Delicious Pairings by Collective Bias

CONTENTS Time is on My Side: A 2013 Resolution My New Year’s Resolution: More …‘Us’ Time Delicious Pairings Perfect for “Me” Time My New French Press Creating Family Time My Hectic Morning Made Easy Girlfriends, Coffee and Baked Delights Starbucks Blonde Veranda and Walmart Baked Goods Walmart Bakery Lemon Loaf and Starbucks Willow Blend! Girlfriends’ Afternoon Tasting With Starbucks and Walmart Lemon Cake and Raspberry Coulis Recipes A Sunny Afternoon Tasting Play Date Delicious Pairings Pre-Football Party Football Party Breakfast Our Romantic Dinner & Coffee A Mini Staycation Quick Breakfast Options Delicious Pairings with Starbucks National Craft Month with Walmart and Starbucks Coffee Time Kitchen Wall Art Crafting a Starbucks Banner How to Upcycle a Starbucks Coffee Bag into a Bracelet A Whole New Level of Awesome Happy National Poetry Month! National Poetry Month

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Tammilee Tillison Rebecca E. Parsons, cre8tiva@gmail.com Collective Bias

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Misty Mathews

Time is on My Side: A 2013 Resolution When I started thinking of resolutions and goals for 2013, the idea that stood out most in my mind was managing my time more wisely. Something I did this past week that I hope will help give us a start on better household management was a big grocery shopping trip, including stopping in at Sam’s Club to pick up some bulk meats, a big tub of yogurt, some snacks for Noah and some coffee, which we seem to be blazing through at record speed these days. These items should last us at least two weeks, which means that the hours (yes, hours) I usually spend grocery shopping on the weekends will be cut in half. I was especially pleased to find out that Sam’s Club was currently carrying Starbucks Holiday Blend coffee. It was only $16.98 for a 28-oz. bag, which is a fantastic deal for Starbucks coffee and made it a better fit for our budget, which is another of the new goals I’ll be talking about in another post soon. Bobby and I both love Starbucks coffee, but we’ve been brewing more at home to help save money, so finding a good deal on a bag of Starbucks coffee is a win-win. I snagged some of the Artisan Fresh cinnamon rolls Sam’s carries in its bakery section to have for a New Year’s Day breakfast. To me, this really illustrated that taking time to better manage time pays off, because I was able to whip up a nice breakfast for our friends without being stressed, and we had a great morning together to kick off the new year.

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Leanne Heilman

My New Year’s Resolution: More …‘Us’ Time As coffee-loving Seattleites, it’s probably not surprising that we’re fans of Starbucks, but what would probably surprise you is that we’re almost entirely brand loyal. Yes, I realize Seattle has a coffee house or mocha box on every corner, but it was Starbucks that originally made coffee drinkers out of us after our daughter was born and now it is our tradition for our mini “dates”. So, to get in the spirit of celebrating 2013 as the year of our mini dates, we recently went to Walmart to pick up some of the Starbucks Coffee Holiday Blend. The trip had two purposes: 1) to try the Holiday Blend which we had heard was amazing and 2) to start to brew some Starbucks here at home for when our mini dates happen when the kiddos are napping upstairs and we’re housebound. Since we had already grabbed the Starbucks Holiday Blend coffee, we just had to figure out what we wanted with it, and we quickly figured it out – The Bakery at Walmart cinnamon rolls with white icing. I thought it fitting that we should get a start on our resolution on the first day of the year by curling up by the fire with coffee and cinnamon rolls. Not only was it a fun end to the hectic holiday season, it gave us the perfect time to reflect on the year ahead.

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Mellisa Rock

Delicious Pairings You know why mornings are so hard to deal with? It’s not that I have 4 kids. I have become immune to the chaos. I have become immune to the endless bickering. I have become immune to the fights over what they will or will not wear. No, it’s the fact that I am trying to get so many things done before 7:45 on an empty stomach. The more I thought about it, the more I focused on my coffee and cinnamon roll. I thought about how good it felt to nourish my body and mind with a little time, food and caffeine. My resolution: Wake up 30 minutes before the kids and have breakfast with Hubby. I know that we will be better equipped to take care of our family’s needs if we take care of ourselves too. Plus the added benefit of spending a few minutes in blissful silence couldn’t hurt. Want to join in with me on this resolution? We don’t have a Starbucks in our area so I don’t drink it unless I brew at home as it’s not something that I get to drink all the time like you lucky dogs! It’s delicious. I think it has a much darker and richer taste than any other coffee that I have bought. Did you know that the Holiday Blend has complimentary notes of ginger, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and cloves? Hubby and I both loved the combination of freshly baked goods with awesomely bitter/sweet coffee!

