Food

13 years of coffee ⁹

I have vivid memories of my mother preparing coffee for my grandparents when they would come visit us in Alaska. The sight of my beloved Grandma Margaret in curlers frightened me to tears (literally) and the fragrant aroma of her morning joe only made matters worse. Once I realized it was actually her underneath those terrifying foam rollers, I mustered the courage to ask “Why do you drink something that smells like poop, Grandma?”

My, how things have changed.

As a Norwegian Lutheran raised in Seattle, my love affair with coffee was pretty much inevitable. Yet as I sipped on my Venti Americano at the Seattle Airport last week, it suddenly dawned on me that I’ve come a long way in regards to my java preferences. Let’s take a caffeinated journey down memory lane, shall we?

2000

My high school opens up a coffee cart. (Yes, when you live in the Pacific Northwest, high schools have coffee carts.) I collect spare change from around my house until I have $3.00 saved for a Peach Italian Soda…extra whip cream, of course.

(When you’re sixteen-years-old and have the metabolism of a hyperactive chihuahua, you always get extra whip cream.)

2001

I decide to venture out of my sugary comfort zone and try actual coffee–in the form of a $2.50 mocha from the local parking coffee kiosk. Parking lot coffee kiosks are a trashy (yet kind of awesome) trademark of the Pacific Northwest. They’re on every single block in my hometown of Tacoma, and are basically miniature drive-thru sheds that provides affordable mocha’s, smoothies, latte’s–even the occasional sexual favor!

I like to think of them as Starbucks’ inbred second cousin who wears daisy dukes and drinks orange soda for breakfast.

2002

I stumble upon the Tacoma Mall Starbucks on a Saturday with friends. Naturally, a Venti Caramel Frappuccino is ordered. I quickly realize that the $5.00 Mom allocated for lunch at the food court is much more wisely spent on 20 ounces of frozen, sugary status in a cup! (Little did I know my drink had just as many calories as the fish and chips I was planning on ordering in the first place.)

After five minutes of slurping, my head feels as if it’s blinking. I assume it’s from the caffeine, but don’t really care as the green logo on my cup makes me look like I’m the newest member of Destiny’s Child.

Alright…maybe that’s a bit of a stretch.

Still, the Frappuccino quickly becomes my mall indulgence of choice. On the days when I don’t have the cash, I simply order a big ol’ water, purely so I can be seen with the logo printed cup.

Destiny’s Child, here I come.

2003-2006

The college years. Believe it or not, I actually made it through undergrad without coffee.

Trust me…I’m as shocked as you are.

2007

Graduate school. The occasional trip to the Starbucks across from campus is made. Luckily, I’ve graduated to dirty chai lattes at this point. (Latte with a splash of chai tea. It’s still one of my favorite treats.)

2009

Scott and I return to the land of milk and ~~honey~~ espresso. You may know it as Seattle. As luck would have it, there’s a Starbucks across the street from our condo. Not to mention seven other coffee shops, all of which are incredibly delicious and swanky looking. While working from home, my two drinks a day habit begins. The following beverages plan an integral role in my day-to-day rotation:

Skinny Caramel Macchiato* (when I’m being “good”)
Salted Caramel Mocha (when I’m being “bad”)
Soy Cappuccino (when I’m attempting to cut out dairy)
Skinny Coffee Frappuccino (an update from my mall rat days that has less sugar and calories)
Pumpkin Spice Latte (when I’m feeling festive)
Lemon Loaf and/or Apple Fritter (I know it’s not technically coffee…but they’re so good, I felt they deserved and honorable mention.)

*Yes…I capitalize the name of my coffee drinks. They are that important.

2010

I begin a new job that requires commuting to an actual office. Obviously, my daily ritual of stopping at Starbucks on the way in is absolutely vital to my happiness and productivity. Add to this the weekly Starbucks runs with coworkers, and things begin to spiral out of control. To make matters worse, I get hired to teach Turbo Kick and Boot Camp at the Starbuck’s Corporate Headquarters “Java Gym” for employees. Like a moth to the flame, I go to desperate measures to feed my addiction before and after classes.

Translation? 2010 was the year I spent an estimated $1,400 at Starbies.

(It’s way easier to do than one might assume.)

2012

Scott and I relocate to ‘Sota.

To a town with no Starbucks.

You can read about my green mermaid withdrawals here, here and here.

Present Day

While Smalltown has since acquired a Stargetbucks, I rarely ever go there. Truth be told, I actually prefer Caribou Coffee or Dunn Brothers. Even then, it’s pretty rare that I choose to caffeinate at an actual coffee shop. Turns out that when you work from home and aren’t in walking distances of overpriced lattes, leaving the house for coffee is more of a chore than a treat. Now that I have my trusty Keurig, making coffee myself is the highlight of my morning.

