New York in January

My mom came to visit me last weekend. We had a glorious time watching movies, shoe shopping and wandering around the city. [Side note, Quartet was a delightful, sweet movie - I so recommend!]  The temperature on Sunday was unseasonably warm (only to turn ridiculously cold on Monday) so a stroll through Central Park and down to Chelsea was quite enjoyable. It was nice to get my camera outside of my house for a while and see some outdoors in the natural light. Enjoy!

Mochaccino from Le Pain Quotidien

Flatiron

My mom and her delicious salad

Flatiron (next to Eataly - Eataly post up next!)

Central Park

Central Park Ducks

Coffee Time

One of my favorite weekend rituals is making fresh coffee in the french press. Coffee in a french press always tastes better than an auto-drip. It's the simplest method for making coffee and requires minimal effort.

There's something about the pretty little glass jar that makes all the difference. Making coffee in a french press couldn't be simpler - it certainly takes less time than it took for me to take all these photos.

For a one serving french press I use 2 heaping scoops of fresh coarse ground french roast (or another dark roast).

Add coffee to french press

Fill french press with boiling water

Set timer for 4 minutes

Press coffee and ... done!

I like to add half and half (I hate skim or low fat milk in my coffee - yuck) and NO sugar, but that's just my taste! Sometimes a little cinnamon is nice - especially if you choose to steam the milk. Enjoy!

Instagrams of Late

It's Sunday AND sunny! I'm off to adventure in the city for the day with my mom but first I thought I would share with you some of my new favorite instagrams of the last couple weeks.

In other news I'm trying to play around with html a little bit more, and I've somehow managed to get my photos side by side. Not sure if I will be able to do it again though!
Enjoy!

From left to right, top to bottom:

margarita step one, strawberry margarita, early morning run, morning latte, flower from lunch, a recent drawing in a series I've been working on, movie night, my newest coworker: tired puppy, my new jade plant for my new desk at work, carriage outside work,
beginning stages of the third drawing (with Rose), morning commute.

Sunday Morning Coffee

A week and two days later and I still can't quite kick this cold (or whatever I have). Maybe my "ignore it, occasionally take Vitamin C, hope it goes away" approach isn't the best plan. Regardless, my lazy, sneezy, cough-filled Sunday morning has been bolstered by this homemade "latte." 

We don't have an espresso maker or a fancy milk steamer, but I can make really strong and delicious organic coffee in the french press, heat milk and use the other french press to froth the milk. Add a little cocoa powder and a dash of cinnamon and . . . a WAY better beverage than anything Starbucks could come up with. I also made a  decaf Chai tea latte for my caffeine intolerant boy. He was delighted. Happy lazy Sunday!

Cozy Saturday

A nice cozy relaxing Saturday morning. Started off with a run cup of coffee on the couch (followed by the run). Next up? Christmas shopping and cleaning/organizing the apartment - that big pile of shoes in the front closet really need a shoe rack. I'm so enjoying these first few quiet mornings without all the rushing that normally happens in the morning.

Unfortunately, I broke this cup in the kitchen sink directly after taking this picture. 

Back to Anthro I guess . . . darn.

Day Two Continued: Chapel Hill in Photographs

I always forget how much I adore the sweet town of Chapel Hill, NC. Every few years when I make it down to the Durham area we usually spend an afternoon in the cozy college town and it is always a delight. Yesterday was no different. We had some delicious freshly brewed coffee and mint tea at Caffe Driade, explored the Ackland Art Museum, and had an incredible dinner at a charming little Indian restaurant called Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe. 

French Pressed Peppermint Tea

Chilly Sunset.

We didn't eat here, but the menu looked delicious. But after Curryblossom, I know we made the right choice!

My mother in anticipation of our meal! In retrospect, we may have gotten too many water glasses for three people . . .

Vanping (Camping in Style)

Friday night post-work we decided it would be fun to go camping at the Delaware Water Gap (border of NJ and PA - our go-to campground). The campground is about an hour away and always a nice getaway. This particular Friday night it was raining. Rain would generally hamper NORMAL camping trips but us - we don't camp, we van-camp. Or 'vanp'. . . Vanping is the most recent manifestation of the action. Vanping is SO much better than traditional tent camping because you stay dry, don't have to set up (and take down) a wet or dirty tent, and you don't have to sleep on rocks. Basically, you get to sleep in the outdoors without all the fuss of bear or dirt. It's a win-win.

This little weekend jaunt was classed up with olives, wine, cheeses, prosciutto, and delicious bread. The best camping meal, right? In the morning we woke up to birds, sunlight, and beautiful leaves - this was followed by a 4.5 mile run through the campground (along the river I might add) pastries and freshly brewed (french press) coffee. Despite the fact that we forgot our camping stove and had to use a blow torch to heat up the water for the coffee, it was an absolutely idyllic morning. I highly suggest Vanping if you have a van to do it in :-)

View from the campsite

Delaware river while running by

Breakfast of champions (these are all unedited).

Brewing

Instagram-ed