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Melanie East

Afternoon Coffee Party Afternoon breaks conjure thoughts of reading quietly in a chair for a bit of “me time”. But I want to include my daughter in this afternoon break time.

So how about an afternoon tea/coffee party? I cannot express how thrilled my daughter was over our time spent together. I let her dress up in her fancy clothes, and she showered me with hugs and kisses. Here’s my advice on what to serve! Milk for the little ones. Turtle Brownies or Cream Cheese Brownies from The Bakery at Walmart; and Starbucks Caffe Verona Coffee purchased from Walmart. In spite of enjoying Starbucks breaks at their retail stores, I had never brewed Starbucks coffee at home. Brewing the coffee at home was so easy, and my house actually smelled like Starbucks! While the coffee alone was good, the Turtle Brownies from The Bakery at Walmart only made the coffee better. The milk chocolate taste from the brownies complemented the coffee so well. The flavors in the coffee were actually intensified by the ingredients in the Turtle Brownies. These two items make for a truly delicious pairing perfect for an afternoon party!

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Heather Smith

Perfect for “Me” Time I love Starbucks coffee and I especially enjoy it at home where I can brew it just the way I like it. So it’s no wonder the Starbucks display in the Wal-Mart Bakery caught my eye. One of the features of the display that I appreciated was the notes on complementary flavors to go with the different roasts. I decided to try my hand at a new blend and chose the Caffé Verona. The scent that drifted from the bag was almost irresistible so I knew I was in for a treat when I got home. Now it was time to choose a treat to pair it with. After much deliberation I made my choice, finished my shopping and headed home with sweet anticipation of a fabulous chocolate pairing. I have to tell you… I was not disappointed in the least. The rich full bodied flavor from the coffee sent a wave of relaxation through my body as I let out a contented sigh. The brownie was denser than I make at home, but it was not overly chewy or crunchy. The fudge frosting is what made it for me, though. This “me time” I was enjoying is actually a rare occurrence in my house. As much as I love every single one of my children, taking a few minutes for yourself every once in a while is a must. The pairing of Starbucks and a sweet treat from the Wal-Mart bakery is perfect for “me time’’.

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April Liewer

My New French Press Some of you saw my new love on Instagram: the Starbucks French Press that I bought myself for 50% off at their after Christmas sale! Gracias Starbucks. One of the perks for living in the US is getting to go to Starbucks, but one of the drawbacks of being a missionary recently moved back to the US is that I do not have $ to go to Bux all the time… so I thought that the French Press was the perfect solution. Not only do I get to have me some Starbucks, but this coffee press is gorgeous. Then I found out that Starbucks ground coffee is sold at Walmart in the bakery section. Score! So I grabbed a bag of Caffe Verona dark blend because I love me some serious coffee. Listed right under the different roast strengths Starbucks tells you what each coffee pairs well with. The Delicious Pairings guide states that milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramelized sugar compliment dark roast coffees well. In no way, shape, or form do these things complement my new year’s resolution to get fit and healthy and fit into a bridesmaid’s dress in May… but sometimes momma needs an afternoon break. So I bought me some Turtle Brownies at Walmart too. I do not know about you, but I like a little cream in my coffee… and a lot of sugar. But since I am trying to eat healthy I ditched the sugar. I was kinda iffy about that decision, but in the end I was stoked. The brownie had just the right sweetness and the coffee balanced it out well. They were both strong tastes, but they really were a delicious pairing.

