Coffee Talk – Lift Coffee Roasters

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If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I have an obsessions with coffee shops and great coffee. I have been cultivating this obsession for quite some time, I grew up in a home where coffee was a vital part of our existence. The kettle whistled every morning from the kitchen as my mother made “cafe con leche” to accompany breakfast. Now that I think about it that’s probably the reason why I couldn’t stop talking in class.

All celebrations in our home started or ended with a cup of coffee. Coffee is a drink of tradition in Latin America. It has both a humble and royal place in history. Today, there is a thriving coffee culture, sourcing, roasting, and brewing coffee in ways most of us would have never imagined. Lift Coffee Roasters open its doors a few weeks ago and the husband and I have already spent quite some time drinking, enjoying, and talking about their coffee like we know what we are doing.

It seems that Lift will be the place where the cool kids in Riverside will go when they are feeling tired and un-caffenaited. With its cool vintage industrial vibe and cool brewing methods, I know what you are thinking “intimidating!” but actually it was far from. Everyone seemed pretty chill and completely focuses in getting whatever it was that they where doing down to perfection. We waited in line and watched as people collected their foamy and perfectly designed lattes. But what I was interested in was the Black Coffee the Good Old Joe. First time around they were still brewing the “cold brew” so I was not able to get any disappointing I know! Then I decided to order the “iced pour over” and I was pleasantly surprised with my perfect cup of flavor, clarity, and balance. I said it on Instagram and I will say it again “best iced coffee I’ve had in a while.” Overall our experience was a positive one, the only complaint was the time we had to wait for our drinks. The hubs ordered a Mocha and I ordered Iced Coffee and a peanut butter cookie. We got the cookie when we paid, then about 10 minutes later I got my iced coffee (not bad) but my husband did not get his Mocha until way way later. I actually went to the bar twice to ask for it. There seemed to be a bit of confusion going on (I attribute this to them being new and getting use to it all) we ended up getting the Mocha 30 or so minutes after, the barista was kind enough to bring it to our table. Both drinks were delicious, no complaints there. This place is pretty great and I truly believe that the delay in drinks was due to them being new, no biggie.

Plus the store is absolutely gorgeous and the baked goods look great and I know for a fact that their peanut butter cookie is quite amazing!

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Lets all hope and pray that Lift does not become one of those place where you feel scared to order a cup of coffee…we have all been there and we all know what I am talking about. Dear Coffee Shops of the world you are never to cool or too good to acknowledge your patrons. After all their hard earned dollars add up…

Style Me Pretty – Grandma’s Favorite Recipe Contest

Last week I received some great news! My Cherry Galette recipe made the top 10 finalist on the Style Me Pretty Living blog “Grandma’s Favorite Recipe Constest.” Say that 10 times… As a wedding photographer Style Me Pretty is kind of a rock-star! Knowing that my humble recipe inspired by the lessons and stories that my mom shared with me when I was a little girl is humbling and amazing! Please head on over to Style Me Pretty and vote for me! I promise that it will not take longer that half a second. All you have to do is leave the word V O T E. The person with the most votes wins!

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21 Day Detox – via iPhone

On Monday I started a 21 day detox with the guidance of Bobbi from nHershoes fitness and Amanda from RuntotheFinish. It’s no secret that I have been working on cleaning up my eating habits and really stepping up my fitness routine and I figured that this challenge would help me set and meet short term goals. I will be eating 100% clean, no alcohol, no sugar, no processed foods, and sadly no COFFEE! It won’t be easy I know that but thankfully August will be a slow month in comparison to July and September. Therefore I’ll have better control of what I put in my body! I will be sharing this journey through images captured via my iPhone. This will give me an opportunity to share some of my favorite editing apps with you all! Last night I made a Roasted Strawberry Chia Seed Jam that’s quite amazing! It’s also pretty easy to make. Clean and dice one pound of strawberries and place them in the over for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, you will know when they are ready because your home will smell amazing! The smell of roasted strawberries is sweetly intoxicating! Cool and blend the strawberries in your food processor. Add 1/4 of a cup of chia seeds and let the mixture sit in a mason jar over night. You can stop here or you can add wildflower honey to sweeten.  In the morning you will have fresh jam! Enjoy! I top brown rice cakes with the jam and organic almond butter, snack heaven!

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