food

National Hot Tea Day*

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*To be honest, I don’t know if national refers to the US or the UK, but to those of us who love to drink a hot cup of tea, does it really matter?

We have just bought our third electric tea kettle (photo below). We had a lovely one (two really) made by Hamilton Beach that we loved. The first one simply wore out after a few years, so we rebought it. My husband shattered it while he was washing it. I finally relented and got this Aroma brand one very cheaply at Target for $15.99. What you see in the photos is my testing it and my first cuppa.

Aroma Electric Kettle from Target.
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First cup with the new kettle.
English Breakfast.
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It worked very well, and takes up very little space on the counter. We’ll have to see how it holds up to my husband’s daily instant coffee habit in addition to my sporadic teas and oatmeals.

While scrolling through Threads, I came across this great video of the unboxing and testing of a KitchenAid Artisan Kettle. It is gorgeous, and the demonstrator is very honest that it is expensive. Honestly, I’d love it. KitchenAid is an excellent brand. We have a stand mixer that we still use from our wedding thirty years ago. However, when I googled it, the price showed as $199.99. Not in my price range, but I’ve included the video to show off some of its highlights and to live vicariously.

Friday Food. Latkes.

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I use a box to make my latkes. I don’t do fancy additives – no basil or chives or any of the other things I’ve seen online. I might consider melba sauce, but I haven’t gone there yet. I always go back to Carmel. I think last night’s were my finest. They were crispy on the outside, none burned. I’m a both kind of person when it comes to latkes: applesauce AND sour cream. My daughter who doesn’t like them grabbed one on her way in the door from work. She still didn’t like them, but I must give her credit – she tried it even without me blackmailing her with gelt.

I don’t know if there’s a reason or requirement, but I always fry my latkes in vegetable oil.
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Latkes.
With applesauce and sour cream (not pictured but trust me, it’s there).
First Night of Chanukah.
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My favorite brand, although Streit’s and Manischewitz are also good!
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As I mentioned in yesterday’s Inspire, I went all out this year. Antisemitism will have that effect on a person. I am halfway between don’t do anything public and do all the things. Over the next week, I’ll share some photos and thoughts each day. Lights, door hangings, multiple menorahs, dreidls, gelt, I even found some Chanukah cookies and a book: I Saw an Old Lady who Swallowed a Dreidel by Caryn Yacowitz, illustrated by David Slonim, and of course, I bought a dreidl stuffy for my new great-niece.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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With my ongoing research into St. Kateri’s life, I thought instead of a retelling of the first Thanksgiving today, I would set my table with the First People in mind, sharing with my family the Three Sisters as the Mohawk call these three plants that grow side by side: corn, beans, and squash.

My table setting.
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Sign about the Three Sisters at the St. Kateri Shrine in Fonda, NY.
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The Three Sisters.
St. Kateri Shrine, Fonda, NY.
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The cake plate I used was a wedding gift from a friend who worked at the Jewish Museum in NYC. I like to blend our cultures in our interfaith family, and this was one way to join two ancient peoples and their symbols.
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‘Tis the Season

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I have not been to Starbucks in quite some time. Today is Red Cup Day, so I planned a quick in-and-out/grab-and-go, get my drink, get my cup, and go home to do some work. On the way out the door I grabbed my pouch and keyboard, just in case.

I walked in, and this place is hopping. Seven baristas behind the counter, all moving, creating the dance that has everyone doing their parts, seeing the rhythm that is so natural to them, and yet in that small space, no one is tripping over any of the others, smoothly weaving in and out, and the one barista who seems to be tracking everyone’s drinks, knows all of our names, our orders, who’s waiting for what, greeting, smiling, conversating.

It’s a joy to be here.

I chose my drink, which is a feat in itself since I don’t like coffee, and for the red cup you’re limited on what you can order – they want to show off their seasonal treats and have you try those. I finally settled on the caramel brulee latte, but no coffee; comes with whipped cream and a caramel-ish drizzle. There is a tray of free samples – cranberry bliss bar, which I haven’t had yet this year.

I got my breakfast wrap, and was offered a second sample. I was going to decline, but the customers all have, and this is my favorite treat, so why not.

I settle in, and decide to share with you the wonder of the holidays at Starbucks, especially this one that is my local, well-run, friendly, and makes me remember what joy in the everyday is.

