Double Espresso

Though deeply apologetic for aversion to posting in the recent weeks, I can honestly say that it is intimidation. I have been utterly amazed by the posts that have been contributed so far by my dear comrades. As the libations enthusiast amongst the lot, I am thrilled to share with the community of readers the incredible array of various liquids and what have you that I consume on a daily basis. My profession as a barista has not only developed a intense passion for coffee but also other specialty drinks such as tea, beer, and wine.
Though to come in the future will be entries regarding all the fab things that i have been drinking and pairing, today I just want to share the trials and tribulations of a struggling barista. Over the last few months I have realized how truly passionate I am about being a barista and coffee. My dream is to make this my life and career (Maybe even one day win WesternRegionalBaristaCompetition). Today quite possibly could have been one of the biggest days of my career to date.

Throughout the day I was going about my normal routine of throwing down large lattes with extra syrup when the unusual double espresso in ceramic came upon the drink screen in the middle of the rush. The double espresso is a drink of the true connoisseur or people that would like everyone else to believe that they have a "truly refined" palate. After presenting the delicate demitasse to the costumer, I was shocked by his question "What notes should i be tasting in this particular blend of espresso?" Despite my belief that the barista's true role is to be a sommelier of coffee, I never thought that I would be put on the spot within my cafe to actually live up to that title. But more importantly that singular question was a clear indication that I was not dealing with the typical costumer but someone that actually knew what they were discussing. After regaining my composure I was able to list the tasting notes of the coffee and attempt to hold an intelligent conversation while staring at a daunting number of drink orders, over all lovely interaction. When working in the coffee industry it is too true that you never know who you will be making the next drink for so it damn well better be amazing every time! As later revealed to me, double espresso who I listed tasting notes for was a blogger here in the Bay Area with some strong connections to the coffee scene. I can't imagine how mortified i would have been if i couldn't have held my own in the conversation!

Second event of the day was making three capps for individuals within the industry. Despite making hundreds of drinks per day I have horrible performance anxiety. If i know the drink matters my hand shakes when I am attempting to pour rosettas. The three capps each came out really well i think, all three had hearts poured on top with perfect capp milk. The milk's texture was really nice today; not too dry so that art was not possible but also not too wet that it would have to be considered a latte. Pulling fresh espresso (24 hours old) is always challenging but all three shots looked consistent and I can't ask for much more in that situation. Once the three capps were served I felt myself deflate of the anxiety that I had been feeling and pure exhaustion took root. As long as no one writes anything negative about my drinks on the internet I can consider my day a great success.

The quest continues...

Annie

Oh, so close to home!

Petaluma, California…so much fun it herds!

What can I say? I’m homesick. Santa Barbara’s great and all, but there’s nothing as comforting as being in my hometown at the beginning of spring with the farm fresh air (yay cows!), muddy Petaluma River, and funky old downtown that has something different in it every time I come home. Seriously, how much construction can they do? Our town is only so big! But no matter what changes, no matter how they attempt to dress it up with fancy boutiques and expensive restaurants, it’s still Petaluma, and it’s still a funky old farm town. I mean, come on, the downtown shuts down by ten o’clock (save for a few bars) and you’re bound to run into a dozen people you know anywhere you go. There’s a joke that if you go to McNear’s, a bar and restaurant venue on Petaluma Blvd, you’re bound to run into your ex-boyfriend’s mom, your junior high gym teacher, your elementary school crush, and your dentist. But hey, that’s the beauty of a small town. It’s comfy and rustic and personable and I’m proud to call it my home. Sure, I complain every time I’m there about how there is nothing to do, but even still, I miss it when I leave.

Anyway, I wanted to give you a little run down of our home area, but more detail will come in later posts (you can’t get out of knowing about Petaluma that easily). I say ‘our’ because all four of us grew up on the north side of the Golden Gate. The funny thing is that we are all interconnected somehow and at one point in time lived in the same town, I didn’t know La and Annie until I came to college. Meesh and I go way back to soccer days… but in any case, this isn’t a time for reminiscing.

