I love tea and JL Hufford offers a huge variety of Republic of Tea, tea bags and loose leaf tea.  I use the Tea bags as they are more convenient for me and don’t require as much equipment such as a Tea ball or Tea infuser. They come pre packaged in 50 or 250 count packages and keep very well.  Hot or cold they make wonderful tea. Currently my favorite recipe is Mango Ceylon tea brewed hot then poured over ice and mixed with Torani about an ounce of raspberry flavoring.  I can’t wait to share this with my mother and have her make her famous sun tea!  Another simple way I have found to brew tea is in my coffee maker.  I toss about 5 bags into where the coffee ground goes.(making sure that the machine is clean of coffee of course!).  Add the wanted amount of water you want and you can have a carafe full of hot tea!

I love mango but my wife is allergic to it so we never have it around the house.  Well the other day it was very warm outside and I had a jonesing for a mango drink.  I looked online and found that a Torni drink recipe that sounded delightful:

1 oz. Torani Sugar Free Mango syrup
8 oz. lemonade
Ice

Easy and non alcoholic this drink hit the spot and it was 0 calories.  I got my fix and have enough from the Torani container to share with my friends for many days to come.  If you want a light mango drink this one to try!

 I have had a Thermos coffee mug for 15 years.  In fact I have left it on top of my truck and run over it, on accident, twice.  It was wonderful, my favorite mug but I lost it!  It kept my drinks cold or hot for hours.  I found that JL Hufford was selling Thermos containers for a good price and ordered one from them. In a few days it will arrive and I will be enjoying its convenience. I was unaware of how long it can keep drinks at temperatures but they are advertised to stay hot or cold for up to 24 hours!  This will be great for camping or road trips in the future.  I may have to invest in some of these as Christmas gifts as I thoroughly enjoy mine.

Every year around Christmas my grandmother used to make chocolate peppermint cupcakes.  It was a special treat that all us kids looked forward to. This past Christmas I spent it with the family on the other side and felt like starting a tradition.  All of these years I have been hood winked believing that they were from scratched but come to find out she uses an Invisible Chef Peppermint Sweet Muffin Cakes mix.  It is soooooo easy to make.  I can’t wait to share this treat with the family and I know I will stay hushed about the pre mixed kit to leave the allure of the delight!  

I have owned a thermal coffee maker for most of my coffee drinking days.  I had a simple machine and found that since I was a more rounded coffee drinker I could step up my machine to a name brand.  On JL Hufford I found a Saeco Easy Fill thermal coffee maker and invested.  The machine was great in all areas but one, the thermal carafe.  I have used thermal carafes before and understand that they do need to be poured a little slower than the traditional glass carafe but even with this in mind I found it hard to keep a nice stream of coffee going into my cup! I was a little frustrated and decided to contact the manufacturer to see if they had any tips for me.  Come to find out I am not the only person to currently have issues with this carafe.  In fact they designed another that is much easier to use and shipped it to me free of charge.  Now I have a wonderful, in all aspects, thermal coffee maker that I enjoy and would gladly suggest to anyone looking to upgrade!

• The ENA 9 One Touch does have an audit trail where the ENA 5 did not.
• The ENA 9 One Touch has a dual coffee and milk spouts for the group head compared to the rotating 1 or 2 spouts in chrome.
• The ENA 9 will brew between .5 to 16 ounces compared to the 1 to 16 ounces that the ENA 5 will brew.
• The ENA 9 average brew temperature is 176 in the cup where the ENA 5's was 172.
• The ENA 9 will use a Fine Foam Auto Frother where the ENA 5 uses the Dual Frother Plus FrothXpress.
• Your ENA 9 will also use the Clearyl Blue filters compared to the Clearyl ENAs that the ENA 5 used.

