Give a Little, Get a Little

I've been making a substantial effort to take better care of myself lately.  Eating better, trying to make it to the gym, remembering sunscreen, working on my mental health, little things that will result in an overall healthier me.  Today, I decided to do something for another person's health.  Three, in fact.  It seemed a little off putting at first, but a funeral home in the next county over was running a blood drive today.  No motivation other than the sheer craving to pay it forward somehow on a blistering summer Wednesday.  However, in my trek on to do-gooderness, I got to reward myself after by meeting with my friend for dinner and dessert.
When it comes to donating blood, making sure you're properly hydrated and have your blood sugars up prevent dizziness and fainting, which are my biggest fears about donating.  Needles don't bother me in the least.  Phlebotomists, the Dracula of the medical industry, are highly trained and usually very patient, so I have no timidness laying my inner elbow out to them.  It's the horrible life draining feeling you get when your head and upper body no longer have blood circulating fast enough and you feel like you might drop dead right there.  To prevent that, I was extra cautious before and after my visit.  Coffee, pasta leftovers, and a bite of cold brew coffee chocolate bar and 32 ounces of water made up my morning.  Upon arriving to the funeral home, they offered a make your own ice cream sundae bar, coffee, and my ultimate caloric weakness, giant chocolate chip cookies.  I bypassed the coffee with ease with my end goal in site and as I read my paperwork, I tried to make small talk with the woman in charge with Cookie Monsteresq politeness.   I was then sent to the awaiting truck where a surprisingly large staff made busy in confined but air conditioned quarters, with up to four adjustable patient chairs and several rest areas.  Salty and sweet snacks as well as bottled water were in every nook of the truck.  I brought my own bottle of water and after a myriad of overly invasive questions, I was given my seat.  Each seat had a blanket offered and oversized darkened windows.  The parking lot faced a quiet street so the view was serene.  The sweet and funny "leech" that was attending to me made sure I was comfortable and even tried to match my aftercare tape to my dress.  Time passed in a blink and as I took the mandatory 15 minute rest, I ate a snack size bag of Chex Mix.
I made my exit feeling fine and headed east to the quiet town of Moorpark to meet my date.  Well over ten years ago, I'd graduated from the little community college here so I know the city, even with the slow development it has made in the years since.  Still, I had never been to Carrara Pastries, yet my friend had been to the one other location the family runs in Agoura Hills.  Opened by an Italian native, and later had the help of his Food Network famous brother, the shop originally sold just breads, pastries, and coffee but has since expanded to offer small plates, gelato, and wine.  The full bakery boasts beautiful Italian cakes in the dining room refrigerators.  As the sun continued to sizzle outside, my friend and I ordered pre dinner drinks.  It's advised to stay away from alcohol after giving blood and I, as happens only on rare occasion, was not in the mood for coffee.  I ordered an iced matcha latte and my friend choose a crisp Pinot Gris.  My latte was cool and refreshing but didn't offer the thicker consistency that matcha tea is known for and rather than creamy, it was watered down.  We each got a salad, split a decadent mushroom pasta dish and upon choosing dessert, we each went a different direction.  She picked the house favorite gelato called the Raffaello and a second scoop of chocolate hazelnut.  One bite of the Raffaello proves why it holds a top spot at Carrara's.  White chocolate, coconut, almond, with cereal pieces topped with Nutella.  I picked the Rum Baba.  An intoxicating cream filled cake that has been soaked in rum.  After a couple of bites of this 2 inch pastry, there was still about a centimeter of rum left behind.  Oops, I didn't mean to break the bloodletting rules but I didn't think it would be so deliciously overwhelming.
Now, at the end of the day, I not only ate way more food than on a regular day, but I'd had so much sugary treats that my teeth felt gross and my stomach was bloated.  I was rewarding myself for my good deed but also making sure I had enough substantial nutrition in me to prevent any illness.  Of course, another rule of donating blood was no heavy lifting so an evening trip to the gym was out.  All in all, it was all worth it.  I think the next time I visit Carrara I will try an Italian coffee for its authenticity.

A few extra bits:

This blood drive was provided by United Blood Services.  They are a blood bank, just as the Red Cross is but they service mostly Ventura County, where Red Cross is Los Angeles County.