In my longing to be back in the bay, I made a rash decision to buy Organic Marin, a cookbook all about the awesomeness of west Marin county and (as the title implies) organic farming. I bought it off amazon.com so I thought it would take a couple weeks to get here but low and behold, when I came back from class yesterday, there it was! Wrapped in white shipping paper and sitting so peacefully on my door mat. I think I may have let out a gasp of excitement when I first saw it. I wasted no time in unwrapping it and quickly began to flip through the pages. You know that kid in a candy bar analogy? The really cliché one? Well I’m going to use it because it fits perfectly for how I was feeling about that book.

The photography in the book is beautiful. And what makes it even better is the fact that I know exactly where they are talking about! There are about three dozen farms mentioned in the book and all are in a thirty or so mile radius of my home! It’s so great that such an amazing farming revolution took place so close to where I grew up. In fact, a few mentioned including McEvoy Ranch (aka really really good olive oil) and Cowgirl Creamery (aka amazing artisan cheese) are in Petaluma. As I was reading through the book last night (instead of proof reading my research papers oops!), I was picturing my drive out to Bolinas to go surfing on crisp spring mornings and could map out the exact spot of some of the farms mentioned. Though I’ve always noticed the farms along the drive, I’ve never actually thought about how cool they are! Take Straus Family Creamery, for instance, did you know they turn all there cow manure into energy and run their entire farm off of it? Or that the Star Route farm stand in Bolinas, that I always thought was closed when I drove by, is actually just unattended and you pay for what you take on the honor system? Where else are you going to find things like that?

This book in a basic model for our philosophy on food and Alice Waters sums it up quite nicely: “Eat what’s locally available. Eat with your family and friends. Buy from a nearby market. Eat what’s exactly in season.” And that's what we do: we eat fresh, local, organic, and we definitely know how to enjoy the food. We can also appreciate the hard work that goes into farming it, as well as appreciate the unique varieties of organic produce. We've learned to bathe our senses in the beautiful appearance, aroma, and taste of whatever we are eating. As I’m writing this, I’m visualizing an heirloom apple from Paradise Valley Produce in Bolinas and can almost hear that sweet, crispy crunch of taking my first bite. YUM!

The final part of this book that is great is the recipes. (well, duh, it’s a cookbook) The recipes are divided into seasons and all come from local restaurants in San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma counties. I don’t even know where to start! They all just look fabulous! Of course, I’ll start with winter and then work my way through spring and summer… And as I try to recreate the recipes just as the restaurants do, I will share my experiences with you. Because that’s what food is all about, enjoyment!

Until next time,

Caroline

p.s. there will be recipes from this book soon! I promise, I just have to have time to go get the ingredients.

Diary of a Bourgie, Vol. I: "Can we get some more hot sauce, please?"

So, you may be wondering what us Bourgies do when we're not in the kitchen cooking up a storm, or indulging in the delicious food we have made...Well, to be honest, we're often somewhere else, eating the incredible food other people have made...or at school...or work. Since we are four busy (and slightly broke) college girls with hectic schedules, we realize that the little time we have to ourselves, or with each other for that matter, must be spent doing the things we love and enjoy. Which is why, my friends, we choose to partake in the finer (and more affordable) things in life when we have the chance. We were, in fact, graced by such an occassion this past weekend: the coming of age for our dear friend, and fellow Bourgie, Annie. As she left the last traces of teen angst behind, and embraced the arrival of a more refined 20 years of age, we knew we had to celebrate in a positively Bourgie fashion...

The day started off when Annie and I enjoyed a wonderful little breakfast at the Tea Room Cafe, just up the street from downtown Petaluma, CA. Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, mascarpone toast with fresh fruit, and soy chais = the definition of a heavenly way to start off your morning. Needless to say, we left the cafe in high spirits, ready to embark on the day's adevntures. We had planned to rendezvous at La's house, but when Annie and I arrived, there was no one to be found and the door had been left unlocked; naturally, we walked in and made ourselves at home (because we basically live there). We wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, wondering where everyone was; that is, until we discovered the luke warm leftovers from the family's breakfast still sitting on the stove. We were about to indulge in some spam fried rice (you will never understand how amazing this is until you try it) and eggs with chorizo, when La's grandma walked into the kitchen. I'm sure we looked like children caught in the act of sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar, but I'm positive we almost sent poor Grandma Rose into cardiac arrest.

