5 things I learned from being a Barista

My first real job, besides babysitting and helping out friends, was at the local community college bookstore. About a year into my grand career there, I was transferred to the coffee shop within the store. That’s when I discovered one of my great passions in life: Coffee. It brings us together. It comforts us in our time of need. It tastes great with cake and it made me into the woman I am today. Wow, coffee does all that, you say? Yes, it does, let me explain. After working over 3 years as a barista, I learned a lot of things, from how to say “thank you” in sign language to the proper way to hold your hands if you’re taking up belly dancing. Seriously though, being a barista taught me so many things that I never would have learned in a classroom and I know will help me in my career and life in general.

1. Be willing to try new things. I didn’t like coffee before I was a barista. Shocking, I know. I used to turn up my nose whenever my dad brewed a cup and rolled my eyes when my mom said she “loved the smell of coffee”. I just didn’t get it. I was stuck in my naive ways. That changed when my manager insisted that I down fresh espresso shots as part of my first day initiation, and I got scheduled for the opening 6:45 am shift. I suddenly developed a taste for coffee! Then, earl grey tea. That’s right, the girl that was partly responsible for Earl grey tea ice cream didn’t like earl grey. I have my lovely friend Amy to thank for my developed tastes. We worked the morning shift together for several years and through much determination on her part, I learned to love Earl Grey tea. The point being, if I want to grow and change as a person, I can’t be afraid of new experiences and being a barista forced me to embrace that.

2. How to talk to anyone. It should take around 3 minutes to make a latte. That’s not very long, but it sure feels like an eternity if your customer is standing there awkwardly twiddling their coffee- greedy thumbs while you steam 2% milk. My mom has always been good at chatting with people, but it wasn’t one of my strengths until I became a barista. It’s amazing how just asking how someone’s day is going, or if they have anything fun planned for the weekend can get someone chatting. Before you know it, you know all about their upcoming vacation, their newborn, and their favorite muffin recipe.

3. How to remember someone. Chatting makes you and your customer feel less awkward in the moment, but you know what will make you feel really awkward? When they come back the next day, and you can’t remember them! After that happened to me a time or five, I started rehearsing people’s names and stories in my head after they walked away. I found that if I just focused on them for a minute, I could remember them later. One term, a girl named .’Whitney’ came in every other day. So after she left, I would say to myself “Whitney gets a white mocha”. This is such a helpful skill to have, and the repetition of being a barista definitely drilled it into me.

4. Everything is a show. This sounds so jaded when I say it, but it’s true. Life is a show. If you are confident, people will trust you. If your hand shakes as you pour the milk, or you stumble around looking for lids, your customer will doubt your ability to make good coffee. They might ask for a different barista next time, or stop coming to your coffee shop all together. On the other hand, if you know what your’re doing, can recommend your favorite drinks on the menu, know the prices, and tell them which drink has the most caffeine, they’ll start to think that you really do make the best coffee! Taking ownership doesn’t hurt either. Saying phrases like “Yes, I do have vanilla syrup.” or “I have another pot of decaf coming right up” makes your customer think you know whats up. Be confident. If you act like your great, other people will think so too!

5. How to Make Coffee. Lastly, the most important thing I learned from being a barista is how to make really good coffee. Knowing how to make good drinks is a wonderful skill that I’m sure will serve me well in the years to come.
Being a barista can be scary; you have to talk to a new person about every 4 minutes, and the happiness of their day  rests solely in your clumsy hands, but you learn to do it and eventually love it.

– Bekah

3 Healthy (and quick) Breakfast Ideas

Eating a healthy breakfast doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  You don’t have to spend forever in the kitchen crafting an artisan omelet (unless you have the time and motivation!) but you don’t have to give in to the siren song of the Lucky Charms either.  Here are my favorite 3 ways to enjoy a healthy breakfast on a weekday morning.

Yogurt with granola.  No recipe needed here.  Put your favorite yogurt in a bowl and top it with your favorite granola (homemade would be ideal).  Bonus points if you have some fruit laying around to add as a finishing touch.  Simple and satisfying.

Ah, the smoothie.  So many flavor possibilities, so little time. This particular smoothie is of the chocolate peanut butter variety.

You will need:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup milk of your choice (I used almond)
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. PB2 powder or a spoonful of regular peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)

Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and delicious.

And my new-found love, avocado toast.  Avocado toast is kind of trendy right now, but it totally deserves it.  Toast a piece of bread, spread sliced avocado on it, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Yum!  There are lots of variations on this simple concept, but this is the quick and easy way I like it.

What’s you’re favorite healthy breakfast?

– Niki

Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd

This ice cream began as a random conversation in the car.  Bekah and I were trying to decide how to express our personalities through ice cream flavors.  Honeydew and rose petal, citrus and mint, etc.  As we were tossing around different flavor combinations, we stumbled upon genius.  Earl Grey tea flavored ice cream with generous swirls of lemon curd!  Immediately we knew our dreams had to become reality.   So today, Bekah dug out her ice cream maker and we set to work!

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Earl Grey Syrup (recipe at the bottom of the post)
• 1 or 2 drops of lavender essential oil (optional!)
• 1/2 cup lemon curd, store bought or homemade

Whisk the eggs until they start to get frothy, then slowly whisk in the sugar.  Stir until smooth, then add cream, milk, Earl Grey Syrup and lavender oil.  Once well mixed, pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions.

When you’re ice cream base has finished chilling, gently fold in lemon curd.  Put your ice cream in the freezer to let it harden up before serving.

So, so yummy!

Earl Grey Syrup Recipe

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 Earl Grey teabags

In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar at medium high heat until all the sugar dissolves.  Steep the tea bags in the heated syrup for 3-5 minutes, then remove.  Let cool.

 

This ice cream will change your life…..I know we will never be the same.

 

Enjoy! We sure did!

– Bekah and Niki

Banana Cake from a 1940’s Recipe

Legend has it that my great-grandmother Mina would hear guests coming over the bridge at the end of their long driveway and have this cake mixed and in the oven before they arrived at her door.

I can probably only dream of being that fast when it comes to baking, but this banana cake is still legendary.  It’s tender, not too sweet and an excellent use for those brown bananas that no one really wants to eat.

Hungry yet?  Tie on an apron and let’s get started!

You will need:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening (trust me on this one)
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas (already mashed)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 scant tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Cream together the shortening and sugars, then stir in the rest of the wet ingredients.  Next, add the dry ingredients and mix well.  Your batter should look something like this.

Pour batter into a greased 8×8 baking dish (or be a rebel and use two smaller ones like me!)  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean.

Yum!  I topped one with chopped almonds and used this recipe for the frosting.  I can imagine lots of yummy variations on this recipe.  Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, frost with cream cheese, chocolate or peanut butter frosting or bake it in two circular cake pans to turn it into a birthday cake.

I love this recipe, not only because of its flavor, but because it was passed on to me by my grandmother, who got it from her mother.  Sometimes food tastes better when you know the story behind it.  But this cake is delicious whether it was your grandma’s recipe or not.  🙂

Do you have any family recipes that you treasure?

-Niki