Sage & Lemon Iced Tea and Etsy Update!

Only recently have I discovered what a whiz my mom is at making iced tea. I've always known that her Apple Pies are more than sublimely ridiculously incredible, and that my dad is the King of All Pancakes, but this summer, after several scorching hot spells, I've begun to realize that her iced tea is definitely something I will miss when I'm in New York next year. I think that the special thing about it is the fact that she always puts a sprig of some plant from her garden into the mix. Usually, its Sage, but she also throws in some Mountain Mint, which together create a really refreshing, earthy combination. So without further ado:

Sage & Lemon Iced Tea

When I asked my mom if I could post her recipe on this blog, she said "I have a recipe?" So, obviously, this "recipe" shouldn't be taken too seriously. Just throw some stuff in, you know, a couple leaves here or there, whatever! Also, we've only made it this way because my mom has all these herbs and plants in her garden, so if you have them, try this! If not, improvise!

Ingredients
4-5 Earl Grey Tea Bags
2 cups of cold water
1-2 Tsp. Sugar (to taste)
A couple sprigs of Sage
A pinch of salt
Water and Ice (a lot, but be careful not to dilute it too much)
1/2 Lemon, sliced
A few sprigs of Mountain Mint or any other type of Mint leaves
Agave Nectar (quite optional)

In a plastic carafe, throw in your tea bags (unwrapped and de-tagged). Then bring the cold water to a rolling boil. I've heard several times how important it is that the water be cold and also, as many a tea-aficionado has preached, that the water be at a full rolling boil. Add the water to the tea bags and let them steep for 10-15 minutes. As they are steeping, stir the carafe a few times and taste the tea; no one likes bitter iced-tea, so be careful not to over-steep. Remove the tea bags (and put them into the compost heap if you like!) and then add the sugar. We never really measure out the sugar, just add a spoonful and taste the tea as you go. It's always better to keep your hot tea a little on the unsweetened side, so guests can add as much sugar or agave nectar as they want later on. Then, while the water is still hot, add the Sage and keep it in the carafe. Then (this is the part I really like), add a pinch of salt; just a tad, so it enhances the sweetness just a bit.

Now, add a bunch of water and ice. Always add the water first, because you don't want your carafe to explode or anything. Throw in the lemon slices (and keep a couple for garnish if you so please) and the Mountain Mint. Add some agave nectar or honey for yourself, and enjoy!

In other news, I've update the shop! Added are three new illustrations: and an illustration of Magpie and Raven, two wolves I met in Colorado on a wolf preservation, a portrait of G.K. Chesterton, and another floral floral nymph Check it out!!

Thanks Maida, but my cookies were lame

I've been doing nothing lately...which is perfect! But, I lie; I actually have been doing some things (updating this blog is obviously not one of them--oops). In the mornings I ride my bike over to Caltech to work for my dad for a few hours doing tedious work with the scanning machine and File Maker Pro. And then I return to my home, sweaty and stinky because my deodorant doesn't work (it's that Tom's of Maine kind that they sell at Trader Joe's...the one that doesn't have aluminum in it so it's supposed to be better for you, I guess by making sure that you still smell bad even after applying it amply), and then I play the Sims 2 because I am the biggest nerd/loser/dork to walk the earth.

Additionally, two days ago my friend and her friend (bad grammar?) came over and we baked cookies! I busted out the Maida Heater, because we thought that we had gotten a recipe for basic chocolate chip cookies from there, but I'm still not convinced that it was the same one. Anyways, I was unhappy with the results, because they were really thin, chewy, and just left a lot to be desired for. They lacked...everything. We didn't even put nuts in them. Sub-par, most definitely, but still tasty because they're cookies and have butter in them.

Perhaps I should have read this article from the New York Times before making said chocolate chip cookies. Ever so informative!

And last but not least, I had had this recipe bookmarked for a while, my chocolate radar all a-buzz. So I made it one night for some friends, and of course I was careful not to over beat the batter and sift it and yadda yadda, but the dough was too crumbly for my inexperienced hands to manage! The whole step with rolling the dough into a log was tricky enough, but then cutting the log after it had chilled for a little more than an hour was also tough. I would begin to cut, and then the dough would just collapse into a crumbly, chocolately, delicious mess. However, end result=TASTY! I can't deny chocolate...

Anyways, all is well. I want to make some veggie burgers soon. Also, I'm working on my photography portfolio website (soon to come, to be sure!) And I've been drawing, so keep checking the shop. Until we meet again...