After all was settled and La's family arrived a short while later, we set out to fulfill the day's destiny: dim sum at Ranch 99 in El Cerrito, CA. Although it was raining, and we were thisclose to missing out on dim sum, we livened up the car ride over to the East Bay with obnoxious techno music from a local radio station, dancing, picture taking and some quality bonding time (which, of course, was necessary since we all live in different parts of the state at the moment). The day only got better from there.

We wandered through eccentric little Asian shops that line the walls of Ranch 99 as we desperately waited for our number to be called. Finally, it was time, and Annie didn't hesitate to mark down a number of delicious dishes. One of the servers walked by with a plate of sea snails and Annie jumped on it immediately. Taylor (La's boyfriend) and I stared at her with incredulous looks on our faces...SNAILS?? Annie said she had always wanted to try them and insisted that La had said she wanted to as well, only to have La come back to the table with a horrified look on her face and the statement, "All I said was that I had dissected them in class last week, not that I wanted to eat them!" Another of the servers walked by, seeing our hesitation, and de-shelled/de-footed one for Annie to try, suggesting to douse it in hot sauce. Well, she tried it and didn't seem too unhappy, so soon after La followed suit...Taylor and I were still skeptical, but gave in and survived (even though we practically gagged the whole time). Might as well be adventurous though, right? The rest of our meal was excellent, what with pork buns, ha gow, sticky rice, shrimp and chives, and much more yummy deliciousness. Seriously, it was some of the best and freshest dim sum we have ever had, and that's saying a lot coming from us food lovers.

After our phenomenal meal, we went to the market to get some fresh veggies for dinner. After getting yelled at for taking pictures in the store ( and covertly taking more), salivating over all of the goodies and battling against a sturgeon that was mugging us through its glass tank, we left with some shrooms and bok choy in tow. Our next mission was to find some matcha for La's mom, but the tea store didn't sell any...so in true bourgie fashion, we bought bubble tea instead. Tay had never had it before, so La shared a green tea with him, while Annie and I got down on some amazing mango bubble tea. Tay seemed to be having issues with the black tapioca balls and was unsure what to do, when he accidentally sucked up about 10 or 15 of them through the straw. Let's just say he looked like a chipmunk storing some nuts in the side of his cheek, and continued to walk around like that because he couldn't find a trash can. As we left the building, Annie and I made a mad dash for the car in order to get out of the pouring rain, but when we got there, La and Tay were nowhere to be found. All of a sudden they appeared, and La was hunched over in hysterics...apparently she had turned around to see where Tay had gotten off to and saw him shooting the tapioca balls out of his mouth into the street, only to pause in the process when he saw La had discovered his antics, and quickly pretended like nothing had happened.

We made a quick stop at Annie's and then headed home. The ride back was pleasant, as we left with satisfied stomachs and good laughs. La and Tay fell asleep, so Annie and I danced and enjoyed some quality hipster music. Upon our arrival back at La's house, the process of preparing dinner began. After a few hours of cooking, everything was finished and ready for eating...the best part. We enjoyed some AMAZING lamb with yogurt, awesome wok fried veggies, white rice, and rosemary garlic bread from one of our favorite bakeries in Freestone, CA. We all went for seconds...and okay, thirds too...but that's just because the meal was so wonderfully tasty. I think my favorite part was when La and I watched Tay and Annie dissect the last piece of lamb in search of every possible ounce of meat it had on it. We let our food digest over one of those infamous life talks we have with La's dad and finished off the night with a happy birthday, some princess cake and samples of the home made ice cream La's parents had prepared a few hours prior. We sat around the table, our usual spot, in major food comas, yet happy with the day's events. It had been a memorable day spent doing the things we love. To us, that is the true definition of being bourgie.

