I tried chai for the first time in Tokyo of all places. Japanese food and I weren't getting along very well, so I decided that an Indian dinner at Maharaja would be a nice change of pace (actually that getting through a meal without feeling sick would be a nice change of pace, but that's another story). The meal was good, but the highlight was the cup of chai at the end. I was instantly in love with the steaming sweet and spicy drink and vowed to make some when I returned to the States.
There were so many recipes out there that I didn't know where to begin. It looked like the mixes were generally not well received, except for those by David Rio of San Francisco. I finally tracked some down at the Cost Plus World Market in Carmel. Four flavors were available - Elephant Vanilla, Tiger Spice, Orca Spice and Flamingo Vanilla. I ruled out the last two because they contain Splenda and settled on the Tiger Spice for no better reason than the name pleased me.
The website describes the drink as having a "traditional masala chai flavor of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ginger with black tea." The reviews generally describe it as being less sweet than the Elephant Vanilla. There are three recipes on the canister - one for hot chai, one for chai on ice, and one for a chai ice blend. I started with the traditional hot chai made with milk tonight but will try a cold version tomorrow.
The flavor was quite sweet and well spiced. It's a bit like drinking gingerbread if you can imagine that. I don't think I would be a fan of the sweeter Elephant Vanilla version. My one small complaint is that I wish the Tiger Spice were slightly less sweet and more spicy. Regardless, the comforting flavor and creamy texture make it a great way to warm up on a cold day. That it's as quick and simple as heating up milk and stirring in a few tablespoons of the mix is an added bonus. Until I find a recipe for homemade chai that catches my fancy, I expect to going through many canisters of Tiger Spice. Now I need to find a teacup worthy of my new addiction.
Words can't express how much I love this.
Actual conversation Kurt and I had in Meijer:
Kurt: You should try these pretzels.
Me: I don't like pretzels.
Kurt: But these are good. Try them.
Me: No.
Kurt: They're butter sesame.
Me: No.
Kurt: Seriously, you'll like them.
Me: No.
This went on for a while. In the end my stubbornness won out, and we left sans pretzels. Fast forward a couple months, and Kurt brings out a bag for us to snack on during a movie. I was skeptical. I don't like pretzels. Never have. I'll only eat them out of desperation on long airline flights, and even then I grumble. They're hard and flavorless except for the offensive level of salt. Bleh.
As usually happens when I get fervent and dig my heels in, I must eat my words. Snyder's Butter Sesame Sticks are unbelievably addictive. Granted, I'd prefer them unsalted, but that's a minor point. They have a fabulous sweet butter flavor perfectly balanced by the nuttiness of the sesame and a texture that's crispy without being hard. Awesome!! Kurt mentioned that they're good for dipping, but I wouldn't want to mask the buttery goodness. Two thumbs WAY up.
Kurt: You should try these pretzels.
Me: I don't like pretzels.
Kurt: But these are good. Try them.
Me: No.
Kurt: They're butter sesame.
Me: No.
Kurt: Seriously, you'll like them.
Me: No.
This went on for a while. In the end my stubbornness won out, and we left sans pretzels. Fast forward a couple months, and Kurt brings out a bag for us to snack on during a movie. I was skeptical. I don't like pretzels. Never have. I'll only eat them out of desperation on long airline flights, and even then I grumble. They're hard and flavorless except for the offensive level of salt. Bleh.
As usually happens when I get fervent and dig my heels in, I must eat my words. Snyder's Butter Sesame Sticks are unbelievably addictive. Granted, I'd prefer them unsalted, but that's a minor point. They have a fabulous sweet butter flavor perfectly balanced by the nuttiness of the sesame and a texture that's crispy without being hard. Awesome!! Kurt mentioned that they're good for dipping, but I wouldn't want to mask the buttery goodness. Two thumbs WAY up.
If you get sick of the basic Blogger templates, check out over 300 free backgrounds at The Cutest Blog On the Block. Several are tempting me to give this blog a(nother) makeover, but my inherent laziness is putting up a valiant fight. Stay tuned!
