Coffee Shop Roundup

Hi guys! Today I am talking about COFFEE. This is one of my favorite topics. I love drinking coffee at home and I love going out for coffee with friends. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are some good places to get coffee; however, this post is dedicated to local coffee shops in the DFW and surrounding areas. I love supporting local businesses. If you are ever visiting this area, please check out these coffee shops.

La La Land Kind Cafe { 5626 Bell Ave, Dallas, TX 75206}
This place is amazing. The main color is yellow and it makes everything feel so happy. This coffee shop employs kids who have aged out of the foster care system. The environment is fun and the shop has an area for dogs outside. The shop is wheelchair accessible.

Merit Coffee  Co. { 4228 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219 or 2639 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226}
I loved this place too. It has great coffee. The environment is hipster and a great place to hang out with friends. The service was great and they were very friendly.

White Rhino { 230 W Belt Line Rd, Cedar Hill, TX 75104 , 414 W Main St, Waxahachie, TX 75165 ,and 777 S Interstate 35 East Service Rd, Red Oak, TX 75154}
This is another great place. The Waxahachie location is my favorite because there are more options for seating. It is also one of my favorite coffee shops to study or do computer work. I love their drinks because they have fun names. My favorite drink is called " hug in a cup". In their Waxahachie location, their seasoned homade chips are amazing.

Fresh Market { 501 S Rogers St, Waxahachie, TX 75165}
This is such a cute coffee shop. It has a vintage and eclectic vibe. It is very spacious and has many options for seating. I enjoy studying or hanging out with friends. Their coffee is really good and a little more affordable than Starbucks

Please let me know what are your favorite local coffee shops. I love to visit local coffee shops when I visit new places.

~Liu Miao~

Coffee Time

Hello readers, how are you?  This is my last post before I leave the US. Don't worry! I will have posts while I am gone, I have a coffee post today. Many college students consume a lot of coffee. I like to have coffee all year long.  Here is a lovely picture of my Starbucks from last weekend.   This is an iced coffee with heavy  cream and  8 pumps of caramel in a venti size. It was also under $4.

I enjoy drinking coffee with friends or by myself. (Note:  I do not drink black coffee and I consider cappuccinos and lattes under coffee because you can get these drinks at most places that sell plain coffee.) There is much coffee consumed during the semester because of late nights of studying. I love going to Starbucks, but I like to make my own coffee.

Here is what I like to get at Starbucks:

1. Iced coffee with heaving and 8 pumps of caramel in a grande size ( on a rare occasion venti size)
2. Caramel Frappuccino with extra caramel.
3. Java chip Frappuccino
4. iced caramel macchiato with extra caramel
5. s'mores Frappuccino (only during the summer time at least where I live)

Here is a list of what I like to get a other coffee shops 

1. Hug in a cup hot version ( White Rhino in Cedarhill Texas)
2. caramel frappe at McDonalds ( yes I know this isn't a coffee place but I like their coffee)
3. Coffee at Quick Trio. It is tasty and cheap. 
4. caramel iced coffee from various coffee shops
5. I like cappuccinos( yes I know that it is mostly sugar)
6. I like lattes as long as they are sweet.

Here is how I make my coffee at home. I do not go out for coffee a lot and mostly make my coffee at home.

1. When I want cappuccino, I use a cappuccino mix.
2. When I want iced coffee, first I make regular coffee. I love using strong coffee but sometimes I use instant coffee. Then I chill the coffee over night or for a couple of hours. I add flavor creamer and sometimes milk into the mug the coffee has been chilling in. Creamers I use are : vanilla, caramel vanilla, caramel macchiato , caramel  chocolate. It just depends what creamer is on sell. Then I put ice  in a travel mug or cup if I'm drinking it at home, After that, I add the coffee. I usually make 6-8 ounces of coffee.
3. When I want hot coffee, I do the same process mentioned above except I dot add ice.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I would love to hear how you make coffee and what you like to order at coffe shops.

~Liu Miao~

Frappuccinos

I love coffee!!! I do not drink my coffee black in case you were wondering. I love Starbucks frappuccinos. They are expensive and I decided to start making my own frappuccinos.

Frappuccino Recipe 

(I adapted a recipe from allrecipes.com because I didn't have all the ingredients they called for.) I wanted to share my version of the recipe to all COFFEE LOVERS. You can change the ingredients to fit your preference and still end up with a good drink! Making your own coffee drinks will help you save money.

1 cup of brewed coffee. I chilled the coffee in the refrigerator for about two hours.

3 tablespoons of white sugar.

At least 2 cups of ice. I used ice cubes not crushed ice. you may add more ice.

1/2 cup of 2% milk.

about 1/2 of caramel macchiato liquid creamer. ( caramel drizzle would be a good substitute. this is what the original recipe called for)

Put all the ingredients in a blender. I blended the mixture until it was at an ice cream texture. Make sure the lid is on tight!

I topped the drinks with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Caramel drizzle would be good too.

 this recipe makes about two 16oz servings. I also had about 8oz left over

I hope you enjoy your frappuccinos. I would love to hear how it turn out making them. Do you cook or bake?