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Marybeth Hamilton

Creating Family Time Starting last fall, weekday mornings at our house became crazy. We started preschool. My husband’s schedule changed so he was home on Mondays. In the back of my mind, I always know the key to a more peaceful morning is preparation. There’s no better start to a day than a good breakfast, and I really wanted my enjoyable morning time with my kids. What better way to do that than with a delicious breakfast treat to share and a cup of coffee for mom? The afternoon before our planned breakfast, I took a trip to Walmart to get the coffee and our breakfast. For this shopping trip, I was buying Starbucks Medium House Blend coffee. That coffee pairs best with nut, apple and blueberry flavors. Because of that, I picked up a delicious-looking pack of Banana Nut Muffins from The Bakery at Walmart. Then I put the suggested “Delicious Pairing” to the test. I wanted to see if the coffee tasted different when I had it with the muffin. I tried a bite of a banana nut muffin (which was fantastic–almost like cake!), then had some more coffee. I thought the coffee might taste more sour or bland given how sweet the muffin was, but I was wrong. The muffin actually gave the coffee a fuller, nuttier flavor and I detected a hint of apple-like sweetness in the sip following the muffin.

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Anna-Leigh McClelland

My Hectic Morning Made Easy Generally speaking, mornings around here are easy going. My man gets up before the crack of dawn to go to work. The little one and I start to stir not long after the sun starts to rise, and my mom usually gets going shortly after that. Getting me, my little and my mom going and out the door would take some doing. So I knew that having something easy for breakfast this week was a must! I headed out last weekend to do some shopping at Walmart for this week, and decided to check out their bakery section for some quick morning goodies. There were three different Starbucks varieties – a Blonde, Medium and Dark roast. The display did a great job of describing the Blonde roast – a lighter body, and mellow tasting. The display said it complimented citrus, milk chocolate and nut flavors. Who knew coffee could pair with food like wine? I never really had thought about it. But it sounds pretty good… Next on the agenda was something tasty to go along with my new coffee! I did stumble upon some Banana Nut Muffins, and who doesn’t love those? Into the cart they went! Now I love food, and I love wine, and we all know that if they aren’t paired properly it can be a flavor disaster in your mouth. Well coffee is no different, my friends! One bite of that banana nut muffin and the nutty notes in the coffee were singing. Like the two were made for each other. A moist muffin and warm coffee, yum! I think I may have just found my new favorite coffee for home brewing. Having something quick to grab when I was way past my breakfast time once we got home was great and so convenient! And the day was much better once I was able to wind down, and wake up with quick Delicious Pairings from Starbucks and the Walmart Bakery!

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Erin Miller

Girlfriends, Coffee and Baked Delights On a typical Saturday afternoon, like many others, I am out running errands. So off I went to Walmart to shop my favorite brand, Starbucks! Upon entering the store, I was quickly side-tracked by the bakery area. The bakery had a plethora of options to choose from. Talk about a kid in a candy store! How was I EVER going to decide what to choose? Everything looked so scrumptious. Then, that’s when I saw IT! The Starbucks Delicious Pairings display. All of the Starbucks Coffees were on display along with suggestions of bakery items that paired well with each type of roast. I like the lighter, mild coffees, so I decided on the Blonde Veranda Blend. The Blonde Roasts pair best with citrus, milk chocolate, and nut flavors. On this day they were sampling the Blonde Veranda Blend with some chocolate brownies. They even had coupons for $1 off of the coffee. Even better! First I tasted the coffee; it was very smooth and flavorful. Then I gobbled up my brownie and followed it with the rest of the coffee. The brownie indeed did bring out the milk chocolate flavors in the coffee and I could taste a hint of nuts. After having a tiny sample of the coffee in the store, I was craving an actual cup of it, so I decided to try it out and make some by myself at home. Now it was time for the FUN part! The re “TREAT!” I love setting up and planning every last detail of a get together, party, meet-up, or vacation. So I had a lot of fun thinking of ideas for our special girl’s night. Our special re “TREAT” was filled with Starbucks Coffee, the Walmart Bakery treats, laughter, pampering, and just fun times hanging out.

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Megan Dunham

Starbucks Blonde Veranda and Walmart Baked Goods Last Saturday I was tasked with heading to my local Walmart store to check out the Starbucks Blonde Veranda Blend display and how they paired the coffee with a selection of baked goods from the Walmart bakery. My next mission is a girlfriends tasting party at home. The tasting party for friends got a little derailed this week because…we added a NEWBORN BABY to our family last Saturday! Fortunately for me, though, I have four girls and two of them really love coffee. The complementary notes for the Starbucks Veranda (Blonde) Blend are milk chocolate and nuts and perhaps that’s why I noticed the difference MOST in the banana nut loaf cake – the other items may have been too chocolaty in their own right for me to notice the complement. Either way, the combos were still fantastic and I will definitely be doing that again – eating yummy food while drinking the awesome coffee! And with a newborn in the house, my own coffee consumption has increased this week…by a lot! I’ve found myself making small batches here and there. It’s been awesome every single time!

