Vibrant Esprit

I left my heart in Portland, OR.

Three words: Coffee, Beer, & Traveling. Keep these words in mind throughout this post. I went to Portland, OR last month and although home is always nice and missed no matter where you are, Portland definitely made an impression on me.

First thing you notice is how much greener it is compared to Southern California. Precipitation has made a beautiful canvas of Portland alright!

Picture above is from The Japanese Garden full of beautiful elements. Surprisingly  relaxing sights and one of my many highlights of the trip. I loved stealing 30 seconds of alone time with my beau to try and take in breathtaking views and sit in silence. If only I could visit this place daily, perhaps my sanity would stick around for longer periods of time… No? Fine!

This was my first taste of a latte in Portland. You may recall a post attributing to my homemade latte process. Definitely didn’t look like that!

Bikes are a staple form of transportation and lifestyle in Portland. I was definitely a fan of that! Check out Hopworks Urban Brewery with various bike accessories throughout the establishment. Watch out now because there’s also a Hopworks Bikebar to further quench your cycling thirst!

Visited Stumptown Coffee several times for more delicious coffees! Check out the latte art below.

Voodoo Doughnuts was another fun yet delicious stop. Unfortunately, we devoured our doughnuts before taking pictures of them but believe you me that the Bacon Maple Bar and the classic Maple Bar were worthy of yummy-in-my-tummy chants. And yes, we did get two variations of the maple bar. I think I kinda like maple bars…

Till next time Portland, I shall dream of you in the meantime. <3

Bargain & Delicious: How to Make a Latte at Home

A daily staple in my household is making coffee. One obvious reason, it gives me ample energy to begin my day, whether it consists of work, chores, or just relaxing at home. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt that it compliments my breakfast wonderfully and or makes the morning commute a tasty one.

Luckily my boyfriend and I share the same palette for coffee. He likes his coffee served black preferably brewed with a pour-over using a Hario Ceramic Dripper.

There are countless articles published outlining the health and beauty (and more) benefits of drinking coffee so I won’t get into that. Of course with anything, the rule of thumb applies ‘everything in moderation’ because excessive or heavy consumption have been associated with cardiovascular problems, including an increased heart rate or blood pressure, etc. so therefore be mindful of your portions, and do your research to determine your tolerance.

My set up at home is fairly simple and definitely in the beginner region of espresso machines equipment.

• Le’Lit Espresso Machine (Similar one here)
• Le’Lit PL53 Espresso Grinder (Coffee Wishes)

When I can, I take every opportunity to splurge on a professionally prepared latte, but I happily save my $4-$8 and make my own at home. It’s critical to know that saving money doesn’t mean you should lower your standards by any means. In fact, I will always choose to splurge on quality and freshly roasted coffee beans, over a professionally prepared latte, made with coffee beans that have seen their better days.

If you haven’t smelled freshly ground coffee beans, I suggest you get familiar.

Extract coffee for approximately 25 seconds and voila your 2-ounce shot of espresso is ready!

Froth your milk of choice if you like your latte served hot. If you like it served cold (I like iced vs blended), then just pour milk and mix with espresso then add ice.

Optional: Use a sauce or syrup of your choice. I love either mocha or pumpkin. I like to mix the sauce/syrup with the espresso first, then add the frothed milk or the milk and ice afterwards. If you are cool enough to make some art with your frothed milk, go for it. I have gotten pretty great at making, well, a frothed milk design. Ha! I love the creative design but frankly enjoy the taste even more.

Serve in a medium to large latte cup and saucer if you’re enjoying at home. Don’t forget to say “aaaahhhh” and be mindful of that only-sexy-in-got milk? ads milk mark on your upper lip!

Current wish list: Shoes!

So if you’re anything like me, when pressed for time to browse and most importantly, money, I tend to delete email notifications for sales and new collection arrivals in an attempt to minimize temptation to indulge my shopping evil twin. 

Recently, however, after abstaining many pat-in-the-back deserving impulsive shopping moments, I feel the need to reward myself with some well deserved treats for my feet. In no way am I condoning impulsive shopping and or irresponsible purchases, but who said virtual window/screen shopping isn’t okay? ;)

These are just a few shoes that I’ve been lusting over lately. Some are similar to one another, but of course that’s because I try to find a cheaper alternative to the ones that are out of my price range. As I wait for Spring, my eyes seem to ogle toward bright colors, wedges, t-straps, platforms, and color-blocks. But let’s be honest, add some boots/booties, peep-toe pumps, and sneakers to this and you have my ideal shoe spread.

In no particular order of loveliness:

Burgers & Beer

I try to eat healthy. Well, as much as I try to, I must admit that a good burger and beer (especially beer!) will usually cause me to smile, give in, order, and enjoy.

I’m all about a simple, home-made burger, but a more unique and perhaps tastier burger always has its edge. A place that I’ve been a repeat customer to lately is Slaters 50/50. They currently have three locations, and I’ve been to all of them as of this past weekend.

They’re most known for their specialty burger patty that’s 50% Beef and 50% Bacon, which has always been my trusty order of choice here. Whenever the opportunity arises, I always order egg on top, on the side, in and on everything. So of course my burger had to come with one. You have quite a variety of options in either designing your own burger or ordering some already designed-for-you burgers. If designing your burgers isn’t enough, satisfy your creative thirst by customizing your Mac N’ Cheese by adding toppings.

My favorite factor of Slaters 50/50 is their excellent (draft and bottled) beer selection. It’s no secret that I have a great love with craft beer, so I’m always thrilled to see a restaurant, lounge, and or bar that offer an impressive selection of craft beer. All three locations vary in selection and quantity but I’ve had no trouble finding some delicious IPA and or Belgium beer.

I mentioned that I have been to all three locations. The location in Anaheim Hills is steadily busy from my experience, but I’ve always been lucky enough to score a table in the bar section thus avoiding the dreaded wait. Service in the bar section have been good in multiple visits, no complaints there. I’ve had inconsistent experience in the quality of side orders here but I simply found it a reason to opt out of eating the fried junk.

I enjoy the (more) sports bar feel at the Huntington Beach location. There are plenty of TV’s that show your game of choice - can’t find your awesome team? Just ask someone that works there to kindly change the channel and they are more than happy to.

My most recent visit was at the San Diego location. We were celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday with friends, when I attempted to make a reservation the day before, and received the bad news of having a fully booked Saturday night. In an attempt to avoid changing the itinerary at the last minute, we opted to go to the restaurant an hour or so before the attempted reservation hour, to well, wait… The hostesses were very sweet and really tried to be as helpful as possible, but I couldn’t help but notice the not-so-quick turn-over of the tables by servers and bussers. We waited a little over 2 hours for a table for 15, luckily with pitches of beer and conversations to keep us entertained. The food was good and the beer kept coming making for a happy and full group.

Finally, our server brought this Bacon Brownie w/ice cream for the birthday boy which the entire table of friends shared.

Cheers to eating healthy but also treating yourself with some good ol’ burgers and beer!

Question - Milt Break Pt. 1

analoguestudies:

A little preview of a project I’m working on. Experimental stages, so please excuse the lo-fi acoustic drums, I played it all live with one mic. MILT BREAK by Question. Enjoy!

Good ish for your ears!

(via freddiejoachim)