springtime in seattle.

spring in seattle

IS TOP NOTCH.

i don't think i've appreciated spring ever as much as i do this year. i've always enjoyed it, but it reeeeeally hit me when we were out for a walk about a month ago and i felt like all my senses were awoken after a 4-6 month gloomy dark slumber. the smells! the sounds! the colors! the warmth! i just looooove it. its only gotten better from there.

aaaaand its only mid-april! keep the springy goodness coming, seattle!

all photos snapped on my iphone6 the past couple months:

brace yourselves for a visual feast/heart explosion:

how is this reaL?!?

i basically skipped down the street and rolled around in the grass crying on this particular afternoon. not really, but i was just in absolute awe of all the glorious pink petals everywhere. this has been the most prime day so far, i think april 13, 2016 to be exact. a guy came out of his jolly pink petal-ed house with his cute little bicycle and he could tell i was freaking out about his amazing cherry blossom situation. he seemed pretty proud of himself.

JUST LOOK AT IT.

sunsets lately aren't too shabby, either.

i think pale pink and green make a very nice pair. you liiike?

also, i aaalmost love the fallen cherry blossoms more than snow. almost.

^^^ sunset view from our kitchen. i'm actually watching the same thing happen from the back porch as i type this :) :) :) :) :) 

LALALALALALAAAAAAAAAAA! best ever.

qp

coffee & coconut cream ice cubes.

iced coffee season is upon us!

i know that a lot of people prefer to drink iced coffee drinks year-round, soo.. even better!!

here are some fabulous little flavorful ice cubes - made with brewed coffee and coconut cream - that will keep your iced coffees and cold brews from getting watered down. and they add some flava & sweetness.

i don't like getting half way through an iced coffee and having it taste like h2o + a light residual trace of coffee. i just want da coffee! so i made these coffee ice cubes. for my coffees. coffee coffee coffee.

i reeeally like coffee + coconut flavors, so i made these ones with coconut cream and coconut extract. if you're not a coconut fan, you could use a different kind of milk or cream that you like and perhaps vanilla extract or some sort of caramel flavoring or whatever floats your personal iced coffee boat.

this is super easy and requires just 4 ingredients and a good amount of time in the freezer.

i froze these cubes for a full 24 hours before taking them out of the tray. the results were just what i wanted - extra coffee flavor + creamy coconut flavor + a hint of sweetness.

you could totally use multiply this same recipe to make coffee coconut cream popsicles! i wish that i had frozen half popsicle sticks into some of these cubes, because i ended up just eating the last few cubes on their own :) they're tasty and refreshing.

i heart popsicles.

Coffee & Coconut Cream Ice Cubes

Time: 10 minutes hands-on + 24 hours in the freezer

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strong brewed coffee
• 1/2 can (7 oz) canned coconut cream (I use Trader Joe's)
• 2 tsp. coconut extract
• 2 TB raw sugar*

*i would use agave nectar instead of raw sugar if you prefer a "more natural" sweetener - although i'm not entirely sure how natural agave truly is. but it tastes good and you only need to add a small amount to get the sweetness - i would probably use 1 TB agave in this ratio.

Instructions-

Brew 2 strong cups of coffee. In a bowl or pyrex measuring cup, whisk all the ingredients together until the raw sugar is dissolved and you have a lump-free liquid. It will help to melt the sugar and the thick coconut cream while the coffee is still hot. 

Pour the liquid into ice cube trays. Place in freezer and freeze until solid. I would recommend 24 hours. 

Add these coffee cubes to your regular cold brew or cold coffees. Be sure to follow proper iced coffee making instructions so that your cold coffee is diluted appropriately and it is not watered down in the first place.

OR cut popsicle sticks in half and freeze them into the ice cube trays for little ice pops!

qp