As a single guy I don’t cook often. When I do it is usually to impress company or on dates.  I wanted to find something to impress the company I had coming over and came across the Pasta Partners Whole Wheat Classic Linguini with Oil.  I followed the recipe listed on the JL Hufford website and it turned out wonderful, she even asked for seconds!  I am not a great cook but the Oil gave me some leeway on my and made cooking the noodles very forgiving. It was healthy, tasty and made enough for left over’s for my lunch the next day.  I saw that JL Hufford had several flavors of Pasta Partners that I may have to use in meals later. I guess for now I am a one trick pony with this recipe but it is a good one!  

This morning I had one of JL Hufford flavored coffee’s of the months.  It was the Cappuccino Fudge flavoring.  I have been thoroughly impressed with JL Hufford’s flavored coffee variety and once again this Flavor did not disappoint. What’s really great about the coffees of the month deal is that you can get a really quality pound of coffee that normal would sell for $13.00 for $10. I love cappuccinos and this coffee tasted very similar to the espresso drinks I sometimes make. With a little milk this drink turned out wonderful  I can’t wait to try the Sugar Cookies and Chunky Money coffees of the month later this week!

Place meatballs in a large stock pot or crock pot.

Pour in the entire bottle of Ginger Pear Marinade and toss gently to coat the meat balls.

Cover and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, or until meatballs are soft and warm throughout and the marinade has thickened.

Serve hot.

Recipe Courtesy of A Perfect Pear®

I had a church outing with the entire college group. I watched it approach and procrastinated in deciding what I wanted to bring.  As days ticked off the items that needed to be brought were all taken.  I know as a single guy I was one of the least obligated to bring something but I like cooking and wanted to contribute something.  I looked online and found a Maggie & Mary's Bell Pepper & Garlic Cheeseball Mix that I could manage.  The recipe was very easy and turned out to be so wonderful.  I felt sheepish because the recipe turned out to be such a success while being very very easy to make.  I would suggest this recipe for anyone needing to contribute to a party as I know it will go over well.  I look forward to the next get to gather where I can get a change to bring another mix by Maggie and Mary’s.  

Today I wanted to make a milk shake but lacked the ice-cream and milk so I was already off to a bad start!  I looked through my cupboards and found a sample Chai packet that JL Hufford sent me as a promo.  It was a Chocolate Malt blended ice coffee by Big Train.  I do not really like coffee and so this did not sound like a good idea but the picture on the sample did look very appetizing so I broke down and made it.  After a little bit of blending I had a cool, frothy, very milkshake looking drink.  To my pleasant surprise I could not taste the coffee at all.  It reminded me of malt that you can get in some of the old fashioned soda shops.  It was so wonderful I immediately split mine with my wife and placed an order online.  I can’t wait till the 3.5bls bag arrives and I can share this tasty treat with my friends. 

I always wanted to find a good mixed drink that involved coffee and a little bit of liquor.  I am not a huge fan of Redbull so when I found this Torani recipe I could not wait to try it.  I have tried making traditional Irish coffee’s but none have ever turned out as tasty as this.  I would suggest this drink for a cozy fire or if you need a drink that will heat your hands and your soul!

1/2 oz. Torani Amaretto syrup
4 oz. milk
2 shots espresso

Steam milk and Torani together. Pour heated, flavored milk into a 6-oz. cup and add brewed espresso. Spoon a thin layer of foamed milk over top of beverage. If needed, 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee can be substituted for 2 shots of espresso.

Do like to personalize your favorite things? Did you know that you can also personalize your coffee? JL Hufford has Build Your Own Decaf Flavored, Espresso, Flavored Coffee or Blended Coffee. Now you can really personalize it however you’d like.  First you choose if you want a 1 pound or a 2 pound bag. Next decide how you would like it ground. Finally, you can choose 4 different flavors, if you wish, to create your own signature coffee! If you want to read about each specific flavor you can type the flavor name into the search box at the top of any webpage. Now, you are ready to create your own signature coffee!

Are you finding several different flavors of cider, hot chocolate, tea or coffee that you are wanting to try? Order one of the gift packs! You will be able to read about the flavors included in each gift pack to find the one that is perfect for you or for the cider, hot chocolate, tea or coffee lover on your list! For the one that is always on the go, you can pair the gift pack with a travel mug. If I give coffee, tea, hot chocolate or cider as a gift, I always pair it with a mug!  