When a person donates, they give one pint of blood, two cups.  A body has 7 to 12 pints of blood.  After a blood donation, the body can replenish the supply in about 24 hours.  However, because of testing and "just in case" situations, a healthy and eligible person can donate every two months.

My blood type is O negative.  That means I can give to any person and am the most commonly used blood type in a state of emergency when there is no time to test and match blood types.  What can I say, I'm a giver!

Another tip to prevent faintness is doing butt clenching and leg exercises while your donating.  It helps the blood continue to circulate without affecting the upper body.

Little One ended up needing blood during a surgery  a little over a year ago, so she gets very excited to hear when her friends and family donate.  I'm so happy someone paid is forward then for her as I am hopefully doing for someone now.

Very modern facilities, including that silly scenic light cover thing they use in gynecologists offices. Ha!

Cold Brew. Let's Talk About That.

Have you "cut the cord" yet?
Not familiar with the term?  Prior to 1953, the world wasn't familiar with the idea of a TV dinner.  As technology evolves, so does the terminology we use about it.  "Cutting the cord" refers to someone who no longer has cable television.  When I moved out of my parents years ago, I never imagined I could live without cable.  It was just to be on a trial basis.  If I couldn't handle it, we would adjust the household budget to accommodate my human need to be in control of hundreds of channels that offer nothing I actually wanted to watch anyway.  Turns out, cutting the cord was easy and freeing.  Just about every show becomes available on streaming services and I don't mind being behind a few seasons if it means saving money... that I will inevitably spend on coffee and books.  Instead of spending hours flipping channels and sighing through commercials, in our house, we took full advantage of the internet instead.  Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, casting from a device to the boob tube via ChromeCast, and don't forget the occasional DVD.  Tons of options for entertainment while using a service we were already paying for.  Lucky for us, YouTube was created in early 2005 by a set of guys who had already been working together at PayPal.  By the time we chose to cut the cord, the husband and I already had established several YouTube channels we subscribed to and would watch different content just like with TV channels.
A favorite of mine is Good Mythical Morning.  GMM is a variety show that had been around just about as long as YouTube has.  This show, which is also the name of the channel, features two guys, Rhett and Link, who run the hilarious (and sometimes educational) series daily (Monday-Friday),  uploading in the mornings but with a late night show set up.  One of the segments they feature is a taste test meets ranking system.  They take a style of "food", get five or so products in that style, taste everything, and then rank the products in order of how they decide mutually the like to dislike ranking of each item.
I bring you, Cold Brew products, reviewed the GMM way.
Coffee can be brewed several ways.  Traditionally, hot water poured through finely ground coffee and served hot.  Coffee made that way but at double the strength can be poured over ice, there you have iced coffee.  Cold brewed coffee is made with cold or room temperature water, soaking the grounds anywhere from 3 to 24 hours for taste, acidity, and strength.  Typically, cold brew coffee is higher in caffeine due to the long extraction time it takes without hot water.

Reviews and Ranking:

Trader Joe's Coconut Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate:  Thick concentration meant to be diluted with milk or water.  Tried it on its own and the rich coffee flavor would be great poured over vanilla ice cream.  Added water and the flavor went from bold to water with a hint of coffee.  Tried with some hazelnut creamer, as we were out of milk, and that was the best version of this but still not that great.

Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Chocolate Bar: Rich dark chocolate filled with very gooey filling.  The bottom of the bar was coated in finely ground coffee bits.  Over all and decadent bar but would have liked to try it in milk chocolate.  Coffee flavor was not overwhelming and paired nicely with the chocolate.

La Colombe Mocha Draft Latte:  Milky and creamy with a hint of chocolate.  Claimed to be 2 cups of coffee within the 9oz can.  It was the only thing I went back and finished after the taste test and it didn't give me the jitters.  Delicate coffee flavor made for possible chance of sneak up and overdose on caffeine so must be noted that this was sold adjacent to the coffee flavored energy drinks.

Signature Reserve Colombian Cold Brew Caramel Ice Cream:  Airy and sweet with bits of chocolate and swirled creamy caramel.  Very light coffee flavor.  Vons/Pavillions brand made but surprisingly high quality and fresh.  Perfect as a summer coffee substitute.