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cover story - Tammilee Tillison

Walmart Bakery Lemon Loaf and Starbucks Willow Blend! I found a fantastic display of Walmart treats and Starbucks coffee in the bakery section. I was looking for warm weather food so I figured Lemon Sliced Loaf Cake was perfect. Lemons make me think of warm tropical places and sunshine. I paired the Lemon Sliced Loaf Cake with Starbucks Willow Blend after seeing the display in the baking section. I tried the Starbucks Coffee on its own and then tried it with the Lemon Loaf. WOW!!! The Lemon Loaf brought out the sweet citrus tones of the coffee. It was the perfect pairing. I had to hold myself back from eating a couple more slices before my friends came over. I set up a bright and cheery coffee tasting station for my friends. I really wanted the area to be bright and cheery and help fight off the winter blues. I picked up some really cute spring daisies and yellow flowers to add to the table. Everyone loved the pairing of the Starbucks and Lemon Loaf. They were really impressed with how the Lemon Loaf really accented the citrus tones from the coffee. I had everyone try the coffee on its own first and then try it after biting into the yummy Lemon Loaf. I kept hearing “wow” “yum” and “this is fantastic” from my friends as they tried the Starbucks Coffee and Lemon Loaf together. I caught a few of them dipping pieces of lemon loaf into their coffee.

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Jamie Roubinek

Girlfriends’ Afternoon Tasting With Starbucks and Walmart I decided to invite a few of my girlfriends over for an afternoon play date with all of our kids. One can NOT have a playgroup without food and drinks, so I set out to Walmart for some coffee and dessert. The Starbucks Delicious Pairings display wasn’t as big or obvious as I thought it might be but I was able to find it without too much trouble. My favorite part about this display was found when I got up close to grab my Starbucks Blonde Willow Blend. There was a great little sign telling me exactly what flavors to pair it with. Nothing like taking the guesswork out of a little event planning! Since this coffee pairs well with citrus, I walked over one aisle and found some Lemon Sliced Creme Cake for the girls to try. I make coffee every morning at home, but I don’t think Starbucks has ever been in my coffee maker. I’m so glad I was able to make that change this week! The coffee was delicious and I could definitely see myself brewing this again. After tasting the Lemon Sliced Creme Cake and then sipping the coffee again, you could easily pick up the citrus flavor, and it only made me more excited for my girlfriends to give it a try. Only one of my girlfriends brews Starbucks coffee at home, but this particular blend was a first for everyone. Let me just say, it was well received! The girls loved the coffee paired with the moist lemon cake and even commented on how the cake brought out the citrus flavor in the coffee.

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Connie Ott

Lemon Cake and Raspberry Coulis Recipes While my mother and I were at Walmart we couldn’t help but notice the bakery items selected to pair with the coffee in the Delicious Pairings display. Since she has just been told by her nutritionist to consume less sugar, the Sugar Free Sliced Lemon Creme Cake was a perfect choice. It would pair beautifully with the coffee because of its citrus flavor. Once home, we broke out the coffee and brewed it in our one-cup coffee maker with a stainless steel reusable filter. That allows us to use bulk coffee like the Starbucks in our single-cup coffee maker. We brewed up four cups working on trial and error until we got it just right. We sat down and had a little tasting party. We were joined by my husband and our future daughter-in-law. We served up our freshly brewed Starbucks Willow (Blonde) Blend coffee and the Sugar Free Sliced Lemon Creme Cake with homemade raspberry coulis and whipped topping. It was love at first bite. The tart lemon, sweet raspberries, followed by the smooth and light Willow Blend….simply heaven. The pairing was a success – each complementing the other and never fighting for attention. It’s no wonder that our previously non-Starbucks drinker has now found a roast that’s perfect for her. So perfect in fact, the rest of the bag went home with her!

