conversations with coffee

i really like coffee. every morning. after every lunch and if the day has gone busy, i like it around 3 pm.
mostly i like the warmness of holding the cup in my hands. and the smell that lingers and invites me to take a sip. two. and three.

around these parts we usually have the Cuban style coffee (read more about it here) and it really packs a power punch. strong, sweet, espresso.

i mostly like the conversations that form around coffee. everyone gathers around for a cup and the chit chatter that gets going, its the sweetest part.

not too long ago i sat with a friend and talked for hours about life and many things, including singleness. we met while we were still in college and had not seen each other since. we are both still single. and well it seems my friend is very concerned at the moment because of it. think: a successful adult, with great wits and a good heart, still unable to meet a sweet person to spend the rest of his life with. on my end, i'm ok for the taking, when it comes.

but the whole conversation brought to mind the many wonderful single people i know still waiting to meet their other half. and a lot of these people, including myself, are not necessarily suffering about their singleness. I mean it's not to say that we wouldn't want to find someone special, but it's not a reason for being sad.

what im saying is that people have a misconception of singleness. people i meet and some ive know forever come around and the first thing they ask is about my love life and with sadness in their eyes often give me that pity pat on the back as if my life was any less meaningful because there wasn't a love interest in my life. often they proceed with the words of encouragement "oh it will come" "when you are not looking for it".

really.

the story repeats itself with my girlfriends who are single. and maybe this is a latin thing, but parents and friends tend to feel bad for a successful and happy young girl if she doesn't have a guy around her arm to "entertain" her.

who says i want a relationship for entertainment? i want something real and more meaningful and forever.

most importantly, im not sitting around moping while that season of my life decides to pick and blossom. my singleness is about enjoying this season in preparation for the next.

every person should find contentment, success, inspiration, vision and their life goals during their time of singleness. no one should wait for marriage to start living. it doesn't work that way really. if one is unhappy before marriage about who they are, their success or even damped with low self-esteem, this may only worsen when that person is around.

in all honesty it's not that it's always easy for me, this waiting game, but i find so much enjoyment in investing my time in so many wonderful things while it happens. my job, my service at church, coffee nights with friends, hanging out and watching a movie with my aunt on sunday afternoons, doing nothing on saturdays, eating a late night snack while reading a book i cant put down, spending time with my lord late at night, enjoying a late night meal and laughing for hours in front of the tv -- there's so much to enjoy for now. and so much to enjoy then, but while then and now decide to switch places there's no reason why i shouldn't sit back, smell the coffee and drink peacefully.

it's one of those days...
so far i've had too much of this:

and my mind keeps going back to this:

could you blame me?

i love that with these shoes, i can go from classy to sassy...

i wish their heel was a bit higher though

sigh

ok. back to the grind.

ps: meaningful posts will resume shortly

how to make delicious cuban (espresso) coffee

if you haven't noticed, i love coffee. and in my area of the country, we drink cuban style coffee. it's basically like the regular espresso but with Latin flavor. or like i would say, it's the cheaper version of making an espresso without the expensive machinery. here goes...

what you'll need: espresso maker. metal cup. small spoon. esspresso coffee (if you can, find Pilon or Bustelo in your area, that's the best choice!)

fill the water cup to the maximum allowed.

pour it into the machine (basic stuff, right?)

take some coffee and put it in the filter cup holder (that thing above) and pack it down with the little spoon. how much depends on how dark you like it. i usually just fill it to the top and add a little more to pack a bit tight. not too much.

while the coffee brews, take the metal cup and put in two spoonfuls of sugar.

here's the tricky part. be sure to pay attention to the coffee and make sure to catch the first drip of coffee with your metal spoon. then put it in the metal cup, over the sugar. don't use too much. enough to help you make a paste out of the sugar.

using your metal spoon, stir the sugar until it becomes pasty.

sort of like this. note: this is a work out, your arm may hurt. just kidding.

this is how it should look. you are almost there. note: if you accidentally over did it with the coffee and it's liquid-y, add more sugar to balance it out. and before you do the next step, discard some of the paste, or your coffee will be too sweet.

when the coffee is all done, pour it into your metal cup. stir it a little.

pour it into a cute little espresso cup (presentation is everything so go get a cute espresso set)

and enjoy!

alright, you are set. and now you wont have to visit Miami for a nice taste of Cuban coffee. 

if you try it please let me know how it goes. I will tell you this, coffee draws people, and they always come back for more, so use with caution. have a good day!