Steak + Coffee = LOVE

Seriously, Coffee and Steak are my two loves. Who would have thought to put them together? Well, Kevin & Amanda sure did! Check out their beautiful blog for professional pictures of this meal.


Coffee Crusted Steak Feast
A semi-fancy feast with Cynthia


Our version of Risotto

Onions and parsley

Cynthia is so impressive. This not-really-risotto dish was delicious!

Ingredients: rice, chicken broth, white wine, onions, parsley, and black pepper

Risotto is rice cooked in broth to a creamy texture.

Our version was not like that, but it was still tasty. 

String Beans

Bring to a boil

Steak time!

Ingredients: butter, salt, pepper, and instant coffee grinds

"Boneless Top Blade Steak"

I don't know what that means, but the butcher said it was a good and a good deal!

Massage the meat with pepper, salt, and coffee grinds

Put butter on a pan, and grill each side for about 5 minutes

Bon Appetit!

Disclaimer: it is not burnt, it is the coffee grinds

What a beautiful and proper meal- we have the protein, the carbohydrate, and the fiber

Overall: It was good, not the best steak in the world. But maybe it was due to my lack of cooking skills. Steak recipes are extremely simple, but it is also extremely difficult to create a perfect steak. 

I tried to cook the steak to a medium rare, but it took forever since the steak was so thick. It did not have as strong of a coffee taste as I would have thought or wanted. But overall, steak and coffee are meant to be!

The Capitol

I went on a little day trip by myself 2 weekends ago. It felt really comforting to be able to just explore at my own pace. I have to admit that I really love being in the East Coast. I am already starting to look into graduate schools and job opportunities here. I feel like my past is in California, I should and need to find something better in the East Coast. But, I'm scared to move on from- parents, school, friends, and love. 

Breathtaking.

Rarely do you ever see leaves change colors before your eyes

This is the color of Fall

Strolling through Capitol Park

The Capitol Building

 Pound on the Hill

 A very attractive and chic little cafe

They use iPads to take and ring up orders!

Nutella Latte (small) - $4.35

Smooth, light, sweet, and DELICIOUS

The coffee was definitely well roasted- not bitter and very smooth

Who would have thought to put nutella in coffee? It is brilliant! Very simple to make for such a costly drink but totally worth it... once!

Came home, and boyfriend Kate made me dinner

I did the chopping!

Lettuce, onion, carrot, tomato, avocado, sun-dried tomato, and artichoke

Topped off by some Grilled Chicken made by Kate

Grilled Chicken- seasoned with pepper and garlic powder

Add the Balsamic Vinegar and mix it all up

Final verdict: So fresh, healthy, and tasty!

Good day!

Simple Saturday

My favorite study cafe.

Yola 

I am in love with this cafe. There are plenty of tables and chairs, the space is spacious, there is room to walk around without bumping into people, there are plugs everywhere, the lighting is nice, and the music is soothing enough that you can concentrate on your work.

From the outside, you would never expect it to be a cozy coffee lounge. It looks it should be a frozen yogurt place.

"Pumpkin Latte" (made with real pumpkins)- $4.73

-I loved how I was drinking from a giant cup

-The espresso drink was very smooth

-Definitely not heat hot enough

-There was merely a hint of pumpkin taste

-Definitely over priced

My study space for 6 hours

Late Night Memorial Walk

World War II

Lincoln Memorial

It was a very cold and long, yet beautiful walk.

We came home at around 1:00 am. My jaws were so stiff, that I could barely eat my cereal. 

Goodnight! 

BYOC

I started off the day trying to be productive at a Cafe.


Filter Coffeehouse
http://www.filtercoffeehouse.com/
This coffeehouse has extremely high reviews and ratings on Yelp. I agree with most of it too. The one downside is that there is VERY limited seating and plugs available. I can tell that this was a very popular spot for coffee and to study. I really hope that they have plans to expand their TINY space. 

Picture taken from Yelp

Looks like a very cozy little cottage

Picture taken from Yelp

Their concept as described on their website: "hand-poured cups of carefully chosen single origin coffees"

Pour Over Coffee:  "Ethiopia Sidamo"- $3.25 for this 16 oz.

The description: "Fruit & floral aromatics of strawberry, orange blossom, and apricot vivid acidity, creamy body, with a lingering finish"

One word: UNIQUE. I chose this coffee because I thought it was odd. Fruity tasting coffee? It was definitely strange. I liked how I did not have to add sugar or milk. It tasted like coffee flavored tea. 

Jessie's "Latte"- $4.00

The espresso was smooth and warm

My creative roommates decided to have a BYOC (Bring Your Own "C") Party last Sunday to celebrate Halloween. It was a nice little kickback with close friends and good food.

Cynthia's Pumpkin Spice Cake

She used a box of Spice Cake Mix, and instead of adding water- she used 1 can of pumpkin mixture.

So creative!

Cynthia's Blood

Corn syrup and food coloring

My Cinnamon Rolls!

BYOC Feast

Buffalo Chicken Wings by Angel

Corn Chowder by Andrew

-Tied for #1 most popular item-

Pumpkin Pasties by Lauren

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes by Cynthia

-Tied for #1 most popular item-

Cinnamon Rolls by Me

Mint Chocolate Chip Pie by Lisa

Cheesecake by Andrew

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies by Nina

Cinnamon Bunuelos by Lauren

Super delicious!

The glorious dining table!

Carrots & Celery and Chex Mix by Cameron

Apple Cider and Candy by Jessie (not pictured)

Marty McFly (Back to the Future), Fish, Dexter Victim, and Eye Test (?)

I'm not sure why they are hugging me, since they are always picking on me

We have such a beautiful love&hate relationship

I'm so glad we get a long

Happy Halloween!
Yes, it was a Monday night. But a few of us decided that it would be fun to dress up and go out for a few hours. Unfortunately, there was not much going on for this occasion. But overall, it was fun to dress up. 

Leopard, Little Red Riding Hood, Bunny

Thanks for taking me out Beautiful!