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Angela Bishop

A Sunny Afternoon Tasting Play Date When it comes to coffee I’m normally a dark roast kind of girl. Growing up in South Florida, my brew of choice was Cafe Cubano - basically equal parts sugar and espresso. So for me, the darker the better. When the opportunity came up to try the Starbucks Willow Blend Blonde Roast, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and check it out. I headed to the Bakery at Walmart to check out the Delicious Pairings display. I can’t lie, that picture of the coffee paired with a chocolate brownie is tempting, but I was there to try something new. I grabbed a pack of Lemon Sliced Loaf Cake to enjoy with my first cup of Willow Blend coffee. I knew that my friends were going to want some too, but there was only one left - so that meant I couldn’t have it all to myself this time. Since there would be kids at the play date as well, I figured it was only fair if I picked up some treats for them. I brought my four year old with me and he helped me pick out some treats and Bakery items. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the coffee. I drank it black, like I usually do, but it wasn’t overpowering. It was almost like drinking a super strong cup of tea (which is how I drink my tea). It blended perfectly with the moist slice of cake, and it was a nice little treat. I could see it being a really nice dessert coffee when you want something a little bit milder. I was really excited to share it with my friends.

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Dawn Harris

Delicious Pairings Pre-Football Party test Now it goes without saying that anytime there is a football game, a Rose Bowl, Pro Bowl or Super Bowl we will be tuned in. I have 4 sons and a football fanatic for a husband, and both my older boys and my husband also played football all through their youth. Now since we knew when we were moving, I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a bit. I just didn’t want the hassle of moving all that food. So I had to go to the store and stock up on some items. I decided to go to Walmart and begin planning the Super Bowl breakfast first. I spotted delicious looking Walmart Blueberry Muffins and decided to pick them up! Those bright berries and streusel topping were just calling out to me! While I was in the bakery section, one of the workers asked me if I needed any help. I was just overwhelmed with goodies, and didn’t know where to start! He informed me there had actually been a display they had up, where they had Starbucks coffee on display with the muffins and information about the coffee flavor notes and what foods are complementary. They had just taken the display down to make room for Valentine’s Day specials, but he informed me the breakfast blend Starbucks had complementary flavor notes with these wonderful muffins. I decided to go with the Starbucks Medium Breakfast Blend, since the complementary notes are nuts, apples, blueberries and lemon. I thought that sounded like it would pair nicely with these amazing muffins. The muffins were amazing! Walmart’s bakery always outdoes itself. The baked good always taste homemade and fresh from the oven, and it looked as though they picked the biggest and best blueberries for each and every muffin. These went quick! Everyone enjoyed the pairing of the Walmart Blueberry Muffins with the Starbucks Breakfast Blend!

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Stefanie Fauquet

Football Party Breakfast Even though the professional football season is over, my family still loves the game … and the team we love most — Go Bears! To celebrate the countdown until the next season begins, I thought it would be fun to host a football themed breakfast with some delicious pairings from Walmart. I adore a good cup of coffee in the morning, so I was excited to try Starbucks Medium Breakfast blend with Walmart’s The Bakery Signature Blueberry Muffins. Much like wine, when paired properly, coffee can enhance the flavors of food– which makes for a more enjoyable experience. I happily paid $6.98 for the Starbucks ground coffee (what a steal!) and $3.48 for The Bakery blueberry muffins. The muffins looked divine in the packaging and I had to restrain myself from breaking one out right there in Walmart. For my football themed breakfast, I brought out our favorite football mugs and picked up some cool football plates. My husband and I drank the coffee first, without trying the muffin. As expected, the coffee was excellent. It was smooth and enjoyable– exactly what you’d expect from Starbucks. Then we tried the muffin with the coffee…. Oh my NOM! The medium breakfast blend brought out the sweetness of the blueberries and the buttery flavor of the muffins. The pairing was perfect!

