Coffee is not just for drinkin'!

Coffee! Coffeee! Coffeeeeeee!

Wow, do I ever LOVE coffee! (Bet you couldn’t tell that from the name of this blog ;) ). Not only is coffee just one heck of an awesome beverage but it is versatile, too. There are many ways you can drink coffee (such as from a cup or a mug or a thermos. You can even drink it hot OR cold) and many things you can do with the grounds afterwards.  Sipping a steamy cup of creamy coffee comforts you when you’re sad, warms you when cold, and is the center of laughter with your friends. When the pot has been brewed and the coffee has been enjoyed, why do we just throw away the grounds and not use the coffee to its fullest potential?

Here are some other uses for such a fantastic little piece of heaven.

Indoors

1.       Baking – I have yet to try this but it is going to happen soon! Instead of using water for your cookies or brownies (I use milk instead of water anyway), use the same amount of brewed coffee.

  

1.     2.   Marinade or Rub – Marinate your steak for about 30 minutes in brewed coffee or use the grounds as a rub for the meat. 

1.         3.  Odors – I’ve always been taught to have a box of Baking Soda in the refrigerator to absorb all those yucky smells. They all (well, except for the lunch meat that’s buried in the very back) smell good on their own, but when you add them ALL together? Gross. So, nix the age-old tradition of baking soda and try a small container of coffee grounds. 

4. Body Scrub – The grounds exfoliate the skin and leave it feeling fresh, soft, and rejuvenated. I’ve done this from time to time but make sure you use a screen (or something like cheese cloth) to catch the grounds. Otherwise they will clog your drain. I’ve heard of a number of spas and salons using this technique to help fight cellulite and “waken” up your sleepy skin. Why buy ALL this stuff??

  

Outdoors

5.  Fertilizer – Have acid-loving plants such as blueberry plants, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, or creeping phlox’s? If you do, this can help add acid to the soil and allowing your garden to flourish and make your neighbors green with envy. Save your coffee grounds (perhaps store them in a nifty container you have left from your last can) and sprinkle them on the soil around your garden.

6. Oh, wait a minute. What’s this? Something for the men (and women, of course) – FISHING! – Apparently worms like coffee as much as we do. All ya gotta do is drop those creepy lil buggers into a container with coffee grounds and then hit the lake. Be careful though. Have you ever tried to bait a hook with a worm? They are crazy wiggly anyway but now they have a caffeine buzz!  

(Let’s hope your worms don’t make this face when you take them out! Yikes.) 

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