Tag Archives: starbucks

Homemade Starbucks Mocha Frappe Recipe


 

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found on google images

This morning I decided to buy the Starbucks Mocha drink mix while I was out shopping at my local grocery store. The price for the drink mix is about the same price for just one of their medium sized drinks, so why not save money and make my own at home. Other times, I get the Starbucks mocha samplers that they have in the coffee aisle.

When I got home I noticed it didn’t have any recipes on the carton, nor any websites for the buyer to go to find homemade recipes using their mix. I spent twenty minutes searching the net for a good recipe when I kept coming up on the same homemade recipe that everyone is using that didn’t ask for the mocha mix. Instead, they asked for you to brew a cup of coffee, add several cups of milk, a cup of ice, 3/4 cup of sugar (REALLY?? That’s a lot of sugar for just one cup of coffee), then add chocolate syrup or cocoa powder. Hmm, so not what I was looking for. I then decided to just make up my own recipe, though with the help of the Oregon Chai recipe (found on their website, as well as on the side of their cartons).

I did go to one of the few Starbucks websites looking for recipes, but found one of their websites that looked more or less like a training site for their employees. Their main page just shows what’s on their menu and you can also shop for coffee or buy one of their coffee machines. I guess their recipes are Top Secret or they would rather you spend your money on having one of their employees making you one from their store.

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found on google images

 

I have a NutriBullet blender, which is for smoothies, but when I make frappes they come out foamy, rather than creamy. Here’s the recipe that I have tried so far:

1 cup of ice

1/2 cup of the coffee mix

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar

 

I’ve learned that adding a banana to the mix helps make a perfect blend and keeps it from being too foamy.

If you have a better recipe, please leave it in the comments below.

Disney Day Two


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Day Two – We got up early the next morning and stood in line to get into the park. The fun part was riding the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We ate breakfast inside the park again, mini Belgian waffles with fresh fruit, which was really good.

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ImageWe found our way to the tea cup ride where we met Alice from Wonderland. My daughter was excited and greeted her with cheerful, “Hi Alice!”

They chatted for a few minutes about finding the White Rabbit and then Alice signed my daughter’s autograph book before we went to ride the tea cups. Seeing my baby’s face when the ride started was priceless. She smiled and giggled and shouted “Wee!” the entire time the ride was going. When we got off the White Rabbit was hanging out with Alice and we had to go stand in line again just to meet him.

We continued to ride rides and meet characters, especially her most two favorite characters, Merida and Tinker Bell.

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The best part was the fast passes. My brother-in-law, James, would go get our fast passes while we stood in line for another ride. The fast pass had a time on it where we could go back to that particular ride and cut to the front of the line.

Most of the rides had signs saying how long the wait was. The worst part was how expensive everything was. I knew that it might be expensive before I got there, but Starbucks coffee is considerably cheap compared to coffee at Disney. And $2.50 for a 20oz bottled water and $4 for a small bag of cotton candy? We actually agreed on McD’s for lunch outside of the park, followed by a nap … for us adults. Though the nap was cut short due to an anxious three year old who wanted to go ride more rides.

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On our way back to the park, we rode the Ferry instead of the monorail, then caught the train to the northern part of the park where my daughter and I rode the magic carpet ride. It was similar to the Dumbo ride except there’s a camel that’s spits water. It didn’t matter to my daughter, she was still enjoying herself, until the fireworks started.

We had caught the light show parade, which was beautiful. My daughter pointed out to a few of the floats, shouting their names. It was great to see Pete’s Dragon again. The last time I had seen Pete’s Dragon was … uh, a really long time ago.

After the parade, we met up with my sister and brother-in-law and made our way to Cinderella’s castle. The fireworks pre-show was absolutely amazing! They fly Tinkerbell out to the castle where she tosses some fairy dust onto it and the castle starts to change it’s appearance. My daughter was sitting on top of her uncle James’ shoulders, watching the show. Her face was just priceless that I had tears.

There was a few minutes interlude between the castle show and fireworks, which gave us some time to move closer to the exit. As soon as the fireworks started, everyone stopped moving and stared up to the sky. It was beautiful. My daughter started to get a little fussy as the sound of the fireworks echoed throughout the park. Not a pleasant thing for a child on the spectrum.

All and all, day two was wonderful. I was looking forward to the next day.

Another Black Friday shopping story


I was curiously looking through the Black Friday ads when my eye caught something I’ve wanted to get for a while now. An Xbox and a Kinect, except it was being sold as a single console, an Xbox Kinect. I had already told my sister Jaci last year that I wasn’t going to do Black Friday again. People just get too crazy over sale items. I got ran into countless times with a buggy, I got elbowed from two people fighting over an item; I was just walking by, trying to make it to the registers. I couldn’t believe how rude people were being to one another. This one lady kept pushing me, from behind, with her buggy, I couldn’t move because of the crowd of people in front of me; we were in somewhat of a line for a register. I finally turned around and told her to knock it off, I can’t possibly move up any further. She just gave me a hateful look, and then said she was trying to get to the check out. I said, so are all these other people standing in front of us.

I kept staring at the sale paper, the time of the sale in big bold letters. It was like a giant beacon, shouting out at me. Finally, I looked at my watch and saw that I had two and a half hours before the sale started. It was just one item, I told myself, that’s all I needed. No buggy intended this time. I could walk around everyone else who has a buggy.

