9.29.2017

Drink Coffee & Do Good

Happy international COFFEE day!!! *claps hands together in delight*

Shout out to all the other coffee lovers , this world would not be the same without all of us poor but superiorly happy addicts. *sighs With satisfaction as I sip my starbucks macchiato*

Which reminds me....

What better to make on a fall day than a coffee beverage ??

The first step to making a homemade pumpkin spice latte is to make the 5-ingredient pumpkin spice syrup. I made an enormous (quadruple) batch here, in order to have extra to share with some friends. *Ok fine, I drank it all myself... but it was So good *
But you can make a smaller (much more reasonable) batch if you’d like. :)

I make mine with less sugar than the original, but there’s still quite a bit in there. So feel free to adjust if you’d like.

There is quite a bit of real pumpkin puree in there, though, so cheers to that!

Once your syrup is ready, just combine it with some frothed milk (I use almond milk) and espresso (or strong coffee). Stir them together…

…and then if you really feel like a treat, top it off with some whipped cream, caramel syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. And then enjoy!

Cheers to fall!

YIELD: 1 SERVING

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Learn how to make homemade pumpkin spice lattes (and homemade pumpkin spice syrup/concentrate) with this simple recipe.

TOTAL TIME: 5 MINS

PREP TIME: 5 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE INGREDIENTS:

1 shot (1.5 ounces or 3 tablespoons) espresso or strongly-brewed hot coffee
1 shot (1.5 ounces or 3 tablespoons) pumpkin spice syrup (see below)
6 ounces (3/4 cup) steamed milk, any kind
optional toppings: whiped cream or caramel sauce, ground cinnamon

PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP:

1 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar (or your desired sweetener)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/how-to-make-pumpkin-pie-spic
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE:Add all ingredients together in a mug and stir to combine. Top with optional toppings if desired.

TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP:
Whisk together water, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice together in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in vanilla extract, and remove from heat.

Use immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

*There are all sorts of different options for sweeteners here. You can either use all brown sugar (as stated in the recipe, which I think tastes most like the traditional coffee shop version). Or you can replace the brown sugar with maple syrup, or experiment with other natural sweeteners. And of course, you can always add more/less sweetener if desired.

Everyone has different sugar needs/preferences, so what works best for you.

UP NEXT MY ALL TIME FAVORITE COFFEE EVER ....... ICED CARMAMEL MACCHIATO

(So I got this recipe off of Pinterest and guysss it is so fantastic, so I thought that I would share it with you.)

* disclaimer. This is not my own personal recipe*

Iced Caramel Macchiato – Layered espresso drink, vanilla syrup, cold creamy milk, espresso and caramel for a delicious at home Starbucks favorite. DIY coffee drink recipe is easy, delicious and frugal!

My latest obsession is Caramel Macchiatos. They’re so dang good but I try to limit myself because they are an indulgence and they are costly. So when my wallet is crying poor and my heart is crying caramel + coffee

This drink starts with a good serving of ice. Add vanilla syrup on the bottom. Pour in delicious milk, coconut milk, whole milk, skim milk, almond milk. The choice is yours. I personally love coconut milk with this one.

Add some espresso or strong brewed coffee. Pour it in a straight line right down through the center. This is what makes it a macchiato.

Pour the espresso almost to the top. But save a bit of room for the goodness at the end.

Optional but amazing…add whipped cream. Now the traditional macchiato doesn’t have whipped cream but it just looks so much pretty in the photos so I had to go for it. And just for good measure drizzle with some really good caramel sauce. Make a nice diamond pattern so it looks extra good.

All my enjoyment from a macchiato comes from the delicious layers. I love how it looks. I love how it tastes. And I love the combo of all these amazing things.

Here’s to fun fancy coffee drinks that you can make at home.

Prin

Iced Caramel Macchiato

Iced Caramel Macchiato - Layered espresso drink, vanilla syrup, cold creamy milk, espresso and caramel for a delicious at home Starbucks favorite. DIY coffee drink recipe is easy, delicious and frugal!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 drinks

Author Melanie - Gather for Bread

Ingredients

8 ounces of water
2 packets instant espresso .09 ounce each- I used this one
3 cups ice
2 ounces vanilla syrup (you can make your own with this recipe or use this
1/2 cup milk coconut, almond, dairy etc.
whipped cream
2 tablespoons salted caramel sauce I use Smuckers

Instructions Heat water to hot. Add instant espresso to hot water. Set aside.

