Mate Chino, thyme and gaming

Mate Chino, my current favourite tea.

With the market only a few minutes' walk away, I've started cooking with fresh ingredients much more often. Since we moved into my mom-in-law's place about two months ago, I haven't used the freezer once, and I've preferred cooking from scratch than using processed foods.

Even though I tend to focus on low-prep recipes, it does take somewhat more time than, say, sticking a frozen dinner in the microwave. But for me, the act of cooking food from fresh ingredients has become much more of a sensual experience I value on its own as much as (or sometimes even more than) the final result.



Take cooking scrambled eggs, for example. This morning I added chopped up fresh thyme, dill, and parsley as well as some white cheddar from the market. I love fresh herbs: the fragrance of the leaves drifting up from the cutting board, their different textures, how they can change an ordinary dish into something extraordinary.

I'm determined to try growing herbs in the garden or in our solarium when we move into our new house (you know I had to mention our new house somewhere in this post, right?).



So last night I went gaming with Jeff. I haven't played any roleplaying games since my university days, and was curious to see what the experience would be like now. Jeff's group usually plays board games, but will occasionally do short roleplaying campaigns.

And y'know, it was fun. :-) Not just because of the roleplaying aspect (hey, my character plays the lute! And sings!) but also because of the group dynamics. The guys are used to me occasionally showing up with Jeff, but spending the evening on the couch with my laptop and Wacom Artpad, doodling and surfing until I inevitably crash until it's time to go home.

Only a few knew that I was going to participate, so last night it came as a surprise to most when my character was introduced and Hrach (the DM) turned to me and asked what I wanted to do next.

Today, Rand and Erin were supposed to come visit. Unfortunately Rand isn't feeling well, so they had to opt out. Allison and I are going to hang out anyway; I made some soup yesterday (from scratch!) and we're going to make sandwiches with bread I picked up from the market this morning, then just hang out and probably see a movie in the afternoon. Really looking forward to it...it's SO nice to not have to reserve weekends for househunting anymore.

Hanging out with a good friend is much more fun. :-)

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tea!

Many thanks to Scott and Amanda Snyder for their gift of an Edna t-shirt! I'll be posting a photo in an upcoming Blathering.

But now to my current obsession: tea.

When I was in Boston, I discovered a wonderful little shop called Teavana where I sampled a number of different teas and chatted with the nice Tea Guy (see photo below).

Teavana Tea Guy in Boston.

I've never been a big fan of loose tea up to now because of the hassle of clean-up, but the Tea Guy convinced me to try this tea-maker. And y'know, he was right.

So now I'm super-excited about trying all kinds of loose tea I haven't had a chance to sample before because that type of tea wasn't available in bag form. I bought Mate Vane and Rooibos Caramel at Teavana; both taste great by themselves and also in combination.

This morning I checked out one of the tea shops in St. Lawrence Market (lower level) and bought samples of Souwee White Tea, Lapsang Souchong, Assam, Monk's Blend and Rose Petal loose tea....total came to under $4! I can already see that one major advantage of buying loose tea is that you can try a small amount to see if you like or not without having to commit to a whole box of teabags.

And y'know, I actually like Lapsang Souchong. Smoky, slightly burnt flavour, reminiscent of campfires and late nights under the stars.

Mmmm...nothing's quite as comforting as curling up on a couch beneath a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book. Tea is the whole shebang, not just some dried leaves steeping in hot water. For me, any particular type of tea inevitably evokes strong emotional associations, a visual image, a fragment from a book or a poem. Tea reminds me of the Suttons' kitchen, of Jeff when he used to play guitar, Dave Weingart (because he posts about tea so often), Urban Tapestry's visit to UK with Lissa and Phil, Talis Kimberley introducing me to the concept of a tea library, Rand fanning out samples from his impressive collection like cards, cardomom cinnamon from Beckett, sipping Parki's vanilla tea while curled up on his living room armchair, decaf chai from Jodi, licorice tea with Allison, talking tea with the Savitskys at GAfilk.

My life summarized in tea; an ongoing project.

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viavoice

Jodi and Allison at an Urban Tapestry practice.

I went by our old place last week to pick up mail. It felt very strange, standing in the lobby as a visitor, not a resident. The concierge told me that the new owner had already started major renovations, ripping down walls.

Hard not to feel a pang, and I silently reminded myself that the place belonged to someone else now. I was filled with curiosity as well, wondering what the new place would look like. Would they open up the living room even more? Take out the wall between Jeff's and my offices? Perhaps put in another bathroom?

I found myself wishing that I had left behind some secret mark, perhaps some scribbled initials in a shadowy corner of a closet that no one would notice, fading over time. Jeff and I would eventually move back into the building years from now, disillusioned by the whole house thing (Jeff will hate shovelling snow, and I will have developed an unreasonable fear of gardening) and craving condo living again. By lucky chance, our old unit would be up for sale.

