missing Paris 3 years later.

It's been a few years now since my Paris travels, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.... cue the pictures:

That's me holding the purple umbrella on a rainy July day in Paris. We had just exited this quaint local cafe, you may not be able to pronounce the name: Starbucks...

So we're refueling on caffeine and a cliche French poodle leading it's human around walks through the door as if it was his daily routine. I looked around at the workers...nobody blinked. Then I remembered we weren't in Wisconsin....and the dog-lover in me rejoiced. Remind me to rent someone's dog for a day next time I visit Paris... there's something so quaint and Parisian about it all. 

My mother and I debated where I should spend my 18th birthday. We decided on the Eiffel Tower, but somehow on July 30th, 2011, we wound up on a train to Disneyland Paris. I of course took the stereotypical tourist jumping picture in front of a pretty pink castle and had a fantastic day.

This picture I took of the Love Locks is not even a fraction of how many were hanging on that bridge. Not to mention we would see many more locks randomly scattered throughout other Parisian bridges. 

These are only a few of the memories my pictures made, but posting them all would probably exceed any limit websites set. 

Thankfully I'll be returning soon enough to refill my camera rolls.

Healthy & Easy - Homemade Frozen Yogurt

5 days ago I decided to try two weeks without ice cream...buuuuuut no one said anything about Frozen Yogurt. Maybe I'm cheating the system, but making it at home saves you the cost and the calories, so I can't feel too guilty.

Here's what you'll need: (serves 3-4)
- 3 cups of frozen fruit
- 1/4 cup sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute for a healthier option)
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

Here's what you need to do:
1. Microwave fruit for 20 seconds to slightly thaw
2. Pour sugar on the fruit
3. Pulse the fruit and sugar in the blender just enough to crumble the fruit
4. Add the Greek Yogurt and blend again till smooth
5. Pour into a storage container and freeze overnight
6. Scoop out the next day and enjoy!

Finished product before freezing

This is a great simple summer snack and easily customizable for all you fruit lovers.

Planning a Europe trip.

Look up graduate schools. Complete...er, I mean start, my Physician Assistant applications. Cancel my free month of Netflix [before the 24th]. Sleep. -- All the things I should have been doing between 10pm and 2am...which is where I find myself now.

What was more important than all of the above, you may ask? Obviously pinteresting my trip to Europe for next summer. However, I cannot be fully to blame: a close friend leaves for France tomorrow which has plummeted me into a travel-bug-depression. So naturally, I decided to be extremely productive and plan my every minute of August 2015. 

This is probably not a time wasting task in your eyes, but then again, you've only seen a small portion of my "To-Do" list. The funniest bit of it all is that if I am accepted to any of the schools I'm supposed to be applying to, Europe will be off the table as I'll begin school in May. Should I be hoping I get accepted or rejected? It's a catch 22 all the same... I'm having a very I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-my-life-even-though-it's-already-planned-out moment/melt down. And if you've ever made any decision in your lifetime, I think you can relate.

But until then, friends, help me plan my trip! Let me know what you recommend!

How to: French Press Coffee.

Well hello there, coffee-connoisseur. If you've grown tired of your drip coffee, you've come to the right place. As a self-admitted coffee-addict, I enjoy trying different ways of making coffee. Not to mention my mother and brother who are probably more addicted than me...seriously though, does anyone know if there's a Betty Ford clinic for people like us?

Americans enjoy naming things after countries which did not originally create that product, so naturally, when the way of pressing coffee to create a different flavor and texture was created in Italy (1929), it became known as "French Press Coffee" across the United States.

Pressing the coffee grounds using the following technique will create a smoother and fresher taste to the coffee. And in my humble opinion, I believe it gets a touch (a very slight, but noticeable, touch) creamier.

Now for the reason you came: 

You will need:

• course coffee grounds. If you buy your coffee from a local shop, grab your favorite flavored bean and ask the bar to grind it "course" or simply ask for a "french press grind".       If you buy from the grocery store, find a grinding machine and set the dial to a course grind.
• A french press. You can find these online, at kitchen-ware stores, target, etc. I got mine from TJ Maxx. They typically are fairly inexpensive (or at least should be). Don't be spending $40 for a 4-cup press....it's not going to make that much of a difference. 

This is a French Press:

Instructions:

1. Get out that course ground coffee I've been yapping about and scoop some into the bottom of the glass of the press. Typically, I like to do 1 scoop per 1 cup of water. Though if you like it stronger, add accordingly.
2. Boil the corresponding amount of cups/scoops of water.
3. Once water comes to a boil, pour water into the glass (YES overtop the coffee grounds).
4. WAIT 3-5 minutes for the grounds to infuse in the water.
5. Put the "lid" of the french press on (it's the fancy mesh/filter/pump looking thing) and slowly push the pump down which filters out the grounds from the water.
6. Pour into cups, and enjoy!

Step 1

Step 2 & 3

Step 4 & 5

Step 6

Pair with some fresh bread from your local farmer's market for a tasty German breakfast or afternoon treat.

Celebrating my dog's birthday.

My goldendoodle's 2nd birthday was today, of course we celebrated! Now I understand many people think celebrating a dog's birthday is a ridiculous practice, but I just couldn't help myself.

 Though to be fair...I did cut back quite a bit, so that I wouldn't seem like a lunatic. We bought the sheet cake from the grocery store instead of the pretty piped one from the bakery. He didn't get to see all the neighborhood dogs, just got to invite his closest 10 over. Oh, and don't forget the birthday hat: not the jeweled store-bought one, simply homemade.

I joke, of course. Except for the hat. The hat really did happen (and he wore it for hours, might I add).

Here's an incredibly cute picture on his big day:

You can find many more pictures of him on my instagram (username: ggretcher).... shameless plug over.

Tell me - does anyone else make themselves look like idiots for their dogs? I know I can't be the only one!