I Love My Aerogarden

I love fresh herbs.  I wish it was sunny in Boston year round so I could plant them.  In the past, I've had good luck growing basil in little pots outside of my apartment, but once winter rolled around, forget it.  So I bought an Aerogarden.  Now we have fresh herbs year round!  I "planted" my first garden back in August and it lasted about 4 months. Well, except for the basil.  I still have that one growing away in a cup next to the garden.   I check the gargen every day to see how it's doing. In my last garden, I grew fresh basil, dill, thyme, oregano, and mint.  Currently, I'm growing cilantro, mint, oregano, marjoram, chives and parsley.  The cilantro really took off!

Fresh herbs make all the difference in cooking.  Making some pasta?  Throw in some fresh oregano or dill.  Want a mojito?  You've got your mint!  Which reminds me, my husband makes kick-a$$ mojitos...but I digress.  I find myself purposely planning my foods around what fresh herb I'd like to use that day. 

Next up on my list to grow are salad greens.  I'd also like to attempt to grow tomatoes.  And the newest addition to the Aerogarden store is Fresh Tea!  I also want to grow flowers, or perhaps some lavender....maybe I need more than one Aerogarden (hint, hint)!

Overall, I do love my Aerogarden, but sometimes the yield isn't too high.  My basil and dill are flourishing, but the chives completely jumped ship very early on.  I was able to harvest them once.  The thyme and oregano are slightly finicky, but usually you only need a little in a recipe.  I give my Aerogarden a solid A!

Nespresso

My friend Jen introduced us to this fine gadget.  My husband and I knew we had to have one!  We have the Nespresso Essenza with the Aeroccino automatic milk frother.  Sure, it's a bit pricey, but not anywhere near as expensive as making a Starbucks run on a daily basis. 

There are a few drawbacks.  It only uses Nespresso pods, which can only be bought on their website, on Ebay, or at one of their boutique stores.  There's a store on Newbury St. here in Boston and when we first bought the machine, I went there and purchased their starter kit.  It comes with a lot of coffee, but at no small price!  Each capsule ranges in price from .55 to .62 cents each.  Often there are specialty flavors that come out and they sell out quickly.   The starter also came with a capsule presentation case.

The milk frother is a fun attachment for making lattes and cappuccinos, but it makes a small amount at a time.  You have to wash it out in between uses as the milk tends to burn on bottom.  So it wouldn't work well with a large crowd.  I think since we purchased ours Nespresso came out with a larger one.

Either way, having worked at Starbucks, I know my way around an Espresso machine and can whip up a caramel macchiato in no time!  Macchiato actually means "marked", and in this case, it means to "mark the foam."  Your shot of coffee should be poured over the already steamed milk.

Jenny's Caramel Macchiato

In a mug, measure out some vanilla syrup to your liking.  I usually use about 1 TBLS, but I don't like mine too sweet.  Pour in your steamed milk.  No need for anything fancy, you can heat up a little milk in a saucepan.  Brew your espresso shot and pour it over your milk.  Top with caramel sauce and voila!