Rebbl Maca Cold Brew with Coconut Milk Elixer:  Organic and ethically sourced is good but the rest of the label was pretentious and ridiculous.  Claims Maca is an herb promoting energy and stamina, however, that can be obtained through the extra caffeine a cold brew coffee provides anyway.  Ingredients included Stevia which gave an over powering fake sugar taste that took away from the initially light coffee flavor.  

In numerical order of 1 being best and 5 being worst, here are the results of the Cold Brew Taste test.  If I could give Rebbl a 6, that would have happened.  If you enjoy a cold coffee taste on a hot day, the top 3 I would recommend but watch for the quick melting power of 1 and 3.  Overall, it was fun but now you will know if my eyes twitch when we talk, it's because I'm super caffeinated. 

The award winning talk show that inspired today's cold brew review made the decision to cut the cord very easy for us.  Daily content offering easy on the eyes hosts, fun and obscure topics, celebrity guests, games and trivia, and another brilliant original segment known as "Will It".  Taking an ordinary "food" or topic and using creative combinations to see if 'it will' create something new and amazing or just a be a big failure.  Rhett and Link have appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, have a 2 season YouTube Original series, a best selling book, and a long line of "mythical" products for sale on their website.  Follow these links to watch the brief history of Rhett and Link, see one of the episodes that inspired this blog, and a cold brew recipe that will leave you laughing.

A Brief History of Rhett and Link

GMM: Pumpkin Spice Taste Test

GMM: Will It Butter?

You Suck At Cooking, Cold Brew

Need For Speed, Slows Down

In the years that I have been running this blog, I have found many supportive readers, who have taken an interest in not just the places I visit or my writing style, but even down to helping to suggest new places to try or offering motivation to keep putting out new content.  I love my casual readers just as much as my subscribed followers because just knowing that someone is enjoying my creative take on an action as simple as getting a cup of coffee makes my overly caffeinated heart soar.  But like with children, there is always a favorite.  When it comes to my blog, my very first subscriber has to be in my top three most appreciated readers, so when he offered to take me to check out a café he read about; I was excited to join my step dad for a newly discovered cup of Joe.

On the last cool morning of summer, my step dad picked me up in his Jaguar and we sped through the winding roads within the Santa Monica Mountains.  Though he drew up the rpm’s, the engine of the 2005 XKR convertible Jag stayed quiet as we accelerated along the curves of the hills and stopped at an unremarkable building.  Large print painted on the side of the wall claimed it was a market and café but the main marquee called this place Topanga Living Café. 

Upon entering, to the right is the restaurant’s counter, offering pastries and fresh pizza and salads.  Every other wall was either beautifully displayed with local artists creations or locally produced foods and coffee.  The menu boasted a clean eating feel with smoked salmon, kale with mushrooms, and falafel.  Everything displayed made my mouth water.  The Café had a laundry list of teas to choose from.  I will be returning to try Le Hammeau, a blend of lemongrass, mint, lavender, and some other herbal flavors that are my favorites.  It is available online through specialty stores but the delightful patio has just the perfect amount of space and quiet that begs to be sat in with teacup in one hand and drawing sketch pad in the other.  Even though our California drought has browned up the scenery, there are still ample evergreens and rocky cliffs to be captured in pencil while sitting among more local art (which is all available for purchase). 

My step dad and I ordered the Big Brekky and sat at a rounded wood table outside.  A closer look at the tables around us revealed marble topped sewing tables repurposed for diners.  I didn’t dare press the pedal to see if the mechanics on the old iron Singer table still moved but I was tempted to.  This tiny café had my creative left brain thinking and just being in the atmosphere gave me tons of artsy inspiration.  It must be this place, as my step dad noted he read celebrities like to dine here and I think there was a screenwriter at the table across from us.  Funky furniture and neighborhood crafts weren’t the reason we came though.  The coffee had excellent reviews.  I ordered a simple latte, which was light on both the creamy and coffee flavors but served so delicately, I wish I could have taken the dishware home with me.  My step dad must have still been in go mode as he ordered a double espresso followed by a macchiato.  Both delicious, as was breakfast! 

There are other place to try on the long Topanga Canyon street that goes almost from my front door to the beach, but as my step dad did his research to find a place for my readers to enjoy with us, Topanga Living Café had the most appealing menu to go with its great reviews.  I love suggestions from my followers including one I was just informed about that is close by that features coffee and…. fish.  But that is a blog for another day.

