So. Tired.

I need coffee. That's all I can say today. 

{Coffee Hour} Skinny Pumpkin Spice at home

It's been a while since I've done a {Friday Cocktail} but I've been loving {AV}'s Friday Fancies link up so the series is going on a mini hiatus it seems. I know we are all crazy about pumpkin spice lattes for fall, but if you want a skinner version or just want to make it at home, give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 6 oz fresh coffee
• 1 Tbsp fat free half & half (regular is fine too)
• 1 tsp of sugar free vanilla syrup
• pumpkin pie spice
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree

Directions:

In a saucepan heat the pumpkin puree, syrup, half & half and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice.  Stir until well combined and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to overheat, you can easily burn the cream. Add mixture to your coffee and enjoy.  Feel free to add some whipped cream and more pumpkin pie spice if you are so inclined.

OR if you don't want to bother enter my Starbucks giveaway, and go buy one.  

All dressed up with no where to go

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good, but full gaffs. First, I drank entirely too much coffee on Saturday, then after getting home from babysitting I couldn't get to sleep until after 2 am. Fail. I was supposed to take a practice LSAT Sunday morning. Well. 2:45 am rolls around. I still wasn't quite asleep when heard the door open and close downstairs. My roommate KJ was out and about, nothing to be concerned about, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. Then some time later I turned over and opened my eyes. 

There was an unknown man standing above me. Just staring at me. I swear to god. 

I initially thought it was a dream, but no. There was definitely a man there. I don't entirely remember what I said. I didn't scream or jump or any "normal" reaction. No. I was so taken a back I didn't know what to do. I kind of assumed that KJ may have brought home a gentleman friend and by the time I realized what happened I thought running out would have ruined "the mood," so I stayed put. 

Well I get a text about 90 seconds later from KJ apologizing. Apparently this guy was her drunk married  co-worker who also happens to live in our neighborhood so they were simply sharing a cab, until he invited himself in. At 3:00 am. Needless to say, he was asked to leave shortly there after. It made for quite the interesting morning. Let. Me. Tell. You. 

Sunday was once again filled with LSAT Studying. 18 days folks. But I was so excited to head over to the Dew Drop Swap as I mentioned to y'all on friday. KJ was tagging along so we got ready. Full hair and makeup because lord knows you have to look good when you run into the fashionable bloggerati of the District. Well. We were running late. Shocker. With 5 minutes to spare make it to the building to head upstairs. Once we arrive the place was not quite as hopping as we expected. Nope. Not a sole in sight actually. That's when we realized the swap was on SATURDAY. Another fail on my part. 

Thankfully we redeemed the outing with pumpkin spice lattes. (PS if you're counting calories check out this post from Samantha's Brewed Awakening) 

So. What is a girl to do when she's all dressed up with no fashionable venues to frequent? Take pictures of herself. Duh. 

Top: Forever 21 | Skirt: Macy's | Shoes: Nine West | Watch: Michael Kors

I saw this tutorial on pinterest the other night and had to try it. I over did it on the teasing a bit, but I'm kind of obsessed!

Pink and Gold Mani--- also inspired by pinterest here

That's it for today. Hopefully the rest of the week will be slightly less eventful. Though I did appreciate the comic relief. LSAT nightmares have been increasing in frequency of late, so it was a good change of pace.

{Friday Cocktail} Irish Iced Coffee

I've been drinking a lot of coffee lately. So much that I've started brewing a cup at night, and letting it sit in the microwave so it's ready to go first thing in the morning. I've recently added decaf to my routine. Nights I have LSAT class I make at least 2 maybe even three cups of decaf. I don't know if it's the slight trace of caffeine or the idea of drinking coffee that helps keep me up more... but whatever it is, it's working. 

Obviously I have coffee on the brain. So when I started to brainstorm ideas for this week's Friday cocktail I had to do something coffee based. clearly. This week I have a pretty traditional Irish iced coffee. Nothing fancy, because "we don't got time for dat" *is it lame to still quote that youtube video? I don't care. I'm doing it anyways.

 

Ingredients

• Lots of ice
• 6 oz. cold coffee (could be semi warm, just not hot. You are not trying to melt the ice)
• 3 oz. Irish Cream Liqueur
• Tbsp. Creamer (I'm obsessed with fat free half and half--- I just discovered its existence)
• Sugar to taste (whatever sweetener you like is fine), for me there is enough sweetness in the bailey's to cover it.

Directions

 Combine sweetener and your cool coffee until completely dissolved. Then add the Irish Cream Liqueur and Creamer, stir until combined. Pour over ice. Enjoy

This is so easy and so good. All the creaminess makes it a real treat, but if you use the fat free half and half, omit the sugar, etc. It's really not very sinful. You can get fancy and add chocolate or a dash of cinnamon, or try topping it with a heaping dollop of whipped cream. This would be great for the end of a long dinner party, to sip on and chat. Plus other than brewing the coffee there's hardly any work involved.