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Brandie Valenzuela

Our Romantic Dinner test & Coffee

This past week, I put together a romantic dinner and coffee at home surprise for my

husband. I wanted to do something he wouldn’t expect: a steak dinner for two, completed with dessert and Starbucks coffee. To get our romantic dinner started, I did some shopping at Walmart for a few things we needed. In the bakery department, there is a Starbucks display called “Delicious Pairings”, which explained which flavors would pair well with each Starbucks Coffee. We are big time Starbucks Coffee drinkers and it’s the coffee we drink 90% off the time, so I knew exactly why type of roast I wanted. We almost always get a dark roast, which the display said “pairs well with roasted nut, caramelized sugar, and milk & dark chocolate flavors.” I purchased a ground bag of Starbucks Caffe Verona, which is a variety we’ve bought before and would consider it to be one of our top favorites when it comes to Starbucks Dark coffees. With my Delicious Pairings knowledge, I looked around the Walmart bakery for a dessert that would complement the Caffe Verona perfectly — I ended up deciding on the Turtle Iced Brownies. I’ve never purposely paired our coffee with a dessert, so I was really excited to try this. Trying this pairing — and enjoying it as much as we did — really opened up my thinking to how coffee pairs with certain foods. While I’m sure I won’t pair all my coffee drinking with the perfect foods, I will definitely be doing it when I’m having company, special occasions or when we deserve an everyday treat.

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Tonia Larson

A Mini Staycation How was your weekend? We had a wonderful time! We wanted to have a fun day with our kids on Saturday but weren’t really sure what to do. We asked the kids to do a little brainstorming on some fun things they would like to do with the day. To start things off, we had cinnamon rolls, Starbucks French Roast (for the adults) and strawberry smoothies (for the kids) for breakfast. I was happy that I had picked up our breakfast from Walmart when I was shopping earlier in the week. In the bakery department, right outside the deli, I found the Starbucks Delicious Pairings display! It says: There’s nothing like enjoying a delicious cup of coffee with a sweet bakery treat. That’s why we’re bringing you a truly unique baking experience, featuring a variety of your favorite Starbucks roasts. Just pair for pure perfection! I spotted another smaller display right at the entrance and grabbed a bag of Starbucks Dark French Roast because we like the dark roasts. Right in front of the bags I saw some cinnamon rolls and thought they sounded like the perfect thing for us to have with our coffee. When Saturday morning arrived, we were excited to have breakfast! The cinnamon rolls were ready to eat so all I had to do was brew the coffee and mix up the smoothies. Our Saturday started with Starbucks coffee and cinnamon rolls, continued with a fun family day and ended with board games in a hotel with good friends! We can’t wait to do it again!

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Liz Fourez

Quick Breakfast Options I have two very active little boys, and the older they get, the more sports is becoming a big part of their lives. Saturday mornings are particularly hectic with game schedules, and it is hard to fit in a good breakfast before we’re headed out the door. We’re gearing up for baseball season around here, and this weekend my oldest son had tryouts early on Saturday morning. I wanted to make sure he had a good breakfast for his big day, but knew I wouldn’t have time to cook, so I decided to run to Walmart to grab a quick breakfast. I headed for the Bakery and immediately saw a display of Starbucks coffee sitting by all the baked goods. As a coffee fanatic, I couldn’t pass up a wonderful cup of Starbucks coffee to get me through my hectic morning! I grabbed my favorite Medium House Blend and went in search of a delicious pairing for my coffee! There were so many options to choose from, but I finally settled on one of my boys’ favorites, Banana Nut Muffins! I knew I better get a muffin before my hungry boys ate them all, so I unwrapped one and took a big bite. The sweet and nutty muffin was perfectly moist and tasted delicious. I took another sip of my coffee and noticed a stronger and deeper nutty flavor. The more I drank my coffee I noticed the amazing nutty flavor it brought out in the muffins. The Starbucks coffee and Banana Nut Muffins were the perfect delicious pairing.

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Kristy Still

Delicious Pairings with Starbucks Did you know there is a day to celebrate women? I just found out! It’s called International Women’s Day and it’s today! In light of this special day, I was able to celebrate with a delicious pairing from Starbucks. This pairing included the Starbucks Veranda Blond Roast and Atlanta Brownie Bites. I decided to surprise my mom with this delicious pairing because she is the single most important woman in my life. If I told you that my mom was like my best friend that would probably be an understatement. I have been extremely close to my mom as long as I can possibly remember. I absolutely cherish our relationship. What better way to cherish the moments you have with your mother than with a delicious pairing of coffee and brownies? My mom and I sat and enjoyed our coffee and enjoyed a wonderful conversation before starting our day. It’s those moments I’m going to cherish forever. I was explaining to my mom that the brownie and coffee should complement each other with flavors like milk, chocolate, and nuts. At first, she looked at me like I was crazy… coffee has flavors that pair well with foods? Yes, they do! We could not believe how well this coffee paired with the brownies. My mom thought the brownie paired with the coffee made her coffee taste better because it brought out all the flavors of milk, chocolate, and nuts. I think this should be a new ritual for us to enjoy coffee and treats in the mornings for as many mornings as we have together!

