The way to a woman's heart

No, it is not diamonds or romantic dinners. For me, it is getting to snooze for a few more minutes while the aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee made with love wafts into the bedroom {yes, the scent can travel that far when you live in a one bedroom apartment}. Two years ago, my husband and I became true coffee enthusiasts. I can name the exact tipping point {perhaps better said as cupping point} for us--the first taste of French pressed coffee at a little place called Duckfat. We expected to be wooed by the fries {which, of course, we were} at this Portland sandwich shop, but not by the coffee. Needless to say, during our car ride back to New York, we purchased two Bodum French Presses--with that one cup of coffee, we were converted.

Since that fateful moment, we have dabbled with different brewing methods and beans and have settled on our current morning routine. While it may involve a few steps, the end result is the perfect cup of coffee. Trust me, the extra four minutes it may take is oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-good worth it.

Every good cup of coffee starts with the beans. We get ours from one of two places, Gimme! Coffee or McNulty's. These two coffee jaunts are quite unalike, but both deserve a visit.

The next step is the grind, which I have learned is quite important in the coffee brewing process. After some research, we selected the Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Mill. When we have guests over, they definitely shoot us odd glances as they see us cranking away to grind our coffee—surely, there must be models that are a bit more advanced in this day and age? While there may be, I like our trusty Hario. Since it has ceramic burrs, the grounds the mill produces are top-notch compared to the inconsistent dust produced by blade grinders. Better yet, the mill is affordable, doesn’t take up precious counter-space, and provides an arm workout every morning. Oh, and last, but not least, we can have freshly ground coffee even if we lose power {which was clearly a concern when the hurricane threatened}.

Onto the actual brewing process. We enjoy the lazy man’s pour-over {aka Clever Dripper}.

After scooping two spoons of our favorite coffee into our filtered Clever Dripper, we pour 12 ounces of almost-but-not-quite-boiling water over and wait {for four minutes, to be exact}.

Once the buzzer rings, we let the coffee percolate into our mugs {which were prepared with milk and sugar so that the coffee swirls into the milky sweetness}. Voila--the perfect cup of coffee that we savor until the last drop.

Bringing a little Friday to your Monday

For most of us, Mondays begin the work week—the first day after a weekend that we always seem to want to last just a little bit longer.  Today’s Monday morning did not exactly entice me to spring from bed, especially considering that I am a far cry from an early bird {although I envy those of you who are}.  As I savored the last few minutes nestled in bed, I heard a little whimper at the bedroom doorway.  I peeked over the edge of the bed to see Friday had assumed his position, sprawled out on the floor straddling our living room and bedroom, waiting {somewhat} patiently for his momma.  The sound of his tail thumping on the floor was the last straw—how could I choose sleep over this cutie? 

Friday brought me out of bed this Monday morning, as he does nearly every morning, full of just-because excitement.  I am a lucky gal.  What brings a little Friday to your Monday?