Tea Time Tradition

I've recently gotten into the habit of putting sugar and lemon in my tea. I've always preferred plain but now I'm craving the tart sweet addition. I usually prefer my brew without anything. Now I no longer like the simple strong taste but want to amp up my cup.

Hot tea doesn't always have to have the addition of lemon and plain white sugar. You can sub lime juice for the lemon to make it more exotic . I thought of doing that and it would be refreshing in iced tea. You can also try brown granulated raw sugar too. Lavender infused honey is also a great sweetener and it can be used in both hot and iced teas. Another popular taste is mint. This too goes well in any kind of black tea . Wild mint grows in abundance so you can even pick some during a hike or from your backyard.

What teas go well with flavoring? I found just a simple black oolong goes well. I do like the slightly orange flavored Lady Grey for my morning cup however it doesn't need anything. Red or bush teas just require a simple sweentener like a half teaspoon of honey or sugar. I was drinking this last year thanks to the HBO series .The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency.It is a robust tea more suited to winter than summer.Other teas that require no additions are the soothing chamomile and the sturdy Earl Grey varieties.

Well, for now I'll enjoy my afternoon tea English style. I like the way my oolong mixes with lemon and sugar to create a relaxing drink. All I need to finish it are some scones and clotted cream.

Burger Variations

I saw that the Dining section of Wednesday's Times had an interesting article about non traditional burgers. They were made with pork and lamb but you can use other meats as well. You can stray away from 100 per cent beef and even try chicken or turkey. You can still have a traditional barbecue but with a new twist.

Using different meats also means trying different tastes. You can go with a lamb based patty but you can use spices like cumin and coriander for a Middle Eastern spin. Pork burgers can take on an Asian flair with the addition of soy sauce and scallions. Or you can turn them completely around and serve them with apple sauce German style. Most people usually go with the low cal, low fat turkey burgers which can be dry. Look for the alternative, emu . Yes,you read right emu, that big ostrich like bird.Unfortunately it is expensive with ground emu meat selling for 32 bucks a pound.

What to serve with exotic burgers? Try a potato salad made with roasted yams instead of Yukon Gold ones. Or if you're making pork burgers then go with a cross between kim chee and coleslaw, a spicier cabbage salad with a lot of crunch. Lamb burgers can be accompanied by veggie kabobs and a cold rice salad.

This Memorial Day think outside the bun.Try different meats to spice up your barbecue. It'll make your party not just memorable but tasty!!!!

Seaside Sweets

After a fun day at the beach I stopped at Long branch's Cake Bake and Roll bakery. This is a kind of jersey shore Magnolia Bakery but the offerings were much better and cheaper too. Located int he same block of ultra modern and ultra new buildings as the boutique hotel bungalow this is a fun and cheery place to stop after a day of sun and surf. i really enjoyed it.

When you walk in the bakery divides.To the left there are coffees and teas that you can get(there are also tables where you can sit down). To the right there is a great array of different sweet and savory baked goods.I wanted some cookies to bring home and chose a nice array of butter cookies with various toppings (cinnamon, chocolate chips and colored sprinkles) These are the closest Ive tasted to home made and have a nice buttery homemade taste and crunch to them. The clerk also suggested I try their cupcakes and I ordered one. Despite what I've read on other on line reviews, the cupcake was delicious and better than I've had in some of Manhattan's trendy bakeries.the icing was light and delicate and the cake was fluffy and light. the flavor was a vanilla the icing was an unusual lime.The next time I;d like to try some of the chocolate , red velvet and carrot ones.

Cake Bake and Roll also had tarts, both sweet and savory along with bars, giant cookies cakes and unusual breads (one looked like a vine with ivy leaves). It also makes fresh crepes which I know I will be trying on my second trip back. The mini foccaccios looked yummy too.

For any of you heading to Long Branch or Monmouth Beach for sun and surf make a side trip to Cake Bake and Roll at the beginning of Pier Village in Long Branch. You'll enjoy a sweet treat after a day of salty ocean fun!

Gutte Pretzels

There was a great article in today's Dining section of the New York Times. It was about pretzels stores in New York. Most of Manhattan's salty treats are covered in salt with really little or no taste. This frustrates me because I love good old fashioned homemade pretzels. I know two place here in Jersey thatt make them. In New York it;s a desert. Luckily the writer Julia Moskin has found a great one in the East Village.

