Empire Coffee & Tea

Coffee so good it can influence real estate? Maybe.

Recently voted Best Coffee in New Jersey, this coffee is no secret to residents of the Garden State. Residents of the Empire State get their buzz on at the original NYC location. What makes Empire coffee so unique? Well, for one thing, they've mastered the art of being both really good and really reasonably priced. A rare blend in the coffee world (think the OPPOSITE of Starbucks). But mostly, it's all about the tasty blends & flavors, and the perfection of the roasting..

If you think you might want to try Empire Coffee, but don't live in Hoboken or NYC, check them out here:

http://www.empirecoffeetea.com/

To read about Empire Coffee & Tea's recent win amongst Best of NJ voters:

http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2010/07/hoboken_takes_top_honor_in_cof.html

So, can a coffee shop really influence real estate? Well, I don't know for sure. But, I do know that I've gone to Empire Coffee & Tea for a daily cup of joe almost every single day (sometimes twice a day) for most of the 9 years that I've lived in Hoboken. And the 3 times during those years that I found myself looking for a place to live, did I factor in a potential pad's proximity to the best coffee in NJ? You bet! And I betcha I'm not the only one ;)

Kirsten's Kitchen

Imagine my surprise, as I was planning a section of this blog to be called Kirsten's Kitchen... to discover that it already exists!

Well, thank you 'other Kirsten' for taking care of that. For now, I will simply refer my readers to you!

Check out Kirsten's (Vegan) Kitchen here:

http://kirstenskitchen.blogspot.com/

Kirsten... you are a kupcake!

Free Haircuts by Frederic Fekkai

Free is me! :-)

Therefore taking advantage of free cuts & color by one of NYC's top salons is a kupcake 'no-brainer'. To qualify for this offer, simply register at the Fekkai Model website:

http://www.beafekkaimodel.com/

E-mails are sent regularly to announce upcoming training sessions (a current Frederic Fekkai stylist will be working on your hair under the close supervision of an expert instructor). Usually, there is a choice between a free cut or free color, although one time I lucked out and got both. I recommend monitoring your e-mails closely once you've registered, since the available spots tend to book up very, very quickly.

Personally, I like to keep it classy & tip the stylists for their excellent work, but other than that.. this is a truly FREE deal! (and some of the best cuts & color I've ever received)

*Important Note - Fekkai is owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G). Procter & Gamble is currently listed by PETA as a company that DOES test on animals, so I would not recommend actually purchasing any of their products or paying money for their services, however great they may be.

To find out which companies do and don't test on animals, please visit:

http://www.caringconsumer.com/

To find out why it matters, visit:

http://www.stopanimaltests.com/

Organic, Sulfite-Free Red Wine

As the years pass by, I notice more and more that Friday calls to "Fight For My (Your) Right" to party, seem to ever more quickly devolve into sad Saturday strains of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy". Not good.

Enter... organic, sulfite-free red wine. No headache, no heartburn! "Hallelujah" (Jeff Buckley version)

Since every party can't be a juice party, at least now there's a way to make it through the weekend relatively intact and on to another "Manic Monday". Personally, I prefer Frey Vineyards, although there are certainly plenty of other brands to choose from .

http://www.freywine.com/

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"... Zip-A-Dee-A... sulfite-free, organic red wines make my head feel okay! (pairs nicely with cupcakes) Kupcake!

Happy drinking! Thanks for reading!

30 Seconds to Mars

These guys rock in more ways than one. Their music is great, they make awesome videos, they put on a killer show, and they've got this super cool website: http://www.abeautifullie.org/

That makes 30 Seconds to Mars a tasty treat & my kupcake of the day.

And guess what.. Jared Leto likes cupcakes too.. vegan ones.. from Sweet Avenue Bakeshop.. preferably chocolate. True story.

http://www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com/

http://planetverge.com/2010/04/on-the-verge-featuring-thirty-seconds-to-mars/

Thanks for reading!

Rescue Chocolate

What do you get when you combine the 'feel-good' endorphins of chocolate with a do-gooders' high? Rescue Chocolate euphoria, of course!

Rescue Chocolate is an organization that donates 100% of its net profits to animal rescue operations around the country. Now that's a sweet deal!

Flavors like Pick Me! Pepper, Foster-iffic Peppermint, and The Fix help satisfy the sweet tooth while reminding chocolate & animal lovers everywhere to: 1) adopt, never buy ..and 2) always spay & neuter your 4-legged family members.

I know that I always enjoy 'saving the world' while sitting around in my pajamas watching tv and stuffing my face with bons bons. Since Rescue Chocolate makes that possible... they are Kupcake #4 ;) (Kirsten's Kupcakes aka. all things I'm obsessed with NOW)

Order Rescue Chocolate here: http://www.rescuechocolate.com/

Thanks for reading! Go buy chocolate!!

Bold Native

This movie is a must see! Full frontal male nudity? 'Nuff said ;)

Kupcake, kupcake, kupcake!!!

Preview it here: http://boldnative.com/trailer/

Buy the DVD here: http://boldnative.com/store/

Check out the very cool John Salley giving his thumbs up review here: http://boldnative.com/

MapMyRun.com

I may be the last person on the planet to have heard of it, but that doesn't make me love it any less. So, MapMyRun.com is my second Kupcake.

Wondering what it is? The name is pretty selfexplanatory, but basically it's a site where you can find a pre-mapped run in your area (of any distance or type that you desire) -OR- you can simply create your own.

This takes out a lot of the guess work.. especially for those of us who like to change our pace with the song! :-)

Happy running! And as always, thanks for reading!!

Green Juice Parties!

The party is hopping... the drinks are flowing.. seemingly endless pitchers of various tasty concoctions are making their way from the kitchen to the glasses of partygoers, who are only too eager to guzzle them down. After awhile, the drinks have kicked in... everyone is feeling good.. and it's .. DANCE PARTY TIME! Sounds like every party you've ever been to, right? Think again!

These are not your typical drinks and this is not your typical party. This is a Green Juice Party! The premise is this: partygoers (mostly raw food enthusiasts and those interested in learning more about this diet/lifestyle) each show up with a bag of their favorite greens. Enthusiastic 'mixologists' then take their turns at the juicer churning out delicious fresh juices of various color & ingredient combinations for everyone to taste. The drinks are tastier than you would expect & the parties are a lot more fun than you might imagine a party without alcohol could ever be. Best of all.. is the invention of weeknight (or any other night) partying & drinking, minus the dreaded HANGOVER!

Now there is an idea that I can get on board with! So, for that reason, Green Juice Parties will go down in history as my first Kupcake!! Stay tuned for many more to come.. (Kirsten's Kupcakes aka. all things I'm obsessed with now..)

Thanks for reading!