Coffee Shop Copy Cats

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I’m not gunna lie–I’ve been craving Starbucks (specifically a iced caramel macchiato–my special occasions drink) for a solid two weeks now. Probably more so because I know I can’t just go out & get one. Oh the joys of quarantine. 

However, just because we’re stuck in our homes without access to coffee shops does not mean we need to suffer from the lack of quality caffeinated drinks (although, some of your local coffee shops may be open & you should totally support them if can/want to!) As part of my job, I run a student Instagram account (seriously) & I recently posted how to make their favorite campus coffee shop drinks (heyyy @holygrounds) at home to “bring a little campus to them” in this weird/sad time. Got me thinking–I should share this former barista knowledge with a larger audience because who doesn’t love a great cup of coffee?

So below I have recipes/instructions for: cold brew, steamed frothy milk (to top your coffee/espresso and BAM you have a latte), chai tea latte (hot or chilled) & iced matcha latte. The photos at the bottom are little recipe cards to download/pin to Pinterest if you want to save them for later. Enjoy!

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How to Stay Sane in Quarantine

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Hey. I’m back. I know, it’s seems like forever since I’ve written. To be honest, it was so long, I forgot my WordPress password. I almost didn’t renew my Ampersandblog.net domain (& did at the very, very last minute). It’s not like I intentionally stopped blogging for any particular reason–it sort of naturally happened. I wasn’t feeling super inspired by anything & was doing a lot of writing (offline ;)). And I didn’t want to force it you know? Blogging has been a hobby and I didn’t want to feel stressed out by it.

But we’re here now! Amidst all the things going on the world, I’ve been drawn to comforting, easy, familiar things (as we probably all have), and I felt like I wanted to blog again. So thanks for bearing with me, for those of you who asked if I still blog, for reading anything I write at all. We’ll see if this becomes a regular thing!

We’re all in quarantine, doing the social distancing~ thing so figured I’d share some tips that have helped me stay (somewhat) sane during the past two weeks. By no means an expert (& always looking for new tips!) but hope this helps even a little bit!

 

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Bittersweetness

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It only takes a few ingredients to make bittersweetness. A twinge of sadness, a pinch of happiness, a definitive ending & a hopeful beginning. Add some tears, a little laughter, wrap it all up in a deep sense of gratitude and you have a nice cup of bittersweet.

Bittersweetness might be the most complex emotion. The waves of sadness and sweetness are perfectly equal even though it seems impossible to be washed over with both at the same time. But I think it’s also the most beautiful way to feel truly alive, right here, right now.

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