"Look!" I'd cry happily to Jeff as we drifted from room to room, re-acquainting ourselves with our old home. "My initials are still here! We never left after all, really."

----

Impending UT concert DVD? Click image for details.

So I'm writing this with Viavoice. Last week after my uncle's funeral, I slipped on some ice and (of course) fell on my bad arm. Didn't sprain any elbows this time, but my arm still isn't happy. Trying very hard not to let this get me down. I'm hoping it recovers quickly so that I'm able to play flute during our gig in Boston later this week. Allison, Jodi and I are getting together in Newmarket today for an Urban Tapestry practice in prep for Boskone.

Many thanks to those who posted suggestions about where I could find online recipe information. Here are just a few:

Epicurious.com. This site claims to have the world's greatest recipe collection. I love the recipe search interface, which lets you look for recipes with certain ingredients, special considerations like a low-fat or kid friendly focus, specific types of courses, cuisines, occasions, preparation methods and sources. Readers can also post their reviews and ratings. I've already made one recipe which turned out very well ("fantastic," Jeff reports :-)).

Egullet.com. Information is posted in a message board format, where users can ask questions and offer advice under particular categories. The recipe section is only one small part of the site, which covers culinary topics in general.

Canadian Living. This is the Web site of the print magazine, whose tagline is "Smart solutions for everyday living." The publication also hosts a cooking show on Canada's FoodTV network. The site contains archives of recipes in the television show as well as from the magazine. The recipe section is searchable by general category, food group, and keyword.

Like Canadian Living, Cook's Illustrated is and online version of its print counterpart, with considerable editorial content not having to do with specific recipes. The recipe search interface allows you to look for recipes by course, ingredient and category. The site also links up with America's Test Kitchen, which appears to be a television show backed by the magazine. LOVE the explanation of science behind various cooking techniques as well as the lack of advertising. You have to pay a fee to access most of the content. I've signed up for a year.

Recipezaar: Browsable by category from the main page, Or you can use the advanced recipe search interface Which includes key words, course, cuisine, main ingredient, preparation method, special diet, time prep, and nutritional factors. One thing I like about this site that the others seem not to have is the nutritional information provided along with every recipe.

VegWeb: Vegetarian recipes. Limited search interface, but you can browse recipes by category or alphabetically.

And of course I can't forget about my friend Andy's culinary resource suggestion. :-)

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poll: online recipe resources?

I made Sicilian Seafood Stew last night, from one of my Moosewood Cookbooks, with scallops and shrimp and loads of fresh vegetables. Turned out pretty well, and I have leftovers for other meals. I'm a huge fan of leftovers. If you're interested, I've found a slightly modified version of the recipe online.

Most of my cookbooks are packed in the storage locker, to save space while we're staying at Ginny's. I figured I could always look up recipes online, but I'm discovering that there is WAY too many options to choose from. Wonderful to have the choice, of course, but I'm feeling overwhelmed.

So a survey for all you cyber-savvy cooks out there: what are your favourite online recipe resources? Suggestions appreciated! I'm especially interested in resources which include a nutritional analysis.

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tea!

After my conversation with Colleen Savitsky at GAfilk and buying a good electric kettle (my old one died a while ago so I was resorting to microwaving mugs of water for tea), I'm even more of a tea lover than before.

Colleen told me about Republic of Tea so I decided to check out the site recently. Dear lord. These sound SO GOOD. I'm especially intrigued by the Ginger Peach.

My current favourite teas at home:

- White Peony Tea from Triple Leaf

- Egyptian Licorice Tea from Yogi Tea (found through Parki)

- Sweet Cinnamon Spice from Tazo (found through Rand)

- Chai Spice Decaf from Stash (found through Jodi)

I tend to prefer non-fruity teas, though I do like the Blood Orange tea I got from Austria. When I'm working at home, I usually go through about six cups a day. I try to stick to decaf. I love trying new teas, especially anything unusual-sounding. Steve Savitsky told me about a tea (can't recall the name, sorry, but the name begins with the letter L...Lhasa Apso? No wait, that's a dog, isn't it) that supposedly people love or hate...I must try this, of course!

For me, much of the appeal is the experience. There's something enormously comforting and relaxing about the brewing and savouring of a cup of good tea. As my friend Dave Weingart says, "Tea makes everything better!"

I currently buy bags instead of loose leaves, but I've recently become curious about the latter despite the extra hassle involved. What about the rest of you? Do you prefer bags or loose leaf? Herbal infusions or black? How many cups do you drink a day? Also, anyone have suggestions for other interesting tea sites?

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