Better than Starbucks pumpkin spice coffee

I wish I had something exciting to tell you about this weekend...but I don't. J was battling a cold for the first half, and I have spent the last few days drinking gallons of lemon honey ginger tea and trying to keep myself healthy.

Once J started to feel better, we welcomed the first days of fall pretty appropriately in this house. With pumpkin and more pumpkin.

I think I am the only person on the planet who doesn't go absolutely wild over pumpkin spice lattes. Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkin, but the Starbucks version doesn't quite do it for me {not to mention all of the additives, it's not organic...etc}. That's why I was so excited when I saw this on Pinterest.

I now have a new favorite fall drink.

{it even looks like a heart!}

- 4 Tablespoons ground coffee
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- half and half or whole milk
- splash of vanilla extract
- maple syrup to taste {preferably grade B}
*please use all organic ingredients, if possible!*

Combine the coffee and the pumpkin pie spice and brew as usual with the right amount of water for your coffee maker {I have a regular drip coffee maker and brewed 4 cups}. Once coffee is brewed, combine with other ingredients in a mug {I made mine 3/4 mug coffee, 1/4 mug half and half}

Last night for dinner I felt like making something warming {it's already cold here in New England!}, so I pulled out my trusty Barefoot Contessa Foolproof cookbook and made her version of penne in vodka sauce. Delicious!