Use 2 8-12 ounces glasses. Add 1 1/2 cups of ice to each. Pour 1 ounce of vanilla syrup in each. Carefully pour 4 ounces of milk into each. Being careful not to mess the layers. Not slowly, in a straight line, add espresso through the center.
Top with whipped cream. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have instant espresso you can substitute with strong brewed coffee.

Now its your turn. Tell me, What are some of your favorite fall coffee drinks??😊👌

9.16.2017

Random thoughts/current book obsession

Happy weekend lovelies.... Let me warn you today is going to be a bit of a ramble. I just put together a few things that have been on my mind /what i have been reading/some of my favorite bookish quotes/a few other ideas that came to me. Also can we just take a moment a agree that weekends are fantastic!! Especially when you have school five other days out of the week. But Guys this is my last year of high school and I could not be more stoked. Although I'm not quit sure what I'm going to after I've finished. Right now I don't have any plans to attend Collage since I don't have a specific subject that I want to study for. But you never know what God will have for me in the future. And that's just part of this journey we call life.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MY RANDOM THOUGHTS

I'm going to start with something that I have been contemplating for a few days and no this time its not about a book that I had been/still am obsessed with.

YOU* gasps in shock and surprise* What you mean you think about something other than books???????

ME *tries to look smart* That's right I have a vast knowledge beyond your wildest dreams.

I WISH.

But if I must say the truth, I know nothing. Correction. I know One thing. Ohhhh So you what to know what that is . OK. I know this. -There are People all around me that do not Know the Amazing Grace of God.

And what am I doing about that? Am I righteously reading my bible and praying every day, Don't get me wrong we NEED to do all those things BUT the point that I am trying to make is this. are we so focused on ourselves and on building up a perfect 'christian' reputation' that we forget to look out of our box and see the people who desperately need Jesus. people that need hope. Love. and compassion. Sure we may pray for them but WHAT ask you are we doing about it?

So today I want to challenge you (and myself) To look beyond that box with those four walls called comfort and do something for someone else. Maybe someone might need the Kindness of a Friend. Or just someone to sit and listen to them. Perhaps they are elderly and need help with something. What about the people at the stores you shop at. A smile and a few pleasant words can brighten someones day. I'm not sure where I heard this story, either I read it or someone told me. But once there was A girl who didn't commit suicide because a stranger smiled at her. When asked later why a single smile affected her like that she replied "Because I knew at that moment that I really wasn't alone and that if a stranger could take the time out of their day to smile at her, a lonely broken girl that there must still be some good in the world......

Just let that sink in for a few seconds.

We need no be afraid or scared of what people might think of us. says that IF God is on our side what can I fear what man may do to me. I love that. Guys we have the power of God living and abiding in us. So why do we live in fear? Why are we afraid to say the name of Jesus in public? I don't know about you but when I stand before God I want him to say Well done you good and Faithful servant, enter into the Joy of the Lord.

I want to end by saying this. Today lets break out of our box of fear, and say to God "use me. I am willing."

Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, untill your feet are hardend. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?

C.S.Lewis

BOOKS THAT I HAVE BEEN READING

Yay my favorite part where I get to annoy you guys to death while I go on and on about a current book obsession. And I have to worn you, its about to get real.

'And the Shofar Blew' by Francine Rivers

Paul Hudson Is a young enthusiastic pastor who can't wait to bring people to Christ so when the minister of an old struggling church retires Paul eagerly takes up the task of reviving the church. It's not long before people are flooding through the doors once more and Every thing is going well. If only his wife Eunice could see it that way. Still He tries no to let her quiet presence distract Him. But Eunice knows that something isn't right.... and it hasn't been for a long time.theh more Paul's zeal and ambition builds, the more he loses sight of the One who called him. As Paul and those around him struggle to live out their faith, they must ultimately choose between their own will and God's plan.

How easy is it to get caught up in doing Gods work and in doing that we lose focus God and his will for our lives. This story convicted me, brought me to tears , made me laugh with the characters .. Yeah basically the whole works.

