Refreshing Refreshers

Coffee. It runs my life. But currently, I am not drinking coffee. This here is a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher drink from Starbucks. I decided to do homework late in the evening, and lucky for me, Starbucks is open until 11 pm on Saturdays. If I caffeinated myself anytime after 5 pm, I would probably be pulling an all-nighter - with a young child at home, it is not recommended. I enjoy coffee, but sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to switch it up (but usually not). This Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher is exactly it's name - it's very berry with a refreshing taste. Unlike my coffee drinks (heavy with cream and chocolate), the Refresher has a summery, light taste. It isn't filling like my coffee, but makes me think of lemonade - something you would drink on a warm summer day. There is far too much ice for my taste, but the floating blackberries mixed in make up for it. It is also cheaper than my coffee, plus comes in a "Trenta" size. I recommend it if you are looking for something 'refreshing' ;).

Eastern Market and Germack Coffee

I visited the Eastern Market in Detroit on Tuesday 23rd with my daughter Kylee. Though we started later than I wanted, the drive was easy and there wasn't much traffic. Plus, the weather was nice. Arriving at 11 am, I had some parking issues: I drove around the same block three times, parked in a spot I quickly learned was only for merchants, and turned down a road that was barricaded off. I'm not blaming this on the market itself - it was a "user" error (aka. my fault). Luckily, where we eventually ended up parking was right next to the Visitor's Center. My daughter and I went and chatted with the ladies at the front desk, finding out I was qualified for the market's "Double Up Food Bucks." After getting some silver and gold tokens, we got a map and was off to explore the market!
But first, coffee.

We followed the music into Shed 2, finding a man playing to the xylophone. We ran into my classmate Darrell and his friend Allison, who took pictures and a video (thanks again Darrell!) of the musician letting Kylee to play the instrument. She was hesitant at first with the mallets, but really got into the hang of it after a few missteps. As we went our separate ways, I showed Darrell and Allison the map and pointed to the building we got it at before Kylee and I continued our coffee mission.
Finding the coffee location on the map - number 26 - we walked North of Shed 2. Kylee told some people waiting at a bus how she had gold coins in a bag. It's always nice when people entertain my social butterfly. After walking a couple blocks, I realized we went the wrong direction. Turning around, we followed along Russell Street, window shopping businesses we passed. We finally made it to our coffee destination: Germack Coffee Roasting Company (http://www.germack.com/)

The shop was longer than wide, with three little tables and a few stools for seating. I inquired about a few drinks, settling on a Mocha - a mixture of espresso and chocolate milk - over ice. To my dismay, the cafe does not do blended beverages, so I was unable to create my favorite type of drink. I also attempted to order from an advertisement on the counter, only to be directed to the back area. Another business, Batata Shop (http://www.thebatatashop.com/), is renting the back area of Germack on Tuesdays during the Eastern Market hours of 9 am to 3 pm. Batata means sweet potato, and the company specializes in making sweet potato waffles with a brown sugar pecan spread on top. Kylee and I each got a waffle square, mine with only the spread and Kylee's with some strawberries from the market. After ordering from Batata Shop, my drink was ready. The tables were all occupied, leaving only stool seats left (which aren't good for children under 4 ft). I asked a gentleman if we could share the table with him, since there was four chairs and only one of him and he said yes. The rest of our time at Germack's, I was unable to fully enjoy myself because the table was wiggly and I didn't want to irritate the guy who was at the table first. The drink wasn't the greatest; the espresso "sat" on top of the chocolate milk. Even my attempt at blending them together didn't seem to help. But the Batata Shop waffles were delicious!

After getting caffeine in my system, we headed back to Shed 2 to find produce to spend our gold and silver tokens on. The first place we stopped at had all sorts of produce from California. The salesman told Kylee she could sample the grapes and cherries, so we ended up buying a few pounds of each. Directly across from this business was a Michigan-grown produce. I bought three bunches of green onions, a couple sweet onions, a basket full of red potatoes, and a dozen free-range chicken eggs. Moving down another business, we purchased some ripe tomatoes, broccoli, and snap peas. As you can imagine, my arms were quite tired! Kylee spotted a "pie man" and we just had to check out what pies he was selling. The business was Love's Custard Pies (http://lovescustardpies.com/). There were many varieties of fruit pies, but I wanted to try the vegetarian Southwest Texan pie - with cheese, black beans, and jalapenos. So adding one more bag to my arms, we only had $5.00 in tokens left. Kylee and I came across a small table with a young lady selling ginger teas. Nikki's Ginger Tea (https://www.facebook.com/nikkisgingertea) gave Kylee a free sample and she decided that would be what we spent our last tokens on. So with a Ginger Apple Tea in her hand and a smile on her face, we left the market. And not one bag broke!

