The Global Specialty Coffee Expo

This is a big weekend in Seattle for the coffee business. It's the weekend of the Coffee Convention - at least that's what I call it. It's officially called the Global Specialty Coffee Expo. I love this weekend during the Expo because: #1 - I love coffee. #2 - People from all over the world are here. #3 - Free samples. Need I say more? Bruce's business has a exhibit at the Expo, although he was not actually working at it but he knows everyone working and he spent a lot of time there networking with co-workers and potential customers.

We had everyone affiliated with the Bratney Companies over for dinner last night and they loved getting out in the fresh air and enjoying the views after a long day at the Expo.

It was fun entertaining them and providing them with a evening where they could kick back and relax

and enjoy a good meal.

Bruce barbecued our family's favorite Herbes de Provence Crusted Lamb Chops and I made three salads to go with it: pasta cole slaw, couscous and black bean salad and the always favorite watercress and mango salad. I tried to avoid bread and potatoes because I didn't want everyone to get too full so they'd have room for dessert; that wonderful Lemon Curd and White Chocolate Truffle cake that we had for Easter dessert. Yes, I made it again...it's that good.

Our company was from all over the world; Italy, Germany, Mexico, Iowa, California and the Cuban guy was from Miami, Florida. So, it made for a very interesting and fun evening. That's why I love the Coffee Convention. It is so international. Walking around the exhibitions, you hear languages from all over the world. This year, Kenya was the portrait country so vendors would emphasize their coffees from Kenya.

The Kenyans were demonstrating a traditional dance for us.

Starbucks was displaying their Kenyan coffee, along with samples of their nitro cold brew and coffees from their Reserve coffee bars.

Here are some other exhibits that I liked; from Monin, the syrup company

coffee from Burundi

from India

coffee from Ethiopia

and Royal Coffee Importers.

The convention is full of coffee equipment like roasters

and espresso machines, of course.

My favorite samples were the super cute commuter cups.

and these Bevocups from Japan with state-of-the-art lids that are leak-proof.

Love Love Love

And then, there's the edible samples...oh my. The blended coffee drinks

the smoothies

the lattes

the fruit drinks

and the new addition this year - the coffee beers in the area called "Uppers and Downers" that Bruce, Lauren and I all enjoyed visiting.

They had all different beers here with infused coffee, not just your typical stouts and porters. More of the lighter beers are pairing with specialty coffee beans now for a greater variety of flavors. My favorite was a local from Georgetown Brewing

called Gusto Crema Coffee Ale, a cream ale brewed with medium-roasted coffee beans from Cafe Umbria. (It won a gold metal last year at the Great American Beer Festival.) I also liked one from New Belgium Brewing.

We liked just about all of them...what can I say...hey, wait! Isn't that the Kenyans enjoying some coffee beers, too?

Even the Kenyans wanted to check out this new addition to the Coffee Convention. Coffee? Beer? OK!

I think this was one of the most successful Coffee Conventions yet with at least 12,000 people attending. I definitely give it a thumbs up this year. Just one of the many perks of living in the coffee capital of the world.

Meatloaf by Mark Bittman

Once again, I turned on the television yesterday and saw that Mark Bittman was on the Today show and was making his version of meatloaf . This must be meatloaf season. It was surprisingly similar to the Pioneer Woman's version who was also recently on. I was a little surprised of his version because Mark Bittman is into healthy eating and has lost a lot of weight and improved his health by changing his diet which he writes about in his book, Food Matters . His meatloaf recipe also included bacon and cheese! I must be doing something wrong. The thing to remember, which he writes about in his book, is that you can eat healthy without going extreme or changing your whole life. If you don't know who Mark Bittman is, he is a food writer and a four star chef with multiple cookbooks who loves to eat but changed his food philosophy to improve his health. He tells his story in Food Matters and provides a plan for responsible eating that covers a no-nonsense rundown on

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have very many gluten-free cookies on my blog because quite frankly, I usually don't like gluten-free. But occasionally, I do find a good recipe and this is one that is from the back of the Trader Joe's oatmeal and it's a good one. My friend brought some over to our house last weekend when Nick and family were here for our birthday celebrations and we all loved them. My friend lives a few blocks away and we walk the neighborhood together on weekends. We can easily go 5 miles in no time, talking non-stop. She loves exploring our neighborhood as much as I do and we discover so many favorite little spots. We even found a property with a horse (or more like a pony, I should say.) The views are always quite lovely, too. Bruce and I had our thirty-ninth wedding anniversary on July 18th and I made a point of walking past the house where we had our wedding reception. I told my friend, "Thirty-nine years ago today, there was a big party go

Waking Up in Vegas

and just like that...we were Waking Up in Vegas. Just like the Katy Perry song. We went to her 78th performance which was her second-to-last Las Vegas residency show entitled "Play". That was perfect for us because we went to Vegas simply to play. Her concert was a great finale for us because it was high energy and full of silliness, just the way Katy Perry is. And we were feeling it after three nights in Las Vegas. "Get up, and shake the gutter off your clothes now, That's what you get for waking up in Vegas". Here's what she said about her show: "I created this show after the birth of my daughter, Daisy Dove. When I met her, it was like all the love I was ever searching for finally showed up. This show is for everyone’s inner child and for the hope that maybe if we could all see life through the eyes of a child, we would be free. Because never forget, love is and will always be the key,” she said. We went to Vegas spur of the moment because Br

Sylvia's Scenario

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