Until next time,

Meesh

Diary of a Bourgie

Creating (and especially tasting) delicious food or drink is on par with a religious experience, stimulating mind, body and soul. It is our form of meditation; our way of transcending the negative vibes and traveling toward a nirvana of the senses. But you would be mistaken to think that these are the only veins of happiness in our lives. The beauty of Bourgie on a Budget lies in multi-dimensionality. We are a people of many cultures, tastes and interests, humbly seeking to enliven the bohemian lifestyle we have adopted. Perhaps it is our diverse ancestry that causes us to explore these boundless lands like a caravan of gypsies, wandering wherever the winds of change may take us. Or maybe it's just the essence of youth, tempting us to chase our dreams. Whatever the case, we are intrigued by the myriad possibilities life has to offer, which is why we choose to surround ourselves with tasty food, plentiful drink, eclectic music, stimulating conversation, and of course, good company. Not to wax all hippie-philosophical on you, or anything...

With that said, "Diary of a Bourgie" will be serving as a catalog of our adventures and experiences...mostly because, in the past, we have been terribly bad at documenting the wonderful things we do. Enjoy =)

-Meesh

P.S. - The first of our (recent) adventures will be posted within the next couple of days, so be sure to look for it!

Disambiguating..

So none of us speaks French.

Bourgie is a word that our friend Clay (who does speak French) produced while we all sat at a particularly soft, white-linened table in Gourmet Ghetto, until then silent, trying our best to describe the adventure we were having. It was sometime in July, and Annie and I met Clay and Emma for a not atypical evening together. But things didn't go as planned, or more accurately, we don't make plans so we went with things.

What ensued was, indeed, atypical in content, but not in style. The details are saved for a later post, but I should at least tell you that the descriptive bourgie was inspired by the type of meal you commit to memory. It's the type of memory that probably had to replace others to make enough room, like knowing what the capital city of Idaho is, or the scientific names of fifty decapod crustaceans*. I remember showing up to the place a half hour before it opened for dinner, and the four of us pacing bashfully on the sidewalk, then braving our way upstairs and no one wanting to be the one to ask the host for a table.

But a few hours later, we found ourselves at this white-linened table, literally, and I'm almost (but not) ashamed to say this, licking the remnants of the sauces on our plates. But that was after we asked for a second loaf of bread to sop up the bigger remnants. You can see, just from these descriptions, that for bourgie to imply a high class or elitist sort of attitude, we might have thought twice about our behavior at the restaurant.

Bourgie is a joke. We're freakin' college students. It's more of a style than a lifestyle. It's something you can pull off no matter your means. It's difficult to describe because we made the damn word up. But when we get excited and start debating about the best bottle of local olive oil or geeking out over the flavor properties of ethiopian yirgacheffe or the correct order to add ingredients to a stir fry, or butter versus olive oil, or red or white.... we can easily get carried away. We can banter like the over-caffeinated yuppies (oops, I said it.. ) we know and whose footsteps we follow, at least when we're hungry, and who we sometimes laugh at. But trully, its all for the love of food.

So read up, and maybe you'll find you can enjoy a little bourgie too!

...La



*I actually never learned most of the names for the decapods I studied in Invert Zoo last year. But I'm the better for it, because I have scores of latin names of their parasitic cousins to learn this quarter. That's right. PARASITOLOGY. Look it up. Parasites matter too.

The Elusive Burger

If you read the intro post, I noted a craving for a really good burger. Not just some run-of-the-mill burger that you get in pre-made patties from Costco but a burger with substance, with FLAVOR. So that's what I made tonight. Honestly, I think the mention of it on Saturday created a chain of events that led to its consumption tonight. You know what I'm talking about- the phenomenon that once something is mentioned is keeps being brought up again and again and again and again. Anyway, so that's what happened. I had burgers on my mind or, rather, on my tummy-- but either way its creation tonight was destiny.

Saturday morning La (you'll find out more about here later because she will be writing to you about her delightful creations, adventures, etc. soon. AKA after she finishes her midterm about a certain subject in biology that well even saying this much about it in a food blog is too much) and I went to the amazing Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. I was so excited to go! We hadn't been in a while because we've been getting a Community Supported Agriculture box with more than enough produce to sustain ourselves. But on this cold, wet, BEAUTIFUL morning we went. Though it wasn't as crowded as normal due to the wonderful, wet weather (and I don't say that at all sarcastically, I really was happy to have rain) the produce looked amazing-- plus cherimoya season is upon us and we found one that looked like a spiky heart! In fact, a lot of the produce we bought went into our dinner tonight...

