Rooibos Tea

I first heard of this naturally decaffeinated tea from South Africa a few years ago, but surprisingly haven't written about the delightfully and mellowing slightly nutty flavorful drink. With a tiny amount of honey, this tea becomes a great treat alongside some dark chocolate, cocoa beans, or just on its own. If there's one thing that could break me of my chai addiction, it was this.

Nowadays there are many different brands on the market; even the local HEB has its own homespun brand. It seems people are starting to get the picture that there are many different types of teas out there beyond the celestial seasonings brand...

One day i'd like to open up a tea shop to rival the moral majority of coffee drinkers; maybe it's something that would flourish in Europe, or in the right part of an American town.

Definitely my cup of tea.

an americanized obatzda

so i tried making a version of obatzda to use as a spread on bread and i think it came out pretty good. certainly not a weight-loss meal, but here ya go:

some amount of camembert cheese (for butteriness)
the same amount of cream or neufatchel cheese (for mellow sweetness)
half that amount of either lindberger or remblochon cheese (for pungence)
a healthy number of shakes of paprika
freshly dry-roasted caraway seeds
a clove of roasted garlic

mince the garlic and mix it all up, lump it into a few ice cream scoops and plate it -- then spread on bread, sausage, whatever.

semmeln

kristin brought home some kaiser rolls lately that made me think of semmeln. they're close, but not quite there.

semmeln. my favorite bread. a bavarian classic. here's a recipe i found recently that i want to try out one weekend when i gots some spare time. damn i miss the freshly-baked bread on every street corner.

Ingredients for Semmeln

* 2 cups of boiled water
* 1 cake of compressed yeast
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* ¼ cup of lukewarm water
* Between 6 and 7 cups of flour
* About 3/4 cup of flour
* White of 1 egg or less

Instructions

1. Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water, mix thoroughly, then stir in the flour; knead into a ball of dough until it is smooth and elastic.
2. Make a deep cut across the dough in both directions.
3. Have the boiled water cooled to a lukewarm temperature. Into this, put the ball of dough.
4. It will sink to the bottom of the dish, but will gradually rise as it becomes light. In about fifteen minutes, it will float upon the water as it becomes a light, puffy sponge. Into this water and sponge, stir the salt and between six and seven cups of flour.
5. Knead or pound the dough about twenty minutes.
6. Let rise in a temperature of about 70 deg F., until the mass is doubled in bulk.
7. Divide into pieces weighing about three ounces each (there should be about fourteen pieces). Shape these into balls.
8. When all are shaped, use a sharp knife to make five separate pieces.
9. Set the balls into buttered tins, some distance apart and brush over the tops generously with melted butter.
10. Set to bake at once in around 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
11. When nearly baked, brush over with the beaten white of an egg and return to the oven to finish baking.

chocorasp

this fun little drink is great served at room temperature or even slightly warm for those long winter nights.

1 oz. godiva chocolate liquer
1 oz. chambord

it's that simple, but oh so good. also great over vanilla ice cream, especially when warmed up before drizzled.

it could use a better, more spiffy-sounding name, tho.

dad's chili

I've been going through a few of my old notebooks and other notes, and stumbled upon this old recipe.

oil pot
add 1 clove garlic
add 1 medium onion
add approx. 1 lb ground beef (since i don't eat much ground beef anymore, ground turkey also works here)
add much chili powder once meat browns
add can of kidney beans
add medium can of tomato paste
add large can of whole tomatoes
add 1 green pepper
add jalepeño

let simmer for moby time.

pomegranate cosmopolitan

this little treat has a slightly heavier taste than the normal cranberry-based cosmo. we've been on a pomegranate kick, so this seemed right for a sunday afternoon.

1 oz. tito's handmade vodka
1 oz. paula's orange
1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 oz. (or more) pomegranate juice

best with a nice slice of orange and 5-6 ice cubes.

kristin's potatoes and veg

slightly browned potatoes
add a layer of black beans
add a layer of wilted spinach
drop on some fresh tomatoes
top with a light mexian cheese or some flecks of parmesan
(not the powdery stuff)

enjoy!

very tasty. great for those days where it looked like 8pm at 3pm. can't you tell we're sick of the rain?

taste: 4/5
price: under $8 for two plus leftovers.