My new staple iced coffee

     At this point in the school year, it's very go-go-go. I stay up late doing homework, go to bed late, wake up early, which naturally, leaves me reaching for coffee. It's been getting warmer in New Jersey and I have found myself drinking more iced coffee than usual. For most of my coffee-drinking career, I could never make a good iced coffee. It always ended up being watered down, or just wouldn't taste right. A few days ago, I found an espresso maker in my house, and that all changed. Replacing the drip coffee with a stronger espresso brew completely changed the game. For that matter, I want to show you how I make my now staple iced coffee drink that will be getting me through these last few months of school.

iced coffee

The first thing you are going to need is an espresso maker. Mine is a stovetop one, and it's pretty easy to use. 

espresso
espresso

After brewing the espresso, I set it to the side to cool for a few minutes. Afterwards, I fill a glass with ice, and pour almond milk into it about halfway. I like putting a bit more milk than usual to tone down the strength of the espresso. I slowly pour the espresso over the milk, and take a moment to admire the beautiful swirls of color (optional but highly recommended). 

iced coffee

And it's that simple!! This tastes absolutely amazing and far from the coffee water I used to end up with. 

iced coffee
iced coffee
iced coffee

Thanks so much for reading.
- Suzan J

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The Best Pecan Granola

       With this weird northeastern weather going on right now, I've been feeling fall vibes in the spring?? The other day, I started craving pecan pie all of a sudden, so I figured I would share with you my favorite recipe for granola, filled with all the pecan pie nuances. This is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or just a delicious and filling snack. Keep in mind that you can modify this recipe however you like. I usually end up tweaking the measurements just a bit until I get the right flavor.

granola


Ingredients
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp of cinnamon (or to your liking)
  • 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or to your liking)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds (totally optional, I just threw them in for variety)
  • 1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (helps toast the granola, I didn't use it this time and there wasn't much of a difference)
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup (you can use as much as you want, I just eyeball it)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with tinfoil. I have found this works best, since the granola will not stick to it. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and spread it out on your pan. Keep the mixture in the oven for about ten minutes, or until toasted to your desire. Enjoy with almond milk, as a topping, or by itself. 

granola


I hope you enjoy this easy and flavorful granola! Thanks for reading.

- much love, Suzan J
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The power of optimism

        I'm sure we have all had moments when we thought our situation just couldn't get any worse. You feel like you should be happy, but you just can't help but go deeper into the feeling of misery. I've seen way too many inspirational quotes and posts that tell you to be "happy", when sometimes it just won't happen. Whenever I am feeling down or uneasy, I remind myself that it is okay to feel. Being a human is just way too complex to be happy all the time. We have feelings for a reason, and it's good to acknowledge them, and move forward. After all, if we didn't go through difficult times, we wouldn't be able to appreciate good days and moments that bring us joy. Platforms like social media tend to put out the polished version of people's lives, and it's important to remember that no one leads a perfect life.
      Something that I've been making an effort to do more often is expressing gratitude, especially when I am beginning to think negatively. Trust me, I have those moments where I don't want to even think about the positives, because it seems like the negatives outweigh them, but that is not the case. Problems will come and go, but life is ever flowing and they will eventually be solved, so why not spend a just a little more time focusing on what you are grateful for. Optimism is not forcing happiness upon yourself, but being able to accept the hardships and understand that better times are coming. I know it's easier said than done, but it is definitely worth the effort.

- much love, Suzan J
sunset
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A birthday well spent in Paris

     I'm pretty sure everyone dreams about going to Paris. Whether it is for your love of art, fashion, or interest in the French culture, you've probably daydreamed about the city at least once. When my fifteenth birthday was coming around, I knew exactly where I wanted to spend it. And so my mom and I packed our bags, and headed to the City of Lights for a three-day-stay. Prior to the trip, you best believe that my Pinterest boards and Instagram collections were overflowing with cafe recommendations and aesthetically pleasing pictures of croissants. After a relatively easy travel to the Charles de Gaulle airport, we were ready to experience what Paris had to offer.
  After arriving to Paris in the morning, we checked into an inviting boutique hotel, Hôtel Trinité Haussmann. It was located in the area of Pigalle, however the street was very calm and quiet. When I got into our room, the first thing I did was head straight to see the view. One of the things that I really wanted to have was a view with Parisian character, and I was not disappointed.  

