They're here: the dog days of summer. If you're like me, you're craving fall (and Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice K-Cup® packs) like crazy. But we're not quite there. These last few weeks of summer's warmth and late sunsets are just the time to savor Green Mountain Coffee's Brew Over Ice flavors.

Around our house, we adore all the Brew Over Ice choices, from Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee to Strawberry Pomegranate Vitamin Burst™, but we decided to harness the inherent dessert qualities of Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee to make one last summery treat - Brew Over Ice Hazelnut and Cream Ice Pops! Just a few simple ingredients and one press of your Keurig® brewer's button will have you on the way to an indulgent sweet treat that's easy too. We love this novel approach to "iced" coffee. I can see making many more ice pops this way with all the Brew Over Ice flavors! I used my Zoku Pop Maker to create these ice pops, but you can use any ice pop mold you like. It'll just take longer to freeze each layer.

 

 

Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut & Cream Ice Pops

makes 4 ice pops

Ingredients

6 oz Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 oz Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Vanilla Creamer

Directions

Brew one 6 oz cup of Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee in your Keurig® brewer. Pour the cup into a small saucepan and add sugar.

Stir the coffee-sugar mixture frequently over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Pour the coffee back into a ceramic mug and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the coffee to cool completely before you make the ice pops. When the coffee is cool, use a measuring cup or funnel to pour coffee into each pop mold about 1/3 of the way up.

Place in the freezer and allow to freeze completely before starting the next layer.

When the first layer is frozen, repeat this step with Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamer, pouring it on top of the first layer, another 1/3 of the way up the pop mold. Place back in the freezer and allow to freeze completely.

Once the second layer is frozen, finish with another coffee layer.

If you'd rather have ice pops in a hurry, and don't care about the striped look, simply mix the coffee and creamer together and freeze all at once.

I often get asked by my family and friends, “Where can I get K-Cup® coupons?” or “How can I save money on my K-Cup® packs?” I drink a lot of coffee, so I found out awhile back that one of the best ways to save on K-Cup® packs is through our Café Express® Savings Club.  As a club member, every time you shop at Green Mountain Coffee® you’ll get great savings (15% off!)on Keurig® K-Cup® and Vue™ packs, bagged coffee, gifts, coffee makers & coffee accessories.

I shared this with the family and they were thrilled, especially Uncle Morty!  I’ll admit: To stop the “Where can I get K-Cup® coupons,” question, I’ve given Café Express® Savings Club memberships to my family and friends during the holidays.  It’s a special way to treat every coffee lover on my list throughout the year (and get major brownie points).

If you just want to purchase a few K-Cup® packs and save money with a coffee coupon, take a look at the Coffee Coupon Page or the Deal of the Week Page.  There are new deals every week, so check back often!

When it comes to holiday gifts, there are two schools of thought. Some people love surprises while others take a “wish list” approach. Either way, you want to make sure your presents are perfect. And we’re here to help.

Our team’s pulled together a great online holiday shopping guides that we hope will help you find the right gift for everyone on your list – holiday gift baskets for far away friends, artisan chocolates for the teacher with a sweet tooth, and Keurig® Single Cup Coffee Makers for just about anyone! With our carefully curated collection of gift ideas and stocking stuffers, you’ll find everything you need in record time.  Here are some of our favorites:

For Him:

We’ll admit it: Shopping for men can be tricky. Sometimes you find the perfect gift, only to learn he has already bought it for himself! That is less likely to happen with our unique selection of coffee mugs, rugged gear and high-tech single-cup coffee makers. If he’s particularly adventurous, our Coffee Tours are a great way to discover a new favorite coffee, and make a wonderful gift for coffee lovers who like to try new things. If your young man is still in college, the popular Keurig® Mini Plus has free shipping and is a must for all-night study sessions and early-morning classes.

For Her:

Whether she’s your mom or daughter, sweetheart or friend, treat her to something special from our collection of Gift ideas for Her. Chocolate is always a hit, and several of our offerings will fit easily into her holiday stocking. Encourage her to take a moment for herself with a handcrafted mug, or give her a few extra minutes with the convenience of a Cuisinart® Keurig® Single Cup Coffee Maker. If she likes to entertain, make it easy with our Keurig® K-Cup Carousel or Hot Cocoa K-Cup® Pack Gift.

For the Office:

A gift from our office collection is a perfect way to say “thank you” to everyone who has shared in your business success throughout the year. Chocolate dipped shortbread and biscotti make coffee breaks even sweeter! Thermal mugs keep desk-top coffee warm all morning long. Of course, the best gifts are large enough to share with everyone in the office, so choose from our wide assortment of gift baskets with plenty to go around.