 I was looking at purchasing a commercial blender and it came down to some hard choices between Vita-mix and Blendtec.  I wanted something powerful enough to make ice-cream or sorbet. Specifically I was looking between a Vita Prep 3 and some accessories and a Smother Q 15 amp with 96oz and 64 oz jars.  I know there is quite a price jump between the 2 but I figured in the accessories  if I opted for the Vita Prep 3 making the purchase a little closer ($199( Whisper Blend Sound Enclosure)+ $485(Vita Prep 3) +104.99( an extra Jar)  = $788.99 vs.  $879(Smoother Q 15). End the end I went for the Smoother Q 15 amp and here is why.  The Smoother Q has a more powerful motor reducing the chance of bogging down its motor.  I also really liked the fact that if I wanted to I could reprogram this machine picking between 30 potential settings.  Finally the Wildside Jar offered with this combo really sweetened the deal as it is advertised to help in making smooth consistent recipes, more so then the 64oz jars.  I am very happy with my purchase would suggest either of these machines given this scenario.

This summer I have turned into what you could call a bookworm. After work, I will go home make a simple dinner and snuggle up in my favorite chair with a cup of frozen hot chocolate and read the latest book I’ve picked up from the library. I have been putting my frozen hot chocolate into one of the many plastic promotional cups, I have acquired from the restaurants in West Lafayette. Last week, I finally decided to put end to that madness, since sometimes it will completely melt before I get a chance to a sip of it. I grabbed a set of the Bodum Pavina Double Wall Glass Set and let me tell you, it really made a difference! It keeps my frozen hot chocolate colder and the glass doesn’t sweat like my plastic ones did! This was the perfect addition to my collection. Now I will just have to keep them hidden so my roommates will not break them without me knowing. 

I love pasta salad and have been eyeing the Pasta Partners Hawaiian Pasta Salad. I finally decided to try it. Boy am I glad that I did! It was the perfect blend of flavors, that I would have never thought to do! Here is what you will need:

Pasta  Partners Hawaiian Pasta Salad Mix
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced (optional)
1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 11 oz can mandarin orange slices, drained
1 small red onion, diced
2 small avocados, diced
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar

Directions

Heat 4 quarts water to boiling. Stir in pasta and return to boil. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes. Do not overcook – pasta should be quite firm for salads. Rinse with cold water until cool. Mix spice packet with olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl or shaker with a tight fitting lid. Shake until well blended. Pour dressing over pasta, fruit, onion and avocados. Toss and chill for at least 1 hour.

Serves 8 people.

 Now, I am not a huge avocado fan, but this combination worked for me. I also did not use 2 cups of chicken. It also does come with the small bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I paired this with some of my apple sage pork chops. This was the perfect dinner! 

My roommate and I are big flavored coffee fans.  We have tried a plethora of flavors and when we stumbled upon Blond Bombshell at JL Hufford, adequately name, this flavor rocked our worlds .  The combo could not have been more perfect for our immediate needs.  A mixture of French Vanilla and Turtle Sundae, this flavored coffee hit the spot this morning.  It was strong, like a good cup of French Vanilla, and sweet from the very flavorful Turtle Sundae.  I have found from my experience, there seems to be a scale of “flavor vs. coffee taste” and this combo would fair on the coffee taste end.  I found it unnecessary to add flavor to it but I am not a big fan of liquid flavoring. I think that this would be a big hit at your next breakfast!