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Kathy Roller

National Craft Month with Walmart and Starbucks I get in moods with sewing. Sometimes, I have GRAND ideas and sometimes, those ideas just end up in a basket in the corner of my office. This past week, we were walking through Walmart and Eli made a B-Line for the donuts. While he was negotiating a donut-chore exchange, I happened to notice what was ABOVE the donuts. You must all know that I LOVE my sweets. This is the first time that I’m trying this Willow Blonde flavor of Starbucks (I picked it because it says on the package that it’s bright and clean)…sounds refreshing. While that’s brewing, I have to taste my lemon cake…DELICIOUS! Then, after trying the Starbucks’ Willow Blonde coffee I try the cake together…they really do complement each other. (Who knew??) There is nothing like a relaxing snack before messing up your house getting your craft on! With bits and pieces of lemon cake on my plate and a fresh cup of coffee in my cup…it’s time to sit down to the machine! While you drool over my snack…let me just share with you WHY it was SO important to tell you about it. BECAUSE we’re using the Starbucks bag for our craft!

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Lyuba Brooke

Coffee Time Kitchen Wall Art I didn’t even realize it, but this month is a National Craft Month. I have a neat wall art craft for you, coffee lovers! It’s a “Coffee Time” Kitchen Plaque. I finally took down the countdown board and it left an empty space. You know when you remove a picture from the wall and the wall looks empty all of a sudden. It seemed empty to me, so I decided to make a coffee time plaque. It’s no news that I love coffee. Actually, I live on coffee at Starbucks. I like to go study at Starbucks; it’s peaceful and right across the street. The best part is that they will brew me a cup of Blonde roast any time of the day. Last time that I was picking up more coffee at Wal-Mart, they had freshly baked donuts ready. Hubby was home that morning, so I got us some chocolate donuts to go with the coffee. Both boys were extremely happy with donuts and the big one was happy to finally have some coffee. “Finally”, because I took my time picking out my plaque at the store. (It was worth it.) Chocolate donuts turned out to be perfect for the Starbucks Blonde blend; especially the cream. Blonde roast is nice and smooth but it is especially smooth paired with chocolate donuts. Perfect for a mellow weekend morning! I had my breakfast while working on my new kitchen decoration.

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Kimberly Sneed

Crafting a Starbucks Banner Hi friends! Today I’m talking about one of my passions in life – yes, coffee! This weekend I had the opportunity to try out the Starbucks Willow Blonde Coffee blend. This was my first time trying a blonde roast! Typically I prefer dark and bold roasts, but seeing how I love pretty much anything Starbucks I was willing to give it a try! So I headed down to my local Walmart to buy the coffee. While at Walmart I spotted the Delicious Pairings section in The Bakery. Be sure to check out your local Walmart for this informative section! Here the Starbucks Willow Blonde was on display as well as notes on what best to pair it with from The Bakery – which in this case was chocolate and citrus. Yum! Two of my favorite things! So I picked up a package of Mini Chocolate Frosted Donuts from The Bakery and headed home to enjoy! Now time to sit back, relax and enjoy my coffee and donuts. Could there be a more delicious pairing? The Starbucks Willow Blonde on its own is warm, smooth and easy. I really enjoyed the taste and was able to go easy on the milk and sugar because of the great taste. There was a hint of citrus to the blend, which I loved! I think those flavors tend to come out more in the lighter roasts. Then I started to snack on The Bakery Rich Frosted Mini Donuts with the coffee. And Starbucks was right about this Delicious Pairing – the Starbucks Willow Blonde roast with chocolate is perfection! Just so tasty, and I found that the flavors of the coffee were brought out even more with the donuts. Yum!