For Everyone:

If time is what you want to give, consider a membership to our Café EXPRESS Coffee Club. Create an account and we’ll send bagged coffee or K-Cup® packs automatically to the address of your choice. They’ll never run out again! Treat your loved one to a coffee and beverage service with the gift of club membership. Send four or more boxes of K-Cup® packs and the shipping will be FREE.

With these ideas by your side, we hope your holiday shopping will be easy as pie!

We're about two weeks into the Revelation to Action competition and the entries are starting to roll in! The online competition is looking for ideas that strengthen local communities in New England and New York. So far we've got 16 entries and 13 nominations!

Today, we're highlighting one of the online competition's most read ideas last week - this one from Rhode Island.

Meet ecoRI, Inc from Rhode Island, about Rhode Island:

Their mission is " to investigate issues and write stories that will catalyze positive environmental change in Rhode Island. The nonprofit journalistic initiative is devoted to educating Rhode Island policy makers and the public about the causes, consequences and solutions to local environmental issues.

According to their entry, "no other state features an online news organization that is solely dedicated to local, independent and investigative environmental journalism. ecoRI.org doesn't have links to stories written by other sources and posted on other Web sites, and the stories, opinions and videos are written and produced by Rhode Island people about topics that matter to Rhode Islanders."

Rhode Islanders, what do you think? Let us know your thoughts below or discuss their idea on the Revelation to Action competition site.

Know another organization that is working to strengthen your community? Nominate them! If an organization you nominate wins, you win a Keurig B60 Single-Cup Brewer (just for nominating!!).

We're also holding re-tweet competitions every Friday during the competition, with a chance to win free coffee. Follow Changemakers and GreenMtnCoffee on Twitter for more information. You can also check out last week's Coffee Break video for more information.

For all prize and competition information, head to the Eligibility, Criteria and Prizes section on the Revelation to Action competition homepage.

Earlier this week, a photo entered our Customer Service e-mail in-box that caused more than a few sappy smiles around the office: An image of an elegantly decorated three-tier wedding cake, complete with roses and cake topper.

A wedding cake – or was it?

Upon further inspection (and a few, “Do you see what I see?” conversations), the wedding cake was revealed to be – get this – made of Green Mountain Coffee K-Cups. 15 different varieties, to be exact.

I could tell you the story behind this show of K-Cup love, but I think one of the architects of this no-sot-edible-but-oh-so-brewable confection says it best.  Take it, Alice:

“My sister’s son is getting married on November 7, 2009.  He and his fiancé received a Keurig coffee maker at her bridal shower.  My sister and I also own Keurig makers and LOVE them.  We also love the flavors of coffee that Green Mountain has to offer.

 

So, my sister, who doesn’t have one crafty bone in her body, decided that it would be a cool idea to make a “coffee cake” to surprise them with at the reception.  But, because she didn’t know how to start, she brought me in on the project to be the “cake boss”.  We used a plastic cake stand and started out with about 15 different flavors of coffees in white cups. […]

 

We had the best time making it and thought that Green Mountain Coffee would enjoy our craftiness with their product.  And, I am sure the bride will be enjoying coffee while she dismantles it!!”

We send our best wishes to the happy couple!  May your days be caffeinated and full of wonderful revelations!

Happy brewing!

-Kristen

We have just reached a wonderful milestone:  100,000 active Cafe EXPRESS members!  Hooray!  At roughly 11am EST on Monday, November 3rd we received a phone call from Miriam Crump of San Angelo, Texas.  Miriam, who absolutely loves her Keurig brewer, decided to get her K-Cups through Cafe EXPRESS.  And with this decision, our Cafe EXPRESS active membership totalled 100,000 for the very first time.  And it continues to grow.

I called and emailed Miriam to ask her why she signed up for Cafe EXPRESS.  She said its because of how much she likes her brewer.  Here's her email reply:

I would like to tell you the story of how I fell in love with the Keurig coffee maker and how I got one of my own.  While on vacation in New York I stayed with a friend who had the Keurig coffee maker.  My husband, daughter and myself were there and we all were very impressed.  It is nice because we all like different hot drinks.  My husband likes regular coffee, I like flavored coffees and my daughter likes flavored teas and hot chocolate.  With the Keurig you make one cup/mug at a time.  It is always hot with great flavor.  There is no coffee grinds or mess involved with the Keurig.  There are a great many choices of regular coffees, flavored coffees as well as all different kinds of teas.  When we came home my daughter asked what I wanted for Christmas.  I told her a Keurig coffee maker.  So I got one for Christmas and we have all been enjoying it ever since.  Thanks for reading my story.  Hope you enjoy!!    Miriam R. Crump
 

Rock on, Miriam!  And welcome to Cafe EXPRESS -- we hope you and your fellow 100,207  members (as of 5:38pm Nov 4th) stay with us for a long time!