House of Montagues, Capulets, and Coffee

If you can not guess, even with the obvious hints in the title and picture, I am reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I was out of commission, so to speak, on Friday and Saturday, so I was unable to read the first two acts of the story. Now I'm hauling ass trying to read the first two acts, review the chapter questions, take the online tests, AND write an essay about masculinity in the city of Verona. Woe is me, for I only have 'til the strike the eleventh hour before the deadline. That was my attempt at Shakespearean speech. Anyway, I have to continue to get back on my work. This was my break before getting serious in my studies. Wish me luck!

Monday and a Kiss

Monday gets a bad reputation. Not only is it a common cultural practice to discriminate against Monday, our country's calendar places Monday as the second day of the week instead of the first (done by Christian, Hebrew, and Islamic religions). But to me, Monday means cafe time! After low-grade coffee on Sunday, you will find me Monday at River Street Music and Cafe (riverstreetmusicandcafe.com).

Have I told you how much I love my local cafe? Jaime, the owner of River Street Music and Cafe, runs both the cafe and music store, as well as plays gigs as a musician. There are a couple other people who rotate shifts, equally as friendly. Located in downtown Lapeer, the business is very spacious; there are several tables, the bar area, and five couches if you feel like crashing. Every Friday night live music is played, ranging in a variety of genres. All around, the cafe is a cozy place.

So here I sit, at the counter, enjoying a Kiss.
It isn't as misleading as it sounds: each hand crafted food and drink choice is named based off the cafe's music theme. The espresso-based beverages are named after rock bands, i.e., the Kiss. My favorite drink ~ the Kiss ~ consists of chocolate, milk, espresso. I get it blended like a smoothie, minus the whipped cream. It is so delicious! If you are ever in the Lapeer area, I would recommend you come here. You'll probably find me inside, enjoying my Kiss. Especially on a Monday.

Cherries and Coffee

Cherries are my favorite fruit. I can't get enough of them. Sadly, this fruit is far too expensive for my grocery budget, even when they are in season. $3.99 a pound? No thank you. I could butcher a whole cow and the meat wouldn't sell for that much per pound. Last week I was late night browsing on my phone and rediscovered a site called pickyourown.org. I decided on a whim: I'm going to go cherry picking! I've been cherry picking multiple times in Traverse City, the Cherry Capital,  but I wanted to find an orchard much closer to home. The nearest place I found was Mueller's Orchard in Linden, Michigan (muellersorchard.com). The drive was only 44 miles away - about 10 miles more than my commute to college. I contacted a friend and the trip was set for the following day. Only one problem: where would I get my coffee?

Seeing as I was traveling to a city I never been, I didn't know of any local coffee shops. Furthermore, many independent shops would be closed for the holiday weekend (including my local coffee hotspot). Yes, I know I could go to Starbucks or Tim Horton's. But where is the fun in going to a new city and not trying a new cafe? Coffee isn't the only element I seek when getting my caffeine fix; atmosphere is just as important. I find local cafes to be inviting, friendly, and cozy, i.e., somewhere I feel welcomed. So I looked up a place I used to go to while attending community college. It was on the way to the cherry orchard, plus I thought my friend would enjoy the place as much as I did. However, the business was closed for the holiday weekend. My search led me to another location: Cafe Aroma in Fenton, Michigan (brewinbeans.com). Only a few miles away from the cherry orchard, I called and found they were open!

The next day, aka. cherry picking day, started out without a hitch. The only trouble I had was locating Cafe Aroma; I passed it once and was about to pass by a second time if my friend hadn't pointed it out to me. Located in a mini shopping plaza, I thought the cafe was small. Once we went inside, I was proven wrong: the building must have been longer than I realized and there was plenty of seating inside. I thought I smelled banana bread upon walking in - when I asked about it, the barista informed me the coffee of the day was, in fact, banana. I skimmed the menu and ordered a Frozen Chocolate Cappuccino along with some food for my kid and I. The cappuccino was similar to an Ice Capp from Tim Horton's, but the consistency was creamier and the chocolate flavor was richer. The sandwich I had - known as the #10 - was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I would go back just for the sandwich alone. Caffeination complete.

Just for the record: the cherries were ripe for the picking! For only $2.00 a pound, they are practically a steal. My friend and I picked over 5 lbs and my daughter picked 2 lbs!