Check out my guest post

KC Coffee Geek invited me to do a guest post on his blog.  Check it out at

http://www.kccoffeegeek.com/madcap-coffee-kathakwa/

Invigorating Green Coffee & Orange Bath Soak

I've been saving orange peels.  They are pretty useful little things.  You can flavor tea, use them for cleaning or make an air freshener from them.  Another great use is to make a soak for the tub.  Orange has a bright, wake me up scent and when you add the caffeine from the green coffee beans - it's a happy start to a day.  At least on days when you have time to bathe in the morning instead of shower.

You will need a cup or so of dried orange/tangerine peels

1/4 cup green coffee beans

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 cone shaped coffee filter

food processor or strong blender

Gather everything up.  I used a mixture of tangerine, navel orange and blood orange peels.  I save them all so I have quite the basket of dried peels.  I also roast my own coffee, so I have tons of beans.  If you don't happen to have those, check with a local roaster.  They will likely sell you a small amount for not too much money.  Today most towns have an artisanal coffee roaster, so just google away and you 'll find someone.  You an also order them from many online sources, but that's more money unless you just really want a pound or more.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender.  Grind away.  The coffee beans are tough on a blender so I tend to take a few seconds off in between pulses.  I don't want to burn out my Ninja.  I don't go for smooth texture.  That's almost impossible with green coffee beans because they are so tough and they also tend to have quite a bit of moisture in them so they don't go to powder.

Put 3 tablespoons or so into your filter

Fold the top over once and then fold the sides in

Fold the top over again.  This will help keep all the stuff INSIDE the filter and not all over the inside of your tub.

Secure it closed with a staple or even a hair tie if that's what you have.  Just make sure it won't come open when it's floating around in the tub.

Toss into the bath when you are filling it and then relax and enjoy.

The dry mix can also be added to a gentle liquid soap for a body scrub but I wouldn't use it on the face.  The orange oil can be pretty intense if you get too much on sensitive skin.  It's great for removing gunk off of your hands though.  

Tuesday night jam

We've started jamming at Scooter's on the Plaza.  Tuesday nights at 6pm

Perry Hat

made with 4 5-inch round balloons

caterpillar

I like this rose.  It's made with 3 hearts.  Not different enough for me to use it in line work, but great for decor projects.

Woven rose

Container Planting - The Will Run For Coffee Way

I'm always looking for ways to use up empty coffee bean bags.  Recently I saw a turtorial on using plastic bottles for container gardening.  I decided to give it a try and I love it for my herbs - like the little mint cutting in this post.  If it ever warms up outside I am going to put them in a basket hanging from my deck rails.  Until now they are in the kitchen.

First you need a plastic bottle that will fit in a 1lb coffee bag.  Cut the top off - save or recycle the rest.

The top will go inside the coffee bag to help with water drainage and to get air to the roots.  

Now you need a coffee bag.  I cut the top off of mine to make it shorter, but you don't have to.

Cut some drainage holes along the bottom.  Hard to see in this photograph so I circled it.  I do one on each side.

Put the bottle top in the bag cut side down.  Add dirt and your plant.

Great for herbs and probably strawberries too.  I added a bit of coffee grounds to the dirt.  with the bottle lid in the bag they do sit fairly flat, but can easily be blown over in a wind, so I'm using a basket.  You could also anchor it to a wall as long as you're using light weight plants.  The bags themselves are pretty sturdy.  Inside they sit fine on a shelf.