I was given a Jura Capresso MT600 as a gift a few weeks ago.  I love the coffee maker and wanted to maximize the great coffee that it brews so I started looking for a grinder to invest in.  My budget was around $100 and I do not care for espresso so I looked for something that had some grind customization and possibly a doser.  Within in this specification I found the Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder and the Bodum Bistro electric coffee grinder. The Infinity Burr grinder does not technically have a doser but has a tight fitting ground coffee container (holds up to 4 oz. of ground coffee) and see through bean container that holds up to 8.8 oz. of beans.  This is extremely practical for me as I often will brew 1-2 pots a day each using 2-2.5 ounces of coffee.  It really keeps my counters clean and my coffee fresh.  This combination is something I would suggest for those looking for a superb coffee grinder.  All of my wife’s kitchen appliances are stainless, so although I hate to clean them this grinder is also offered in stainless steel.

Have you not been able to find the answers to the coffee and espresso general questions that you have? Are you having problems frothing your milk, finding the perfect espresso grinder, or the right espresso blend? You can stop searching! JL Hufford has a knowledge base that is full of articles that will answer your questions! You will learn more about coffee than you thought there was to it! From how to cup the coffee to choosing the right coffee for the party that you are hosting or how to brew Turkish coffee! You can now rest assured that you will be able to find an answer for the question that has been brewing in your mind for the past few hours or days! 

JL HUFFORD has a wide selection of  somewhat used equipment . These products are still well-maintained and repaired. From what I understand some of the coffee makers are actually refurbished by the manufacturer, and some are simply returned after they were used a few times. Either way there is a nice selection of used machinery that we have been able to pick up for our small coffee shop. Occasionally, someone will ask me to find them an espresso machine for a friend or for their workplace. Most items still have warranties!  I can either refer them to the JL HUFFORD site, or purchase the items for them. In any case, I have been very satisfied with all the quality units at this site, their customer service, and above all the decent pricing they provide.

I work in a climate controlled office. The lab is typically kept very cold, as the equipment we use in the genetic testing generates an enormous amount of heat. Also we have chemicals the could potentially harm my lab assistants if they were to ingest them. They work a very rigorous schedule and we allow them to bring minimal amount of beverages into the lab. One gal had a tea maker that her mother bought her for a birthday gift. I discovered that JL HUFFORD sold these items. I submitted a PO for our department to purchase a set of these. They are durable,  smart, and well made – like our lab assistants.

As a kid it was always my task to peel the potatoes for dinner.  I never had the dexterity or caution to use a sharp knife like my mother could so delicately wield so I had to use a peeler.  Kuhn Rikon sells the same Swiss Peeler that I used as a kid.  Currently they offer it at JL Hufford in 7 colors.  With a Carbon steel blade it stays sharp even with frequent use.  @ 3.50 each the Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peeler makes this utensil a handy and inexpensive purchase.   This peeler is not limited to potatoes but can be used to shave sheer, cut, trim, skin, and shed loads of fruits vegetables and cheeses.

I needed a new GOLD TONE filter for my coffee maker. The one we had was knocked into a skillet of fried chicken.  Even though these filters are well made and can withstand the dishwasher and high heat; the temperature of the pan was sufficient to warp the plastic of the filter. The filter didn’t burn up and could probably be used for something, but it never fit into our coffee maker quite right. We found a replacement filter on the JLHUFFORD website. Since we order coffee from them anyway, we saved on shipping with our next batch of coffee. They have really great coffee varieties and shipping rates.

During the day I run a small coffee shop that serves sandwiches. In order to keep our offerings consistent and fresh, we ask the workers to slice the meats and cheeses daily, sometimes right to order when customers select their specialty sandwich. I order a lot of products from JLHUFFORD for my site, that when I noticed a quality, low cost slicer, it gave me the idea we could really make a difference in taste consistency and drop overhead a tiny bit.

Are you trying to find the perfect Tortilla Soup to make in your Blendtec blender? You can stop your searching! I have found the perfect one from you and it comes from Blendtec directly! Here it is:

Tortilla Soup

Published 01/23/2006

• 3 roma tomatoes, halved
• ½ large carrot, peeled
• ¼ ripe avocado, peeled
• 2 - ½" x ½" cubes jalapeño jack cheese or sharp cheddar, optional
• 2 layers of quartered onion, approx. 2 Tbsp
• 4 sprigs of cilantro
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 cups hot water
• Optional add-ins: Tortilla chips, black beans, corn or chicken

Add all ingredients except for chips, beans, corn and chicken to the WildSide or Basic pitcher in the order listed above and secure lid. Press "Soups". Add other optional ingredients press "Pulse" 3-5 times to blend in chips, beans, corn or chicken to create a chunky soup.

