Hey guys! I know this was a long while ago, but on Martin Luther King day, a couple friends and I went to Alcove Café & Bakery for brunch. Before I say anything else, let me just get this out there: It. Is. Heavenly.
Not only did I really enjoyed the food, I loved the location, the outdoor seating, the ambiance, all of the energy, and oh my gosh, this is the perfect place to spend a cool, sunny morning. Everyone was just talking and cheerful, the sun was out, and even though we were sitting outside, the way Alcove was decorated just gives this full-of-life vibe!
When I was at Alcove, I felt like I had no worries in the world.
Sadly, I don't have any pictures to show what Alcove looks like! Nevertheless, I found a few from Yelp so that you guys get a sense of what the environment was like. Of course, credits go to the people who took these pictures.
Although there was a lot of people, the wait passed by pretty quickly. The way it works is a cashier will take your order at the front entrance, and then they'll seat you while you wait for your food. Most of the seating is outside, except for a small bar that they have inside.
Of course, I don't mind all of the outdoor seating when the weather is beautiful--haha, praise God, Los Angeles has beautiful weather :)
As for what I ordered, I got the Blackened Salmon Sandwich, which was delicious! One note though, the sandwich typically comes with a sesame brioche bun. However, I asked to replace the bun with sour dough bread, which in my opinion was a great choice!
My friends ordered the Shrimp + Crab Omelette...
And the (Kinda) Classic Benedict....
I haven't tried either of these, but my friends loved it, and both dishes looked delicious!
Since President's Day weekend is coming up, do you guys have any scrumptious plans?
A quick disclaimer before I start. This is a sponsored post. BUT although I am sponsored by InstaNatural to write this post, I have tried some of their products before this one! Furthermore, these are my own personal and truthful opinions regarding their products. InstaNatural is not in any way requiring me to write a positive review!
--------------
The last few months, I've been getting into natural skincare products. I realized that a lot of our everyday daily products like cleansers, shampoos, and even nail polish have a lot of harmful chemicals that in the long run can be really harmful to my body. As I started doing more research on natural skincare products, I stumbled upon InstaNatural on Amazon.
For a newer and not as well known brand, InstaNatural has incredible reviews for all of their products! Thus, I decided to give them a try. The two that I've tried are their Vitamin C Serum and Advanced Action Retinol Moisturizer, both of which I have enjoyed immensely! I'll do a review on these products in another post.
Anyhow, I recently received a sample of InstaNatural's Argan Oil Hair Mask, and I was super excited because I had previous positive experiences with their other products.
The Review:
First Impression!
My first impression of the Argan Oil Hair Mask was IT SMELLS AMAZING and looks pretty delicious too haha.
Let's start with the cons...
In my humble opinion, the mask kind of let me down, granted that both times I've used it so far, I've left it on way longer than the suggested 10-15 minutes. I kept the mask on for almost three hours the first time and 30 minutes the second time--oops! In the end, my hair looked more like second day unwashed hair. Thus, I admit I still need to try the mask for the recommended time before I can form a really conclusive opinion on the product.
Now for the pros!
However, since these two uses, I do believe that my hair has become somewhat smoother and softer then I remembered it to be at the beginning of the school year. These changes are consistent even on days when I wash my hair and don't used the mask, which suggests that the mask may actually have the potential to treat dry, damaged hair! Yesss!!
The future...
Anyhow, I'll continue using this product at the moment because I've been complaining about my hair feeling dry for the longest time. (Blame my bitter sweet memories of soft, lush hair in middle school and high school. Arggg~).
I've read some reviews on Amazon where people have said they use it as a regular hair conditioner, so I'll give that a try as well!
It seems like I've been writing a lot about drinks recently, like the green tea latte and the... or never mind. Maybe not. I've posted recipes for a few other drinks--but more than half a year ago! By the way, check them out! Black sesame banana drink and chocolate raspberry smoothie.
However, today, my focus is on beaten coffee! Have you heard of it before? Me neither, until earlier this week! Apparently it's also called Indian Cappuccino, and it's super creamy, affordable, and--oh my gosh--DELICIOUS! You know how I said I've been enjoying green tea lattes before my workouts? Well, I've been enjoying this even more, which is not necessarily good because sometimes I just can't help myself to another cup!
What's even better about this recipe is that there's so few ingredients. You really need only four ingredients, and you'll likely have all of them in your cupboard already!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Instant Coffee Granules
1 tbsp Granulated Sugar (or to your liking--I prefer less sweet)
1 tsp Water
1 cup milk of choice
Instructions:
Combine instant coffee, sugar, and water, and mix ingredients together until the mixture thickens and lightens. The texture should be almost that of marshmallow fluff! For me, this takes about 10-12 minutes.
Heat up milk, and add the mixture to the hot milk.
Stir and enjoy!
Super simple! Look at how dark the mixture was in the beginning! Almost black :)
However, as you continue mixture with your spoon, the color gradually lightens and the mixture begins to thicken.
I've tried using a whisk to make this before, but for some reason, it didn't seem to work as well as with a spoon.... Not sure why, maybe just magic? Haha, just kidding!
As for the sugar, you can adjust it to what ever suits your taste. You can even choose not to add any! And I know because I accidentally left it out once. Oops! But it still tasted great, albeit a little on the bitter side~
Look! So thick :) Beaten coffee is somewhat tiring to make, but don't give up! It's worth it. Totally.
Go try it! And if you do, tell me how it goes!! :)
.jpg)
.jpg)
