Be Cool: A Kusmi Tea Review
Last night, I received a review sample of a fun product. Be Cool. The new addition to Kusmi Tea’s wellness line.
I’ve test driven their teas before and enjoyed them. This one has a fresh flavor that feels light on the tongue after tasting. While we enjoyed it hot after dinner as a relaxing decaffeinated option, I’d also like to recommend the following menu pairing:
Serve the Be Cool tea iced with a few fresh flower petals, or with some flower petals frozen in ice cubes if it’s a fancier occasion. Pair it with cucumber sandwiches and individual chocolates for a light afternoon event in the spring. This is a balcony-worthy menu great for a girlfriend get –together.
You can purchase Kusmi Tea at Amazon. I’m also particularly fond of their lemony Detox tea and their gorgeously feminine Sweet Love blend. Kusmi’s teas always put me in a travel mood, with their various French and Russian blends.
Photo Credit: Kusmi
This article has been submitted to the March 3, 2010 edition of Wanderfood Wednesday.
Chicken Pudding
A favorite of President James Monroe, this recipe is one hundred percent “down home”.
Traditionally made with a cut up fryer, I’d personally save some extra cash on this one by incorporating it into my list of recipes for chicken leg quarters. This recipe is from the book Reader’s Digest Down Home Cooking, the New Healthier Way.
What You Need
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp each salt and black pepper
- 1 broiler-fryer chicken (2 ½ – 3 pounds) , skinned and cut up into 8 pieces. (This is where I’d substitute chicken leg quarters to save cutting time. You could also use skinned boneless thighs to save more money on poultry.)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups (low sodium) chicken stock
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp minced parsley
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
What You Do
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- In a wide, shallow bowl combine 1/3 cup of flour, half of the salt and all of the pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with this mixture. Heat olive oil over moderately high heat in a deep-sided frying pan and brown chicken pieces for 4 minutes on each side.
- Add stock to the frying pan and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a greased 13” x 9” x 3” baking dish, leaving the stock in the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk egg, egg whites, milk, 1 tbsp butter and the rest of the salt. Then whisk in the remaining 1 cup of flour until the mixture is smooth. Pour over the browned, simmered chicken pieces in the baking dish.
- Bake uncovered at 425° F for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350° F, and bake 20 minutes longer until topping is golden and puffy.
- While chicken is baking, heat remaining butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add remaining 1/3 cup of flour and cook until bubbly. Stir or whisk in 3 ½ cups of the reserved cooking stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring quite frequently. Stir in the parsley and thyme to complete this gravy, which you will serve over the chicken pudding.
Serve with a crisp salad and your dressing of choice.
Even though this recipe is more casual, it’s still quite a bit of work. Personally, I would only go through the effort for a special occasion where “casually rustic elegance” was the feel I was going for. Those of you that have more time on a regular basis might feel differently.
Photo Credit: Trek Hound
This post was submitted to the February 17, 2010 edition of Wanderlust and Lipstick’s Wanderfood Wednesday.
Sexy Monte Carlo Sandwich
This batter-grilled version of a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich is similar to a Monte Cristo, only without the ham. Read more
Middle East Inspired Sandwich
It’s tough finding easy ways to enjoy Middle Eastern food when the nearest appropriate market is 45 minutes away. However, if I stock up on zatyr when I go, it’s possible to have a little Middle East flavor with other ingredients I have more convenient access to. Read more
Energy Exercise at Sillustani
During our trip to Peru, we took a day trip from Puno on Lake Titicaca and visited the pre-Incan site of Sillustani. Read more
Caribbean Eggplant Spread
Searching for something smashing to serve your vegan dinner guests? Love eggplant and all the versatility it offers? This flexible savory spread is for you. Read more
70 Ideas to Enjoy with Your Advent Calendar
Looking for some affordable ways to jazz up this year’s advent calendar experience? Here are seventy separate suggestions to enjoy daily this December. Incorporate them into your family’s advent calendar as you see fit. Ready? Read on. Read more
Plan and Prepare a Week’s Worth of Menus in Less than Two Hours
A week’s worth of meal prep in sixty – ninety minutes. Sound impossible? I thought so too. Until I had a chance to hook up with the first lady of fitness and food coaching, Kathy Kaehler. Read more
Easy Low Fat Thai Shrimp Toast
I love shrimp toast as much as the next person, but the deep fried element adds calories and complications I’d rather not deal with on the home front. So I’ve come up with this extremely tasty and lower fat version I can whip up easily in the toaster oven to enjoy Thai shrimp toast at home whenever I want. Read more
Hashtag Twitter Hacks for Tweetdeck Users
Have you been involved with Twitter for a while now? Ready to take it to the next level with hashtag discussions? Shelly Terrell over at the Teacher Reboot Camp blog has a great post on how to use Tweetdeck to follow those trending and other hashtag topics efficiently.
To tell you the truth, this information would have been super helpful at the #cheaptalk live event we had in the greater Miami area last month. That’s OK though, because I’ll have it on file for next time. Shelly’s article is called Using Tweetdeck for Hashtag Discussions, and covers four main tips in an instructional video lesson.
First, using the wrench icon (settings) on the top right side of your Tweetdeck screen. You can check off the option to include hashtags automatically when replying and save the settings selection. This speeds up your keying in time tremendously and helps give you that extra edge when trying to participate in a fast moving Twitter discussion.
Second, the recent hashtag icon available when you are in actual tweet mode. It’s on the bottom right of your tweet cloud as you type in the message. (Definitely watch the video for these tips, as it makes things crystal clear.) If you haven’t used one in a couple days and want to get it right as well as save yourself some keystroke time, this allows you to select which hashtag you want to pop into your message with a single click.
Third, the magnifying glass icon in the row of buttons on the top left of your Tweetdeck screen. Click this, then add the hashtag you want to follow. Press enter. That hashtag discussion now has its own column, movable via the arrows at the bottom. This allows you to follow the discussion in real time, select a screen location that’s convenient for you, and still be able to use all of the functionality you’ve come to enjoy from Tweetdeck.
Finally, the avatar hover capability. This is particularly great for follow hashtags and retweet chains. If you select “other options”, and choose the specific tweet, you can opt to reply to all those mentioned in the tweet. If you are trying to reach out and say thanks to a ton of people at once, or spread the word without having to type in numerous identical tweets in a row, this feature is particularly helpful.
This review gives an overview of what Shelly covers only. I highly recommend watching the video linked to above. It will give you a hands-on tool to get cranking with hashtag discussions right away. You can follow Shelly Terrell on Twitter. For those who would like to check out her blog, it’s called the Teacher Reboot Camp.
Photo Credit: Twitter.Com