Pesto Time!

I've always favored winter over summer, for some reason. Maybe it's because my birthday is in December, and Chanukah is too...but also because I love the cold (California-cold, that is) weather. In fact, I'm a wimp, and when I move to New York, I expect that when I cry myself to sleep because of the cold, my tears will freeze as they roll down my ruddy cheeks. How poetic, no?

Anyways, although I like winter more, summer is a fabulous in its own right. For one, eating outside! And eating barbequed foods! That's where it's at. The other day my friend had a dinner party in which we spent the evening outside on her huge back porch that overlooks the L.A. hills, and we watched the sunset. We ate this:


Vegetable Kabobs and Brown Rice

On a similar outdoor-eating note, I made pesto! So easy, so good. I even used the basil from my mom's garden, which was absolutely perfect. We even got to eat some of her home-grown broccoli! Next time, however, I hope to use better Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano, and grind it all by hand instead of in the Cuisinart. But I don't mean to belittle the tastiness of what I ended up creating:


Ugh, so good. [Home-grown broccoli not shown]

I love pesto in the summer...it just seems so right.

In other news, I updated the shop! More T Bags!!


More Pictures!

Ta!

Hot Town, Summer in the City

I graduated!

In other news, this weekend was unspeakably hot...like triple-digits hot. Great weather for a tea party (sarcasm, sarcasm), but I had one anyways. We had iced tea, of course, and really delicious mint lemonade concocted by my dear mother. I actually spent half of the day preceding the party and several hours the day of baking and assembling food. I made some Pear Bread (thanks to Bake and Break), finger sandwiches (cucumber/cream cheese, salmon and capers, and chicken curry salad), Buttermilk Cookies with Lemon Zest (thanks to Tartelette), vichissoise (thanks to my dad), lots of fruits and berries, and Clotted Cream.

It was really pretty and nice; I had 8 friends over, and we all wore girly dresses and played cards and listened to Edith Piaf. I set up a bunch of chairs in our little woodland garden and placed doilies around, used the outlandishly ornate silverware, and had adorable little name cards, etc. etc. My mom, being the crazy plant lady that she is, made lots of little bouquets that we set all around, too.

And now, being Monday, I've finally realized that it's summer! So maybe I will start sewing some dresses and skirts again, or read the Golden Compass, or upload some more tea bags to the shop. Ooh, or develop that roll of film from my Senior Art Proj. Ahh, so many possibilities.

Sold!

I sold my tea bags!! First sell on Etsy and only 1 day after I listed the item! Woo!

Anyways, I graduate on Friday. And I won a photography scholarship for $5000 and an internship with a professional photographer! Good times...


My cat, Sophie, channeling my excitedness.

Etsy: Update -- T bags!

Salut!
I finally got around to putting up some reusable tea bags for sale in the shop!

So I suggest you go check it out. Because I'm selling them in a darling little set of three T's (awww).

Anyways, my parents had a little dinner party last night for my dad's research group. Yeah, so he's a physicist and so the conversation, well, it was about magnets. And other stuff. So basically, that wasn't my cup of tea (ha, pun). Fortunately, however, we got food from Pita! Pita!, a Mediterranean place.


A tasty falafel.

Funny story: My friend pronounced falafel "fallah-fal" instead of "fa-LAH-fel." Pretty anti-climatic story, but whatever.

Etsy: It's Here!!

I did it! I made an Etsy shop and I have 1 thing for sale (more to come, though, to be sure). I am selling this gouache and ink drawing:


So, please, go to my shop! I love you long time.

I will be adding embroidered items soon, and more drawings and maybe some photographs.

But yeah, today I stayed home from school because there was no point in me going, considering that 90% of the senior class won't be either. Gradnite at Disneyland was last night: meaning, a bunch of high schools send their senior classes on a trip to Disneyland from midnight to 6am. All night. With no food (except 10 dollar churros). And no sleep. So, maybe I'm just an old lady (which I've been told I am), but that doesn't sound fun to me. I hate hanging out with most people my age anyways, besides my friends, so being around a bunch of asshole teenagers, locked in the Happiest Place on Earth, well, doesn't quite appeal to me.

So I spent today doing this:

Much better than school. Especially when you're wearing a nice vintage floral dress and its a beautiful 78 degree day.

Tomorrow is my art show. I hope my piece works and people interact with it, but who knows. I hate artists.