Please excuse my long hiatus from Whisk and Wander, as I have been fully consumed with motherhood and am just starting to figure out how to juggle the little guy with one arm and make cookies with the other...I hope to post more regularly from now on as I find both the free moment and the inspiration.


(baby in sling, cookies in the making...)

Back in the saddle…or trying.

Now that I am not working, every outing, whether a walk or an errand, I find that I need to have a treat in the form of an iced latte, bubble tea or Matcha Tea latte. I feel I deserve it, after all, I was able to motivate and successfully get out of the house with baby in tow. Don’t I get some kind of reward? In a way, it is those little things that I look forward to now. Going for a walk and knowing that a Matcha Tea latte awaits me after the first mile and a half, or going to the baby store in search for silicone binkies and knowing that, conveniently, the bubble tea place is around the corner, or just going to drop the mail in the mailbox outside of Lighthouse Roasters, and knowing that the best iced latte awaits me there. (even though I have a perfectly capable mailbox of my own at home, not to mention coffeemaker..)

Last week, I decided to fund my habits further by buying a cup attachment for my stroller, just for my lattes…how convenient is that?

When I step back and look at just how many coffee, iced tea lattes and bubble teas I consume a week, I try to justify it with the fact that I am not buying myself any clothes right now (trying to lose that extra 20 lbs..) and we are not eating out often..unless you count the quick runs to Paseo for Cuban goodness, or Herfeys for some greasy goodness and a shake..(yes, still trying to lose 20 lbs..)

I do have pangs of guilt though whenever I plunk down my debit card on these not so necessary items. (necessary items: diapers and wipes AND diapers and wipes..)

So, once again, I have taken to trying to duplicate my favorite drinks in the comforts of my own home. This time I have tackled the Matcha Latte with pretty good success. I actually think it surpasses the Starbucks version, which usually comes laden with way too much ice and nasty melon syrup, not to mention Matcha powder stuck to the bottom in undissolved chunks. Yum. You would think that a place like Starbucks would figure that out?

What I did was use one of those Japanese tea stirrers to dissolve the matcha in the milk, and then a cocktail shaker to create a somewhat frothy drink. I have to say that I was pretty happy with the result. Next time I walk, I will just have to take my own homemade matcha latte with me..after all, isnt it all about the journey and not the destination?

Matcha Tea Latte

6 oz good milk
1.5 teaspoons matcha tea powder
1.5 teaspoons simple syrup

In cocktail shaker, mix all together with bamboo whisk and let sit for a moment to dissolve matcha completely, add ice, shake and pour...

Bubble Tea is SO yesterday. Today, it is all about the Iced Matcha Latte..



I was heartbroken the other day when I decided to walk 2 miles to the U district to treat myself to a Bubble Tea at my favorite place. I had a frequent drinker card, and they even knew me there. During my last visit, I think that they actually perfected my drink. My usual was the black milk tea, and last time I told them to make it a little less sweet but to give me more tapioca. It was so perfect.
Unfortunately, my perfect bubble tea experience would be my last..at least for a while until I get over the shock of walking up to the doorway of "Gossip Tea" and seeing a hand scrawled sign on the door. "Closed-Sorry"

Closed? Sorry? That's it?

I peered into the windows to see my boba haven in complete disarray with the chairs piled up in a corner, the counters pulled out and signs in the windows claiming that the next best thing (a Chinese bakery) would be "coming soon."

So, in my shock, I did what I had to do. I went to the next best bubble tea place, up the street. I dont know, my drink was so sweet, the pearls not quite perfect, and hardly any ice. All in all, just not the boba experience that I had grown to love.

SO boba, I am moving on. Officially, you and I are through. (for now at least)

I have a new love. Certainly not as sweet nor as chewy. I have entered the milk tea phase of the matcha tea lattes. So far, I have only ventured with the iced version, but so far, I have been quite pleased. I am even somewhat impressed with Starbucks version, minus the nasty melon syrup they add. I am not quite sure why they would tamper with something that is good on its own.
Less is more, right? Although, I guess if they had tapioca pearls, that might be a different story..