sweet miscellany

My Take on the Pumpkin Spice Latte

September 16, 2017 By Courtney West 2 Comments

I used to be a devotee of the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, from a certain popular coffee chain. I can vividly remember walking from my dorm room in the chilly Dallas air to go get the first one of the season during my junior year of college. That was when they didn’t release them until it was actually fall. It was also before they became a vastly popular craze that would inspire pumpkin spiced everything.

Well times change, people change, and hairstyles change (Top Secret anyone?!). Once I started eliminating dairy and my taste buds grew pickier about the types of coffee I liked, I gave up the PSL for a time. Last fall I tried the Whole Food’s version and while it was pretty good, I started thinking how ridiculous it was that I didn’t just make my own. When it comes down to it, I’m incredibly picky with all things food so the best way for me to satisfy a craving is to just do it myself. So that’s just what I did. And because I loves ya, I’m sharing my version of the PSL with you 🙂

My iteration is a concoction made from pumpkin seed milk, pumpkin spiced maple simple syrup, and cold brew concentrate. Though this may seem a little involved for a coffee drink, the recipe will make enough for about 4 drinks. But, again, since I loves ya, I’ll give you my quick and dirty lazy version, too. PUMPKIN SPICE FOR LIFE!

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Scenes From Salem

September 13, 2017 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Though I had several realizations and epiphanies during my trip to Salem, MA in August, one of them came as I tried to edit photos to share here on the blog. I was focusing in on the photos I thought readers might want to see, i.e. the more touristy shots. But, I ended up hating all of those because I typically don’t take shots that are simply for the purpose of showing you what something looks like. I like to capture moments and emotion. I like to shoot what I find beautiful or aesthetically pleasing. I wasted hours editing the other set of photos because I didn’t like the way they looked. No matter how much I tweaked them they just weren’t me.

Once I got past that brief road block, I went back through and picked out MY favorites. You might not even be able to tell they are from Salem, but that wasn’t my goal in shooting them. Each one is intimate and has it’s own history and memories. I can look at every one of these and recall why I decided to capture that moment. So all of this is to say, in a rather circuitous way, to stay true to yourselves. If something doesn’t resonate deeply with you, perhaps move on.

And since this is a post about Salem, here’s a few of my favorites from our trip: Haus Witch, The Peabody Essex Museum, Hocus Pocus Historic Salem Tours, Jolie Tea Company, & Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie