Hi! Good morning! How are you? It’s been way too long since our last Brews & Bites, but I’m back and pumped! I’ve been jet-setting around the globe and ticking items off my summer bucket list, but I’m home now and ready to share some deliciousness with you all.

When curating the menu for this go-around, I started out with this Chocolate Iced Matcha drink, inspired by a video I saw on Instagram. Picture this: dark chocolate melted and drizzled around the inside of a cup, then frozen. When the drink is poured in, you can crush the chocolate into the drink, creating a delicious mix of flavors! Next, I decided on making this Matcha Crepe Cake I’d seen and bookmarked on Instagram. I’ve never tried making anything like it before, but I knew it would be crazy delicious and a fun challenge! With two matcha items already, I decided to go all-in with a matcha theme. Enter Matcha Mango Yogurt Clusters and Matcha Banana Cake!

The prep started early in the week with a massive haul of chocolate and matcha. I also designed a cute menu, inspired by the nutrition label, with matching “drink order” forms. For the Partiful event invite, I set a cap at 12 RSVPs to keep my apartment cozy and avoid an overflow.

The days leading up to the event were a whirlwind. I tackled the crepe cake first, making the batter and using two skillets to whip up eight perfectly circular crepes. After refrigerating them overnight, I layered them with whipped cream (whipping it by hand was a workout!) and dusted the top with matcha for a fancy finish.

Next up, the Matcha Mango Yogurt Clusters. I also found this gem on Instagram, and it was a breeze to make. I created a sweet yogurt mixture with mango chunks, dolloped it onto parchment paper, and froze it. Then drizzled a white chocolate matcha ganache with a sprinkle of coconut flakes on-top. Easy peasy and oh-so-tasty!

On the morning of the event, I made my classic and (“famous” at this point) Banana Bread recipe, just with Matcha mixed into the batter. Having made this more times than I could count, it didn’t take long before the loaf pan was in the oven. This was perfect to bake last because it filled the apartment with an irresistible, heavenly smell and was still warm when guests arrived

Speaking of guests, everyone showed up on time and in groups, making things smooth and easy. They filled out their order forms, got comfy in the living room, and soon, drinks were flowing, and food was vanishing. The buzz of conversation and laughter filled me with joy. Friends from all walks of life, sharing their Saturday with me, was just heartwarming. We even had some new faces: Jeremy, a guy I’ve been dating; Keith, Theo’s boyfriend; Quinn, Jack’s old housemate; Josh, a new friend; and Harry, Lesley’s new boyfriend. Look at us, getting into relationships!

As the afternoon rolled on, conversations merged into one big group chat. What better time to bring out my “Bottled Pondering” book! Anjuli and Jeremy picked out the question: “How do you tackle loneliness?”, and the book was passed around - each person writing in their answer. By 3 PM, it was time to wrap up. After hugging everyone goodbye, I couldn’t stop smiling. A big thanks to everyone who came, and I can’t wait to see you at the next Brews & Bites!