bringing nature inside

There's something about the way the trees smell in the Pacific Northwest. The salt induced moisture in the air is intoxicating and refreshing. Every time I'm lucky enough to spend a day in Golden Gate Park I leave feeling as though I've just finished a cleanse. I wish I could bottle that scent and bring it back to Chicago with me. Imagine waking up in Golden Gate Park every morning.* Ahhh!

In my attempt to achieve the fresh outdoorsy atmosphere, I bought a few of my absolute favorite candles ever. Honestly, it's not a perfect match. Yet. Right now I only have volcano which smells like, "tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons, and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens," but after looking at the manufacturer's website, I realized I have to get more.




I need Havana, "a warm earthy scent combining the richness of cedar wood, cedar moss, and lavendar sage" and wind which smells like, "exotic mixed floral with a light lift of spring rain and wind, with light tones of woods and spice."

Everyone should have at least one of these!

*Well, I don't really want to live in the park (I feel sorry for people who have to) but I want my home to smell like it.

there's no place like berlin

Living in Berlin was the single most inspiring and life changing event I've ever experienced. As a 19 year old who had never been anywhere outside of the U.S., I started my trip with wide eyes and a pocketful of naivete. I ignored the fact that I had never traveled anywhere by myself, let alone a city 4400 miles away from home. All I knew was that I could not only survive but thrive on my own in a foreign country without familiar people or places.

As soon as I landed at Tegel Airport, I realized I had no idea where I was going. STA Travel, the travel company I reserved my language courses, flight, and apartment with, scheduled a driver to pick me up from the airport and take me to my new place. Yet, after waiting 45 minutes for a tall, dark, and handsome man driving a van to find me, I realized he wasn't coming. No one was. Talk about a reality check. In the end, I ended up paying over 100 euros for a bus and s-bahn ticket to Friedrichshain, but it was worth it.

The fourth floor walk up I shared with a thirty-something fire thrower named Eva felt like home after only two nights of sleeping on the frame-less mattress in the middle of my lofted bedroom. Every day was spent in morning language classes, wandering the city, eating currywurst from a street vendor, then meeting friends for hefeweizen. If it was a great night it usually ended with a doner kebab.

In memory of my time living in the fourth floor walk up I want to share a recipe I found for vegan currywurst. Believe me, there's nothing in the world like Berlin street food!

Curryvurst
Adapted from Sparkpeople
Makes 2 servings

4 Veggie hotdogs*
1/4 cup organic ketchup
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

-Boil 4 cups of water in a medium pot. Once water is boiling, turn off heat and place veggie dogs in water. Let sit for 3 minutes with pot covered.

-Combine ketchup and spices in a small bowl and set aside.

-Once hot dogs are finished, cut into bite sized pieces. Combine with curry mixture.


*Smart Dogs from Lightlife taste the best.

iced coffee

When I was a little girl, my mom used to give my younger sister and I special sippy cups every morning before we watched our cartoons. I always drank orange juice from a blue cup. My sister always drank coffee from a red cup. One day, I mistakenly picked up the red cup and took a sip. The taste that followed was the most terrible thing I'd ever experienced. I couldn't even swallow it. The thick, smoky flavor of the coffee beans left me feeling sick.

It never occurred to me that a six year old should not be drinking coffee. In fact, it wasn't until about six months ago when I was telling a girlfriend this story that I realized just how ridiculous it was that my sister has been drinking coffee since she was six years old. It's easy to understand why she has so much distaste for orange juice, as do I for coffee. Or should I say I did.

Up until a year ago, I couldn't stomach anything but tea, save for a flavored latte here and there. Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco changed all of that. My boyfriend Russell used to live in San Francisco. While I was visiting him last year for the 4th of July, he took me to Blue Bottle on Mint St. It only took one sip and I was hooked. Now, we try to keep a pound of Blue Bottle in the house at all times. Three Africans is one of my favorites.

You can imagine how excited I was to find a recipe for New Orleans style coffee using Blue Bottle coffee in the New York Times archives. I also found a great variation of this recipe on one of my favorite blogs bigBang studio.

Nawleans Iced Coffee
Adapted from New York Times
Makes 4 cups coffee concentrate

1/2 pound Three Africans, medium ground
5 cups cold filtered water
Ice
Almond milk*

-Put ground coffee in large french press. Add 5 cups of boiling water and let steep for 30 minutes.

-Very slowly push down "press" making sure not to allow any grounds to escape up the sides of the pot. Allow coffee to cool completely.

-Fill a large glass or mug with ice and add 1/2 cup almond milk.

-Add coffee. Pour enough to fill the remainder of the cup.

Since I'm not always in the mood for coffee, I usually make my coffee on a cup by cup basis, but making a large pot and mixing it with a generous amount of almond milk would be a great idea. The NYT says it will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

*You can use any kind of milk. Almond milk just happens to be my favorite.