As a kid I remember on hot coco and smores by the fire. I have never seen this conundrum before. It would be similar to calling food at state fairs healthy.  Euphoniously titled I know you cannot have something frozen hot but I have always liked hot chocolate and having it as a frozen drink did not disappoint.  To be honest it would it takes more like a chocolate milk shake but it was still fantastic. Cheap and simple and coffee free, Big Trains Frozen Hot Chocolate makes a great simple treat. These are sold 3.5lbs bulk bags as well!

During the summer months, my kids and their friends are increasingly busy around the neighborhood. So far they opened a car wash, a neighborhood  water park (consisting of a slip-n-slide & a sprinkler),  a sno-cone  franchise, a fitness center-spa,  and a coffee bar.  These kids are fun to watch and it seems they each have a specialty -talent that gives them the creativeness to come up with these activities. The girls that live across the street bring over their gadgets for these endeavors.  For the coffee bar they had a several boxes of flavorings and powders. I was reluctant to let them plug stuff in, or grind the coffee without supervision. Steaming or frothing the milk was also a big safety “redflag” but the girls assured me it was safe. They had a gadget that frothed the milk without power. I was so fascinated; I called the girls’ parents to ask where this item could be purchased. JLHUFFORD had this clever item for a fair price. It made a wonderful addition to the coffee bar, and I bought one for our camper.

Vita-Mix’s Vita Prep 3 is a very popular item with our home users. Why? They love having the added assurance of a 3 horsepower motor and they also know that it will be able to tackle any job since it was designed for a commercial kitchen.  At $485, this machine comes with a tamper, 54 page recipe manual, a 3 year warranty through Vita-Mix and a mail in rebate for a FREE case of Big Train Blended Ice Coffee! Like all Vita-Mix units, this one also comes standard with a wet blade. If you are rarely going to be doing dry chopping or grinding, you can use the wet blade, but only do a cup of dry ingredients at a time. If you are going to be doing dry chopping or grinding quite a bit with this unit, we recommend that you also purchase a dry blade assembly. Where can you find a Vita Prep 3 being used?  You won’t have to look to far, just change your television over to the Food Network and watch an episode of Iron Chef America. The blenders that they use are the Vita Prep 3’s. Now they have the old design, and recently Vita-Mix decided to update the look of a few of their units and the Vita Prep 3 was one of them. The Vita Prep 3 is the perfect blender for any setting.

                                                                      Vs                                                            One of my coworkers brought in a Starbucks Java chip Frappuccino. It looked so decadent and appetizing it made me really wish for one but I did not want to spend the 5 bucks to buy it.  I have checked around and the best comparison I can find is from the Big Train brand.  If you own a blender and some ice, @ $1 a packet this would be some substantial savings over buying these from Starbucks.  I love these things and know that if I invested into a large quaintly I could save some money so I was very happy to see that JLHufford.com sold these guys in 3.5lbs bags.  These 3.5 lbs bags are $20 and they make 38 drinks of eight ounce each! That’s a potential savings of $150!   

There are times when buying a gift can be difficult. However, I recently found a most perfect wedding gift for a co-worker. JLHUFFORD has lovely gifts for all number of events and occasions. The Chef's Choice WafflePro Taste/Texture Select "Five of Hearts" looked like a quality item, and the hearts motif was  quite a clever fit. Tiffany uses this maker for her church breakfasts and for Saturday morning treats for her sisters when she hosts a brunch at her home. Perhaps she uses a perfect waffle mix, but I really think her HEARTS come out PERECT. She makes the toppings from scratch from fruits she grows in her garden.  She is an amazing woman, with an amazing WAFFLE IRON!