Coffee Talk
Coffee Talk #5: a chance to catch up on the little things in life—both sweet and salty! 😉 August 2018
Hiya! It’s Demeter again. 🙂 In case you’re new to Beaming Baker, I’m the baker behind it all. All = the madness, the cookies, the no bake treats (funnily enough) and the stories. Once a month, we get together to chat about what’s new in our lives and share a little something sweet. You ready? Let’s do this!
Monica’s Visit… My sister, Monica, just came to visit! It was equal parts thrilling, heartwarming, nostalgia-inducing, and goofs-filled. My sisters and I are all super, super close. We even have a group text chain. Okay, everyone has a group text chain nowadays… but I really felt the need to say that since all of these TV/movie casts keep mentioning that like it’s a sure sign that they’re close. Hehe. Anyway, on any given day, our text chain includes anywhere from 55-175+ messages. That’s right, sometimes there are 175 messages in one day. And Jenny can’t be blamed for ALL of them. 😉
Side note: after my mom and other sister (Jenny) made fun of Monstee and I for posing at the seriously sweltering T stop, guess what? We got this amazing shot above!! Well, Erik did. 😉 I mean, come on!! How unexpectedly gorgeous of a backdrop are these stylish turnstyles? .Also, how beautiful is my sister? ❤️
Anyway, point is, we’re tight. So it was just the BEST being able to see my sister. Jenny (who lives nearby) and my mom were over the moon to see her. We went out on the town, ate too many things, and had our mandatory semi-annual heart-to-heart chat about How Things Are Going in One’s Life. It definitely made me wish that Monica lived much closer, but I’m grateful for the chance to just see her and catch up.
Do you live close to your siblings? How do you stay in touch if you live far from each other?
Fitness Stuff… so lately I’ve been rediscovering all of my old favorite fitness YouTubers and discovering new ones! I was thinking of sharing a few of the videos I find most motivating (and fun!!) for next Coffee Talk. Would you be interested? Here a couple of my faves:
Dylan & Kai’s Bday party… Party of the Century here, folks!!! Haha. My nephews, Dylan and Kai both celebrated their birthdays in extreme, blocky style. Yep, their mama, my sister, Jenny, had their party at Legoland. They don’t share the same birthday, but the actual dates are super close, so their mama had the great idea to do a two-for-one. We had loads of fun, and honestly, Erik’s inner child really came out at this par-tay.
Let’s just say we were both seeing legos for days and days after that. 😉 The party was super cool because we finally got the chance to see inside of Legoland. Dylan talks about that place nonstop, so it was cool to see what the fuss was all about. There were so many amazing sights to see! Elaborate Lego structures with water, huge play structures and tons of Lego sculptures.
Preparing for Fall!… It’s finally almost here!!! Forgive my excitement, but I’ve been preparing for Fall and thinking about the winter holidays for months and months! Sometimes the rest of the year feels almost like just a dry run for THE Holidays. Lol. I’m currently debating if I should hold back a bit on the pumpkin recipes, or just go all out and share 3 or more per month ’til the end of November. Thoughts?
A Sneak Peek of Fall…
European Vacation… I asked what recommendations folks had over on Instagram for our next vacation—in Europe, hopefully—and I got a wealth of responses:
- Scotland
- Paris
- Poland
- Places in Norway: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim
- Brighton
- Prague, Budapest
- And more!
What place do you suggest? My sister, Penny, has been nudging us towards taking a vacay in the EU. She said that we’re so close in Boston and it would be a waste not to. 😉 In terms of budget and time, we’re pretty much low on both. Lol. But one can hope… and at least do some recon!
Current Popular Recipes…
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- 5 Ingredient Homemade KIND Nut Bars
- Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe – this makes me SO happy!!! I absolutely love this recipe and it holds a special place in my heart. Have you tried it yet?
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – a NEW recipe. Woohoo!
- Mini Vegan Brownie Bites – I definitely did not expect this recipe to be so popular! They’re soft, fudgy and decadent. I have some tentative plans to make more brownie bites with exciting flavor twists. Let me know if you’re interested! 🙂
Current Popular Recipes from the Archives…
- 1) 4 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Bars (December 2016)
- 2) Gluten Free Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (March 2017)
- 3) Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (April 2017)
That’s all for this month! How was your month? Any new developments or plans (hopefully vacay-related) in place? What recipes are you excited or hoping to see? It’s been lovely chatting with you. I can’t wait to catch up with you next time!
Here are a few older Coffee Talks, in case you’re interested: July, June, May, April, Catching Up 2, Catching Up 1.
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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I could not be more excited for fall! Those muffins look totally delish!
I know, fall can’t come soon enough! .
I have made your vegan brownie bites twice now, and they don’t last long around here . Thank you for supplying us with such great recipes! As I live in England I would definitely recommend a trip to Europe, and don’t forget the beautiful south coast where I live x
That’s so wonderful to hear, Katherine! 🙂 I’m so pleased that you’re enjoying my recipes. .☺️ I definitely will make a note about the gorgeous south coast! Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
Mini vegan brownie bites…I am seriously drooling now. They have moved to the top of my “to-bake-immediately” list! And your sneak peek fall muffins look so delicious. Can’t wait!
Oh you’re definitely gonna love them Jenny! ☺️
Those muffins love incredible! I can’t wait for fall!
Yay! I know, it can come soon enough! ☺️
I know for sure these Mini Vegan Brownie Bites would be a huge hit in my house!
Oh YES!!! Hope you get to try! 🙂
Hi, just returned from European vacation with my husband, celebrating our 30th anniversary. I would highly recommend Krakow, Poland for a few days. We just loved it, so affordable and everyone was super friendly. From there we took a train to Prague, which was also very lovely. Once you get an airfare to Europe, flights out of the major cities (Rome/London) are super affordable. Wherever you go will be wonderful, traveling is just the best! Love your recipes.
Maria, congratulations on celebrating your 30th anniversary!!! What a wonderful milestone! 🙂 I’ve been getting so many recommendations for Poland. Love the sound of it being affordable. Prague is one of Erik’s dream destinations, so we’re going to put that at the top of the list. Thank you so much for your travel tips! Happy baking, xo 🙂
Howdy,
I just got home from a coffee chat with my Aunt and came home to read your Coffee talk! There’s not much better than a good cup of coffee and a fun conversation. 🙂
Planning a trip to Europe is so much fun. Where you go can depend a lot on the time of year, how you plan to travel (car, or train), your budget, how much time you have, and what will make you smile when you see “it” in person. Every destination can offer something quite special but for me Spain and Portugal were a delightful surprise and fairly affordable compared to some of the other countries right now. There was so many things to choose from, white washed villages in the Andalusia region of Spain, Sevilla, which smells like Oranges, and lots of hiking all over. Portugal was similar, and both countries had such welcoming people. I know where ever you guys decide to go will be such a great experience. Have fun planning!! 🙂
Hi Heidi! Completely agreed! What could be better than good conversation & good coffee with the people you love? 🙂 I loved reading your advice on finding a good destination to visit in Europe. Especially: “what will make you smile when you see “it” in person.” Erik and I’ve been trying to figure that out for ages! Spain and Portugal sound absolutely AMAZING! Your descriptions truly got me excited about planning. Big hugs! 🙂 P.S. I hope you get to visit Spain & Portugal again soon!