I Love You Food

Sometimes you just want to do something special for someone, just to tell them you love them. In my house, that can mean making a treat and leaving at a surprise for the intended victims of the love fest.

My latest food love prompting came from a change in my schedule. My kids have gone back to school and I've started working more night shifts, so I rarely see them, except on weekends. Just to let them know I was thinking about them, I made pudding.

I was lazy about the pudding, too. No making it from scratch this time. It was instant vanilla pudding from a box, all the way. We had a kiwi fruit left from our last trip to the grocery store so I sliced it up and decorated the top of it. I had to do something to take it up notch. To let them know it was for them, I wrote, “For my kids. Love, Dad,” on a piece of masking tape and stuck it on the side of the bowl so they'd see it when they got home from school.

There's no problem with leaving my wife out of this one, by the way. She hates pudding.

Could I have done more? Probably, but that's not the point. Telling you kids you love and appreciate them doesn't have to take a long time, or a huge amount of work. It can be simple, direct and sometimes even surprising. Kind of like instant pudding with kiwi fruit.

Picture by Dorota Kaszczyszyn

Two Mighty Herbal Teas, Two Not So Mighty

The lovely people at Mighty Leaf Tea are kind enough to keep sending me tea samples. I don't have the heart to tell them that I have to give away most of them. I just keep the herbal ones and give the rest to my neighbor.

My neighbor thanks you, by the way.

So do I, actually. Most of what they send me is excellent, although the last batch wasn't up to their usual standards, I'll admit. In any case, here's the scoop on what's been brewing in my tea pot, of late.

Organic Detox Infusion
I was nervous at first, trying this out. A detoxing tea? Medicine traditionally tastes bad, right? I was wrong. This is nothing short of true relaxation in cup. I'm not kidding. This naturally sweet tea has a clean, refreshing flavor. I don't know if it's actually detoxifying, but it's certainly intoxicating.

5 zucchinis


Coco Chai
When I first saw the name of this Rooibos based tea, I thought. Chocolate tea? Okay. I'll give it a try. I should have checked the spelling, first. This isn't chocolate tea. This is coconut tea, but it takes coconut to a new level. The creaminess of the coconut mixes with the fruitiness of the rooibos and the spice of ginger and cinnamon, delivering a fresh, exotic flavor experience.

4 zucchinis


Rooibos Renewal
It seems that I'm in the minority when compared to the reviews of this tea I've seen at Mighty Leaf's site. I wasn't all that impressed. It has a great green rooibos base, but they lost me with the other ingredients. Each one seems like a winner, rose hips, orange peel ... but for me it was just okay. Certainly not something I'll go after when they make so many other more excellent teas.

Is there anyway I can convince the people at Mighty Leaf to offer the green rooibos by itself, like you do the red? Please?

3 zucchinis


Spirulina Stamina
There's a lot going on in this herbal blend, but none of it impressed me. For some reason I could never make a cup with consistent flavor. It wasn't terrible mind you, and I did finish off the sample, but I can't recommend it. It's actually the first of the Mighty Leaf teas that I preferred having honey with. The others are quite nice on their own. Again, I find myself in the minority when it comes to the reviews at Mighty Leaf

2 zucchinis

Kitchen Equipment – Measuring Tools

Never underestimate the need for accurate measurements in cooking. This can be especially true when baking. Liquid and dry ingredients are mostly measured by volume, although sometimes a recipe calls for measurement by weight.

Buying good measuring equipment for the kitchen is always a good investment. When baking pies, breads, or cakes, accuracy is very important if you want good results. Some measurement tests I've read have found vast differences in accuracy at times, so don't skimp.

Liquid Measuring Cup
Large cups are a lot more versatile than smaller ones. I like the two and four cup Pyrex models, but plastic will do. Some say that plastic is longer lasting and safer, but I've not found that to be true. I recently threw away some plastic ones I had when the bottoms cracked. Try and get one with both Standard (US) and Metric units.

Measuring Cups
Smaller measuring cups are fine for dry ingredients, and will work fine for smaller liquid measures. The base measure is the 8 ounce cup (250 ml). You'll want cups in 1, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 sizes at a minimum. I like metal ones, but plastic ones are okay, too. Measure all ingredients level with the top of the cup, or some other mark. Sliding the back of a table knife across the top is an old trick that can help remove the excess.

Measuring Spoons
Teaspoons and tablespoon measurements should be done so the ingredients are level with the top of the spoon, just like the larger measuring cups. Metal or plastic sets are fine, but don't use the silverware you put on your table and eat with. It's just not accurate.

Kitchen Scale
I actually don't have a set of these, but I'm beginning to wish I did. They can be useful for weighing meat portions, as well as fruits and vegetables when canning. Professional bakers use them because it takes into account the current moisture content in the flour, where measuring cups do not. I've been told that balance scales are the most accurate, but I'm not sure I believe it. The scales I used in college chemistry were digital and insanely accurate. In any case, when I eventually buy a scale, I think I'll go for a good digital one.