If you have any questions about this or any other cocktail recipe please send me an email. Also, I'm always looking to make blog friends so if you ever want to guest post your own Friday Cocktail, let me know, I'd be happy to get you on the schedule.

Have a great weekend loves! I'm hopefully going to see these ladies and not spend all weekend with my nose in an lsat book.

Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz

If you got the reference you are my bff. If not... it's a kind of ice cream, don't judge me.

Today I want to talk to you about coffee. A very serious subject. I am a coffee addict. I blame my father, who has an obsession with good coffee like no one I've ever seen. He has an espresso machine, some fancy drip maker (that I can't figure out how to use for the life of me), french presses galore, etc. Several Starbucks in the Little Rock area know him by name, or more specifically by order "doppio espresso per favore." He has been a proud owner of a gold card for several years (I'm still loving mine) And whenever I go home I realize what a coffee novice I really am. I started drinking coffee for real in college, but I dabbled during high school. Super sweet Starbucks drinks... does anyone remember the chocolate brownie frappaccino? I sure do. Then I moved to Spain for a study abroad in 2008 and I was introduced to cafe con leche, espressos y cortadas. The cortada was my drink of choice. Delivered in a shot glass was straight espresso with a some steamed milk. You can sip it or shoot it, but whew, is it a caffeine rush. yum.

Needless to say all of this coffee training has failed me of late. I bought one of these a few years ago

and while it's awesome on the go, it doesn't exactly brew a great cup of coffee for my discerning pallet. Since I get free coffee at work I have somehow trained myself to wait until 9 for my first cup of the day... but it's not cutting it anymore. I've recently fallen in love with the idea of french press coffee.

Look at that rich coffee goodness. If you don't know how a french press works, you basically fill up the bottom with your grinds then add boiling water, stir and steep. Then you "press" the coffee with a nifty plunger, pour and enjoy. Pretty easy right?

Some of the reasons I'm thinking about switching to the french press:

It's a relatively cheap investment (compared to a more expensive drip machine)

You can easily control the number of cups you make (most make 2-3)

You get everything out of the coffee-- with drip coffee the water spends very little time with the grinds, and just strains through. With a french press you make more of a coffee soup then you strain it, leaving you with a stronger and fuller flavor.

I can have "fresher" coffee. Coffee goes stale once it's been ground, and how long have k cups just sat around after they've been assembled? Weeks? Months? Years? who know... and should I waste my time with stale coffee? no gracias.

I'll no longer be a slave to the k cup- don't you just hate it when you run out of k cups and your left up the creek without a paddle? *yes I have one of those reusable k cup things, but they are such a mess I rarely use it. 

Okay, I think I've just convinced myself. French press here I come... Do any of y'all have recommendations for a good one? I'm officially on the hunt. 

Weekend Recap

Is there anything worse than a rainy Monday morning? I don't think so. I really could have used a three day weekend, but work promises to be far too busy slash I will be here until probably 9 tonight (ugh) thus adding to my pain. This weekend those was one of those wonderful, only in DC kind of a weekend.  

Painted my nails. 

Sunday we brunched in Columbia Heights at The Getaway with a few friends, and let me tell you it was awesome. I got a spicy bloody mary and this gem of a sandwich. A Fried Green Tomato BLT. WHAT? I know. It was SO good. Fried Green Tomatoes. Bacon. Avocado Ranch. Goat Cheese. Brioche Bun. and Sweet Potato Tots. Are you dying yet? This place is right on 14th Street in Columbia Heights but you have to walk maybe 4-5 blocks up from the metro to get there (I doubt I would have ever found it if my friends didn't live next door)

Saturday Night we hit up H Street Country Club, which you know if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram. I was a posting fiend. 

also. I'm not trying to be that girl but can we talk about how tan I look? For reals. I've never been any color other than white. Sunless tanner is changing my life. oh and bronzer. and bronze primers. and maybe a little time in the sun. But still. 

dress is from Forever 21

Found some time for a Pitango stop at Eastern Market. Man I forgot how good that stuff is. Lemon + White Grapefruit Sorbet. my mouth is seriously watering as I type this. 

Saturday afternoon we went for a walk/yard sale-ing in the hood and did the obligatory stop at Big Bear. I wore a fedora so I would feel slightly more hipster and fit in. but lets be honest I will never pass for a hipster. 

Oh and this happened. 

I know its a very blah tweet. but still. Emily Eddington is like my makeup idol. I seriously worship her, and everything she does. and she tweeted me. I died. 

So. That's about it. Sorry it was all out of order, but that's how my photos loaded, and I didn't feel like changing them around.