Picture this: It’s 5:44 AM, you stumble into the kitchen, desperate for coffee, pull the clean pot out of the dishwasher, and find a huge crack in the glass, rendering it totally unusable!

Yes, that was my morning, and no, it didn’t go well. Don’t ask me how it happened; all I know for sure is that I’m extremely grouchy without any coffee. Does that make me severely caffeine addicted? I would have to say so…

Thankfully, I have a cheap-o coffeemaker, so replacement wasn’t a big issue. I found a Black & Decker universal carafe for $10.97 at Walmart, bought it, and I’m back in business. But until I had it? NOT pretty! (Lest you think I’m a total martyr, I did make a swing through the Starbucks drive-thru. Desperate times and desperate measures, right?)

It’s Labor Day and you know what that means—grilling! Around here, we’ll grill pretty much anything (most often chicken or steaks). While I do prefer white meat, an exception can be made for a great deal like the one I found at Shaw’s. Perdue drumsticks were on clearance for only $0.39/lb! Talk about cheap, huh? It was an unadvertised Manager’s Special and there were so many family packs, it filled an entire case! Due to a lack of space, I could only buy six—two packs for the holiday, 1 pack was last night’s dinner and the rest went into the freezer.

The ones pictured above were simply marinated in Newman’s Own Honey BBQ sauce and baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The result was moist and tasty! For the grilled version, I’m trying out a chili dry rub. Not sure which we’ll like more, but I think either way is going to be yummy.

For sides, it will be the usual suspects like potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, sliced watermelon, and ice cream sandwiches. I am really going to miss eating summery foods outside on the deck. Good thing we have fall favorites to look forward to or I just might cry…

Are you having a Happy Labor Day? What are you doing? Eating?

Pumpkin Spice Lattes have returned! (Does that mean it’s officially fall?) It’s a week earlier than usual and Starbucks is making us work for the privilege. Sign up to receive a PSL Fan Pass, then show the mobile pass to a barista and get your drink on.

Do we need a quasi-holiday to enjoy waffles? I think not. Seriously, isn’t everyday a good day for waffles? Gosh, I love them, especially the Belgian kind covered in berries and syrup.

This mouthwatering picture, courtesy of Taste of Home, is definitely tops on my list to make for breakfast. Looks like I need to dig the waffle maker out of the garage, and clean it, and cook, and then clean again…

Hmmm…maybe we should just go to IHOP? 🙂