Wow, I'm doing a lot of recipes. Originally this blog was meant to be more personal random musings over a cuppa tea, plus occasional photographic instructions on stuff like making mead and yogurt and bread, home-made remedies & uses for herbs, random things that I've discovered make life easier, fun holiday stuff, crafts... but it's turning into a cookbook! I'm taking suggestions for Leaves In My Cup, on the "everything besides gardening" sister-blog to Leaves In My Hair. Your help will encourage me to start up this blog with a little more fire in its belly, and will also make it more interesting for you so that you'll want to keep coming back. :)
So, I'm curious, what would you like to see here?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Cucumber Lemonade
Here is a very happy, very refreshing beverage which is easy on the stomach. It is best when cucumbers are in season and cheaper, or whenever you want to gulp and munch at the same time. This recipe is the reason that I'm planting 3 cucumber vines in my limited garden space... if everything goes as planned, cucumber lemonade will pass my lips daily this summer!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cucumber (but I use the huge ones from Trader Joe's, so if you have small ones you may use a whole cuke)
- 1/2 large lemon, or 1 small lemon
- 1 inch ginger
- 6-8C cold water
- peppermint sprig (optional garnish) and/or a pinch of dried mint
Method
- Wash & peel the cucumber... a potato peeler works wonders. Very thinly slice or even grate your nude cuke... the thinner the slices, the stronger the drink.
- Wash & thinly slice the lemon
- Peel & grate the ginger
- Add everything to the water, and "brew" in the fridge until chilled
- Pour over ice & enjoy! Eat all the bits in the drink. :)
Notes
- The cucumber's peel is the reason cukes sometimes give people a bad case of the burps, and also tastes a little bitter. If you like it more bitter or don't care, leave the peel on!
- Drink within 24 hours if you like to eat the cuke slices (yum!), otherwise they start to get soggy. I have never managed to let a pitcher go longer than 36 hours, it is so tasty.
- If you don't want to wait for this to brew, just put everything (minus the lemon peel, just use juice) into a blender and pour over ice... it'll be thick, but cold & tasty.
- It can be annoying to go through all the effort each time you make it... try making up several batches and freeze each one in a plastic baggie... plunk the frozen cuke/lemon/ginger into a jug in the fridge overnight. It may turn out stronger, since freezing bursts the plant cells.
- Don't call it Cuke-aid... it just sounds unappetizing, hahaha.
In the interest of full disclosure, about 5 years after I threw this together and started drinking it semi-regularly, someone told me about a very similar drink called Sassy Water, in a book called the Flat Belly Diet. I did get the book to see, and it is the same but adds twice the amount of lemon and uses spearmint instead of peppermint, with the point of filling you up and reducing bloat.
While I'm sad that I didn't make a ton of money off the recipe like the Flat Belly lady did, I do believe that it's about as filling, healthy, and refreshing as a chilled low-calorie drink can be, and I drank a LOT of it in the days leading up to my wedding. It (or the corset!) definitely helped quite a bit.
Cucumber lemonade... a little inner beauty ritual for those times when you'd rather put the cuke slices on your tummy instead of your eyes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cucumber (but I use the huge ones from Trader Joe's, so if you have small ones you may use a whole cuke)
- 1/2 large lemon, or 1 small lemon
- 1 inch ginger
- 6-8C cold water
- peppermint sprig (optional garnish) and/or a pinch of dried mint
I like to crinkle-cut the cukes... not only is it silly and fun to look at, it also increases the surface area so that it brews more strongly.
Method
- Wash & peel the cucumber... a potato peeler works wonders. Very thinly slice or even grate your nude cuke... the thinner the slices, the stronger the drink.
- Wash & thinly slice the lemon
- Peel & grate the ginger
- Add everything to the water, and "brew" in the fridge until chilled
- Pour over ice & enjoy! Eat all the bits in the drink. :)
A ceramic grater is not necessary but will definitely get the most out of your ginger (just use your water to rinse it into the jug)... thanks Mom!
Notes
- The cucumber's peel is the reason cukes sometimes give people a bad case of the burps, and also tastes a little bitter. If you like it more bitter or don't care, leave the peel on!
- Drink within 24 hours if you like to eat the cuke slices (yum!), otherwise they start to get soggy. I have never managed to let a pitcher go longer than 36 hours, it is so tasty.
- If you don't want to wait for this to brew, just put everything (minus the lemon peel, just use juice) into a blender and pour over ice... it'll be thick, but cold & tasty.
- It can be annoying to go through all the effort each time you make it... try making up several batches and freeze each one in a plastic baggie... plunk the frozen cuke/lemon/ginger into a jug in the fridge overnight. It may turn out stronger, since freezing bursts the plant cells.