Sure, I still hit up Starbies or Caribou from time to time…but it’s usually when I’m on a road trip or at the airport. And forget about lattes…I now take my java black and strong. An Americano or drip coffee suits me just fine. Perhaps the cold Minnesota winter was responsible for this change in palette? Or maybe I’m just slowly morphing into my Grandma Margaret? (Minus the foam rollers, of course.)

Katrina’s new rules of coffee:

The darker the better. Blonde roast? No thanks.
Always with a splash of cream. Not whole milk, soy, or almond milk. Good old cream. You only live once, right?
Two cups every morning. No more, no less.
I grind whole bean coffee (Starbucks Caffe Verona is my current fave) myself in our Blendtec. It grinds the beans finer, so I end up using less coffee per cup.
I save my cash (and the environment) by putting my grinds in these Cafe Cup Reusable Single Cup Pods. They were a gift from my mother-in-law last Christmas, and work so much better than the more expensive Keurig version. I think she got them at the dollar store.

It’s amazing what time can do for one’s coffee preferences. A good friend of mine–who happens to manage a Starbucks–swears he can tell so much about a person by their drink order. I’m not quite sure what my Venti Americano with a splash of cream says about me…but I’m secretly hoping it involves Destiny’s Child.

What’s your favorite drink? And do you make coffee at home? Or hit up a fave coffee spot everyday? If anyone’s in the market for a Keurig, I’ve been the proud owner of this model for nearly a year and am completely smitten.

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How to brine a turkey...sort of.

Eating her feelings ⁷

My worst nightmare is coming true, you guys.

No, HGTV hasn’t cancelled Property Brothers, nor did Channing Tatum decide to name his newborn daughter after me. It’s far, far worse than either of those.

You guessed it.

Jolie is getting fat.

Jolie the chipin, licking up peanut butter

Jolie, at her heaviest. (8 pounds)

To be fair, Jolie hasn’t simply decided to let herself go out of laziness. The past few days have revealed that much like her mother, the snuggle pooch is a full-blown stress eater.

The source of her newfound anxiety?

Miss Penelope Taylor

We brought Penny home on Sunday night, and things have been going fairly well. She’s an incredibly sweet, timid dog, and seems to get along with our temperamental chihuahua as well as can be expected. Jolie hasn’t tried to bite her once, which is monumental progress for the angriest chihuahua in all of ‘Sota.

Believe it or not, they’ve even snuggled on the bed together a few times. I keep trying to document this phenomenon with my iPhone camera, but as soon as Jolie sees me whip it out, she leaps from the bed to find solace in one of her secret hiding spots. Heaven forbid photographic evidence gets out that suggest she actually approves of another dog.

Perhaps even more shocking than Penny and Jolie’s secret snuggle sessions is the fact that I’m finally able to leave the apartment without crating Jolie. (Or bringing her with me.) Prior to Penelope’s arrival, Jolie didn’t do well when left home alone. Her extreme separation anxiety would cause her to wait at the door for hours on end, yelping miserably for us to return home. According to our not-so-happy neighbors, she would beller uninterrupted for hours on end. On a couple of occasions she dug at the door with such vigor, her paws were covered in blood when we found her a few hours later.

And then there was the poop.

Jolie’s impeccable housetraining habits flew out the window the minute Scott and I exited the apartment. Her fear of abandonment would result in several little presents left on the carpet when we returned home. We’d notice them immediately as upon entering our unit, she would lead us to them herself while violently shaking and whimpering as if to apologize.

Crating seemed to solve all of these problems. There was no more digging, no more pooping, and when she did yelp, the noise was contained in a back room . Eventually, Jolie actually looked forward to chilling in her crate when it was time for Scott and I to go somewhere.

Since bringing Penny home, Scott and I have experimented with a crate-free environment each time we leave. Much to my surprise, I returned to the apartment after running some errands yesterday to discover two little doggies sound asleep on our bed. There was no waiting at the door, no yelping…not even a speck of feces! When I entered the bedroom, Jolie slowly awoke and glanced up at me as if to say, “Oh…you were gone?”

Yet with significant progress comes major resistance. Jolie is extremely territorial of her food, and unleashes a vicious snarl the instant Penny trots within three feet of the doggie dishes. Jolie has also been eating every last ounce of Penny’s food, to the point where she looks even more pregnant than Jessica Simpson.

“She’s eating her feelings.” Scott remarked as Jolie snarfed her third Greenie Treat of the day.

