanuts and a third filled with almonds. You push a button on each of these machines, and fresh nut butter is squeezed out the other end.

Last week, my parents were in town for a quick visit. Luckily, a beloved new addition to our family had also arrived last week, and set up by Mr. Urban just in time for my parents' visit: the Cuisinart Grind n' Brew, or the Fresh Prince of Coffeemakers as called by some.

Let me take a moment.

I first noticed this beautiful coffeemaker for sale at Peet's, when the barista was telling a lady buying beans that it makes coffee as good as their coffee machines. And then I recalled meeting him before, on Entourage, when Johnny and the boys carry their thermal stainless steel carafe onto the patio for breakfast.

So later on I got busy on Google and once again I found a great deal on Amazon, with an over 50% price reduction PLUS a $30 rebate... and free shipping of course. It was silly not to buy it at that point.

So you should know that my mother is quite the hostess. She always manages to give Mr. Urban a completely misguided image of what women in our family are capable of when it comes to setting the table for family meals. She has a flare for over doing it, especially when it comes to her breakfast tables on weekends and holidays.

My husband shamelessly gushes over these breakfast tables. And I can tell that he usually worries on how to reciprocate their breakfast hospitality when they come to visit us, since in our home the lady of the house subscribes to a philosophy of Simplicity, especially when it comes to preparing breakfast.

Which brings me to our new coffeemaker and Wholefoods' peanut grinder.

On our first breakfast together, I ceremoniously ground and brewed some Peet's Holiday blend. Toasted 5 pieces of fresh flax seed bread and spread them generously with freshly ground peanut butter. I also washed some organic apples from our farm stand, one for each of us. We all thought everything was delicious.

Even my father, a loyal Costcoist who can hardly find it in his heart to complement purchases from anywhere else, thought our coffeemaker made a "not bad" cup of coffee (later that night he told me he was sure Costco also carried it).

Although nothing beats my mother's feasts, a couple of fresh, simple, local ingredients can also win hearts...

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