- Don't call it Cuke-aid... it just sounds unappetizing, hahaha.
After a few hours, it turns into cucumber lemonade. Yum! This pitcher is nice 'cause it lets you strain out the chunks if you're not in the mood for them.
In the interest of full disclosure, about 5 years after I threw this together and started drinking it semi-regularly, someone told me about a very similar drink called Sassy Water, in a book called the Flat Belly Diet. I did get the book to see, and it is the same but adds twice the amount of lemon and uses spearmint instead of peppermint, with the point of filling you up and reducing bloat.
While I'm sad that I didn't make a ton of money off the recipe like the Flat Belly lady did, I do believe that it's about as filling, healthy, and refreshing as a chilled low-calorie drink can be, and I drank a LOT of it in the days leading up to my wedding. It (or the corset!) definitely helped quite a bit.
Cucumber lemonade... a little inner beauty ritual for those times when you'd rather put the cuke slices on your tummy instead of your eyes.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wintry Orange Chai
I spent a month and a half testing different mixes of herbs until I reached this one... at which point it became christmas presents for everyone two years ago. Since this is such a large batch, I also calculated it out into "parts."
Ingredients
- Cinnamon, chips: 1 C (4 parts)
- Orange peel, dried: 1 C (4 parts)
- Ginger, powder: 1 tsp (~1 pinch)
- Cloves, whole: 3/8 C (2 parts)
- Cardamom, whole pods 1/2 C (2 parts)
- Rose petals, no stem: 1/4 C (1 part)
- Rose hips: 1/8 C (1/2 part)
- Nutmeg, powder (freshly grated is far better): 1/2 tsp (~2 grates)
- Vanilla bean, powder: 1 tsp (~1 small pinch)
- Peppercorn, powder: 1/2 tsp (~1 very small pinch)
Method
- Toss all ingredients together
- Store in air-tight container... I like to use small mason jars.
Brewing directions
- Steep up to 1 tablespoon per cup, in boiled water for 5 min. I like to add a bag of plain black tea or oolong or rooibos... the loose tea tends to sift to the bottom of the spice mix if you add it in during storage. Be sure to steep long enough, these are whole spices.
- Optionally, try using 1 heaped tablespoon in 1/2 C boiled water for 5 min. Add 1/2 C milk (soy or cow, but soy is best) and simmer... just scald, do not boil or it will curdle the milk.
Notes
- I get my herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs, everything there is organic or cultivated without chemicals, and they have the best prices/quality/shipping I have been able to find. Now I realize how much McCormick rips you off!
- If you have to delete ingredients, I would say that the following would make the least impact to lose: rose petals (which are mostly for decoration), rose hips (for extra vitamin c), nutmeg. The vanilla bean powder is expensive in terms of herbs, but it really tastes different without it and loses a smooth sweetness. And it's not chai without cardamom...
- If you use powdered instead of chipped/whole, use far less. Powdered spices are quite strong when steeping.
- If you use fresh orange peel, use slightly more, but do not store it with the dry spices.
- This can be a cute gift if you put it in a small mason jar, put decorative cloth under the metal rim (but over the lid), and tie a bow with a cinnamon stick. :)
I love this tea equally for the taste and for how beautiful it is to watch in the mug. There's just something really satisfying about a whole-spice tea.
Ingredients
- Cinnamon, chips: 1 C (4 parts)
- Orange peel, dried: 1 C (4 parts)
- Ginger, powder: 1 tsp (~1 pinch)
- Cloves, whole: 3/8 C (2 parts)
- Cardamom, whole pods 1/2 C (2 parts)
- Rose petals, no stem: 1/4 C (1 part)
- Rose hips: 1/8 C (1/2 part)
- Nutmeg, powder (freshly grated is far better): 1/2 tsp (~2 grates)
- Vanilla bean, powder: 1 tsp (~1 small pinch)
- Peppercorn, powder: 1/2 tsp (~1 very small pinch)
(click to enlarge)
Method
- Toss all ingredients together
- Store in air-tight container... I like to use small mason jars.
Brewing directions
- Steep up to 1 tablespoon per cup, in boiled water for 5 min. I like to add a bag of plain black tea or oolong or rooibos... the loose tea tends to sift to the bottom of the spice mix if you add it in during storage. Be sure to steep long enough, these are whole spices.
- Optionally, try using 1 heaped tablespoon in 1/2 C boiled water for 5 min. Add 1/2 C milk (soy or cow, but soy is best) and simmer... just scald, do not boil or it will curdle the milk.