Yes, it’s children laughing and choirs singing. It’s songbirds and sunrises, it’s well-worn jeans and waking up before the alarm, but it’s also the simplicity of the coffee shop where they learn your name, and make your morning that much lighter and brighter, and add just a little bit of joy to the regular.

Red Cup and Hot Drink on a Cold Day. (c)2023
Cranberry Bliss Bar – Free Samples. (c)2023
Settling in for an hour’s work. (c)2023

Friday Food. Experimenting.

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Experimenting in the kitchen can be very freeing as well as inspiring. I sometimes feel very creative in other areas after making a great meal from scratch. For me, “from scratch” doesn’t necessarily mean a two-to-three-hour production. In the third photo below, the rice I used was Minute Rice. Both dishes can be made with leftover chicken. I used baby potatoes, but you could easily take the larger russets or reds and cut them into the smaller pieces, and again it’s a great way to finish your bag of potatoes.

Both meals used one pan and one metal bowl, and the second meal used a pot to make the Minute Rice. As I finished cooking something on its own, I moved it to the metal bowl until the next item was cooked and then everything was combined and simmered for a short time.

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Friday Food. Samosa.

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We were staying in a small town outside of Belfast, in Northern Ireland. This was in 2017. It was our last night, and our cousins, who were hosting us had to tend to an emergency in Donegal, and so we were left to our own devices after their taking care of us so diligently, including feeding our brood of five. My husband had been adhering to a policy (and continues to do so) that he termed TSN – try something new – and with this in mind, we discovered a restaurant in town with Istanbul in the name, and chose a sampler of different fried foods that arrived in a pizza box. It was similar to a combo appetizer you would order at a restaurant.

This was my first time having a samosa. It is triangular, but not flat; three-dimensional, but not a pyramid. It is filled with, I didn’t know what then, but it was delicious. I have come to learn that they are usually filled with potatoes, peas, and spices.

My next taste of a samosa was at an interfaith Iftar I was invited to. Again, very delicious.

I’ve had various types of samosa, including a Thai version, which is yummy, although it has a softer outside.

While we were recently on vacation in Canada, we discovered and rediscovered a whole world of Indian, and southeast Asian foods, including butter chicken, naan, momo, as well as samosas. What I hadn’t expected was to see a sign in a mall food court (Pita Lite) in St. Catherine’s that offered samosas for $1.75 each. It came with a spicy tamarind sauce. (I did try it, but it was too spicy for me.)

I was so excited that I dug deep into my change purse for the exact amount, and sat at a table, waiting both for my family and to let this piping hot snack cool a bit. It didn’t matter – I still burned my tongue a little. And to be honest, it was well worth it.

When we returned to the States, and visited our local mall, I was not surprised but still disappointed to see that a simple samosa snack had not come here while we were away enjoying it. Perhaps, one day, but I can still savor the memory.

(c)2023

Friday Food. Vacation Edition

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We love to try new food and eat differently when we’re on vacation. We also like to try our old stand-by fast food places and see what’s new and different on the menu. These are a few of our favorite things most recently:

[Picture heavy]

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Friday Food. Fried Apples.

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On occasion, I will flash back to my childhood, and hear something that I haven’t heard or thought of in forever. One of these childhood phrases was “porkchops with applesauce.” I’m sure this is from The Brady Bunch, although I don’t recall if it was Greg or Peter who said it.

Applesauce was a favorite in our house. In fact, I’m sure we ate pork chops with applesauce. We also ate roast beef with applesauce. Nowadays, I usually make it with gravy, but recently, since my daughter doesn’t like beef gravy, I offered her applesauce. This is a roundabout way of inviting you into my thought process for a dinner I made this week that came together when I was visiting Cracker Barrel restaurant. They have fried apples on their menu, and they also sell them in cans with the recipe on the back. I bought one can to go with the on-sale center cut pork that I bought this week, and we had a lovely (even if we used way too much butter than is healthy) meal.

The fried apples recipe calls for two tablespoons of butter; I think I used twice that? I used half a stick. Melt the butter, add the entire can, sprinkle cinnamon, mix, heat, simmer.

After searing the pork on both sides, and adding a bit of adobo seasoning, I poured a helping of the fried apples on top of the pork, added a side of mixed vegetables, and buttered egg noodles, and voila, yummy dinner in no time. It was about half an hour, but that’s not long at all. No leftovers.

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