Latte

Double espresso

Macchiato

Big Brekky

It's All Greek To Me

Southern California is known for its vast and diverse museums.  Many of them in Downtown Los Angeles along Museum Row, oddball museums in Hollywood like the Museum of Death and Museum of Broken Relationship, some so fascinating with new exhibits arriving all the time that a person would have to make a full time career out of visiting them to see them all.  I have been to dozens of museums in my life here in So Cal, but this week was my first time to the J. Paul Getty Villa in Malibu, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It is uniquely packed into the cliff side adjacent to the miles of pavement that makes up just a small section of the Pacific Coast Highway.  The Getty has two properties; the Getty Center in Brentwood (L.A.), is the Museum with its meticulously manicured gardens, photography, and dazzling views of Los Angeles, and Getty Villa that houses antiques, restored artifacts, and all things Greek, Roman, and Etruscan.  The extent of my knowledge and interest on this subject has been Disney's animated feature Hercules, where Danny DeVito voices a satyr, leading this museum to be visited when my teacher friends invited me out for a day of acting like tourists.
Even though my enthusiasm for this period in history is minimal, any chance to broaden my knowledge is seen as a positive opportunity and I will gladly take it.  It's a scant drive through the curvaceous Santa Monica mountains that empties out at PCH, make a left and two streets up is the tiny driveway that is the unimpressive entrance to the Villa, then up the driveway to pay the parking fee.  The Villa is free, as is the Museum, but parking is charged in both places.  However, with the Villa, online reservations must be made in advance as to prevent overcrowding.  We didn't have reservations but we asked when we got to the gate and were granted admittance, assuming it was all due to flashing my beaming smile and giving a flirty wink.  Now that we were on the property, the scenery changed.  Large cobblestones cause the car to shake as we drove to the parking structure.  We were now surrounded in greenery and hedges.  We now ascended staircase after staircase, lines with roses and extended views of the property and Malibu.  There is a large outdoor auditorium in front of the entrance to the main exhibits.  Housed in individual rooms, some the size of an apartment bathroom, some the length of a horse stable, are carved statues, painted clay vases, and long forgotten forms of currency are displayed behind glass and out of children's reach.  There is one example, a formidable, ancient carved bear, all the stone was a beautiful white while a single paw was a greasy grey color.  The placard stated it was destroyed from decades of oils transferred through human touch.  As you make your way through the grounds, history meets beauty as you see the delicate hand carved statues and ceilings, some with gold inlay, painted mural walls, marble floors, and pools with human replicas displaying actions of a time past.
There is a modern section displaying new installations, a family center where children can act out Roman war scenes using shadows or design their own vases on paper or using washable markers on actual pots, and in the reasonably sized gift shop, there was a full wall of bookcases stuffed with a magnificent selection of books for all ages.
Above the gift shop is the cafe offering Mediterranean eats but only one style of coffee.  They had a separate menu boasting about the Afternoon Tea package available upstairs with the ocean as the backdrop.  I wasn't ready to drop $42 dollars for tea and cakes so the last option across from the cafe seating area was a little coffee kiosk.  One push button machines gave for many options of coffee and other hot beverages.  Being across the street from the cool water's breeze had me craving a hot drink.  My super foamy and slightly bitter cappuccino was exactly what I needed.  One of my friends ordered a simple iced coffee and the three of us discussed potential future museum visits elsewhere.  Seems my friends prefer more traditional museums so the Bunny museum in Pasadena is out but maybe I can convince them to join me Grammy museum.  Seems Los Angeles has a museum for everything.

"Hercules". I really enjoyed that the Disney Animated feature showed Hercules just as this original stature was poised, using Scar from The Lion King in place of this lion skin.  This is the Disney G-rated version of the Hercules statue.  According to the plaque, he had been all restored but one very obvious body part was missing still and no further information was given.

This was part of the family activity center where guests could come draw on the vases with washable markers.  The docent told us she enjoyed this two pieces so much that she didn't have the heart to erase them.  They look extremely historically accurate, down to the Captain America shield and MouskerToga.

"Modern Art" "#Clever" 

Lots of era appropriate plant life including ivy and olive trees.

The Pacific Ocean, so close, you can feel the salty air.