When Kurt and I got cold walking downtown, we tucked into Borders to browse a bit and warm up. While he was checking out the business mags, a book called All About Us caught my eye. It's a book of questions meant to be filled out as a couple. It sounded like a great way to get to know each other and document your good times together. I got quite a surprise when I opened it. Not only does it ask about things you don't like about your partner, it also asks you go to into great detail about past relationships. Bad bad bad idea. It reminded me of that honesty game we played at slumber parties in junior high. It starts off in good fun, but by the end everyone has hurt feelings and isn't speaking to one another. Kurt and I had a good laugh looking through it and agreed that it was a disaster waiting to happen. Honesty is good, of course, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.
(Yes, I know it has 4 stars at amazon.com. Mind-boggling!)
(Yes, I know it has 4 stars at amazon.com. Mind-boggling!)
One of the exercises at a writer's group I attended was to create a list of your 100 favorite words. They can be chosen for their sound, their meaning, or even be taken from poetry or prose. You can learn a lot about someone from how they go about choosing their words as well as from the actual words they choose. It's also a good jumping off point for creative endeavors and wordplay.
I made my list this morning and learned fairly quickly that 100 is a darn lot of words. I think 50 is a more manageable number, so I stopped there. My favorite words are ones that make me smile, due to meaning or just being fun to say. Here goes:
shrubbery * whimsy * mothership * fluffy * cosmic * hollyberry * twinkle * donut * exuberant * delightful * adventure * astronomy * cupcake * moose * moonbeam * conquistador * explore * curious * snuggle * wander * silly * snacks * popcorn * bliss * woolly * poppy * hopscotch * puppy * goldfish * sparkly * meander * muffin * willow * lilypad * dapper * dandy * cad * teacup * bamboo * snout * lollipop * thunder * love * goofy * scandalous * ancient * snort * daydream * sprinkle * flurry
If you make a list of your own, please considering sharing in the comments section!
I made my list this morning and learned fairly quickly that 100 is a darn lot of words. I think 50 is a more manageable number, so I stopped there. My favorite words are ones that make me smile, due to meaning or just being fun to say. Here goes:
shrubbery * whimsy * mothership * fluffy * cosmic * hollyberry * twinkle * donut * exuberant * delightful * adventure * astronomy * cupcake * moose * moonbeam * conquistador * explore * curious * snuggle * wander * silly * snacks * popcorn * bliss * woolly * poppy * hopscotch * puppy * goldfish * sparkly * meander * muffin * willow * lilypad * dapper * dandy * cad * teacup * bamboo * snout * lollipop * thunder * love * goofy * scandalous * ancient * snort * daydream * sprinkle * flurry
If you make a list of your own, please considering sharing in the comments section!
Unbelievable video of a dog rescuing another dog that had been hit by a car. I love my boy Nelson, but you won't see a cat doing that ...
Thanks to Kat for sharing the link on Facebook.
Thanks to Kat for sharing the link on Facebook.
John Denver + Muppets = Happiness.
I remember watching this Christmas special when it first aired in 1979. I even had a copy of the album that I would play every year. I especially love the midpoint of the video where they show my fellow Gen-X'ers. Many memories, not to mention some fine '70s fashion.
Merry Christmas!
I remember watching this Christmas special when it first aired in 1979. I even had a copy of the album that I would play every year. I especially love the midpoint of the video where they show my fellow Gen-X'ers. Many memories, not to mention some fine '70s fashion.
Merry Christmas!
After the Colts-Lions game (or should I say, the Colts' victory over the Lions), Kurt and I headed to Maxine's Chicken and Waffles on North East Street. Pulling up, we noticed that the restaurant was attached to a Citgo station. I'll admit, in spite of the glowing reviews, I was ready to go somewhere else at this point. Upon entering, I was glad that we didn't. The dining area is spacious and decorated in a warm, contemporary style, not at all what you'd expect from the external appearance. A counter covered with huge slices of three layer cake separates the dining room from the open kitchen. The vibe was warm and friendly from the get go. I knew good things were in store.
Ordering was a no brainer. Both Kurt and I wanted to try the chicken and waffles, and fried green tomatoes had long been on my list of foods to sample. Our waitress, Maxine's granddaughter, asked how we'd like the tomatoes fried. The choices apparently are soggy and crispy. Figuring you can hardly go wrong with anything fried and crispy, we chose the latter. They arrived quickly with a bowl of homemade dipping sauce. The oniony flavor of the sauce complemented the tomatoes well. Not being a fan of tomatoes (or anything green for that matter), Kurt was initially skeptical. They were fried in a cornmeal batter reminiscent of catfish batter and were remarkably light and not in the least greasy. Kurt loved them and proclaimed them the best dish of the evening.
