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gingerbread latte
Weekend wrap-up: Bookish edition
So I’d been hearing about this “Saturday book sale” at the public library in La Plata for quite some time, but the last time I actually have a memory of going was years and years ago. As my boyfriend Palmer and I are such book fiends, I knew we needed to get over there sometime in the near future. Cheap books? Yes, please!
And it was amazing. We got up (somewhat) early, took a drive deeper into Southern Maryland, wandered down Charles Street in search of the actual library (mental note: it’s past the hospital, not before it) and finally found the basement with the donated books.
There were 75 CENTS a paperback — 75 cents! Young adult was 25 cents, children’s books were like 50 cents . . . and so forth. The random hardcover was only one dollar. I nearly jumped out of my skin! I behaved myself and only grabbed two books — Alison Weir’s Innocent Traitor and Mr. Knightley’s Diary, another book to add to my rapidly-growing foray into Jane Austen fiction. Palmer found a paperback called Blood Music he’s been searching for and did a little happy dance.
Fresh off our three-book haul for $2.36, we walked back up Charles Street (yes, walked — in 18 degree weather. The boyfriend’s awesome idea) to get lunch at El Dorado. Delicious! And we absolutely could not walk by a bakery on our way back to the car without stopping in. Charles Street Bakery — aptly named — was adorable, and I had absolutely no idea it even existed.
And they had . . . OBAMA COOKIES!
I bought two. Plus some red, white and blue star-shaped ones for Tuesday. What better way to celebrate the inauguration than by eating dessert with the president’s mug on it? Now that is a holiday!
After our fun cafe experience, we headed back up to Waldorf to try and catch a movie — but the movies were jammed. In fact, the entire town was jammed — like, Black Friday-and-Christmas-rush jammed. Definitely out of town and inauguration traffic. We did manage to squeeze by a local used-book shop on our way home, though, and I got three more books . . . and Palmer got two more. We’re addicts and we so enable each other.
And, of course, when all was said and done and we came back home . . . I had two books that came in the mail from my fellow BookMoochers. Very exciting! So all in all, I slapped seven new titles onto my TBR mountain:
Now all I have to do is sit still long enough to read them!
Gingerbread makes way for gingersnap
My realization of this is probably way late, but where is the Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks? In November I stumbled into a store with my boyfriend, bleary-eyed and cold in D.C., and got that momentary jolt of anticipation thinking I could find my beloved Gingerbread drink. And what did I find? Something called . . . the Gingersnap Latte. Really? Gingersnap? With crystallized pieces of ginger? Doesn’t really sound that tasty to me.
But I had to try it, of course — and I’ve had it once more since then. It’s okay. Nothing to write home about — or blog about, since that’s more likely — but decent. It still boasts the frightening nutrition facts I’m used to — 13 grams of fat in a grande (small) with 2% milk; 42 carbohydrates — but does have 11 grams of protein. I can deal with that; I usually don’t drink lattes as meals anymore! Being away from the bookstore has had one positive effect . . . on my weight and my wallet. Though the ginger burns my throat a little.
On the bright gingerbread side, I can still grab my beloved drink at our Seattle’s Best Coffee at Borders . . . and I get a gingerbread man cookie inside the drink. On top of the whipped cream!
If I were feeling adventurous, I could actually make a Gingerbread Latte at home. Lots of recipes are circulating the Internets, but this one looked fairly simple. I don’t have the right the equipment nor the know-how, but for those of you who may be inclined to whip up this seasonal favorite on the weekend and have an espresso machine (lucky!), please see below . . . after the jump!
Pumpkin spice is back!
I don’t know how I’ve neglected to mention this already, but something very exciting happened yesterday — Palmer and I discovered that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks! He’s more of a Cinnamon Dolce type of guy, but there’s absolutely nothing — repeat — nothing I enjoy more than the pumpkin spice latte. Except for maybe the gingerbread latte.
Okay, yes — except for the gingerbread latte. I have a photo montage dedicated to my consumption of the gingerbread latte.
I now also have this gem of a photo, courtesy of my boyfriend. While it’s certainly not my most flattering shot, I’m posting it as an expression of my absolute excitement and dedication to the pumpkin spice. God bless you, Starbucks, and your $4 drinks. Gets me every single time.
And now I have the gingerbread latte to look forward to! The smooth, mellow flavor . . . The feeling of a million calories sliding down your throat and into your warmed tummy . . . Holiday music playing softly in the background . . . It’s a good life.
write meg! 