Nespresso 'A Cup Above' Gift Ideas

Everyone knows I love coffee, but I've never received coffee-related gifts for Christmas. Well, then why not just gift my friends some coffee related accessories to enjoy?  My all time favorite is Nespresso.  They offer high quality coffee from the world's finest coffee-producing regions.  It is my to-go place for finding gifts that suit everyone on my Holiday list! 

I love that they offer many of the same accessories they have in their boutiques on their site.  So, if you enjoyed sipping your cappuccino from the VertuoLine Cappuccino Cup at their boutique, you can experience the feeling at home by purchasing the cups from their website!  

This Holiday Season feel free to follow my lead & let your friends 'Experience A Cup Above'.  

What do I mean by that?  Well, Experiencing 'A Cup Above' is more than a gift, it's an invitation into Nespresso's elegant lifestyle.  Here are 7 Nespresso Gift ideas for coffee lovers. 

1. Dark Chocolate Squares with Cocoa Bits  (perfect addition to any cappuccino + chocolate lovers.)

2. VertuoLine Recipe Set  (ideal for serving lattes & latte lovers) 

3. Piano Black VertuoLine Evoluo Machine  (for great tasting freshly brewed coffee & espresso at the touch of a button. Convenient. )

4. Indulgent Pack  (ideal for the first time buyer of a Nespresso machine or for a housewarming gift). 

5. VertuoLine Travel Mug (for the constant traveler who prefers their coffee on-the-go). 

6. Premium Espresso Gold Cups (Impress that stylish friend of yours who loves coffee. Hurry though, limited quantities available!)

7. VertuoLine Cappuccino Cups  (this cup set is for the coffee lover who likes to see their coffee & crema)

On another note, here's a great Coffee Milkshake recipe you can pass on to a friend if you decide to gift the lovely Vertuoline Recipe set . 


Ingredients:

• 1 capsule of Decaffeinato or Vanizio

• 2 oz of cold milk
 (or you can add Soy milk if you're looking for a dairy-free milkshake)
• 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
• Preparation
• Brew Coffee capsule and allow to cool slightly in a cocktail shaker, add ice cream, cold milk and cooled shot. Stir with a whisk or large table spoon. Continue until ice cream is melted and mixture is uniformly thickened and smooth. Pour into VertuoLine recipe glass
• Enjoy & Happy Holidays! 

Did you know that Nespresso capsules are also recyclable? They are!  You can bring them to the Boutiques and retailer drop-offs for recycling + they have a UPS mailback program, which provides pre-paid recycling bags for consumers to mail back used capsules. Drop those off at one of the 88,000 UPS drop off locations across the country. Nespresso recently expanded its program with UPS from 20 to 48 states



-post by jen ramos
-In partnership with Nespresso

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Experience A Cup Above

Coffee is my thing.

I used to be a coffee-shop fanatic, until I discovered Nespresso.  I realized how much money I was spending on coffee +  time wasted in-line waiting for my tall decaf soy latte with a splash of mocha on top! Oooh, long name!  Nothing wrong with name brand coffee shops but there's something magical about making your own cappuccino in the comfort of your own home.  After receiving my first machine, citiz & milk  as a gift from a friend,  I was HOOKED on Nespresso.  The ease & the taste of the coffee was way better than the coffee shops I had visited.  For the last few years I've been a loyal customer of this amazing brand.  So, Nespresso asked me to share my daily coffee routine & to try out the newest machine in the VertuoLine range, Evoluo.  The new machine launched last month and is featured in their new “Experience a cup above” campaign with George Clooney.

To those who don't know me, I work from home. Working from home is definitely an interesting & challenging experience. I tend to work on turbo-mode and then take a break during the daytime to spend time with my son for a few minutes.  I usually hang out with him while I make myself a (much-needed) cappuccino & pair it with Sprinkles cupcakes or a gluten-free bagel + pumpkin butter spread.  I eagerly look forward to these moments & feel relaxed & at ease being a work-at-home-mom.

During the middle of my work day on my break, I'll  enjoy my coffee with a bagel.  It's one of my favorite things......but my son loves colors, so cupcakes get him EXCITED!  He then goes back to his sitter & I get back to work, checking email, posting photos on social media like instagram & painting.  Being an artist, my home studio can get a little messy.  Even still, I'm not afraid to bring my coffee into the mix... I'll even use it as a prop for photo shoots.  Of course, I'll drink it afterwards.   I love painting & sipping on my cappuccino, I feel like the two things go hand-in-hand.  Working at home has it's challenges & the one day my sitter isn'tt working, it's hard to leave the house & walk into a coffee-shop with a stroller etc. (even if I wanted to).  So having a high-end machine like the Evoluo, which brews espresso and large-cup coffee, is VERY helpful.

Below:  Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair in Pewter

In the last few days, I've really enjoyed my work breaks, because the new Evoluo machine has been wonderful. You see,  I love milk (soy milk) in my coffee, so I got the bundle with the Aeroccino (milk frother).  This machine is quieter & more beautiful than my previous one.  It also maintains the gorgeous crema, which is what you see in my glass cup in the photo.  Nespresso machines use Nespresso capsules and brew high quality coffee , they are easy-to-clean & offer some great varieties in their Grand Crus like the new Limited Edition Swiss Chocolate for the holidays, yum!!!   One thing I learned while trying the new Evoluo is that Nespresso only selects the top 1-2% of coffee from the finest coffee-producing regions for their Grand Crus! Nice.

I love my coffee at home & drinking an iced version on the weekends with my husband after dinner is like my dessert sometimes.  He'll even add a scoop of coconut milk ice cream on top!  I swear.  So now you know how I  "Experience A Cup Above."

Above: Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair

-post + photos by made by girl
-this post was created in partnership with nespresso - thanks!

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DIY: Cappuccino Heart Stencil

I've been on a major coffee kick - because I now have a Nespresso Machine in my office - thanks to Nespresso who gifted this gorgeous machine to me for Christmas! So grateful!

Speaking of coffee, I decided to get creative today & create an easy DIY heart stencil for your next cup of cappuccino.  This is a creative way to bring a SMILE to anyone's face this Holiday!  It's like 1-2-3 .......that easy, so here we go!

Step 1: Fold a piece of paper in half, then using a scissor, cut a heart shape on the folded end like I did above. You are going to use the cut out - not the heart.  So don't worry too much about the heart shape at this point, just throw that part away.  The cut-out you can be perfected by using your scissor & making it more shapely if you wish.  Make it pretty because... that will end up being your stencil.

Step 2: So, here it is below, my heart stencil!  It's exactly the shape I want it - so now we can bring on the coffee & the cocoa powder.  I'm using Nespresso coffee for this project along with Scharffenberger sweetened cocoa powder.  You can use un-sweetned too, doesn't matter.

Step 3: I then take my heart stencil & place it over the cup of foamy cappuccino & while holding it with one hand, I sprinkle the cocoa powder all over it, making it nice & dark!  Best to use a shaker tin so the powder comes out slowly & even.

Remove the stencil carefully & ta da!!! There you have it - a beautiful heart cappuccino!! Neat huh?

P.S. Don't forget to enter our Nespresso machine giveaway here.

-images by jen ramos

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Food: Cappuccino-Cocoa Nib Popsicles

My husband is the coolest. 

He loves making great meals (slash) desserts for me. Lately one of my favorite things he's made are popsicles. He is DETERMINED to make as many different types of flavors! So far, he's whipped up some blueberry yogurt, cappuccino, coconut & plum flavors! 

Today I wanted him to guest post on MadeByGirl & show you how cute this recipe is. Enjoy!

Hello ladies (& guys) - Jen loves both coffee & chocolate so I thought this would be a neat way to get both into a nice, cool treat for her.  Love when I can make her smile. 

Here's how to make these delicious popsicles.

 

Ingredients:

4 shots espresso

1 1/2 C vanilla soy milk

1/4 C agave

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp coffee extract

1/4 C cocoa nibs

Ok, let's make it:
 

While making the espresso, froth the milk. We made these using a Nespresso with the Aeroccino on the cold setting but you can also make them with a hand frother or even whipping the milk with a whisk.  Put all the liquid ingredients into a small pitcher and mix together.  Fill each mold half way with the mix, then add 2 tsp of nibs.  

Fill the molds up the rest of the way and freeze. Note that this method, most of the nibs will eventually sink so they will be at the top of the popsicle. 

If you want to have them mix evenly, first freeze the mix until it becomes slushy, add the nibs to the mix and then pour or spoon it into the molds for final freezing. Makes 6 popsicles.

By the way - these are Tovolo molds that we got at Basics Plus.

Let me know if you end up making these & how you like them.

