Happy National Hot Tea Month! Although a soothing, aromatic cup of hot tea is a welcome sight at any time of the year, it is not hard to imagine why January was chosen as the official month for celebrating tea. After all, there is nothing better than warming up with a hot cup of your favorite blend on a chilly winter day.

Put a TWIST to your everyday tea with these common add-on ingredients.

VANILLA
Try vanilla in orange teas, Earl Grays or oolongs.  It only takes a drop or two of vanilla extract to add big flavor to a cup of tea.  Or infuse vanilla into loose leaf tea before brewing.  For a cup of tea leaves, add 1 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise to let the flavor escape) and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Put it in an airtight container, shake to mix and let it infuse for at least a week.

FRUIT JAM
Swirl a spoonful of fruit jam in English Breakfast tea instead of (or in addition to) sugar or honey.  It's a popular in tradition in Russia and Korea, and it brings out tea's natural flavors.

CINNAMON
In a teacup, breakup a cinnamon stick or add half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder.  Add boiling water and let it steep 10 minutes.  Add a favorite teabag and let it steep a few minutes longer. Cinnamon, an antimicrobial, can help reduce inflammation and regulate blood sugar.  In addition, it's spicy scent can boost brain functions.

COCONUT MILK
Lactose-free coconut milk is a creamy substitute to cow's milk that can be a tasty option for lactose intolerant individuals.  It's especially good with chai and green teas.

LEMON PEEL
While lemon juice is a classic tea trimming, lemon peel adds a vitamin and mineral boost that's more than 5 times what's found in lemon juice.  Just grate it and sprinkle into your tea!

​Kinda funny how coffee - the #1 perk to keep office productivity percolating - is traditionally the biggest underachiever in the office.

Well, you don't need to be a barista to give your java some extra jump. Just a little thinking outside the coffee maker can take your brew from ho-hum to woo-hoo

​Which home remedy is a deodorizer, exfoliator, bug repellant, wood stain, hair gloss, compost, and fertilizer? 

COFFEE GROUNDS! 
 
Simply Shellie tells us how we can use Unused Coffee Grounds

1. Deodorizer – Use coffee in the back of the fridge for odor control. Place clean, unused coffee grounds in an open bowl or cup at the back of the refrigerator to eliminate foul smells. They can be used in the freezer, as well. You can even make closet sachets with coffee. Take cheesecloth or other breathable materials and wrap a small amount of coffee grounds and hang in the back of the closet. Cheesecloth wrapped coffee can also do wonders in the bottom of your diaper pail.

2. Use as an exfoliator - Add clean coffee grounds to a body wash. Massage into skin and rinse. It’s a great remover of dry skin. You can also use them for a great facial. Mix a few tablespoons of grounds with enough water to make a paste. Pat it on skin and let stand for a few minutes and then massage in circles. Rinse thoroughly.

3. A natural bug repellant – Several insects including ants are sensitive to strong smells. Sprinkle fresh grounds around plant beds or any other areas where you would like to keep out pests.

4. Deter Animals – It is also a good way to discourage cats from using your yard as a litter box. Take the grounds and mix with the rind of a citrus fruit to create a pungent odor that turns the local kitties away.

5. Touch up furniture scratches - No need to buy an expensive Minwax pen when you have coffee. Make a paste with a little bit of instant coffee and hot water. Rub it into the scratch. Repeat if necessary until the scratch matches the surrounding wood.

Here’s how to use Used Coffee Grounds

6. Fight Cellulite – Warmed, used grounds mixed with coconut oil are said to help fight cellulite. If Halle Berry does it, so can you! The caffeine is the active ingredient. Rub it into skin in massaging circles. If it doesn’t stop the cellulite, you should at least have soft skin after.

7. Lustrous Hair – Want shiny hair? Coffee grounds have long been known for a great hair gloss. After shampooing, rub warm grounds into hair. Let stand until cool and then rinse. If you have dark hair, this can give a color boost. If you have very light hair, be careful. Keep the coffee weak and don’t leave the rinse in too long. It can stain hair.

8. Composting – The rich minerals left behind in the grounds helps the degradation process. Mix with lye to further the breakdown and worms really like the grounds so it is a multi-faceted support to composting.

9. Fertilizer – Whether you compost or not, those same minerals including nitrogen and potassium make a great fertilizer and enrich the soil. This also works with indoor plants.

10. Household scrub – Use coffee grounds to cleans pans or baked on grime on a stove top. They are mildly abrasive and great for cleaning grime. Mix in with your current creamy cleaner or use on their own.

To feel especially festive this fall, make sure to engage in Twist's Fall Top 10: 

1. Fall Hike
2. Apple Picking
3. Corn Maze
4. Football
5. Bonfire
6. Fall Festivals
7. Jump in a pile of leaves
8. Make a scarecrow
9. Carve a Pumpkin
10. Enjoy fall flavors – pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee (from Green Mountain), spice cake, apple cider (try this Apple Cider Pancakes recipe from the Keurig blog, caramel apples

At Twist OP we love a great cup of coffee.  But, did you know that there are also some great recipes on the Keurig Blog.  Here are two of our favorites - let us know if you try them and if you agree that they are keepers!

 Barista Beef Stew!  A one pot meal, beef stew sticks to your ribs, fills you up, and warms you all over. No wonder cowboys make it on the trail.  Being who we are, we had to add a little of Barista Prima® Italian Roast coffee to the mix, which helps to bring out the flavor of the mushrooms and thyme. Cowboy, meet barista.

Barista Beef Stew  Serves 6

Ingredients

• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 1 Barista Prima Italian Roast K-Cup®  brewed at 8-oz. setting
• 1 14-oz. can beef broth
• 12-oz. whole button or cremini mushrooms
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 ½ cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

 
Directions Heat large Dutch oven and add 1 Tablespoon oil. Cook beef in two batches, browning on all sides.  Transfer to bowl or plate.  Add remaining oil to Dutch oven along with onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring, 5-minutes or until softened.  Add wine, coffee and broth, scrapping up brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer the beef and accumulated juices back to the Dutch oven and add mushrooms and bay leaf.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1-hour. Add carrots and simmer, covered, 30-minutes or until beef is tender.  Stir in peas and parsley and cook for 5-minutes or until cooked through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. - 


See more at: http://blog.keurig.com/blog/kristen/barista-beef-stew-recipe#sthash.HariVZGs.dpuf

Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake  Who can resist a great chocolate cake?   We bring you an intense chocolate, almost brownie-like cake smothered with more chocolate.  Here’s the recipe, and I think it’s a perfect contender for your Valentine’s Day date night dessert. 

Ingredients: 
1 Cup bittersweet (or you can use semi sweet) chocolate chips 
½ Cup unsalted butter 
¾ Cup granulated sugar 
¼ Teaspoon salt 
2 Teaspoons  Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract 
3 Eggs 
½ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder   
Ingredients for the Glaze: 
1 Cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 
½ Cup heavy cream 




Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 8” round spring form pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the top of the paper.

For the cake: Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Slowly heat (30 seconds at a time) until the butter is melted and the chips are slightly melted. Stir until chips are completely melted.  
Stir in sugar, salt, coffee and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating until smooth. Finally add the cocoa powder. Transfer batter to the cake pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top forms a thin crust. Let cool completely. 

Glaze Directions: Combine the chocolate chips and the cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat until the cream is very hot, but not boiling. Remove from microwave and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and glasslike.  Carefully spoon the glaze over the cake. Allow the glaze to set and harden before cutting – about 1 hour. - 

See more at: http://blog.keurig.com/blog/hannah-hassler/national-chocolate-cake-day#sthash.73eBRRez.dpuf