DIY Gingerbread Latte using an Aeropress

I haven't had a cup of coffee from starbucks in probably year. I usually get tea.. why? The coffee is bad....I think I've spoiled myself by making my own coffee..using a method that's produces a less acidic cup of coffee... and please.. a venti gingerbread latte for almost 5 bucks? ah! NO! I decided to leave my apt in search for a new place to study and hide out. The place I settled on? The 24 hours Starbucks.

24 hours. After my 6th hour, I started getting delirious. Come 3 am... starbucks becomes a random place for gossipers and insomniacs. My handwriting improved though, but brain wise? Not so much. I left this morning at 3.... and retreated back to my cozy apt. I didn't get to sleep until 4... I was googling houses. I get side tracked really easily.

Ever since I learned how to drive, I always loved taking drives around... almost aimlessly. I zig-zagged my way from the Marina up to Starbucks last night, determined to see if these bazillionaires decided to deck their house out in festive lights. Mostly, they didn't, I think they were too busy throwing their holiday parties. The lights that were there greatly complemented the house. They were so neatly placed... that put a smile on my face. It's nice to see these larger than life doll houses all decorated.

I hope this hard work pays off later!
This wasn't all the materials I went over...
I even ventured towards the med school boards text!

I've gotten in to the habit of driving around areas where I live in to remind myself how lucky I am to have what I have especially the opportunities. I used to drive down Sunset Blvd on my bad days with my top down, hair flowing in the LA breeze... I miss that. I remembered when I used to intern at a dental office to many famous faces in Beverly Hills, I'd drive around Rodeo and just soak it in. My celebrity obsession + my passion for teeth = o.m.g. It was just me.. and my old chevy cavalier... surrounded by opulence that I could only dream about... and now.. I get to do it again... but this time, it's ridiculously out of reach.

There's a pocket in my neighborhood, right on the edge, where houses go for over 25 million bucks... some just slightly below 50 million... no biggy rite? They're dubbed the Billionaire's Row of SF... well it might even be official because if you drop a pin on one of those houses on your iPhone, it'll say...Billionaire's Row, blah blah Broadway St. , SF, CA, 94115.... just in case you were wondering... When you drive around and see lamborghinis parked on the street with the neighborhood parking permit sticker.. you know something is not normal. These houses are pieces of art.... such expensive pieces of art. If I'm lucky, I'd live in a house 1/100th of those houses. Yep. This will probably be the end of me living in such neighborhoods. Reality is right around the corner... in the complete opposite direction of that corner ..... life keeps taunting me with lifestyles that are all out of reach... it's quite puzzling... from Westwood to Pacific Heights... guess it was humbling living at home for that year and teaching kids in my old neighborhood... it reminded me where I came from...and how I should be grateful that I made it this far... I get asked this a lot, so just to clarify, my parents are not dentists... my love for dentistry was through my own revelations, not through theirs. :)

The aeropress changed my life... don't believe me? Believe the reviews: Aeropress on Amazon
The aerolatte made making lattes.. whether tea or coffee.. much more fun! : Aerolatte on Amazon

I'm no coffee connoisseur.. I just care if my coffee is acidic...or bland. These things help me create delectable coffee drinks that .. in my opinion beat Starbucks.. any day. No fancy machinery... here.. just science coupled with a wonderful space saving .. easy to clean .. design.

Gingerbread Latte using an Aeropress and Aerolatte

1 scoop of good ground coffee

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

hot water

(place it all into the aeropress, give it 10 stirs, and press it into a cup)

1/3 cup hot milk - milk in a tall cup, microwaved for a minute, use the Aerolatte to make it as frothy as you like! (I love love love love the foam)

1-1.5 tbsp molasses

Dark brown sugar or raw sugar to taste.

Here's a random tidbit... stained teeth. I feel like the whitening craze has died down just a bit...but still, people want whiter than natural smiles. I was never really a fan of whitening, but after coffee drinking for the past few weeks... I felt like I needed it. I did a lot of research. I found that you could buy professional strength ... bleach.. for your teeth on amazon... from the same company that we use at the school. hm... Well anyway, I'm not a proponent of doing that especially this early on so.. I bought Rembrandt's toothpaste and mouth rinse...I didn't want to bleach  my teeth for hours due to sensitivity... and it worked really well! I was surprised.. especially after just one use. I guess my stains weren't so embedded, but it's good to catch it before it becomes really deep. I still don't understand the nature of stains... but know its effects. What I didn't like was the mouth rinse... it tastes bad... because of the peroxide. I feel like I was swishing with bleach. It does burn... and not in a clean feeling listerine way either.. (but don't get me started on listerine.. that's actually the topic of my paper for next quarter :) ) Oh well, I will keep using it off an on until I'm happy with this fake white smile... another plus is whiter teeth masks slight crowding/ misaligned teeth. I use it with my sonicare.. and my teeth feel squeaky clean.. but a little sensitive. There, I found another link between my loves for food and dentistry... most specifically the adverse effects of the dentition from coffee ... ok I'll stop now.