candlelit autumn nights

♥ i visited fairhope during the first weekend of october and spent some time with my parents. the weekend included an early birthday dinner with my grandparents, hanging out at fly creek cafe with mom and dad, and saturday lunch with my grandmother and brother. i hadn't been home in a while and i had a really relaxing weekend, only to return to, you guessed it, crazy things to do! i won't get into all the work i've had to do - just trust me, it's lots. but aside from that, i've been enjoying the change in weather, even though it's minimal. it's getting into the 40s at night!

♥ last week i went to birmingham and tried flip burger, and was pleasantly surprised. the whole concept is a "gourmet" selection of burgers - shrimp burgers, lamb burgers, and of course, the basic beef. i'm not really sure what i was expecting, but it surpassed my expectations. because of course, let's face it, gourmet burgers are right up my alley anyway. they put dry ice in their cocktails, which was sort of unnerving... but i'm alive, so i guess it's alright. i wish the summit weren't the only place around "these parts" with a chic array of eateries to choose from (check out my foodie speak...)

♥ sooooo... i got a starbucks card. this has been a long time coming. i've also learned to enjoy paying with my card via passbook, thanks to iOS 6. the starbucks card makes me feel special, but it also makes my marketing senses tingle. sometimes i hate buying into little gimmicks (like this) that really don't provide astounding returns for my unwavering loyalty, but regardless, i like aspiring to being a "gold member". see, it even has a nice ring to it. meredith, the gold member at starbucks.


♥ i turned 22 on the 13th. 22 is not an exciting age, it just means i'm one year older and closer to graduating. just a few of my birthday goodies - a new ID holder for my keys, a pumpkin buttercream (!!!) candle, a nintendo 64 (+ zelda ocarina of time, pokemon snap & mario 64) from my sweet boyfriend, beautiful flowers, a bracelet from bauble bar & a new watch! i have been dying to have a nostalgia fest and play the game console from my glory days - i'm already in love with zelda all over again, it's quite literally one of the most fantastic games ever created in my opinion.

♥ i carved a pumpkin! corey, charla and i got to work on saturday night carving pumpkins - it had been years since i'd done it and it was super fun. i love fall. speaking of which, i've got a fall baking list that keeps getting bigger that i need to tackle soon!

perfect & simple vanilla iced coffee

+ optional cinnamon roll.

but why would you want it to be optional?

i love iced coffee, and i will drink it well into winter until it's 20 degrees outside. and although i'll settle for a steaming latte or caramel macchiato every now and then when it gets chilly, something about iced coffee is really delicious to me. it's better, somehow. don't ask me how. similarly, i enjoy popsicles and ice cream regardless of the temperature. soups are also divine when it's 100 degrees outside. sometimes i don't make sense.

this semester has really sucked the life out of me so far. i'm staying up later and waking up earlier, which means i'm getting a lot less sleep. i am not a morning person, though i strive to be. when i do manage to wake up without feeling half dead, i thoroughly enjoy morning time. taking my time getting ready, browsing the news and making a nice breakfast (i know, it's like i'm sixty or something, right?) make all the difference in the world in terms of how my day goes. if i start on a tranquil note, i find it so much easier to relax and maintain that tranquility throughout the day.

needless to say, i've been drinking a lot of coffee. and waking up even earlier to trek to starbucks or mcdonalds (shudder) for a nice iced coffee was starting to add up in a lot of ways. i wanted to learn to make my own, at-home version. and i did!

it's really quite easy. i did a lot of reading about methods, and i decided to do the "cold brew" process instead of brewing the coffee hot and then allowing it to cool. don't ask me how, but it truly does taste better this way! making my own vanilla syrup was incredibly easy as well, but these, in addition to other flavors, can be purchased at starbucks, target and other grocery stores.

you will need:

• a large (at least 1½ - 2 gallons) jug/container
• 12 oz. - 16 oz. bag of ground coffee (i used starbucks medium roast!)
• filtered or tap water

and, if you'd like to make the vanilla syrup:

• 3½ cups water
• 3 cups sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
• a container of your choice 

pour your ground coffee into your container, then fill with water. this depends on your container size, of course. i used a 12 oz. bag of coffee and i fit about 22 cups of water into mine; i'm not sure this detail is super important, as long as the coffee isn't watered down, but all of the grounds are in contact with water - stir to make sure! pop your container in the fridge over night, or at least 8 hours.

for the syrup, boil together your water and sugar for about 10-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens just slightly. afterward, put it an a container, allow it to cool, then add your vanilla extract and refrigerate.

the next morning, or 8 hours later, take out your mixture and prepare to strain. here's where it's tricky. i didn't have cheesecloth, so i used paper towels. if you have an extra fine sift, this might work as well. take another large container to collect your liquid, place your paper towels over the top and begin pouring the mix in, separating the grounds from the liquid. this took me about 10 minutes and i had some help, but paper towels ultimately work if you're patient. when you're done, you've got your perfect iced coffee!

i put mine back into the large container and keep it in the fridge. i've read various accounts about how long this is supposed to keep... a week, a month, who knows. i'll find out. to make mine the way i like it, i put 3-4 spoonfuls of vanilla syrup into the bottom of the glass with ice. i then add about a cup or cup and a half of the iced coffee, then top it off with 1% milk. usually i shake it up to make it frothy!

enjoying this coffee has made my mornings this week go a lot smoother. cinnamon rolls help too.