Starbucks Delivers?

Not exactly. But they may as well. I don't know about you, but I don't like to heat up cold coffee. But I don't want to waste it, either. And I'm not like my parents - they always end up with the exact amount of coffee needed. We end up with extra.

So here are some ways I've begun to use cold coffee, saving time and money and calories.

- Iced coffee. This is so easy! Just add some milk and ice. If I have flavored creamer, I'll add a dash of that, too. But you could rummage through your spice cabinet and use vanilla, orange, coconut, rum, peppermint or maple extracts. (Can't quite get my brain around lemon-flavored coffee!) Or for the price of a couple of cups of coffee at Starbucks, you could pick up flavored syrups there or elsewhere.

- Frappuccinos. If I'm feeling more energetic, I'll put some coffee, milk, ice and a little creamer into my blender. Voila - a cold, icy coffee treat. And I can get lowfat and decaf at the same time - not available at Starbucks. Just a little Starbucks trivia. Isn't is sad that I know that?

We offer to take our foster girls out for coffee or a coke just to have individual time with each one, should they want it. Some of them are in it just for the drinks, I think, but we're building relationships with them. And who knows, maybe a teachable moment might turn up! So that's why I'm overly familiar with Starbucks. :) But I digress ...

- Coffee ice cubes. I haven't done this yet, but I want to. I need to get a designated ice cube tray first, though. I'm sitting here looking at the last few drops of my iced coffee diluted with regular ice. With coffee ice, that wouldn't happen.

So treat yourself to some fun drinks this summer - custom-made to your own palate, without the hassle of leaving home, without the high prices, and using up coffee you might otherwise throw out! Can it get any better than that!?!

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