Five Favorite Things

Note: I was selected to be an official blogger for the Women’s Half Marathon, so if you’re at all interested in my running adventures, head on over to Run, Rev, Run.

Where did August come from? This summer has just flown by, especially since I was at camp for a good part of it. Here are a few of my current favorite things as summer comes to a close.

1. Iced Coffee

(source)

Last year, I posted this recipe/method for cold-brewed iced coffee. Now, instead of making it in mason jars, I just cold brew in my French press and leave it sitting on the counter for 12-24 hours. Or I head to Bruegger’s for some iced Green Mountain Wild Blueberry coffee. Particularly after a steamy run, some combination of iced coffee, water, and Gatorade really helps me recover.

2. Garden & Gun

(source)

I cannot say enough good things about this magazine. It’s my favorite. Ever. Every time I read an issue, I can’t imagine myself ever living anywhere besides the South. And any magazine that can throw in Dolly Parton, Wendell Berry, and jazz in the same issue is good by me. The photography and writing are top notch. If an article about fly-fishing or hunting can interest me, then you know its well-written.

3. Girly Pop Music

I think it started at camp and was compounded by our (Groupon!) tickets to the Britney concert, but right now I can’t get enough of Ke$ha, Britney, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, or Beyonce, particularly on my exercise playlists. It’s certainly not high-brow, but it’s fun and I like it. The last time I was at spin class, I didn’t think I would make it, but Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” came on and I sprinted my heart out during the chorus.

4. Mad Men

Now that it’s available on Netflix Instant Stream, I’m catching up on what everyone has been raving about for years. I’ve watched nearly 3 seasons in a week or so, and it’s what everyone has said: great acting, fabulous attention to detail, and the costumes! A personal interest for me is that my mother would’ve been about the same age as the Draper children at that time, growing up in a similar culture.

5. Mini-weekend trips

Unlike when we lived in Texas, there are a ton of great weekend trip destinations within a 5 hour radius, and with a cheap Priceline hotel and group deal sites, several weekend trips replaced a bigger summer vacation for us. So far this summer, we’ve been to Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains, Chattanooga for the aquarium and hiking, and Atlanta for the Sweetwater brewery tour and a Braves game. I love getting to explore the Southeast one weekend at a time.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Considering that I'm a graduate student, I'm actually not that big of a coffee drinker. Too much caffeine makes me jittery and scatter-brained, not so good when I'm trying to follow complicated theological arguments. But iced coffee in the summer is a different story. It's refreshing and cooling without that bitterness that some hot coffee can produce. I like it so much, that I'm going to have to start making this from decaf coffee because I want to drink it all day long. I pour in a splash of milk, a tablespoon of sugar-free hazelnut syrup, and shake it all up in a Mason jar. The recipe can be easily multiplied. I usually make 4 jars of the coffee concentrate at a time and just strain and store in the refrigerator.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee
source: New York Times
Yields 2 drinks

Ingredients
1/3 cup medium-coarse ground coffee
1 1/2 cups water

Preparation
In a jar, stir together coffee and water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk.