Herbal Tea Bath

I am, admittedly, a tea fanatic. My tea collection, while perhaps not the most learned, is completely insane. I am constantly on the look-out for new and delicious teas. I regularly make trips to Chinatown and Little India to add to my collection and tea knowledge. Last year, while in the emergency room for a broken jaw (yes, I fell in the subway and broke my jaw!) I was asked, prior to surgery, about my caffeine intake.

"Well, I usually have a small cup of coffee in the morning." And then, almost as an afterthought..."but I drink a lot of tea."

"Exactly how much tea?"

"Well..." I tried to make excuses for my habit, "some of it's herbal tea, but I drink a lot of black tea, too."

I could sense the doctor's impatience as she simply tried to fill out the form, "How many cups a day?"

"Oh...maybe four or five cups of black tea...but sometimes I don't get to finish them..."

By the way, all of this said as a cup of black tea with milk and sugar sat hidden under the chair below me. Yes, I had stopped on the way to the emergency room to get a cup of tea.

Above, you will see a picture of how I finally arranged a portion of my tea collection for easy access.

Yes, a portion.

Yes, there is more. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a some tea leaves in my kitchen.

Recently, I've even started baking with it. Last month, I made a delicious chocolate and Earl Grey tea cookie. Mmmm. The Earl Grey just barely grazed the tongue and gave the chocolate a warm, floral taste that you couldn't quite distinguish, but were left saying, "What was that amazing spice in there?"

I've always said that my two favorite things in life are books and tea. But I need to admit to a third: Baths. I love taking baths. Yes, I do take showers. I do own a shower curtain. But nine times out of ten---I'm snuggled up all warm in my bath. Last year, I came up with a great idea---a tea bath!


As a gal with SO many tea bags, sometimes I don't quite get around to using all of them while they're at their peak. I also have TONS of dried flowers and tea leaves just lying around. Why not throw them all into a tub of hot water, let it steep for about twenty minutes, then play with the water till it reaches the perfect temperature?

Truly, it's the ultimate indulgence! It's the sort of thing you would pay hundreds of dollars for at a spa.

My bath the other night consisted of chamomile, lemon balm, jasmine, orange, spearmint, chrysanthemum, elder flower, and apple green tea. I also threw in a few Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime and a Tazo Berryblossom White Tea to pump up the aromas. Mmmm. Not only amazingly relaxing, but also SO good for your skin. Many of the above-mentioned teas actually serve as a bit of a mild antibiotic, cleanser, and toner all in one warm bath. My skin felt fresh and clean and the next day it just glowed.

My tips for a great tea bath:

Stick to the herbal teas. The tissanes. No black or green tea. I used one white tea bag---but only because it was scented with berry blossoms.

Choose teas with wonderful aromas that you know will combine well together.

Drop the tea into the bath as you're pouring ONLY the hot water. You can always even the temperature out later. Make sure to let the tea steep for at least 20 minutes before you add any cold water.

Careful with color-treated hair---teas like chamomile will lighten and/or dry out your hair. Best to put your hair up for this. But a quick dip in to quickly wash and condition your hair should be just fine.

This is a great opportunity to use of some of those teas that have been languishing on your shelf for too long. If you have loose tea leaves or flower buds, etc. you can use those, too. Don't use your tea infusers! What I do is I have several pairs of those knee-high stockings my family always sends me in care packages. I pop open a package of those (if you don't have any, you can pick them up at any drug store for about 50 cents) and I just pour the herbs in, tie the stocking and toss it into the bath. You can easily empty these out after your bath, rinse them, dry them and re-use them later.

Play with the tea! Yes, you are allowed to play in the water. I don't know why, but I love playing with the tea bags. I put the chamomile tea bags over my eyes and lie back and relax. I squeeze the bags and toss them around like toys. I smell the teas. Sometimes, I'll even make the tea bags chase each other and play little racing games. It's completely stupid and a waste of important adult time. But it really makes me happy!

Trust me---it will be the best bath you'll ever have. I try to do this at least once a month. Follow it up with a nice body lotion, if you like (tho honestly, your skin is feeling so good, you really don't need it) and just relax in the warm tea glow!

Oh, and make sure you have a cup of tea while you're in there. I had a cup of Rooibus and Blood Orange tea, which went perfectly with my lovely bath. Enjoy!

Alton Brown's Blueberry Muffins

When I saw Alton Brown make these on The Food Network, I couldn't wait to make them myself. Luckily, there were some good-looking off-season blueberries on sale at my local market. I sat down to make them the other night and was horrified to discover that I needed Cake Flour! I didn't have cake flour. And apparently, according to Alton Brown, this is a pretty big deal for these muffins. Oh bother.

The next day, I made a quick trip to the market to pick up cake flour. Got home from work tonight and was determined to make these puppies before I went to bed so I could have a terrific blueberry muffin with my morning coffee and Sunday New York Times.