On the contrary, Penelope has been experiencing the opposite problem. The stress of a new environment has completely vanished her appetite. She won’t even come close to touching her food, even if Jolie is stowed away in another room.

Alright. That’s not entirely true. She has no problem gobbling up Scott’s ridiculously expensive free-range, nitrate-free turkey meat from Whole Foods. Or my all-natural, organic peanut butter. Apparently, Penelope is a bit of an all-natural foodie.

But actual dog food? Forget it. We’ve tried no less than three different kinds with the same results. Even when we mix in the turkey and peanut butter, she’s not interested. Scott keeps assuring me she’ll eventually get hungry enough to eat…but I can’t help but worry she’s developing a Portia de Rossi circa 2001 eating disorder.

(Jolie on the other hand is pulling a major Kirstie Alley.)

Here’s hoping the girls can get their eating habits in line before I’m forced to call Dr. Phil for a live television intervention or something.

(And also that Property Brothers is never ever ever cancelled.)

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Lessons from my sister’s bathroom ⁷

I’m in Seattle for work this week, which means I have the sincere pleasure of shacking up with my younger sister. It’s almost as if I’ve been transported back to 1997…we’re sharing a bed, a blow dryer, and (gasp!) even a bathroom.

Thankfully, we’ve matured significantly since adolescence. There’s far less screaming, hair pulling, and fingernail scratching than back in our middle school days. Although I have been known to bust out my freshly manicured claws in a few extreme cases.

(Like when Hayley eats the last Lara Bar.)

Still, I pride myself in how far I’ve come. The sixteen-year-old Katrina would have screamed and possibly thrown a flat-iron at someone upon seeing this on the bathroom floor.

The rational, grown-up Katrina simply filed a polite, yet slightly confused inquiry.

“Um…Hayley? Why are there pieces of oatmeal all over your bathroom floor? Did you try to make a face mask again?”

“Ha!” she giggled casually. “Nah. It’s for my hair. You know how you use baby powder as a dry shampoo on the days you don’t wash it?”

I nodded slowly. Hayley and I both inherited the incredibly greasy locks of our father, Mark. Imagine an oily, scalp-based version of the five-o-clock shadow, and you get the idea. As a result, my sister and have been buying baby powder in bulk for years.

“Okay. And you know how baby powder kind of tints your roots white?”

I nodded again. I really didn’t like where this was going.

“Well,” she continued. “Oatmeal does basically the same thing! The oats soak up all the grease from your hair. Plus…my hair is basically the same color as oatmeal, so I’m not stuck with a scalp that’s a weird, ashy color.”

I was shocked, to say the least.

“Do you eat the oats when you’re done?” I asked incredulously.

“No!” she screamed while gazing at me in horror. “That would be disgusting.”

Perhaps it’s the cheapskate in me, but this seems like a terrible waste of perfectly good breakfast food.

“You should try it sometime.” Hayley coaxed. “It works really great.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I replied. “I prefer to eat my oats out of a bowl. Plus…my hair’s way darker than yours. I’d probably have to use Coco Puffs or something.”

Hayley nodded in agreement.

“Plus,” I continued, “Aren’t you worried about…I don’t know…accidentally running out the door with a couple of stray oats in your weave, or something?”

(Truly, such a travesty would be even worse than the dreaded toilet paper stuck in the shoe calamity!)

“Meh…not really.” she shrugged. “This is Seattle, after all. And the oats are organic.”

Of course they are.

(Next thing you know, she’s going to be coloring her hair with all-natural beet juice grown by blind, vegan monks, or something.)

(Although as long as she stays away from those hair ties crafted from dried strands of free range beef, I suppose I’ll allow it.)

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Best Summer Ever (According to me) ⁸

Here in the upper Midwest, we’ve completely bypassed the phenomenon known as “spring”. Just a few short weeks ago we were experiencing below freezing temps and blizzard-like conditions. Fast forward to present day, where it’s 90 degrees and the A.C. is on full blast. But I’m not complaining! Summer is my favorite season, and as long as I don’t have to wrap myself in a parka when leaving the apartment, I’m a happy camper.

Speaking of happy, a few friends and I have vowed to make 2013 the year of the best summer ever. We’re kickstarting the warmer months with a California getaway, and plan on carrying the momentum of ‘fun’ with us all the way through September. But experiencing the best summer ever doesn’t just happen…there’s planning involved!

(And by planning, I clearly mean shopping.)

Here’s my ten go-to items to help you kick off your very own best summer ever.

1. Fiesta Island 8 Person boat thingy*

Who says you have to be rich to spend the summer chilling on the lake? This inflatable party island is affordable, easy to store, and doesn’t require gas! Ummm…sign me up, please?

