A Rant of Sorts

Dear Starbucks,

I love you, I mean how could I not? You meet all my needs – cappuccino for when I'm feeling {like impersonating a} European, decaf for when I'm feeling anxious, white mocha for when I need warming, iced caramel macchiato for my milky-sweet cravings, and peppermint mocha for my winter insulation {aka 5 pounds I gain every Christmas while this beverage is in season.}

Sure, I love South End type cafes and bakeries, but you're closer by and you do still have a community vibe that I dig. I tend to be “that guy” whose drink goes missing, but it's generally quickly & easily remedied. I do have one extreme pet peeve though, about your shop. And it's this:

When I ask for coffee cake, I want coffee cake. Do not ask me which kind of coffee cake I want. If I wanted blueberry coffee cake, I'd ask for blueberry. If I wanted reduced fat, I'd ask for reduced fat. If I ask for coffee cake period, give me classic coffee cake.

It's simple really, but I've had more altercations with a barista over this than I care to mention. It generally escalates into a shouting match until a “Classic” coffee cake is thrown carelessly into a ripped bag which is then slid across the counter along with a passive-agressive “have a nice day.” Then I leave feeling like an asshole, and I hate that because, I'm not.

So let's resolve this difference. From the way the question is usually stated, I have a feeling that I'm not the one who experiences this problem. It's not that I'm not willing to bend, I just don't think I have to. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, because let's face it – we know my kitchen cabinets hold little more than wine glasses.

xxoo

Amy

Eat Your Veggies {Untraditionally Of Course!}

Despite the decade plus one of my life that I went vegetarian {my mom eventually guilted me into the whole "you're not getting enough protein" bit and I agreed to start eating chicken again. Breaded chicken...} I don't feel like I eat enough veggies. It's not that I don't like them - in fact, there are only very few I dislike, I just feel like I don't buy many, and the ones I do buy go bad quickly. And let's face it - it's way easier to just boil water for pasta.

With that in mind, I went for a pasta & veggie combo, but not the type you'd expect. I first tasted butternut squash sauce with gnocchi at a fundraising event with my mom. I can't even remember which restaurant brought it, I just remember going back for seconds. and thirds. and maybe even fourths. Later while cruising around online for recipes {I only pretend like I'm a master in the kitchen} I found this one for the sauce! I'm not exaggerating when I say it's so easy I can do it. I left out the salt {which I do with every recipe because I find I don't need it} but followed the rest of the recipe as instructed.

{Bonus Fact: all the ingredients are from my beloved Trader Joes}

{Getting steamy!}

{I admit - this part was a little weird}

{Gnocchi are done! Perfect timing!}

{Enjoy! Wine is not optional :) }

xAmy

Guac the Guac

It's no secret that I love avocados. Or that I'm a disaster in the kitchen. So what better way to combine the two than with my new favorite lunch: Homemade Guacamole!

I think I originally started with a recipe, but over time I began to run out of certain ingredients {okay, laziness set in} and it has been pared down to this simple mix:

1 Avocado {learn how to pick perfect avocados here}

1 T of lime juice

Few shakes of Onion Powder

Few shakes of Fresh Ground Pepper

I'm sorry for the vague measurements, it's actually one of my hugest pet peeves while I'm trying to follow a recipe, but I've found that exact measurements don't really matter here, and it's really easy to taste as you go. Because Guacamole tends to brown quickly, I eat it right after making it. If you are preparing it ahead of time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is tightly over the guacamole, leaving no air between.

{All the Ingredients}

{Cube the Avocado then flip it into a bowl}

{Mash the cubes with a fork until it's a creamy texture - some lumps add character ;) }

{Squeeze in the lime juice and mix}

{Add some onion powder & fresh ground pepper and mix}

{Add some chips & enjoy}

The Art of Avocados

Every Sunday, or almost, my boyfriend and I go to his mom's apartment for dinner. This woman is an incredible cook {which, so far as I can tell, is a genetic trait.} What I look most forward to every time, though, is her salad. More specifically - the avocados in her salad.

My boyfriend is fortunate enough to have grown up in Southern California, which instantly makes him foreign {read: attractive} to me. His mother grew up on an avocado farm, and says the quality of avocados carried in today’s grocery stores are comparable the ones their dogs used to eat off the ground.

My own adventure in eating avocados, although short-lived, hasn’t gone so well so far. I started a few years ago after reading an article about how to easily cut calories. The recipe was for chocolate chip cookies, and looking back now, I can clearly see the best way to cut calories there would have been to omit the cookies from my diet altogether. Hindsight, you bitch. The recipe called for half an avocado to substitute for half the butter. My experience with avocados being as limited as it was, I definitely didn’t wait until it was ripe enough. Instead of a butter-like mush, I ended up with a bunch of chopped green bits that stuck out of my cookies even more noticeably than my chocolate chips. The cookies tasted exactly the same, and the added benefit was that no one accepted my offer to try them – more for me!

I later graduated to guacamole {wait… this green stuff is made from my new favorite fruit??} and other yummy foods. I now try to top my bagel every morning with freshly sliced avocados. The problem I’ve been running into though, is cutting through the tough green skins to reveal a brown, overripe fruit. I discussed this with my boyfriend’s mom, while simultaneously praising her salad for the umpteenth time. She then revealed to me a secret, which I’m going to pass on to you. The trick to buying avocados is to make sure the part where the fruit was attached to the tree, or the “nub” {scientific term} is still intact. If that piece falls off, the fruit will rot before it ripens. Leaving that piece on, however, yields the most ripe, most delicious fruit I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. And if they ripen before you need them, simply put them in the fridge! I’m only glad she gave me this information during the “still trying to impress her phase,” where I still have no problem saying, “You’re right.”

For Stellar Avocados:

Buy fruit from your favorite grocer {ahem Trader Joe's} with nub intact.

Let it sit out for a few days until the skin turns a deep brown color and it's slightly soft to the touch. {If you aren't using it immediately after it ripens, put it in the fridge!}

Cut the ripe avocado in half lengthwise.

And Enjoy! To remove the pit, strike it with the knife holding it parallel to the fruit, then pull the pit away from the fruit.