I risked buying a box of [Stash extra spice] chai flavored teabags, and the results are... adequate.  Not really much like actual chai, which I love, and which is messy to make (get Assam leaf tea, one teaspoon per intended cup, plus one extra; put it in about one to two cups LESS than the intended cups' amount of cold water, with say two cinnamon ( Read more... )

You know, I was not aware that the Bay Area, including my county, Alameda, was the first place in the US to declare Shelter In Place, and send everyone (almost everyone... not essential workers) home. I thought it had already been done elsewhere. It's already a little hard to remember every step along this path. That was... March 16th. [NB -- I ( Read more... )

But it's early in January -- tomorrow I go back to school, which my brain is still refusing to accept -- and the few sort of related things I want to be working on for myself... well, they are coinciding with January. So it FEELS New Years' Resolutionary, but I don't want that. I have such an allergic reaction, emotionally, to doing things that ( Read more... )

Why yes, mistersmearcase (still such an excellent LJ name, as good as sabotabby, oblomova, springheel_jack, and wouldprefernot2) I am totally copying you, plagiarizing, what you will. Think of it as a) sincere flattery, and b) your entry was kiiiind of like a meme, so it's not outright theft ( Read more... )

My mom is hanging out at my house this evening, and I decided to actually cook (because I hate cooking just for myself -- so boring ( Read more... )

My Scotch broth is on the stove, cooking. It doesn't seem quite right, but I am not sure what it needs. Maybe just some hours cooking slowly. Joy of Cooking suggests an egg or flour thickener, but I don't remember doing that last time. Bah. If it turns out well, I'll post my tweaked recipe. If not -- it never happened ( Read more... )

See, now, this is a topic I can get behind. I love soup, though I don't want to choose a favorite ( Read more... )

The last thing I baked were Christmas cookies (the rich butter cookie recipe from Joy of Cooking, which are perfect for frosting of various colors, and decorations, etc.) with my nieces.

The full display


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I cook this all the time, but whenever I look for it over here in my LJ, I cannot find that I've written it down. Despite referring to it as recently as a few weeks ago.

One of my favorite recipes from Madhur Jaffrey (whom I adore -- I recall someone recently not being into her -- was it you, florence_craye? -- but I forgive her elite background in India, and ( Read more... )

I love soup. I mentioned that in the meme I just posted. But I do. There is something loving and healing and caring about soup: I associate soup with my mom taking care of me when I was sick as a kid. She'd make Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese, and give us gingerale-and-orange-juice ( Read more... )