A very small cup of chai, with a little black tea added, no milk
Notes
- I get my herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs, everything there is organic or cultivated without chemicals, and they have the best prices/quality/shipping I have been able to find. Now I realize how much McCormick rips you off!
- If you have to delete ingredients, I would say that the following would make the least impact to lose: rose petals (which are mostly for decoration), rose hips (for extra vitamin c), nutmeg. The vanilla bean powder is expensive in terms of herbs, but it really tastes different without it and loses a smooth sweetness. And it's not chai without cardamom...
- If you use powdered instead of chipped/whole, use far less. Powdered spices are quite strong when steeping.
- If you use fresh orange peel, use slightly more, but do not store it with the dry spices.
- This can be a cute gift if you put it in a small mason jar, put decorative cloth under the metal rim (but over the lid), and tie a bow with a cinnamon stick. :)
I love this tea equally for the taste and for how beautiful it is to watch in the mug. There's just something really satisfying about a whole-spice tea.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Comments
There's currently an issue with embedded comments on this blog, which appears to be affecting some google blogs... for the time being it's gonna be pop-up style. As a peace offering, I improved the layout of the site, and added a title photo of my homemade Wintry Orange Chai tea. I'll put up a recipe for it soon, it's divine!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
My favorite garlic recipe: Garlic Bites
This is a recipe for the brave souls who are willing to sacrifice good breath for a flavorfully healthy punch in the mouth.
Ingredients
- Garlic cloves
- Pepperoni (I like turkey, it's a little less greasy)
Method
- Peel the garlic cloves by cutting them in half and shrugging them out of their skin. Really large cloves can be sliced into smaller chunks.
- Wrap one slice of pepperoni protectively around your thick slice of garlic, holding it pinched between thumb and forefinger.
- Pin together with a toothpick (or better yet, a sword!), if serving to others.
- Pop the whole thing in your mouth, squeeze your eyes closed, and chew.
Notes
- Be warned, drinking water soon after eating this will actually intensify the hotness... if it's too strong, to reduce the burning hold a bit something with protein or carbohydrates on your tongue, like bread or milk.
- WILL cause garlic breath.
My best college roommate Catherine taught me this, it is the way her dad loves to eat garlic, and I've been hooked ever since. Somehow the garlic and pepperoni balance each other just right. It's perfect for that moment a half hour before dinner where you're starting to get hungry and are craving intense flavor... it totally squelches your hunger and tastebuds.
One of the reasons I love eating garlic this way is that it's hard to get a significant amount of raw garlic in one's diet. Garlic is one of the world's healthiest foods, and cooking kills a lot of its beneficial properties, so it's best to get it raw. This is one of my cold/flu remedies... it always seems to give me a little extra pep. And let's face it, who cares about garlic breath when you're sick?
Need more garlic? Maybe you should grow your own!
Take the Garlic Bites challenge... try this recipe, and tell me how many cloves you ate. Tonight I'm at #4 and tempted to finish the rest on that plate, and I'd better stop before I start oozing garlic from my pores!
Ingredients
- Garlic cloves
- Pepperoni (I like turkey, it's a little less greasy)
Method
- Peel the garlic cloves by cutting them in half and shrugging them out of their skin. Really large cloves can be sliced into smaller chunks.
- Wrap one slice of pepperoni protectively around your thick slice of garlic, holding it pinched between thumb and forefinger.
- Pin together with a toothpick (or better yet, a sword!), if serving to others.
- Pop the whole thing in your mouth, squeeze your eyes closed, and chew.
Notes
- Be warned, drinking water soon after eating this will actually intensify the hotness... if it's too strong, to reduce the burning hold a bit something with protein or carbohydrates on your tongue, like bread or milk.
- WILL cause garlic breath.
My best college roommate Catherine taught me this, it is the way her dad loves to eat garlic, and I've been hooked ever since. Somehow the garlic and pepperoni balance each other just right. It's perfect for that moment a half hour before dinner where you're starting to get hungry and are craving intense flavor... it totally squelches your hunger and tastebuds.
One of the reasons I love eating garlic this way is that it's hard to get a significant amount of raw garlic in one's diet. Garlic is one of the world's healthiest foods, and cooking kills a lot of its beneficial properties, so it's best to get it raw. This is one of my cold/flu remedies... it always seems to give me a little extra pep. And let's face it, who cares about garlic breath when you're sick?
Need more garlic? Maybe you should grow your own!
