Tag: espresso

Posted in coffee

A much-needed shot

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Sometimes a shot of espresso is the perfect medicine for a nagging headache. After all, over the counter migraine remedies contain acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. Let’s cut to the chase and dig out the espresso maker.

A few years ago I bought a small kitchen counter deLonghi espresso maker. It works well, but I had been decaffeinating, so it’s been unused on a shelf for a while. The last time I put on my barista hat, I learned that some pretty nasty stuff comes out of an espresso maker fresh out of hibernation. So I ran vinegar and then water through until it came out smelling like… nothing.

I found a can of Cafe Bustelo on the shelf, my measurer/tamper, and a couple of espresso cups in the kitchen cabinet. I switched on the machine, the green light came on after about ninety seconds and the machine began pressing hot water through the scoop of ground coffee. A dark brown dribble began filling the cups with a nice creme rising to the surface. It smelled and tasted wonderful. And, along with a little Tylenol sent the migraine packing. Mission accomplished.

Once it’s out on the counter, the machine calls out, “Use me!” So I’ve been making espresso to accompany dessert and pump up my morning cup of coffee. It has an arm with which I could steam milk, but I haven’t tried that yet. But I should. A latte must be a cure for something.

Posted in coffee, Travel

Coffee and hot chocolate

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“The espresso machine is having problems today.”

There’s a sentence you don’t want to hear at a coffee shop.

After a cool day trips with a granddaughter, we stopped at Rosalind’s in downtown Garland, TX for an afternoon snack. The girls wanted hot chocolate. I chose a double shot of espresso.

The place was crowded. The shop has recently been remodeled and expanded. Most of the tables were filled with people on laptop computers. The open table we found was right in the middle of it all.

My granddaughter picked out a chocolate chip cookie, and went sat down to wait for our drinks.

The wait was longer than I expected, but finally a barista called my name. As I walked away with two cups, I heard my name again. When I returned to the pick-up counter, the barista whispered, “I’m sorry, but the espresso machine is having problems today.” Uh-oh. No ones to hear that at a coffee shop. I said, “That’s OK, I’ll just have a small coffee.

The hot chocolate was better than expected, too. Topped with frothed milk, it left a great mustache on the drinker’s top lip. My coffee was delicious. I should have asked where they get their beans.

The chocolate chip cookie disappeared in record time, we enjoyed our drinks, and played a table top hook-the-ring game.

When we returned the next day with another granddaughter, we were glad to learn that the espresso machine was up and running,

Garland’s little downtown area looks better every time we come. Businesses have remodeled and reopened shops and street parking is usually full. It’s a cool place to hang out. The population here is diverse. Not many cowboys, but lots of Americans from India, Asia, and Mexico.

Posted in Ministry

Professional worker’s conference (part 2)

Posted on by William Douthwaite
I came into today's conference sessions with high hopes. I was both disappointed and pleasantly surprised.

The first unexpected blessing was the coffee machine in the lounge on my floor (The sixth floor is the Club floor at this Sheraton.) At the push of a button, it ground the beans and made espresso! I could have cappuccino or a latte, too. Very nice.

Then I had a great conversation at breakfast with Jawed and Juliana Dass. They are Pakistani Christians doing mission work in Naples, FL among Muslims. Her ministry is called Sisters of Faith. She had some great stories of how God has opened doors for her witness. I'd like for her come up and speak for us sometime.

Unfortunately, The second half of Dr. Gibbs' presentation had a lot of good information, but just didn't hold my interest as well as last night.

After lunch, I went to a couple of break out sessions. The first, entitled “Pastors as Communicators,” just wasn't communicated very effectively. It as more of a rant about ill-prepared speakers. The second, a panel discussion about witnessing across cultural and generational boundaries was great, filled with personal stories of connecting with all kinds of different people in different situations. One pastor spoke about a ministry among gypsies; another helped his aging congregation connect with the community for the first time in years. And Juliana told of how she was able to relate to an atheist son of a Muslim family.

In the evening drove over to the campus of Concordia University at Ann Arbor for supper and worship. They have a beautiful chapel there and a fantastic organist accompanied the service.

Heading home tomorrow morning — after some espresso.