I laid everything out, washed the blueberries, measured and sifted the flour, cracked the egg, poured the oil and then suddenly I discovered that one container of yogurt in a cup does NOT equal one cup of yogurt.

Drat! Stymied again!

There had to be a substitution. However, worried that one other flavor would overwhelm the muffins, I opted for THREE interesting ingredients to fill that cup---to the yogurt, I added a tablespoon of sour cream, a tablespoon of cream cheese and a tablespoon of Mascarpone Cheese. I stuck it all in a blender and spun it around a few times just till the lumps were gone and the flavors were combined.

Then, I followed the rest of the directions carefully---including his instructions to stir ten times, add the blueberries, stir three more times, and then just walk away.

"Just walk away!"

However, once they were done, I couldn't walk away. They're moist, puffy and delicious! I already ate two of them. Thanks Alton Brown!

Chicken Marsala

My biggest shortcoming as a cook is getting an entire meal timed so that everything comes out at the same time. This is due to the fact that I don't have a family to feed everyday. It's generally just me I'm cooking for. If the entree is ready before the salad is completed or the side dishes haven't even been started---who cares? I just eat the entree, then finish the salad and top if off with a vegetable side dish for dessert.

Sure, I occasionally cook entire meals for others---but for me, it involves more planning than The Normandy Invasion.

So, in an effort to get better at this elusive skill (and armed with a brand new bottle of Marsala wine) I decided to try to do several things tonight:

1. Make Chicken Marsala for the first time.
2. Come up with some complimentary side dishes.
3. Get everything to come out at THE SAME TIME!

This involved some planning. First of all, I decided to do a pasta side dish ( as Chicken Marsala traditionally comes with pasta). Of course, I should have just boiled up some fettuccine and called it a day. But I thought a lemony flavor would compliment the sweet wine sauce. How about a lemon orzo?

Lesson learned: If I'm trying to time things better, it might help if I'm not attempting too many new things in one dish. I had never made orzo before!

I was scramblin'.

It did help that I was starting the orzo and the chicken off by combining olive oil and butter and sauteing some onions in two different pans---in the chicken pan, it was onions AND mushrooms. This timed out pretty well. But once everything was lightly browned---well, my mind goes blank. I don't know how it all turned out so well and perfectly timed. It just did.

Certainly helped that I just decided to quickly throw the asparagus into the marsala pan for the last minute of cooking time. And also helped that the salad was prepared in advance.

The chicken turned out tender, the orzo was perfectly al dente, the asparagus was just lightly cooked and everything went together just right.

Not if I can just get the kitchen cleaned before dinner is on the table!

Marsala Wine

During a trip to a neighborhood wine shop the other day, I spotted a small bottle of Marsala wine. The Amber Marsala seemed perfect for making my first stab at Chicken Marsala.

One great thing about being a single gal is that you can freely experiment with new recipes whenever you want. If it turns out bad, there is no spouse to disappoint and no children snubbing their nose and pushing their food petulantly around the plate. Single gals in the kitchen should be fearless, boldly creative and willing to try anything!

So, I now have a great little bottle of Marsala wine for my kitchen pantry---tho my friend Michael yesterday said, “You sure do have a lot of little bottles of things…Hmmm.”

Such a hater.

Now all I need to do is scope out some Chicken Marsala recipes to see what feels right, make a quick trip to the market for the chicken and mushrooms---should have everything else on hand---and then, get cooking!

Pizza Pans

I LOVE making homemade pizzas. In fact, about twice a month, I whip up a batch of pizza dough and rip off small pieces of it over the course of the week (yes, pizza dough will keep for a good week in your refrigerator) to make delicious, personal-sized pizzas anytime I want. Saves money and the pizza is done WAY before a Dominos guy would show up at your door.

However, the big problem I had was the crust. Pizza crust just doesn't want to crisp up on most standard baking sheets. I tried everything from cookie pans to plain old aluminum foil. But no matter what I tried, the bottom of my pizza crust always wound up uncooked, doughy and soggy. Sure, there are some pricey pizza stones you can pick up at kitchen stores. But before I splurged on such an extravagance, I decided to try out the newest cookie sheets I had picked up at Macy's with a gift certificate from Mom. Anolon, non-stick cookie sheets.

Frankly, these cookie sheets aren't always the best for cookies for various reasons. It depends on the cookie. Non-stick surfaces tend to over-brown the bottoms of cookies. But that makes them FABULOUS for pizzas! I actually spread the thin crust directly out onto the sheet (no non-stick spray needed), spread the sauce on, add my toppings, and them just slide that baby into the oven.

When you smell the pizza, it's done. Perfect crisp, lightly brown crust everytime!