Oh right, our dinner. That's what this post is about, so sorry I became distracted by the farmers market. So anyway, we usually look longingly at the meat but never actually buy any. However, on this fateful morning the beef gods beckoned to us to go to a certain meat stand. So we did and, to our delight, saw that a pound of good ground beef was only four dollars! SCORE! Thus, there was nothing we could do but buy the beef and make really really really good burgers. But as we walked back to my car, we read the little flyer that came with the beef. It said the cattle were finished on an all grass diet. Finished? So what... they started on an all corn diet? Well, actually I guess corn is still a tropical grass so it wasn't completely lying to us but still its a C4 plant as opposed to temperate grasses which are C3 plants (Sorry midterms on my brain). But so then the question was was it fed corn or corn dogs or Frito's or corn bread... we were getting pretty creative by this point but I won't bore you with the list...

As La diligently studied for her midterm, I spent the day preparing for our delicious burgers. (I'll have you know though I had my three midterms last week so I was allowed to be unproductive in the area of studying today) So here it goes, what makes a good an amazing burger (besides good meat)?
Step 1. Good buns- not some store bought buns but homemade buns. I've been on a bread-making craze lately otherwise I will admit I would have used store bought. So I made challah buns... o so tasty! These buns can be eaten plain and still taste just as perfect.
Step 2. Good condiments- I sauteed onions with elephant garlic just to the point where they started to caramelize and get a little crunchy
Step 3. Infuse the meat with herbs, yum! I used fresh basil and then some parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper, and a good chunk of elephant garlic
Step 4. BBQ! well actually, that's a lie. I have a camping propane BBQ which conveniently ran out of propane (and in my tiny apartment another can was not found so then I called my mom certain I had another can of propane and she kindly reminded me that she told told me to bring another one and I refused) but that's okay. It worked to our advantage because we pan fried the patties instead which kept the meat juicy, moist, and flavorful.
Step 5. Add a delicious but light side. I made a roasted beet, fennel, arugula, and Cara Cara orange salad. So good!
Step 6. Enjoy! which we did... La said it was in the top 5 of burgers she's ever eaten. I think we did a good job!

-Caroline xx

It's finally happening!

So on a glorious Santa Barbara day, we came to a decision: we NEEDED to create a food blog. There were no ifs, ans, or buts, associated with the decision rather a clear and concise YES! from all peoples involved. So amidst the mayhem of school, midterms, studying, work, friends, sports, California sunshine (in January may I add) and an extraordinary amount of tasty food, Bourgie on a Budget was created. As a bunch of college girls, one would expect our resources to be minimal. Heck, our resources are minimal- at least as far as money goes.

But when it comes down to it we are amazing improvisationalists who know the importance of a good meal and the importance of a cheap meal. But, my dear reader, you will be amazed at the brilliance of our creative ingenuity. I wish I had pictures to display our recent displays of yumminess, but sadly my camera seems to outsmart me by losing battery power every time I go to use it. Thus, you MUST take my word for it, start off on the correct foot and realize you have no grounds to think I am steering you wrong. In fact, in the words of Robert Frost, I am merely guiding you down "the one less traveled"- hopefully opening up your eyes to culinary creations that you would never think to do at home.

Part of our mantra includes the idea of simple yet delicious. We shop fresh, organic, and, whenever possible, local. I know the importance of connecting with the people who grow our food and are frequent visitors of our local farmers market (you'd be amazed at the good deals you can find there!). We love veggies and the vibrant array of colors that symbolize their nutritional importance. However, we are in no way opposed to meat and fully appreciate a good piece of beef (let me tell you I have been craving a good burger, aka Mike's at the Crossroads in Cotati, CA for a long time). Oh, and we could never ever EVER live without sweets. Honestly, I think chocolate is what gets us through college... well maybe that and a good cappuccino! but coffee is in a world of its own. But, trust me, we know how to do it right here on the left coast.

So without further adieu, welcome... hope you enjoy reading and even more, I hope you enjoy eating!