How to Use a My K-Cup Keurig Single Cup System with Your Own Beans

When it comes to coffee I never thought I'd like it. I grew up in a household of coffee drinkers and hated the smell and the taste. I had no interest in it and this continued well after I was married and living in Southern California. My parents came to visit from the Midwest and brought a Mr. Coffee maker with them so they could enjoy coffee in our home. When they returned home they left it at our house and a year later when they visited again we pulled the coffee machine out only to find last years filter and grounds were still in it! It was obvious we were not coffee drinkers.

About 10 years later I found myself living in central Minnesota in what was to be one of the winters with the most snow fall on record in years. Our driveway was lined with 10 foot snow drifts and I was a full time Mom, home with three small children. I would sit at the kitchen table in the early mornings and watch the snow fall silently to the ground and decided to brew a pot of coffee to enjoy the aroma on a cold, silent morning.

By the end of that winter I was cupping a mug of fresh coffee in my hands to savor the aroma as I watched the snow fall but still hated the taste.

The next winter however made me a coffee drinker and within 4 years I was a 'morning coffee' drinker and soon after was grinding my beans, developing a picky palate and turning up my nose at 'hotel coffee' that was by then quite undrinkable, as was most pre-ground grocery store beans.

Because I should be getting dressed for work right now, I'll skip ahead to the point of todays article; My new Keurig B60 Special Edition coffee maker that I am absolutely IN LOVE with (you can click that link to find out more about it and even order one for yourself if you'd like) and the Reusable Coffee Filter that we purchased to make our coffee drinking more affordable by using our own 'k-cup' to brew with our own beans (purchased from the local coffee shop here in town). However we still invest in the little bought k-cups as well as they have awesome fun varieties and are rather affordable on Amazon when you can buy 24-Count Boxes (Pack of 2) for the same cost as 1 box in a retail store.

For those of you who are not coffee lovers you can also make Hot Cocoa and tea in your Keurig coffee brewer!

Now - the point of todays article is HOW TO USE A "MY K-CUP" to make coffee using my own ground coffee beans and not have to buy the store packs.


Here is a My K-cup directly from the package. First, wash it with warm soapy water and rinse well.


Remove the black cup holder from your Keurig machine. Grasp the edges of the cup with one hand while you gently push your finger through the hole in the bottom of the machine to pop it out with a click.



Put your freshly ground beans into the small metal filter cup.


Place the metal mesh cup into the plastic holder and gently put the cap on - don't twist too tight.

Place the "My K-cup" into the holder. Press the handle back down as usual and wait for the 'Ready to Brew" sign and choose your cup size as usual.


With a hum and a few seconeds you have your freshly brewed coffee - affordable when you use your own coffee grounds (you can even use Folger's or Maxwell House pre-ground if it's what you prefer!).

So simple... and so good.

Flour Tortilla Dumplings

Even with the internet at my fingertips I still love to relax with one of my 'hard copy' cookbooks. This mornings recipe is actually from one of my latest purchases. While on vacation to Myrtle Beach in March I bought a small regional book, bound with plastic and printed locally. One of the recipes is what I would deem a 'comfort food' and so quick and easy for a 1 person meal.

Tortilla Dumplings

8 flour tortillas - cut into 1 inch strips
1 c water
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 c shredded monterey jack cheese

Saute tortilla strips in the oil in a hot pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the water and the cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Non-Alcoholic Cranberry Spritzers

Earlier today I grabbed a couple cookbooks from my shelves, headed out the back patio door and relaxed on the hammock in the back yard. One of those cookbooks was an all time favorite of mine, one that never let's me down; Southern Living.

This summer drink is from Southern Living last year, in July of 2008. It's reminiscent of a fruity sangria but made with cranberry juice and mineral water, even kids can enjoy. If you choose, make it with champagne and call it an 'adult' refresher.

Cranberry Spritzers

(12-ounce) cans frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted
4 lemon slices
4 orange slices
4 lime slices
2 (23-ounce) bottles orange-flavored sparkling mineral water, chilled*
Garnish: lemon slices

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pitcher; cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove fruit with a slotted spoon, and discard. Stir mineral water into cranberry juice. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. 2 (750-milliliter) bottles chilled champagne may be substituted for sparkling mineral water.

