Baking Affirmation

After 3 pathetic attempts at making flaky homemade biscuits over the summer, I really needed some success in the kitchen. My most recent crappy biscuits were over the weekend, which means I had buttermilk on hand and nothing to do with it.

Add buttermilk to the need to bake something that doesn't suck and you get scones!

I found this basic recipe for Coffeehouse Scones and switched the white sugar for brown sugar, added a cup of chopped toasted pecans, a splash of cinnamon, and a generous handful of chocolate chips.

And they are fantastic.

And now at Starbucks

Daily photo: 6.21.09

Friday coffee break.

Daily photo: 10/31/08

I feel like such a quitter.

For years, I've been a big supporter of french press coffee as my home brewing method; espresso machines are too expensive and bulky, so it seemed like the next best thing. And I still think it is.
But lately, I've gotten tired of the rigmarole involved, especially cleaning the pot afterward. So I broke down and bought a drip machine. It sure is fast, and, I have to admit, pretty easy, though the coffee isn't the same, I think it's likely that I'll use it more often, and I guess that's important.

Daily photo: 8/17/08

I'm excited.

So, as much as I want to be a locavore and believe it's very important to support local businesses in general, the fact remains that I love Starbucks. And my primary reasons are consistency of product (I know that I'll get a decent cappuccino no matter where I am) and the existence of the short (8 oz.) size. I don't like bigger cups than that because if I have it, I drink it, and then I feel like crap.

For awhile now, though, I've been feeling bad about always using disposable cups, especially since Starbucks has the annoying habit of double-cupping the short because the heat sleeve is too big, but I couldn't find a reusable cup that was small enough for my little drink...until now.

Behold the Timolino Travel Mug (with tea infuser--an added bonus). 8 oz. of slim, attractive, resuability. And I plan to force it on the many non-short providing coffee houses, who are welcome to charge me the tall price, but can now only give me the amount of coffee I want! Ha!

Daily photo: 7/25/08

mmm...coffee

Thanks for the french press, Megan!

Daily photo: 2/7/08