My Favorite Thing This Week

My favorite thing this week is hot beverages! It's starting to get cold here (we got our first snow of the season yesterday) and what better way to keep warm than to drink a hot mug of something?

A few weeks ago was The Kid's birthday. We weren't sure what the weather would be like, but it's typically pretty cold this time of year. So our beverage was hot apple cider. We warmed it in a coffee percolator, but if you're doing it at home, the microwave works just fine. We had a variety of toppings and flavorings to go with it--red hots, sprinkles, whipped cream, caramel syrup, oranges, cinnamon, and, my all time favorite, cinnamon tea bags. I love to heat up a huge mug of cider (try the unfilitered cider from your local apple orchard!) and drop in a tea bag to seep once the cider is hot. It cuts through the cider's sweetness and gives it a rich depth of flavor.

I've also recently acquired a Keurig coffee maker. I've been coveting them for years now. And, let me tell you, I love it. I love the variety the K-cups offer, I love the convenience of being able to make a single cup of coffee, and I love how the coffee tastes.

Since eggnog hit the shelves just a week or so ago, it's been my go-to creamer. A spoonful of vanilla sugar, run the machine, and then top it off with a dash of eggnog. Warm beverage heaven.

Don't let me forget fall drinks! I nearly cried the day the Starbucks drive-thru closed in town. Every year I look forward to pumpkin spice, eggnog, and gingerbread lattes, caramel apple spices, and their rich cocoas.

I also love tea. I've been drinking quite a bit of tea lately. My favorite right now is Tazo's Honeybush tea, sweetened with honey or raw sugar. The best part about it is that it's caffeine-free, so I can drink it and not feel like I'm a slave to caffeine (after all, that's what coffee is for, right?)

Tell me--what's your favorite hot drink? :)