Take the Garlic Bites challenge... try this recipe, and tell me how many cloves you ate. Tonight I'm at #4 and tempted to finish the rest on that plate, and I'd better stop before I start oozing garlic from my pores!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Perfect Sun Tea
There is only one way to start a blog called Leaves In My Cup, and that is with a recipe for tea. Since I'm learning and simultaneously sharing what I learn here with you, it should start from the basics. I will give you a recipe that is very simple, very cheap, very easy, and extremely delicious... something I make on a weekly basis. My father detests hot drinks, so this is his go-to summer beverage, and I learned it from watching him make it again and again.
Ingredients
- Orange pekoe black tea, 8 bags
- Cloves, 8
- Water, 1 gallon
- (optional: Lemon slice or mint sprig for garnish)
Method 1: Sun
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Place in direct sun (the hotter the better) for 4-6 hours, or however long it takes to get as dark as you'd like.
- Refrigerate
- Pour into a glass of ice and enjoy!
Method 2: Fridge
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Immediately place in the fridge
- In 8-12 hours, pour into a glass of ice and enjoy
Method 3: Boiling
- Same as the Fridge method, but let it brew a bit before refrigerating. (This method easily gets bitter and loses the tea's subtleties, so it's not my most recommended)
Notes
- The ratio is 1 tea bag and one clove to two cups of water. Use less cloves if you don't like as much "bite." I like to make smaller servings in mason jars or a half/gallon pitcher and also use half decaffeinated tea bags.
- Use the cheapest tea you can find, as long as it's not stale... I usually use the Lipton sold in bulk, for old times' sake. You can also use those bigger bags specifically made for mass-producing tea.
- The Sun method is the tastiest and strongest and fastest way to make it... you just can't get the same intensity with the Fridge method.
- I usually toss mine after 2-4 days as the flavor changes from "sun-soaked" to "fridgey"... the healthy phytochemicals in the tea are fresh and present mostly on day 1 anyway.
(Disclaimer: the Fridge method is considered safer... there was a public service announcement a year or two ago about the dangers of bacterial growth in sun-made tea, but I have never had a problem with it, and neither has anyone I know. Start with a clean jar, and even boiled (and therefore sterile) cooled water if you're paranoid, and always discard anything with strange sediment or strings of material in the jar.)
That's it?! Yep. I have tried multiple variations... different teas, different herbs, different concentrations... but nothing else will give me that sensation of a careless hot summer with nothing to do besides smell the sun-baked weeds and take a dip in the pool. At this time of year when it's still chilly but with a promise of summer in the air, it is particularly important for me to replicate that summery sensation.
Go make some now, and imagine the sun-warmed days to come! :)
Ingredients
- Orange pekoe black tea, 8 bags
- Cloves, 8
- Water, 1 gallon
- (optional: Lemon slice or mint sprig for garnish)
I'm making a half batch this morning
Method 1: Sun
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Place in direct sun (the hotter the better) for 4-6 hours, or however long it takes to get as dark as you'd like.
- Refrigerate
- Pour into a glass of ice and enjoy!
Method 2: Fridge
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Immediately place in the fridge
- In 8-12 hours, pour into a glass of ice and enjoy
Method 3: Boiling
- Same as the Fridge method, but let it brew a bit before refrigerating. (This method easily gets bitter and loses the tea's subtleties, so it's not my most recommended)
Notes
- The ratio is 1 tea bag and one clove to two cups of water. Use less cloves if you don't like as much "bite." I like to make smaller servings in mason jars or a half/gallon pitcher and also use half decaffeinated tea bags.
- Use the cheapest tea you can find, as long as it's not stale... I usually use the Lipton sold in bulk, for old times' sake. You can also use those bigger bags specifically made for mass-producing tea.
- The Sun method is the tastiest and strongest and fastest way to make it... you just can't get the same intensity with the Fridge method.
- I usually toss mine after 2-4 days as the flavor changes from "sun-soaked" to "fridgey"... the healthy phytochemicals in the tea are fresh and present mostly on day 1 anyway.
(Disclaimer: the Fridge method is considered safer... there was a public service announcement a year or two ago about the dangers of bacterial growth in sun-made tea, but I have never had a problem with it, and neither has anyone I know. Start with a clean jar, and even boiled (and therefore sterile) cooled water if you're paranoid, and always discard anything with strange sediment or strings of material in the jar.)
Soakin' up the sun
That's it?! Yep. I have tried multiple variations... different teas, different herbs, different concentrations... but nothing else will give me that sensation of a careless hot summer with nothing to do besides smell the sun-baked weeds and take a dip in the pool. At this time of year when it's still chilly but with a promise of summer in the air, it is particularly important for me to replicate that summery sensation.
Go make some now, and imagine the sun-warmed days to come! :)
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