I asked Gram’s if she could watch mini me and of course she could, then I was off to Target. I’m such a procrastinator. I stopped at Starbucks and got myself a coffee as a just in case, I didn’t know how long I was going to be standing in line outside. I was pleased to see there were plenty of parking spots available and the line was very short. There must have been twenty people in front of me when I showed up. I sat down on the sidewalk, drank my coffee, and looked at the rest of the sale paper.

Suddenly it began to rain. Great! I looked at my watch and saw I had a whole hour left before the doors opened, I’ll be soaked, but I’ll get my one item. I watched as more and more people started to show up, then Target employees came by with maps, showing where the sale items were located. This thoroughly impressed me, really it did! Walmart has nothing on this at all! Walmart is so unorganized and so badly managed, I could see why it’s such a cluster!

There were policemen standing guard telling us to calmly walk inside, no running, and no pushing. All the items were unwrapped and stacked neatly here and there where people could get to them. Buggies where placed throughout the store, another useful tip.

I briskly walked back to where the map said my Xbox Kinect would be and picked it up. I also picked out a few kids games and proceeded towards to check out. Hey, I didn’t just get it for me, I got it for my daughter to play with to, well when she gets a little bit older.

What shocked me when I got to the registers was that there were no lines, no waiting, did I mention no lines? I was the first person to check out! Everything was well organized; there was no craziness, no fighting, and no arguing. I’m not sure if this means I’m going to do this next year or not, well, certainly not shopping at Walmart on Black Friday.

A late night…calling?


I live in Bryant, Arkansas, a city that’s always growing. As we speak there’s construction going on in several places. A Dunkin Donuts is adding it’s finishing touches before it’s grand opening sometime this month. A small Chinese restaurant is adding an expansion to their place. Those are just to name a few that I can remember seeing on my daily commute.

Our city’s population is almost 17,000. Our school district has a population of over 9,000 kids and growing each year. This year they built a new High School and a new Elementary School.

When my grandparents moved into this house in the sixty’s it was, what they called, a bedroom community; there was nothing but houses here. There was also a lot of woodland areas. Several years had gone by and a few few fast food chains had moved into the city. Within the last fifteen years a Wal-Mart was built, followed by a Target with a Starbucks, another Starbucks in the same parking lot as the Target with a Starbucks, Best Buy, a Kohl’s, Old Navy, then any fast food place you can think of…seriously! Not to mention the many housing division that was built during this time also.

The sad thing about expansion is cutting down the trees and clearing out the woodland areas that houses the animals. There’s still a small acreage of wooded area behind my grandparents house where small animals live. I’ve come to recognize these animals that live there myself in the short time that I lived here with my grandma. Occasionally I will hear, see, or smell these animals. Yes, smell, there’s skunks living in there. I’ve heard an owl a few times late at night. I’ve heard woodpeckers many times during the day. I’ve seen tarpins (a type of turtle), rabbits, even a panther once (though I’m sure she lives elsewhere). I’ve even seen a pair of young bucks walking around my back yard; I’m sure they were passing through. There’s also a family a red foxes that lives in the woods in the backyard.

Every once and a while I will see that family of red foxes. Last night however, I heard one as it was crying or calling, whichever it’s called. It woke me up. One thing I’ve noticed as I became a mother is that I’m a light sleeper, so just about anything wakes me up. So when I heard the fox calling out last night my first reaction was that it was my daughter. It took me a few seconds to realize what it really was. I laid there listening to it crying out.

I spent part of my youth living on a farm. I miss the country, the outdoors, the fresh air, the wide open space, the animals, the trees. Just hearing that fox made me feel like I am living in the country, even though I’m not. I’ll give it another fifteen years before all the surrounded woodland areas are gone, exchanged for more houses, stores, and fast food chains.

A child locked in


Yesterday I went to Target to get my mini me new shoes. I had enrolled her in daycare for the first time. Im a little nervous though. For two and a half years she and I haven’t been separated for very long.

When we got there I stopped at Starbucks, she was pointing, saying truck. I turned to see what she was talking about. A ladder truck had pulled up a few minutes after we entered Target. I had ordered us a drink and turned to see that an ambulance arrived soon after. Our drink was ready for me to pick up. I push the buggy closer to the window and see a patrol car arriving. My cousin, Brandy, working behind the counter says that a child must’ve been locked in a car again. I said, “again?” She says, “oh yes, it happens all the time here.”

I turn back around to watch all the commotion. A couple of firemen grabbing tools from their truck, walk up to a small SUV and being prying the passenger door open. A lady nearby, pacing, her hands covering her mouth, I instantly assume that she’s the mother.

After several minutes of prying and pulling, the door gives way. A fireman unlocks the doors as a paramedic opens the back door. He turns around and in his arms a little boy, that looks like he could be at least one year old. His face red, but calm as could be. His mom stands next to the paramedic, watching him do his job. He checks him out then hands him over to mom, whom seems more than delighted to hold her baby boy. He must’ve been in there a good twenty minutes, maybe not that long.

I’m sure what had happened is that she had accidently locked her keys in the car while pushing her buggy back to the cart corral. It happens. With the triple degree weather we’ve been having daily almost the entire summer, the only thing anyone is thinking is to hurry and get out of the heat.