You can see more of the goodies my husband makes for me on his blog- MadeForJen & on my Pinterest!

-images by jen ramos
-post by Mat


 

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Soy & Coconut Nespresso Decaf Mocha Float

Remember the post I wrote about the Nespresso event I attended. Well, I met a few people while there & like Padma Lakshmi, they suggested we all send them a Nespresso recipe for others to try out! 

Here is one my husband & I came up with. This one is perfect for those of you who are Lactose intolerant or prefer to not drink milk. Like me.
 

Soy & Coconut Nespresso Decaf Mocha Float
MadeByGirl's Signature Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1/4C soy hot chocolate, chilled
1 Nespresso Decaffeinato Lungo
4t soy milk (Soy Dream brand, sweetened vanilla), aerated cold
1 ball-scoop dark chocolate coconut-milk sorbet
Add Dark chocolate shavings on top


RECIPE STEPS:
Put the hot chocolate into your (shallow) coffee cup. Aerate the milk on the cold setting. Brew 1 shot of Lungo using the spoon method into the chocolate and then gently place the ball of sorbet in. Spoon the froth only into the cup but don't cover the ball.  Sprinkle the shavings on top.

-image by jen ramos

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Please Meet My Nespresso...

I don't normally BRAG but a good friend of mine sent me this Nespresso CitiZ D120 automatic espresso maker & milk frother as a gift.

I fell in LOVE with this machine when I first walked into the Nespresso cafe here in Soho. Ever been there? Anyhow, I knew their cappuccinos were pretty good, but I never thought their machines would actually give me the same coffee taste I had at the cafe.  So, the gift arrived a few weeks ago & I've been using it almost every other day.

In my opinion this machine creates crema like a professional barista would & the best part is you can use soy milk! Finally. Another cool feature is the milk frother, this little side gadget will froth milk super fast & like magic! Nespresso also has a TON of different coffees to try out, from decaf lungo (my fave) to super dark strong ones! There's still a few flavors I'd love to try....

The machine rocks so much I had to post about it. So, this is basically how you get a cool, frothy cappuccino from this bad boy, so check it out!

pretty sleek & shiny no?

placing the coffee pod into the easy flip up & down top.

Aaaaaah soy dream. I'd say this is the best soy milk to use, really creates a thick froth.

You can fill the milk frother according to how many cups you'll be drinking!

remember to close that lid...easy stuff.

press the button on the frother to start up the milk frother! This is the magic button, I swear. Froth ready in about 15 seconds...

select your cup. lungo or espresso? For my cappuccino,I selected lungo.
 

There it comes. Nice color right? Oh & the smell of coffee...ahhh!

The hot steam is clouding things up here, but still smells great!

If you want a bit more, just press the green button at the top again..Red light on frother means it's not done yet, when it turns off, we have froth.

Red light off....ta da! FROTH.

just pour it into your coffee and don't be shy, use a small spoon to scoop that froth out if it's too thick.
 

 Add sugar, I use splenda and then add a little something sweet like a Jovial chocolate cream filled cookie on the side! Gluten free & delicious! 

There you have it! I tried to make a HEART with the cocoa...what do you think?? A bit crazy looking?!

Frothy & pretty no matter what angle I shoot it from...

Speaking of cocoa powder, I use one called Barefoot Contessa, which is actually a hot chocolate mix. I believe I got it at Sur La Table.

If you're looking to have a top notch machine right in you're home that's fast & easy to clean, I'd definitely recommend the Nespresso. This machine totally delivers, I love it!

P.S. and NO, I did not get paid to write this. In fact I've NEVER been paid to write anything on my blog. If you know me, you'll know I LOVE coffee.

-images by  jen ramos

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Gift for Coffee Lovers....

I don't know about you, but I love cappuccino. The foamier, the better!

I'm also a tea drinker but coffee takes the top spot for me.  This Holiday season, automatic/semi-automatic espresso makers are ideal gifts for coffee lovers! Below are 4 of my picks! 

I already own #4 - the Tassimo, which works fantastic & with T-discs, but I'd love another one...maybe a more powerful machine this time around! 

And you? Do you have a cappuccino machine you love & would recommend for the Holidays??

By the way, did you know you can make cappuccino with COCONUT MILK!??? Coconut milk has half the calories & sugar as regular milk. Check it out here.

- coffee cup image via no more dirty looks

1. pasquini livietta $1075

2. gaggia $999

3. vienna $499

4. tassimo $169

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