Food Focus Friday: Pieper Cafe

Hello there all,

Let's talk about food for a second. In case you have somehow been living under rock these days, I am kind of in love with food. However, aren't we all kind of about food? Neglecting the sights, smells, and tastes of a delectable feast, food is so much more than the sensory experience of consuming the food. Food is community. Food is gathering, and food is creation.

We work to create sensory experiences to create a communal activity for all. We show our love for others by creating nourishment and experiences for others. Through this labor of love, we are able to create a moment to remember.This is why I am infatuated with experiencing new places to eat. Through visiting these places, I am able to taste a bit of the labor of love of many different individuals. Additionally, I am a sucker for a great atmosphere and a tasty, well tended meal.

On Food Focus Friday, I am hoping to spotlight places that are excellent in creating something delicious, and they possess that little something extra. They seem to understand that food is about by creating community and showing appreciation for others by sharing a delectable experience of noms.

This sounds so snooty, and these places are anything but that. Moral of the story? These people get food.

With all of that said, my first choice for Food Focus Friday is a neat little place that the Mister and I happened upon last weekend for the first time: Pieper Cafe. Why is this place so neat? Well, it gets that whole food thing that I've been talking about. We stopped in just for coffee (yes, coffee is food!), and the Mister and I both had mochas which were so delicious. I ordered a caramel mocha which I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they make their own caramel. YUM! They make their coffee with Stumptown coffee, and the flavor doesn't disappoint.

Pieper Cafe has a delightful balance of nommy deliciousness along with a cutesie atmosphere. Get a load of those mushrooms on the tables and the black and white checkered flooring (I am a sucker for black and white checkers)! To top this all off, THEY HAVE PINBALL! If a place has good coffee, they are usually okay in my book, but if you give me pinball. SWOON!

If you are in the mood for some great coffee and want to team it up with some EXTREME PINBALL, head to Pieper Cafe and show your taste buds some love.

-Autumn

Homesteading: Coconut Coffee Exfoliator

Hello there,

I hate throwing things away. This expands to anything. I love finding new uses for items, and the idea of throwing away useful items makes me cringe. It seems especially awful when it is food waste. After all, how ungrateful does it seem to throw away food that so many would love to have? Therefore, I try to find ways to eliminate food waste by composting, using peels in cleaning products, etc.

One of these victims of my agonizing scrutiny is coffee grounds. We've been using coffee grounds in our compost bin for awhile, but our compost bin can only break down so much at a time. After reading this article, I found a new use for our coffee ground, and I made a coconut coffee exfoliator.

It seemed like a nice use for the coffee grounds because I have obscenely dry hands that need constant attention. I work in the healthcare field, so my hands are being washed obsessively. It can be brutal to my hands, so I thought that it was worth a shot.

The recipe is just two ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of dry coffee grounds (use them first to make some coffee and then let them dry up for a couple of days)
• 1 cup of softened coconut oil

What to do?

• Mix together.
• Rub a little bit on your hands, wash away the gunk from your hands.
• Enjoy the new softness of your hands.

This feels absolutely delicious on my hands and for a short while it makes me feel like my hands are back to how they were before working in the healthcare field. I've also used this for a lip exfoliator, and it also left my lips feeling nommy. You could use this as a full body scrub, and it will leave all your bits feeling just as delicious. If you are going to use this in a shower, those coffee grounds could get awfully cray in the drain. You've been warned!

However, a little note that you need to keep your mixture in a relatively cool place otherwise your exfoliator will separate and you will have two different layers (like shown below). This doesn't mean to store it in your refrigerator because it will become too hard, and you won't be able to use it. Just find a nice comfortable temperature (try to steer clear of 85+ degrees).

Enjoy your new delicious skin :).

-Autumn