It’s a white-washed foggy Monday morning here – the weather feels fitting for January and perfectly fitting for hot chai tea, warm and sweet and spicy. I drank chai in college sometimes – mostly lattes (often from powder or concentrate). It was delicious at the time, but it can hardly compare to the flavor and heat and kick of a chai tea made just how you like it. Mischa gets credit for introducing me to the wonders of homemade chai. Now we’ll often make a big batch at the start of the week, storing it in these repurposed juice bottles, and heat up a couple of cups each morning to kickstart the day. Try this once and you’ll likely be hooked, too.
Mischa’s Chai Tea
Combine the following in a medium-sized pot:
8 cups water
2 Tbs. fennel seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. peppercorns
2 tsp. cardamom pods
1 cup ginger, freshley grated
Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and steep for 10 minutes, covered. Add the following teas to the mixture:
4 Tbs. black tea
2 Tbs. peppermint tea
Bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes, covered. Strain into a heat-safe container (we love these repurposed juice bottles !). Tasting as you go, add:
Honey or agave, to taste
Store the concentrate in fridge for up to a week.
To serve, combine 3 parts chai with 1 part milk (eg. 3/4 cup chai and 1/4 cup milk). Heat on the stove, and drink from a favorite mug. Also delicious served over ice!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Photo by smitten kitchen
I love sharing the secret (and joy!) of baked kale chips with friends and family. Over the holidays, each time I mentioned or made them, it felt like a party trick – you can eat kale how?? and that’s good?!? While those people who have tried kale chips just nod knowingly.
Some are a bit nervous about kale in general. It’s tougher than our go-to green lettuce with a more mysterious flavor than broccoli. Many folks had failed attempts to cook it. (Hint: Sautee in olive and garlic until soft and wilted. Or toss in hot water with your pasta before straining. It will soften – cook as long as you like!) But then everyone somehow knows that kale is “good for you.” It is! And it grows like crazy, even in the winter, which makes me happy at the farmer’s market.
Anyways, back to the kale chips. You can find a perfectly simple recipe over at Smitten Kitchen. They’re delicious, crunchy, salty, and then magically dissolve in your mouth. It’s the perfect gateway recipe for a potential kale lover. Try it out, and see if you don’t eat the whole bowl!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Homebrewing beer has been an ongoing experiment in our apartment for the past year. In our city apartment, Mischa converted an old broom closet into the ideal brew closet setup – it was perfect start! Now in our new apartment, our brewing kit is tucked in cabinets and shelves all around our kitchen. Still the brewing continues!
For an easy start to homebrewing, checkout the Brooklyn Brew Shop. I love their one-gallon kit for folks with small spaces! Our go-to resource in San Francisco is the SF Brewshop where they have great bulk ingredients and a helfpul Intro to Homebrewing workshop with their infamous brewmaster Griz himself.
Our first three brews were delicious successes: a Red Ale, a West Coast IPA and a Hefeweizen. Our latest batch (a Pale Ale) was the first very-questionably-tasting (ie, failed) experiment. So yes, we’re still learning. But at least it’s a tasty process.
As Griz says, “Brewing is an art… Everytime you brew, you learn something. You always have the anticipation of discovery.” (Check out Griz himself in this video around 30:45.)
listening to: Humble Me by Norah Jones (listen)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wherever I live, finding the local coffee shop is always an important first step to settling into the neighborhood. Within a month of living in our new place in Marin, I stumbled on Graffeo Coffee—a small roastery located in our downtown San Rafael. Started in San Francisco, they have been a single-focus coffee roaster since the 1930s (in other words, no cups of coffee for sale here!). That’s commitment to the art+science of roasting! They roast in small batches and offer a simple menu of dark, light or mixed roasts.
In a pinch, I’ve bought a few other coffees from Whole Foods in the past few weeks–but they’re really no match for Graffeo. I love the strong strong, smooth, clean flavor of freshly roasted beans, and Graffeo Coffee hits the spot (plus perfectly ground, if you like). Tomorrow I’m picking up a long overdue half-pound of their dark roast, mmmmm.
Any local coffee spots that you know and love?
Graffeo Coffee
1314 4th St
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 457-5131
listening to: Burn One Down by Ben Harper (listen)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
My birthday was last month, and as is my tradition, I insisted on baking my cake myself.
With cakes, I tend towards classics like chocolate-on-chocolate–or in the best instances, I get stuck on an offbeat option that seems to fit just right.
For this year’s birthday, it was Sara Kate’s Harvest Cake, which I bookmarked sometime last year. It has loads of vegetables quietly tucked inside–carrots, beets and zucchinis. All disguised under a cloak of cream cheese frosting (next time, I’ll try the goat cheese version!). For extra flavor and less refined ingredients, the recipe uses maple syrup in place of sugar. There are all kinds of healthy, hippy benefits here. Oh yes, and it’s delicious.
photo by sara kate
It was a hit with the family, veggies and all! And there was just enough leftover for a slice with coffee the next morning–that’s my ideal cake.
Want to try it? Find the recipe at thekitchn.com. Let me know how it goes!
My name is Lillie Dignan. I'm a designer and maker, living and working in the Bay Area.