Another little tip---once the pizza is done, I move it to a wooden cutting board and use the pizza cutter to slice it up there. The crust stays crisp and, if you have guests, the cutting board works great for a rustic presentation.

Salsa

I have no idea why anyone would buy salsa in a jar. Especially for parties when you're buying in bulk and trying to impress. It's so simple to make. And the best thing about it is, there are so many varieties and recipes out there that there's really no wrong way to do it.

Came home from work tonight and wanted a spicy late-night snack. I know...I know... Don't eat spicy food before bed. Yeah, right.

Had pretty much everything I needed on hand. It's basically tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers and a few other things you can add according to taste.

I made this batch with some plum tomatoes I bought yesterday, and a half a green pepper I had from leftover from making stuffed mushrooms a few days ago. Always have onions and garlic and olive oil sitting around. Tonight I actually had some scallions in the bottom drawer of the fridge---again, stuffed mushroom leftovers. And always have lemons and limes so was able to squeeze half a lime (with a little bit of zest for added flavor) into the pot. And lately, always seem to have jalapenos as they're so inexpensive and add so much flavor.

My secret ingredient is that I don't add any salt---just some extra Green Pepper Tabasco, which is plenty salty and spicy at the same time.

I know cilantro is a basic ingredient. But I'm one of those people with the anti-cilantro gene. I only recently discovered that this gene is the reason why every time someone sprinkled cilantro on my food, it would just taste like soap. I don't taste what everyone else tastes---which apparently is delicious. But I wouldn't know. And I'm not alone. Don't know the actual statistics, but there are enough of us that if you're cooking with cilantro for a large group---just be prepared to overhear a few people in the crowd discussing the fact that your carefully prepared dish tastes like you grated a bar of Ivory soap into the mix. I tend to substitute fresh parsley. But didn't have any of that tonight so just left it out. No biggie.

I made this salsa entirely in the blender (with a bit of rough pre-chopping of the larger vegetables and dicing the garlic and jalapenos a bit. When you make it in the blender, it does tend to turn out a little milky at first. But the color evens out to a nice, bright red in a few hours.

And yes, this salsa is from New York City. And it's delicious. Jealous?

Panakuchen

A few months ago, some friends talked me into getting on Facebook.

At first I was bored. Then it just became an extra thing to do in my day. But now, a few months into it, I've discovered a great use for Facebook---sharing recipes.

The other day, my friend Ann in Minneapolis wrote in her Status Update that she made panakuchen and ate the entire thing---maybe because of the half a stick of butter she put into it, she joked.

Panakuchen is essentially a German or Scandinavian pancake/crepe. I've seen various spellings, but this is the one Ann used for her recipe, so that's what I'm going with. Commenting on her Status Update, I asked for the recipe. She quickly responded, saying it was her Auntie Anne's recipe and it looked so simple and delicious that I decided to make my own little Private Sunday Brunch.

Auntie Anne's Panakuchen

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 shakes of nutmeg
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 a stick of butter
* I added 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar to the recipe, just because I felt like it.

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put half a stick of butter in a glass pie pan. I'm originally from a little further south, so I tend to use salted butter, even in a lot of baked goods---so that's what I used here. Put this in the oven and let it melt and slightly brown. While this is working, beat two eggs with a wire whisk in a small bowl. I used fresh grated nutmeg, and added the equivalent of a little less than three shakes, as fresh nutmeg is more powerful than the pre-grated stuff. I then whisked in the flour, milk and sugar till smooth. By then, the butter had melted and I simply poured the mixture into the pie pan and put it back in the oven on the middle rack. I set my kitchen timer for 20 minutes and just walked away.

However, 15 minutes in, I began to smell yummy buttery goodness emanating from my oven and I couldn't resist taking a peek.

I opened the oven door and was surprised to find a beautiful pop-over rise occuring all around the edges of the pie pan! I quickly shut the door and got out my camera. This baby was Bea-u-ti-ful!!!

Five minutes later, it was perfectly done and was so simple to ease out of the pie pan with a spatula and onto a dish whereupon I began breaking it apart and just eating it plain---it was that good!

A little later, I pulled out the jar of lingonberry jam I'd picked up on my last trip to Ikea and spread bits of jam on each bite. And yes, like Ann, I ate the whole thing! Ann suggested pretty much any topping from fresh fruit to whipped cream, maple syrup, fruit spreads... It's so delicious and attractive, you could easily just dust it with a little powdered sugar and serve it up like that. Or maybe get more elaborate and add some savory toppings like strips of ham or some leftover roast chicken with peppers and mushrooms.

After I ate it, I posted my own Status Update, thanking Ann for the delicious panakuchen recipe and posting the picture I'd taken before I began ripping it apart. Happily, Ann was also on Facebook at the time and was happy that I'd tried it, "Butter-licious, isn't it?" Mmmmm. Butter.

I wonder what all my other Facebook Friends are cooking?