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Samantha King

How to Upcycle atestStarbucks Coffee Bag into a Bracelet Coffee has always been one of my favorite beverages. Not a day goes by where I don’t enjoy at least one cup. When I think of coffee, I always think of Starbucks. When it comes to drinking coffee at home, I still can depend on Starbucks to get me through the day. When I was at Walmart over the weekend, I noticed a Starbucks display in the Bakery section. Of course, I naturally gravitated to it. The ‘Delicious Pairings’ display briefly describes the different roasts (light, medium, dark). It then gives you what goes best with that roast to bring out the best flavors in the coffee. I used to only drink dark roasts, but lately I have discovered the delicate tastes of light roasts, so I decided to grab a bag of Starbucks Blonde Willow Blend. When I was told it was National Crafting Month, I realized I haven’t craft in a few months (my last craft article was a Christmas one, yikes!). So I was thinking it was time to do one. I was checking out the Starbucks coffee bag and couldn’t help but notice all the amazing colors. That’s when I decided to upcyle the bag to make a bracelet. I used to make jewelry all the time but never thought about upcycling old coffee bags until now. Now I wear my creation with pride! I loved the outcome so much that I purchased a few other Starbucks bags because they have such awesome colors. Hopefully I will share those with you at a later date!

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Maggie Massey

A Whole New Level of Awesome Did You Know...that, like wine, different coffees can be paired with different foods to enhance the flavors of both? I never knew that. I guess I just figured that coffee was coffee and you either liked one brand or brew or you didn’t...and that was that. But I’ve been schooled...let me explain...Recently I was given the opportunity to try some Starbucks Willow Blonde brew-at-home coffee to see how it paired with a bakery item found at Walmart. Well, they had me at Starbucks… But how fantastic would it be if I actually found a Starbucks roast I enjoyed that I could brew at home? Then that smell could fill up my entire home...yeah - I think that’s something I would love. So off I headed to Walmart to pick up some coffee and something sweet. I was to grab a bag of Blonde Roast Willow Blend grounds and some Lemon Sliced Creme Cake. I wanted to really concentrate on how the Lemon Cake tasted with the Blonde Willow Blend, so I actually shut my eyes while I took my first bite (I hope my neighbors couldn’t see me). Then I took a sip of coffee and the flavor was just out of this world! The coffee was really good by itself, but with the cake it took on a whole new level of awesome. The cake and the coffee paired together really were just delicious!

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Amanda Long

Happy National Poetry Month! National Poetry Month was started in 1996 as a way for us to celebrate and share poetry among our culture. Nationally, libraries and schools participate in this event by holding poetry readings, setting up displays, and holding workshops for people who are interested to learn and practice the craft. This weekend I decided to have a marathon writing session because I am a bit behind in word count for my novel. The one thing I always make sure to have on hand for writing is coffee and something sweet. The Starbucks Dark French Roast happened to be my coffee of choice for this event. I absolutely love the Starbucks line of coffee and am so glad that I can purchase the grounds from my local Walmart and brew them at home to achieve the exact same quality as I would get if I drove to Starbucks and purchased one. I wanted to pick up a snack to pair with my coffee during my writing marathon. I came home with the Turtle brownies. I am a sucker for chocolate and caramel together. Pairing the dark chocolate brownie with the dark roasted coffee was heaven. It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be National Poetry Month without celebrating by writing a poem, so since we are on the subject of coffee today, I decided to share a little something about one of my best friends, my morning coffee.

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Leanne Heilman

National Poetry Month In honor of National Poetry Month, my husband and I are dusting off our pen and paper to celebrate by writing two poems about two things near and dear to us: Starbucks coffee and chocolate brownies. So, we poured ourselves a mug of the Dark French Roast Starbucks and paired it with The Bakery at Walmart Turtle Brownies as per the suggestion of the Delicious Pairings display at our local Walmart. Gotta love it when dessert is this easy, right? Also, I had a coupon. Can’t beat $1.50 off $7.28! So, it’s easy, inexpensive, and delicious. The coffee alone might be enough to inspire poetry, but when paired with the turtle brownies, the result is pure heaven. I mean, really. Yum. As you can see, our poetry skills are a bit… rusty. But, hopefully you’ve been inspired to enjoy a cup of Starbucks Dark French Roast paired with these delicious turtle brownies from the Bakery at Walmart yourself. Or, maybe you are inspired to dust off a notebook, sit and relax, and write {good} poetry to celebrate National Poetry Month.

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