I was making my afternoon tea today and decided to take out the camera. I'm such a food lover but haven't really started in on food blogging. So thought I'd take it for a spin.
I was somewhat inspired to make my latte after finally deciding to apply for a barista position. It was a job I loved doing many years ago and have since developed a taste for coffee. At the time, I mostly drank tea or maybe only sickly sweet espresso creations that really didn't relate to the rich, beautiful thing that is espresso. However, I guess adding anything much other than milk or sugar completely changes espresso.
After purchasing a lackluster chai tea brand (it's not spicy enough!) we decided we'd try to make chai tea from scratch. Thanks to Crunch Betty for this guide: http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-epic-guide-to-making-your-own-chai-tea.Compiling ingredients meant a trip down to the Indian produce shop in town where the woman behind the till advised that she just uses cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, black pepper and cloves. I added ginger to create the spiciness we were after. Yesterday I made the first batch of chai tea concentrate and stuck it in the fridge. Not too bad but a recipe that probably takes a few tries before you have it exactly as you like it.
Today, I mixed it with milk and added a shot of espresso.
Today we decided to join a gym which is weird because I haven't been a gym member since we lived in Melbourne I think. I usually just used drop-in passes at the community centre. They had a special on though - 3 months for $75 which is nuts because most gyms here start at $85 a month and up! It's the local YMCA so we went down there for a workout this morning. Boy did my muscles miss being put to the test! Considering the rain will start falling soon, I'll be more keen to be active if it's under cover. There was a fierce rainstorm overnight and it looks like a low pressure system is hanging around for a couple days.
When Dustin came back from his surf this afternoon he was rinsing his wetsuit and some small cat from the neighbourhood came to join him. We had gotten some cat treat sample in the mail so it was good timing so that I could entice the cat to visit. haha. Then it climbed up on the mailbox and hissed at itself. If there is a drawback to all this traveling around and living for short times in different places, it's that we don't own any pets! That's one thing we'd definitely love to have. We even have dog names all picked out. This suite though is a no pets place so even if we decide to stick around, we'll have to move before we can get a dog or cat. Or both!
At least the gym will be one more thing to fill our time with until we're working. That and maybe more food blogging - with proper effort and more step by step photos.
Do you have a favorite hot drink? My main one would be hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream but a coconut-chocolate latte is a close second.
I was somewhat inspired to make my latte after finally deciding to apply for a barista position. It was a job I loved doing many years ago and have since developed a taste for coffee. At the time, I mostly drank tea or maybe only sickly sweet espresso creations that really didn't relate to the rich, beautiful thing that is espresso. However, I guess adding anything much other than milk or sugar completely changes espresso.
After purchasing a lackluster chai tea brand (it's not spicy enough!) we decided we'd try to make chai tea from scratch. Thanks to Crunch Betty for this guide: http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-epic-guide-to-making-your-own-chai-tea.Compiling ingredients meant a trip down to the Indian produce shop in town where the woman behind the till advised that she just uses cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, black pepper and cloves. I added ginger to create the spiciness we were after. Yesterday I made the first batch of chai tea concentrate and stuck it in the fridge. Not too bad but a recipe that probably takes a few tries before you have it exactly as you like it.
Today, I mixed it with milk and added a shot of espresso.
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| Steam to perfection |
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| It's ESpresso, not EXpresso |
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| Top with velvet foam |
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| Enjoy with apricot almond energy slice! |
Today we decided to join a gym which is weird because I haven't been a gym member since we lived in Melbourne I think. I usually just used drop-in passes at the community centre. They had a special on though - 3 months for $75 which is nuts because most gyms here start at $85 a month and up! It's the local YMCA so we went down there for a workout this morning. Boy did my muscles miss being put to the test! Considering the rain will start falling soon, I'll be more keen to be active if it's under cover. There was a fierce rainstorm overnight and it looks like a low pressure system is hanging around for a couple days.
When Dustin came back from his surf this afternoon he was rinsing his wetsuit and some small cat from the neighbourhood came to join him. We had gotten some cat treat sample in the mail so it was good timing so that I could entice the cat to visit. haha. Then it climbed up on the mailbox and hissed at itself. If there is a drawback to all this traveling around and living for short times in different places, it's that we don't own any pets! That's one thing we'd definitely love to have. We even have dog names all picked out. This suite though is a no pets place so even if we decide to stick around, we'll have to move before we can get a dog or cat. Or both!
At least the gym will be one more thing to fill our time with until we're working. That and maybe more food blogging - with proper effort and more step by step photos.
Do you have a favorite hot drink? My main one would be hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream but a coconut-chocolate latte is a close second.
In the morning it's all about the vanilla lattes, and in the evening time, either tea or hot chocolate. But I sure do love chai as well!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED working as a barista. One of my all time fave gigs that was! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you with the position :)
That's a sweet deal for the gym! And I'm glad that you're making kitty friends, even if s/he got a little scared - sounds just like Nymeria, who is afraid of her own shadow!