Ten ways coffee can save your life.

[kit]

Clipper, thanks for publicly admitting your addiction to fresh radish popping (a dangerous habit indeed). It gives me hope that some day I might be able to admit and overcome my own shortcomings. Gosh, life sure is a wonderful 12-step program isn't it?

[Clipper]

You are more than welcome Kit. Yep, I am not against admitting shortcomings if they may in time save someone else from unpleasantness. I keep a small tupper ware dish with a cover in the refrigerator with radishes trimmed and stored in water and it goes on the table almost daily with supper. Kathy's home made pickles are also a regular sight on our supper table, both bread and butter and dill. The celery sticks are reserved for evening snacks. Somewhat healthy, but not low cal because I dip them in Hidden Valley Ranch. LOL. I eat celery and carrot sticks in the evening a couple of times a week and consume them in a quantity that leaves my nose wriggling and my ears twitching like a bunny. They substitute for the pretzels and popcorn that I used to consume almost nightly.

Hey, this psychopath business is quite energy consuming. I have to keep up my strength.

[Clipper]

While we are on the subject of coffee, I hit the Keurig owners mother lode today. I was in Krogers and I ran across K-cups of my favorite Green Mountain brew piled in a bargain basket near the doors to the warehouse area. Keurig's Green Mountain varieties normally run between $6.99 or $7.99 for 12 or 18 cups, depending on the variety. The packages in the bargain basket were labeled with red clearance labels priced at $3.29. I bought all they had of my particular favorite.

Out of sheer curiosity I asked the manager why they sold those packages in the bargain basket for $3.29 while the same product on the coffee aisle was still $6.99. He told me that the store has very limited dry goods warehouse space. They get truck deliveries every other day and have room to store very little merchandise. That is why when I have shopped late in the evening, the aisles are plugged with pallets of merchandise. It comes off of the truck, onto the shelves in most cases.The reason for the bargain price on the coffee in the bargain basket was that they had ordered too much and it would not fit on the shelves. He says that most of the dry stock and canned stock is only ordered in quantities to restock what has been sold and there is very little back up stock kept in the back warehouse. I guess those of us that check that bargain basket area when we shop are just the lucky winners when it comes to that sort of savings. Today the buggy was filled with Kcups, Jello pudding, and Progresso New England Style Clam Chowder. ( I bought five cans of that also)

I remember a time when if you did not find something in the market, they would go in the back and bring out a case or two and restock the shelves. I guess those days are gone, replaced by rain checks. If they don't have the popular item that you want they give you a rain check and you come back after the next truck delivery.

Our local Food City Markets recently ran a special on real butter. It was $1.99 per pound, limit two pounds per customer. Every store sold out almost immediately, seeing as how the normal price was $3.99. I visited 5 different Food City stores here in Bristol area and got rain checks for 2 lbs at each store. I then went around to those stores and ended up with 10 lbs of real creamery butter for 20 bucks. I guess it is rather pitiful that in my retirement I have taken up the hobby of coupon clipping and sale shopping. Sometimes an exciting day is a day when I chase down the sales that come out in the Wednesday newspaper flyers. With Kathy limited in mobility by her bad back, I do all the shopping. We clip coupons on Sunday mornings and I shop all through the week with my little envelope of coupons in hand, or electronic coupons loaded to my courtesy card accounts.

[dave]

Oct 16, 2015 8:43:30 GMT -5 Clipper said:

You are correct Dave. It IS one of those articles you describe. I find articles like that to be of limited interest only because they are so asinine that they pique my curiosity and suck me in.

Hahaha! Been there, done that, there oughta be a T-shirt. We know what they're going to say but we read them anyway.

[Clipper]

I found an article the other day that described different "coffee hacks." I tried one of them this morning. It sounds quite strange, but it really was quite effective in taking the bitterness out of black coffee and enhanced the flavor.

It is suggested that instead of putting cream in your coffee, you should put a small dab of butter in it, and a small pinch of salt. It was quite pleasant. The butter didn't dilute the coffee like milk or cream does, and simply the combination of a dab of butter a little larger than my thumb nail, coupled with a very small pinch of salt made the coffee very tasty without adulterating the flavor of the brew in a negative manner. There is still enough bitterness to satisfy that need for full coffee flavor only obtained by drinking it black, and yet it is much more palatable and smooth to the tongue.

We keep unsalted butter on hand for some of Kathy's recipes and that is what I used, but tomorrow I am going to try it with the regular salted butter we use at the table and a smaller pinch of additional salt. I was impressed with how subtle the change was and yet very effective in enhancing the flavor.

[clarencebunsen]

I've corresponded with people in low carb forums who use butter in their coffee. It sounded strange to me at first but many people seem to like it. I save my butter for frying my eggs. A few months ago I switched from unadulterated black coffee to coffee with about a tablespoon of coconut oil melted into it. The medium chain triglycerides in the oil seem to fuel my brain and prevent the insulin induced shakes which sometimes hit me if I got up too long before Barb and delayed breakfast.

[Clipper]

I also found it very strange at first. Your post has once again raised my curiosity. Does coconut oil taste of coconut or is it relatively taste free? I ask only because I am not crazy about coconut.

I am drinking a cup of coffee with butter as we chat. I used the salted butter today and skipped the pinch of salt, leaving the salt in the butter to do the job. I measured the butter this time and used a level half of a teaspoon. It is quite satisfactory using the salted butter instead of the unsalted supplemented by a pinch of table salt.

It is interesting how the butter enhances the flavor of the coffee and takes the edge off of any unpleasant level of bitterness without actually significantly changing the flavor profile that makes one like a particular brew. Do you notice that subtle change with the coconut oil?

I get distinct pleasure out of a good cup of coffee. I suppose it is similar to the excitement that is felt by a wine drinker when they happen upon a wine that really. I have purchased cups of coffee while traveling that were very enjoyable, and I have purchased coffee that I threw away after a few sips. I actually have begun to taste the coffee before I completely fill a cup. As a black coffee drinker I simply put a small amount of the brew in the bottom of the cup and taste it. If it tastes old or is not good, I simply throw the cup in the trash and move on. Only once have I been questioned when I sipped and tossed the cup. I simply told the clerk that if they expect to sell a cup of coffee for a buck and a half or two bucks they should bring their ass out from behind the counter, toss the muddy sludge, and brew a fresh pot after the coffee has sat unsold on a warming plate for two or three hours. The greedy Middle Eastern C store owner actually suggested that I should pay him for the cardboard cup I wasted, suggesting that if everyone tasted the coffee and tossed away cups, he would go broke buying cups. I told him that had he provided FRESH coffee, he would have realized a 2 or 3 dollar sale for two large cups of brew, rather than losing the few cents he lost on the tossed cup.

I do the same thing in a restaurant. There have been occasions during "off hours" when we have been in Perkin's or IHOP and have been given old coffee. I simply tell them to dump it and brew a fresh pot. Kathy uses cream in her coffee. I have seen IHOP late at night serve her decaf coffee that turned gray rather than pleasantly golden when she added the creamer.

[clarencebunsen]

Coconut oil comes in two basic types: unrefined and refined. More refining means less flavor. Some people find a detectable flavor even in refined, I can't. What I buy is Extra Virgin Unrefined Expeller Pressed. It is similar to butter in that it's melting point is roughly room temperature, 75 degrees. It is a solid on a cold morning but a semi-solid or liquid on a hot afternoon. I don't generally drink flavored coffees but I like the mellowness coconut oil gives.