This is a book that you should have on your shelf. So please buy it ;)

Age Category:

This is defiantly considered adult fiction but in my personal opinion a 14 or 15 year old could read it.

Things that I really loved:

Something that I appreciated about this book was that Francine Rivers brought out the fact that We pour our hearts and lives into working for'Christ without actually honoring Him. what I mean by that is we can get so caught up in showing people the way to God that we become prideful it ultimately draws us away from the very thing we are preaching.

What I didn't like as much:

Honestly there wasn't anything that I didn't like or thought could have been changed in this book. It was just that good.

Why I am recommending this book to You:

Because this book is so powerful and has such a beautiful story of Gods Redemptive love. Everyone of us have failed or messed up in our lives but no matter what we have done in the past Gods grace is sufficient. Cant you see the beauty of that. God Will NEVER give up on us. And that is why I love this book so much.
Here is the link in case I have convinced you that you should really own this book.

://www.thriftbooks.com/w/and-the-shofar-blew_francine-rivers/247960/#isbn=1414370679

'Wonderland Creek' by Lynn Austin

Set during the depression, Wonderland Creek is the story of a naive young librarian who chooses reading and staying lost in a book rather than living her own life and forming real relationships. Due to the loss of her job and the breakup with her convenient, comfortable boyfriend, she decides to get away from home for a while to volunteer at a backwoods library in Kentucky. Little did she know that she would be living an adventure rather than reading it.

So when I first started reading this book I thought it was a bit to far fetched and silly. but the more I read, the more I became pulled into the plot. By the end of the book I had fallen in love with the characters. While it may be argued that this probably isn't the most enriching book, sometimes you just need a fun read, and this book fills all of the qualifications . Its perfect for a quiet afternoon (not that I get many of those) Also I don't know about you but I absolutly LOVE anything that has to do with the 1930s/WW2 era.

Here's the link if you are interested in buying it.😊😊
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/wonderland-creek_lynn-austin/282434/#isbn=076420498X

Age Category:
Technically this is an adult fiction but, its not as mushy as some of these romance novels can be.
16+

Things that I really loved:
So once I got into the story plot I quite enjoyed it. Several times i would burst out laughing and whoever was in the room with me would give me this weird look like, are you alright???? Me *gives them a sideways look* have YOU never heard someone laugh before??? It's one of those books that you will love just for its sweet simplicity. I know I did.

What I didn't like as much:
Overall this book was quite enjoyable BUT, In my humble opinion she has better books. But you know that's just me. So please tell me, if you have read this book I would love to hear what you thought of it!!

Why I am recommending this book to You:
While this book was historically accurate in a lot of it's content, It was also very humorous. A rich story line about the early lives of the appalachian people. Full of humor and adventures of a city girl come to the mountains of Kentucky. A must read.

The Witch of Blackbird pond by Elizabeth George Spears

Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!

Age Category
12+

Things that I really loved:
So the first time I read this book was in 5th or 6th grade. And yes I am homeschooled (just thought I'd mention that) anyway I read this book and imediantly fell in love with the characters and the story in general. From that day on it was my favorite book, hands down. At night my younger sister would be me to tell her stories and yup you guessed it right I would make up these wild and probably weird stories about Kit. 😊😊

What I didn't like as much:
So the only thing that I wished the author would have done was write an Epilog at the end. Not that it didn'thave a great ending. It was quite Excellent. It's just that I loved the book so much I just wanted it to go on and on and on forever...... Lol
See part of me wants to know what happened to them and then the other part of me likes how Speares left it up to your imagination, so in all reality I guess I'm torn between the kind of ending that I would like to have.

Why I am recommending this book to You, my dear readers:
As I already stated this was my favorite, most special childhood book. Oit of all the book i read (and belive me I read books like there were going out of style) this one always had a special place in my heart.
Side note. I read The Witch of Blackbird pond so many times that it fell apart! Literally. So if you want a book that will be a forever friend, this is it.

Link 😊😊
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-witch-of-blackbird-pond-by-elizabeth-george-speare-karen-cushman/253990/#isbn=0547550294

QUOTES/LAUGHABLES