Ode to a Good Customer ... from a barista

Good customers may seem easy to come by, but in this day and age where coffee shops are filled with an over abundance of laptops or people who assume macchiatos are made with caramel ... being a good  customer is something that is learned. "Good customers" ... the kind of customers that make eye contact, actually speak to you and not into their cell phone while ordering, are the kind of customer I cherish.

Ode to a Good Customer
1. you make eye contact and know that a good cup of coffee solves all problems (at least for a little while)
2. you know that with quality there comes a price, and that price is something you don't mind paying for, because again coffee solves all problems
3. you are able to engage in a 2-3 minute conversation with me ... your barista ... your morning friend ... someone who takes your order. you make eye contact and do not tell me to wait while you are ranting into your cell phone.
4. you are patient ...  again with quality sometimes there is a wait ... a wait well worth it
5. you know my name because we meet almost every morning and I know yours
6. you abide by the cafe's unspoken rules ... you know that clearing your dishes is a kind gesture, not expected, but is polite. that leaving the entry door open wastes electricity and you don't mind if I politely ask you to close it.
7. you are enthusiastic or eager to learn about coffee
8. MOST IMPORTANTLY ... I know my job as a barista is to create good customers. My job is to educate you on coffee, anticipate what you want or would like to order, and that most likely 9 times out of 10 you are right ... and again, if you are not right I will never tell you that you are wrong.
9. I appreciate you good customer and thank you.

Coeur de La Photography Portland Mini Sessions

For those of you who frequent Coeur de La you know my affinity for the Pacific Northwest ... more specifically Portland. In 2010 Marc and I made our first trip to Oregon for a celebratory foodie adventure for my birthday.  I remember our first trip to Portland because I could only hobble as it was only 2 days after my first marathon ... the San Francisco Marathon. The trip was far too short and jam packed with good coffee and good food. Also, this was when I first met one of my dearest friends Lauren. We had met blogging and then after months of connecting over blogs we met in person instantly connecting over our half Mexican roots and love for sarcasm, witty humor, and good food.

Fast forward 3 years later ... and I still adore Oregon. So, I am excited to announce that I will be offering Coeur de La Photography Mini Portrait sessions on March 30th in PORTLAND. Each mini session includes two photographers and a lightly styled, artistic, and thoughtful shoot. I have three more slots available as Lauren did an awesome job advertising on Instagram.

For more details email me at coeurdelaphotography@gmail.com 

and 

I will give you our Portland Session Mini Shoot details. 

To say I am excited about shooting in Portland would be an understatement. I can promise lots of laughs, a shoot that is true to you and your family and little ones, and a honest to goodness good time. So if you are a couple, family, and a mama to be who want photos just because do not hesitate to email me. See you in Portland!!!!

Coeur de La tips for fun shoots
Always dress true to your style (be comfortable) and please do not coordinate i.e. match in all black, or white ... do you match everyday? Most likely not ... and if you do be adventurous and have fun. More importantly be yourselves.

Bring fun props ... your little one's favorite stuffed animal will add so much character to your photos. Obviously not every photo but one or two appearances from Teddy will make you look back and laugh. Flowers add so much life and tell a story between couples .... and balloons ... if you know me and my love for red balloons then you know I like photographing them.

Be open to poses ... while my style is journalistic and natural I do believe that some of the best shots happen between poses. Those moments when couples forget that I am there ... these moments are real and poses are great catalysts for these moments.

Be goofy, be you, and simply be.

I am lucky to do what I love and can think of no better place to be than behind my lens.  Looking forward to meeting some fun families in Portland.

Bisous.
Caroline

Vanilla Bean Blood Orange Margaritas ... oh boy!

February at the farmers' market means one thing ... blood oranges (at least here in California). I am not a huge fan of citrus but I LOVE blood oranges. On Valentine's Day Marc and I decided to ditch noisy, over crowded restaurants for dinner at home. What was I in charge of? A Coeur de La signature cocktail was the only request. 

Being that I love adding vanilla bean to just about anything and everything and had just purchased blood oranges at our local farmers' market I decided to make vanilla bean blood orange margaritas. I love how vanilla beans add natural sweetness and cut the tartness when added to citrus. Now, I am not a tequila connoisseur so we had a hilarious interaction at BevMo when we grabbed the Jose Cuervo … the cashier with huge eyes said … wow you guys like your tequila rough. Say what!??? He then kindly brought us to the tequila section and showed us several options of tequila that would be smoother and more $$. He added that we would have less of a headache in the morning if we had one too many margaritas (good call). So ... thankfully we went with the $$ tequila ... it was worth it. 

While Marc was busy searing ahi tuna, making a sesame sticky rice, and then an avocado mango salad I was busy dipping chilled mason jars with sugar and playing mixologist. Quite frankly ... there is not a restaurant out there that could have outdone the both of us … staying home was priceless.

My advice: The next time you want to stay in make it an event, create a signature cocktail, buy smooth tequila, and get tipsy. Ok, so if getting tipsy is not your thing make your margaritas sans alcohol and play Twister. I promise either option will be a good one. If you need the definition of tipsy read #2 here.

In other news … the winner of the Addie Lu's Bowtique Giveaway is Micaela of Dolce Vita … CONGRATS!!! Happy Wednesday everyone and until next time … BISOUS!

 Coeur de La Vanilla Bean Blood Orange Margaritas

Ingredients

3oz of fresh squeezed blood orange juice

2oz tequila

a teaspoon of fresh lime juice

1oz of triple sec

half of a scraped vanilla bean

    In a standard cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice, your triple sec, tequila, and fresh blood orange juice, and a teaspoon of fresh lime juice. 

Then, scrape half of a vanilla bean and get to shaking. The vanilla bean pods will break apart with the shaking.

   

  Pour into small frosted mason jars that have been rimmed with sugar.

 Serve with a cheesy straw. 

ENJOY!