Product Review: Coldstone Creamery Signature Cakes

Here is their stock photo.

It's tall, it's dark and it's delicious. Maybe, perhaps, that is why it's called "Tall, Dark and Delicious" on the menu. Yes, the name of this signature cake describes it very well and it's what I bought my husband for Father's Day this year.

I admit that I'm considered abnormal by my teenager's, as I've never actually eaten at Coldstone Creamery. Oh, I've gone there. I've stood in line. I've bought ice cream for the kids. But I am not a huge fan of ice cream, sweets or chocolate so I have no problem standing in line, passing the ice cream by and not buying any. It just doesn't bother me. But a coupon in the Sunday paper before Father's Day caught the eye of my oldest daughter and before I knew it I was agreeing it was a beautiful and delicious looking cake and with $3 off, I decided the $25 would be part of his Father's Day Gift.

I must say that even for someone who does not crave or go crazy for chocolate, cake nor ice cream, it was not only good but really, really good. The price is a bit steep and the cook in me couldn't help but think (over and over again) I could have made this.... truly, could have made this myself for less! But what is life if you don't splurge every now and then? And just because you can make it, do you have to? Really? I bought the large round size which ended up serving about 12 pieces by the time it was gone. Could have served more had we sliced them all thin, but some of us wanted small pieces, others like my husband and 16 year old son wanted a quarter of the cake!

I'm impressed with Coldstones's delicious ice cream and loved the moist cake and flavor. I look forward to trying more of their cakes for our family holidays. My next purchase however may be their new ice cream cup cakes! I've also got plans to recreate them in my own kitchen. I'll keep you up to date on that one!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix to Keep on Hand! One of the Most Affordable Meals

 

(Looking back at this post in 2021 - remember this post is from 2009 with 2009 prices!)

Spaghetti dinners are one of the most affordable meals you can serve both on a random Tuesday evening or as a guest meal.  It's a meal that can be plain or fancy depending on the additions and presentation.  Add a side of salad, a fancy dessert and you look like you slaved away.

A pound of dry pasta can be bought for about $.88 average and if you buy a can or bottle of spaghetti sauce for $.99 (Hunt's brand in a can is usually about this price) you can add a loaf of French bread for $.99 and have a meal for 6 for under $3.00.

Because my kids have been brought up eating a wide variety of foods, we rarely have spaghetti but when I do make it I like to jazz it up a bit.  That's what todays article is about;  jazzing up store bought sauce.

First I'd like to give a quick and simple homemade spaghetti sauce that is so delicious you may not want to buy store bought.  It's a dry mix you can keep in your cupboard and mix with a can of tomato sauce to make the amount you need.  Double or triple the recipe if you like.

Simple Spaghetti Sauce Mix

1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c sugar (I suggest using less if you don't eat much sugar, as we don't)
1/4 c dried parsley flakes
1/4 c dried minced onion
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 T Italian seasoning

Mix 1 heaping tablespoon of spices into 8 oz. of tomato sauce.  Heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Serve.

My regular readers are going to know that I'm going to implore you to 'play' with this recipe to make it your own.  My family doesn't eat much sugar so I use less than called for because I think it's just a bit sweet.  We also love garlic so I use fresh minced garlic as well as adding a little fresh minced basil from the garden.  Green or red peppers?  Mushrooms?  Browned sausage or ground beef?  Go for it!  Also, I like to add it to petite diced tomatoes instead of plain sauce.

If you are more comfortable purchasing a can or bottle of store bought sauce I still implore you to jazz it up a bit to give it a homemade flavor instead of the 'straight from the bottle' taste.   One of the easiest ways to make it 'homemade' is to add diced fresh tomatoes, a little fresh garlic, mushrooms, browned Italian sausage, basil or diced zucchini.  Even the addition of a couple teaspoons of dry Italian seasoning will give it a flavor of being homemade.

With the economy tight and grocery prices high pasta remains one of the most affordable meals you can make!