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.

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!

Recently, the CBS Early Show featured gear guru Paul Hochman talking about how more families are choosing camping vacations over more pricey visits to expensive resorts this summer.

There’s nothing like waking up in the wild on a chilly morning and greeting the day with a cup of hot coffee!  Green Mountain Coffee’s coffee experts are outdoor enthusiasts and never without their daily cup, so I polled them for their recommended methods for brewing coffee tentside. 

Ed just returned from a car camping trip up & down the East Coast.  He picked up micro-roasts from boutique coffee shops along the way and brewed them up with a hand-grinder and an insulated French press.

Don prefers the Mocha Pot, a dual chamber “stove-top” espresso maker.  A standard for homes in Italy, this is ideal for camping as it makes a concentrated cup with little heat and water.  Perfect for Don’s canoe and backpack camping excursions!

Lindsey also uses a French press, made of thermal stainless steel so it won’t break during her hard core adventures.  Inside the press, she stores a bag with enough ground coffee to last a few days. 

Winston also likes the French press and pre-ground coffee for his Adirondack adventures.  Even easier, he says, is the Chemex brewer, or the Toddy cold brewer.  With the Toddy you make up a concentrate in advance, and add water when ready to drink.  It can be served cold or heated on the stove for a hot cup.

Deb clued me in to the convenient Mini Minit.  These biodegradable filters are perfect for making one cup of coffee or tea at a time.

Many of us have a story about how they were first introduced to their beloved Keurig brewer.   My story starts when I was about 22 (wow, 6 years ago!).  I arrived at my dad's house and to my surprise I found a very strange device taking up space on his kitchen counter top.  He explained to me that it was the latest and greatest in coffee makers and that it was going to change the face of morning coffee routines around the world (I'd say he was excited).  I just had to try it out.  I popped a k-cup in the brewer,  pushed the button and waited for my first ever freshly brewed cup of coffee from a Keurig brewer. 

 Well, that's my story.  What's yours?

Love your Keurig Single-Cup Brewer? Know someone who might love it too? Share your love of the Keurig Single-Cup Brewing System and receive FREE coffee!