Our chicken and waffles arrived along with a plate of fried cornbread and peach butter. The large waffle was topped with three sizable chicken wings and accompanied by more peach butter. The waffle was light and sweet and would have been wonderful on its own, but topped with a bite of crispy fried chicken and a dab of peach butter, it created a salt-sweet-crunchy-pillowy combo that was unbelievably good. Anyone who likes the sweet-savory flavor of sausage and maple syrup will appreciate this as well.
Kurt ordered Maxine's special drink, the D&K tea. It's a mix of half lemonade and half sweet tea. I expected it to taste like sweet tea with lemon, but the result was a bizarre one-two punch of lemonade with a sweet tea chaser. Strange, yet I kept going back for more sips until Kurt told me to just finish it off. A good boyfriend! Both the lemonade and tea are quite sweet on their own, possibly too sweet for many people. I found it inexplicably addictive.
After we gorged on all things fried and buttery, we decided we couldn't pass up the chance to try a piece of the homemade cake. Kurt opted for caramel at the recommendation of the cook behind the counter. The other options were strawberry and lemon. The cake was moist and the icing had a sweet caramel flavor. A little icing went a long way, and we managed to finish off the cake while leaving some of the icing behind. We were stuffed by this point, but happily so.
On the way out, I told Kurt that it was a good thing I don't live closer to Maxine's because I'd probably go there far too often. I have a weak spot for homemade, (unhealthy!) Southern cooking, and my sense is that everything at Maxine's is delicious. The service was friendly and fast, and it was great to see a family working together. I wish much success to Maxine's, and I'm already itching to go back. I have my eye on the catfish and that gloriously pink strawberry cake.
Fried green tomatoes
Fried cornbread and peach butter
Chicken and waffles
Homemade caramel cake
Ordering was a no brainer. Both Kurt and I wanted to try the chicken and waffles, and fried green tomatoes had long been on my list of foods to sample. Our waitress, Maxine's granddaughter, asked how we'd like the tomatoes fried. The choices apparently are soggy and crispy. Figuring you can hardly go wrong with anything fried and crispy, we chose the latter. They arrived quickly with a bowl of homemade dipping sauce. The oniony flavor of the sauce complemented the tomatoes well. Not being a fan of tomatoes (or anything green for that matter), Kurt was initially skeptical. They were fried in a cornmeal batter reminiscent of catfish batter and were remarkably light and not in the least greasy. Kurt loved them and proclaimed them the best dish of the evening.
Our chicken and waffles arrived along with a plate of fried cornbread and peach butter. The large waffle was topped with three sizable chicken wings and accompanied by more peach butter. The waffle was light and sweet and would have been wonderful on its own, but topped with a bite of crispy fried chicken and a dab of peach butter, it created a salt-sweet-crunchy-pillowy combo that was unbelievably good. Anyone who likes the sweet-savory flavor of sausage and maple syrup will appreciate this as well.
Kurt ordered Maxine's special drink, the D&K tea. It's a mix of half lemonade and half sweet tea. I expected it to taste like sweet tea with lemon, but the result was a bizarre one-two punch of lemonade with a sweet tea chaser. Strange, yet I kept going back for more sips until Kurt told me to just finish it off. A good boyfriend! Both the lemonade and tea are quite sweet on their own, possibly too sweet for many people. I found it inexplicably addictive.
After we gorged on all things fried and buttery, we decided we couldn't pass up the chance to try a piece of the homemade cake. Kurt opted for caramel at the recommendation of the cook behind the counter. The other options were strawberry and lemon. The cake was moist and the icing had a sweet caramel flavor. A little icing went a long way, and we managed to finish off the cake while leaving some of the icing behind. We were stuffed by this point, but happily so.
On the way out, I told Kurt that it was a good thing I don't live closer to Maxine's because I'd probably go there far too often. I have a weak spot for homemade, (unhealthy!) Southern cooking, and my sense is that everything at Maxine's is delicious. The service was friendly and fast, and it was great to see a family working together. I wish much success to Maxine's, and I'm already itching to go back. I have my eye on the catfish and that gloriously pink strawberry cake.
D&K tea
Fried green tomatoes
Fried cornbread and peach butter
Chicken and waffles
Homemade caramel cake
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