The store featured is Sigmund and it's owned not by a German but a Russian born pastry chef, Lina Kulchinsky. She makes the traditional mahogany ones that are first dipped in a lye water solution to make the salt stick. There is another variation by Sue Torres the pastry chef at Manhattan;s Rusty Knot that makes a pretzel covered hot dog. This is not new The Germans have been eating big pretzels and sausages for breakfast for years. They don't have pretzels with mustard like they have here.

There is even a pretzel recipe that looks good. It seems like a simple recipe that involves lard and yeast along with barley malt syrup.Think I'd like to make homemade ones however it probably would require a lot of practice. There's also the alchemy of ingredients that work , probably the yeast is the magic component in all if it.Even though I'm mostly German I have yet to make these. We have no family recipes for them and none were handed down.
Big pretzels are wonderful. Homemade ones even better if they're done right. I'm looking forward to trying the East Village ones. I bet they're gutte!

Progresso's Hearty Soups

I think I've embraced Sandra Lee's philosophy of using prepared foods to create yummy but quick meals. I've recently discovered Progresso's Hearty Soups. These are comprised of thick broths filled with chunks of chicken , pot roast and steak. Paired with a salad they make a good dinner during those busy week nights.

Tonight I heated up the pot roast one. This was pretty thick and smelled exactly like the pot roasts my Mom used to make. It was a good soup with large slices of potatoes and carrots. The meat was in little chunks and nuggets. The soup itself was big on taste. I paired it with last night's Caesar salad and Target's Archer Farms cheese straws. It was a filling and satisfying dinner. I'm looking forward to trying the steak and noodles one. I may pair it with a tomato or a green bean salad and Parker House rolls.

Even though we're heading into summer there will still be busy days ahead. Finish off the day with a Progresso Hearty soup. You'll have a good dinner without a lot of fuss and bother.

Salad Kits- Really?

Do you really need a salad kit to make a good salad? I mean it's the simplest thing in the world to make., All it takes is a good head of good lettuce, tomatoes and oil and vinegar. If you want some variation then add some rosemary or thyme. For more sophisticated salads then add tunas or a variety of meals, grilled or cold cuts along with hard boiled eggs, artichoke hearts and broccoli.
However I saw a salad kit at the A&P today and thought , well why not. It had everything I needed to make a good Casesar . I couldn't wait to try it.

The company who made the kit was called Et Tu, a humorous reference to Caesar 's murder at the forum. However there was nothing that funny about it. The dressing was a little bit too thick.It came out like toothpaste , too thick to even be poured. I even had to mist in some oil to make it a little more smoother.I then added the bacon bits and croutons and topped it off with the added packet of Parmesan cheese. These last three were fine and they added a lot to simple romaine. I don't know if I'll try this brand again however. I think in the future I'll make my own.

I'll take salad kits with a big grain of salt in the future. I thought it would be a fun and easier way to make a simple dinner. I realize that a great bowl of greens , doesn't start with a kit.It starts with an imaginative cook.

Dinner With A Movie

For the first time in two years I went to see a movie yesterday. I usually wait until a film goes to DVD but the movie was "Shrek, Ever After" and I had to see a corpulent but still cute Puss in Boots. I went around dinner , all the time wondering what t eat. After all theaters aren't exactly known for their meals. Yet I was pleasantly surprised.

The AMC snack bar has a variety to choose from. I settled on a just a hot dog and soda. It was expensive but good.The hot dog rivaled that of Trget's for juiciness and flavor plus it was the width of an industrial pipe. The soda lasted me for two and a half hours thanks to it coming in an almost industrial vat sized cup. Iwould have liked to have tried the pretzel bits in cheese or th epizza butagain these are really for two people. ANy AMC snackbar fare is huge and can be shared. The popcorn alone comes in a small pillow sized sack.

The candy also caught my eye however I didn't buy a mammoth box of anything. There would probably be enough Sno Caps and Jujubes to last me a month. Maybe the next time I go (although I have no idea when that will be)

There's nothing like dinner with a movie. There's enough to choose from and I can see the AMC chain adding more stuff like egg rolls and tacos to their menu. It's kind of like being at home , eating dinner while watching a Blockbuster rental, Well,except the screen is bigger.