Long Weekend: Baltimore

I've always been interested in travel, but mostly only when it pertained to exotic locations or destinations steeped in history. Lately, though, I've been more interested in exploring the US. There are so many wonderful places that are worth, at the very least, a weekend trip. Baltimore is definitely one of those cities, and if fate hadn't stricken my friend, Laurel, with an illness that wasn't the 'travel bug', I would have had the chance to tour some of the historical sites in the area, too. 

We had hoped to go to Gettysburg, possibly; Antietam for sure, but she didn't have the energy. Instead, she took me to a wonderful cafe called Artifact Coffee. I'm slowly learning that "split shots" are something they only do in Seattle. They wouldn't make me one, but they did make me a maple latte! Funnily enough, just last week I had been contemplating why I had never seen a maple latte. Well, now I've had one, made with real maple syrup, and I can honestly say they're amazing!

Shaggy dog street art on the way to the farmers' market (artist: Luis Rosenfeld)

Clouds have been one of my favorite things to photograph since forever.

 Floral Laurel

Laurel and her husband, Jon, hosted a wonderful brunch, complete with deviled eggs, waffles, bacon, and a million cheeses. Afterwards we all enjoyed the sun in the field behind their house.

Trevor, post-brunch

Laurel spent a lot of time on this skipjack, the Sigsbee, last summer.

Growing up in Seattle has really given me an appreciation for old architecture and brick. It's so rare on the West Coast, and Baltimore, like the rest of the East Coast, is filled with it!

Great architecture near the waterfront

Home I go in a cloud sandwich!

(Missing picture #1 Berger cookies , a Baltimore classic. So good we ate them before I could take any pics!)

(Missing picture #2 Me! I always forget to have people take pictures of me on trips!)

Recipe: Poor Girl's Latte

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew I could make foamy milk for lattes at home, but I was still surprised by how easy it was! I was heating up milk for my coffee when I grabbed my flat whisk and thought "I wonder..." Sure enough, the hot milk foamed up like magic and I had myself a poor girl's latte!

I was a barrista for 2 1/2 years, and let me just say, I am able to make better foam with this technique than I ever made with a professional steamer! (I kinda sucked at my job)

Ok, let's make a latte!

Ingredients:

½ cup milk

hot coffee

sugar, to taste

Tools:

Coffee filter & cone

A small sauce pan

small whisk, preferably flat

Directions:

1. Make your coffee.  Make a little less then a full cup, so you'll have room for the foam. You want strong coffee for this, so poor it through the coffee filter twice (that's the "poor girl" part, haha).

2. Put the milk in the sauce pan and heat it over low-medium heat.

3. Watch your milk carefully. It can burn easily! After about 3-5 minutes test the temperature with your finger. It should be nice and warm.

4. Start whisking! It should start foaming up immediately. If it doesn't, let it heat a little longer.

5. Poor the foamed milk into your coffee. Enjoy!

vacations are so tiring

I spent all week on my mom's farm. It was so tiring.

Playing with my niece, eating croissants every day (really good, locally made ones), playing Drawsome with my sister, going to the Olympia Farmer's Market, etc. You get the idea; it was a really strenuous week.

So today I recuperated by going to acupuncture and having lunch at my favorite cafe here in Seattle, Cafe Presse. The cafe was full of  chattering diners and bright April sunlight. I enjoyed a cup or two (or three) of the strong chocolately Vita coffee they serve and munched on grilled sardines and a fresh baguette. The latest issue of Marie Claire kept me company.

And now for Friday's Fashion Fact. Today it's a new word that keeps popping up in magazines.

Soigné
 

adj. -\swän-ˈyā\-

(As defined by Merriam-Webster)

1. Well-groomed, sleek

2. Elegantly maintained or designed

Glad I looked it up cuz I woulda pronounced it "Soy-nay"

Look of the Day: slap-in-the-face pink!

Oh geez, I love this sweatshirt. It's way too big and probably unflattering, but I just cannot see past that pink! Actually, it might be ruining my eyesight, and not just simply distracting me.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I've bought two short sleeved sweatshirts in the past month. I don't know why, but I feel like my best friend from high school, Sarah, would make fun of me for wearing them, like when I shaved my arms junior year.
The sweatshirts seem a little silly, but are actually making a lot more sense then I thought they would. This Spring has been pretty cold so far, but I want to at least pretend the weather is getting nice! Short sleeves with a soft, fuzzy interior are working out just perfectly.

J.Crew chambray shirt - Vintage sweatshirt - Polka dot skirt (similar) - Vintage purse - Forever21 glasses (similar) - Xhilaration flats