view from Hôtel Trinité Haussmann
       
    The room over looked Rue Jean-Baptiste, which let us get a glimpse into the daily life of Parisians. From time to time, someone would be walking down the street with a baguette in their hand, or a group of workers would be leisurely having a conversation. Our next adventure was to figure out where those baguettes were from! My mom and I ventured into the streets of Montmartre, when we stumbled upon the adorable Boulangerie Blavette, where we purchased our first authentic French baguette and pain au chocolat. Fueled on espresso, my mom and I were two happy girls, and we were officially ready to venture into the streets of Paris.

streets of Paris

    Next up, we had planned a car tour of the city in advance, to give us a better idea of where we wanted to spend our stay. The driver took us to all of the famous landmarks, including Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, and of course, the one and only Eiffel Tower.

    
Being quite jet lagged, we decided to leave it at that for the day. On day two, we started our day with a baguette (of course), and headed to Saint-Germain-Des-Prés. I really liked that area, since it was filled with cute shops and cafes, which is right up my alley. If you really want to get to know Paris, I would say the best methods of transportation are taking the metro and walking. The metro may seem intimidating, but it's actually very simple once you figure it out. I downloaded the RATP app to help us figure out what lines to take. We walked to the Notre Dame cathedral, running into many popular spots, including Les Deux Magots and Cafe de Flore. We took a picturesque walk down the Seine river afterwards, which was a great idea, since the sun was just beginning to set and golden hour was in full swing. At this moment, I realized that having three long coffees within a few hours was not a smart idea. The plan was to look around inside the cathedral, but the jitters hit and I ended up having to walk a lap around the area. 

Notre Dame


For dinner, we decided to eat at a restaurant on Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, called Chez Gladines. I got the chicken and rice in Basque sauce and it was absolutely amazing. I will definitely be returning here if I ever come back to Paris. To finish off the night right, we headed to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle. This was a pretty special moment, because the clock was hitting 12:00, and that meant it was the start of my birthday!

Eiffel Tower

Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night made it sink in that I was actually in Paris. Nutella crepes in our hand, we headed back to the metro and were ready to get some sleep. On day three, we were disappointed to find out that our favorite Boulangerie Blavette was closed. Instead, we took a walk to Pain Pain, a more Instagram-y spot.

Pain Pain bakery

After two days of rigorous sight-seeing, my mom and I were ready to have a laid back Parisian day. We took the metro to the Sacre Coeur basilica, and walked around that area for a bit.

Sacre Coeur

We wandered into the streets of Montmartre again. Whenever I travel, I like to keep a spontaneous and open mind, because you never know what unexpected wonders you will run into. I roughly plan an itinerary, but keep it very flexible, and leave tons of room for random adventures. We stumbled upon an adorable park, which we decided to take a seat at. 

park in Paris

The last major stop of the day was the Louvre. We didn't have time to go inside, but we spent some time in front of it, and took a walk through Jardin des Tuileries. 


I heard a lot about Avenue des Champs-Élysées, so I wanted to stop there to shop around and get some macarons at Laduree. 

Laduree Paris

After coming back to the hotel, we decided to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant near our hotel, called Dulcinea. I am glad that we decided to eat there, because it had a very cozy and casual atmosphere. It was refreshing to eat at a place that wasn't packed with tourists. I noticed how everyone had their phones away, and was communicating with each other face to face. Something that Paris taught me was the beauty of simplicity. Everyone seemed to have a similar style - simple but put together. I am very grateful that I got to experience this amazing city, and would highly recommend going. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about my trip.
- much love, Suzan J
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Welcome to my blog!

         Witam na moim blogu! Had to throw some Polish in there haha. Welcome to my blog! Growing up, I was always very interested in writing and photography, but I distanced away from it throughout the years. I believe we have to try plenty of different things to find out what we truly enjoy doing. I have very scattered interests, from travel to dance to fashion to lifestyle, so I can't tell you where exactly this blog is going to go. I am excited to share the things I'm passionate about with you.
- much love, Suzan J
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