So in continuation of my last post, here are some more of my favorite kitchen appliances!
3.) Keurig Coffee Machine-
This was a Christmas gift from my parents two years ago. When we visited them, we enjoyed their Keurig so much they decided to gift us one during the holidays. Hubby actually uses this more than me- most of the time he has a cup or two per day. This machine runs on coffee “pods” that come in many flavors. You just pop one in the machine, close the lid and press a button, and you’re literally seconds away from a tasty brewed cup of joe! Our favorite flavors are Green Mountain Coffee’s French Vanilla and Breakfast Blend. If you’re a “green” consumer and worried about the amount of waste created by using the plastic pods- a cap is available where you can re-use the pods and fill them with your own coffee. The price ranges from $70 to $200 depending on how many features and brewing amounts you want.
From the website: “The Keurig brewing system offers gourmet coffee drinkers a top quality, coffee house cup of coffee with the convenience of brewing immediately in your own kitchen. It makes a fine cup of coffee in under a minute and takes away all the guesswork from brewing a consistently great cup of coffee.The Keurig single-cup brewing system uses a special packaging for coffee, tea, and hot cocoa called K-Cups. Each K-Cup is an airtight, mini-brewer that locks out oxygen, light, moisture, and humidity while locking in freshness and flavor.”
PROS: super fast, tasty coffee- far better than my school lounge’s coffee. There are a HUGE variety of flavors to choose from including Coffee House brands like Caribou Coffee and Donut House. You can’t beat the convenience!
CONS: Pods are not cheap- they cost approx. .50 cents a 10 oz. cup. (not too bad compared to buying a cup at the gas station or SBUX every day) The hot chocolate and tea pods are worthless- they are flavor-less, as the machine dispenses the water through the pods so fast they don’t have time to “brew.”
4.)Rolling Garlic Chopper-
This little guy I picked up recently at target for $9.99. His cute little round body and lime green and black wheel were just too cute- but don’t be deceived my his cute exterior, inside he’s full of spinning blades of garlic death! I bought this on a whim, but it does work very nicely for chopping fresh garlic, when you want small, uniform pieces. You can fit about 1-2 cloves a garlic at a time inside, and with a few rolls on the countertop you’re left with a couple teaspoons of fresh minced garlic! I should mention its fun to use to. Clean-up is not bad either, just open the top, pop out the blade and rinse the sphere with some water, and you’re done!
The Crafty-Foodie-Musician 
Jealous! My office used to have a Keurig, but they decided it was too expensive. Since then, I’ve been eying them and debating getting one. Soon though!