*Yes, “boat thingy” is a technical term

2. CeraVe SPF 30 Sunscreen

If there’s one thing Scott knows about, it’s “scrizzle“. (And getting in fights with chihuahuas, but that’s an entirely different blog post.) Working in dermatology makes him a bona fide sunscreen expert, and this is his hands-down top pick. Bonus? It’s super lightweight and easy to apply while being fairly gentle on the wallet. Save your self from premature aging (not to mention skin cancer) and slather up!

3. St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse

Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays doesn’t mean resigning to a summer of pastiness. (Although the older I get, the more I’m finally starting appreciate the pale look.) This self-tanner is an investment, it’s easily the best product I’ve found, and a little bit goes a long way. Plus, it’s Giuliana Rancic’s favorite product–and let’s face it–that girl has a PhD in all things spray tan. St. Tropez sells a foam application mit, but I recommend picking up some cheap latex gloves instead. They’ll keep your hands from turning orange, and you can toss them when you’re done. Easy peasy!

4. Ben & Jerry’s Late Night Snack

Summer just isn’t summer without some delicious frozen dairy product. While I’ve been loyal to Ben & Jerry’s since college, I never ventured far from my two signature flavors — Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia. A friend recently suggested Late Night Snack (dreamed up by Jimmy Fallon!) and I’ve been hooked ever since. Four words: chocolate covered potato chips!

5. Roller Derby Women’s Aerio Q-80 Inline Skate

I’ll never forget the first summer Scott and I spent in Syracuse. I had just started graduate school, and he was earning minimum wage while working odd jobs on the side. We could barely pay rent on our converted motel room apartment, and it was clear that we were going to be doing summer on a major budget.

Late one evening, Scott returned from a night shift at his restaurant and was visibly on edge. “That’s it!” he exclaimed furiously, “I’m buying us roller blades!”

“Huh?” I responded with confusion and just an ounce of concern.

“I realize we have no money, and aren’t going to be able to do anything fun the summer…but I budgeted it out, and I think we can afford a new set of roller blades for each of us.”

“Okay,” I hesitated, “But why roller blades?”

“Whenever we’re bored, we’ll drive to the lake and roller blade around the park. That will be how we have fun this summer. These roller blades are going to be an investment.”

The following day, we each had a brand new pair of K2 roller blades. Just as Scott planned, we went out on them whenever we needed something to do. We must have skated 500 miles that summer–and saved at least that many dollars. But you know what? We still have those roller blades, and use them to this day. Going out for a skate on a nice afternoon continues to be one of our most loved summer traditions, and is a great way to burn off all that chocolate covered potato chip ice cream.

Imagine that. Roller blades really are a good investment.

6. Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray, 8-Ounce Bottle

I swear by this stuff. It’s perfect for that summer beachy look and requires absolutely zero effort. Anything that means I don’t have to spend thirty minutes blow drying my hair is a winner in my book.

7. Nordstrom Cotton Mesh Fedora

Every summer I buy a cheap, straw fedora.

And every summer the cheap, straw fedora gets crushed and ruined in my suitcase or beach bag. It never fails.

(Sometimes, Scott and I resort to simultaneously wearing our matching fedoras at the airport, to avoid the inevitable luggage squishing.)

It’s cute when Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson do it. Scott and Katrina? Not so much.

I love this Fedora from Nordstrom for its affordable price point, but also its solid construction. The cotton mesh material is practically un-squishable!

(Scott loves it because we’ll no longer be the douchey coordinated couple at Terminal D.)

8. Ray-Ban RB3025 Aviator Large Metal Non-Polarized Sunglasses

These aviators just scream summer. The best part? They’re unisex!

(This totally convinced Scott to let me purchase them as we can share them between the two of us.)

(Obviously, I get first dibs.)

9. Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey

Never in a million years did I think I would actually enjoy whiskey.

Guess what?

I actually enjoy whiskey!

This honey-infused liquor has a sweet, warm taste and is divine on its own, or paired with cola, ginger ale or lemonade.

(Tip: Tastes even better when sipped from the Fiesta Island inflatable boat thingy.)

10. Express Sleeveless Portofino Shirt

I just picked this up in Chelsea Blue, and am completely in love. It’s lightweight, comfy and universally flattering! It’s versatility means it looks casual cool with a rugged pair of jean shorts, and ready for a night on the town when paired with skinnys and heels. Pick this up in multiple colors…I promise it will be an integral part of your summer uniform.

***

That’s my list! Did I miss anything? I’m dying to know…what are your ultimate summer must-haves?

P.S. My latest article for Levo Leage, 7 Conference Call Commandments You Must Follow, is up today! I’d love it if you hopped on over to check it out!