Sunday, November 2, 2014

Butter in your coffee and turmeric in your tea


 
Southern Living community has your back in the kitchen
I can’t describe “The Southern Living Community Cookbook: Celebrating Food & Fellowship” better that its own press release.
It’s billed as “the equivalent of a brimming recipe box plus the scribbled notes and whispered secrets of over 200 treasured dishes.” It brings readers the best hometown cooks, recipes and stories to the table. I’ll add that the images of vintage cookbook covers, including ones that were on my shelf, will help bind the generations. Read this with grandma, and cook for each other.
A book for all seasons, try  Candied Bacon Bites for snacks with bourbon or Champaign, Herbed Lemon Egg Soup, Green Tomato Sandwich Spread and Milk Punch sprinkled with nutmeg. Mini Pecan Pies and Spiced Pecans are a few offerings for you Texas Pecan Festival lovers. Here’s a super-easy one that is sure to get a conversation going.

Margarita Olives
From the kitchen of Park Kerr, El Paso
1 pound pitted kalamata olives, drained
3 ounces pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
3 ounces pickled Serrano or jalapeno peppers, drained
One fourth cup tequila
One fourth cup lime juice
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
One fourth cup finely chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl or glass jar. Cover and chill 8 hours. Return to room temperature before serving.

Sur La Table
My Aunt Stella Belle’s turkey salt and pepper shakers have been my sole Thanksgiving décor for years. This year I’ve added two small glass leaf dishes from Sur La Table. They can hold everything from your morning vitamins to a taste of dessert with colorful flair. A mini marble and glass cloche will be a year-round focal point to keep cheeses and other edibles fresh and stylish. The domed lid adds a vintage touch to your holiday table. But please, use these accents even if dining alone. They will lift spirits and aid digestion. Sur La Table has classes, temptations and something like 600  products geared to coffee lovers. Visit stores as close as Houston.  


Pumpkin Update
Oreo cookies have jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon with a spiced pumpkin filling between two pie crust-colored cookies. I couldn’t help but notice a woman at restaurant bar with a package sitting beside her. The Oreos weren’t on the menu. It seems one of the employees had them and shared with a regular. I approached the woman in a friendly manner and expressed surprise at the product. Well, she offered me one and I accepted. The three of us deem this cookie delicious. They didn’t mind me sharing this experience so readers would know about pumpkin Oreos, but they got shy about sharing their names.


Test tube and turmeric teas
What better way to experiment with teas than from test tubes? The Spice Lab Gourmet Spices offers a rack of 11 or 12 tube sets including British Teas, Asian Teas or Infused Teas, showcased in a handcrafted wooden base of reclaimed Colorado pine or sustainable bamboo. Each tube holds enough for 2 to 3 pots of tea. I just keep pulling off the cork from Smokey Maple to inhale. Of course, they are delicious, too. This is the best season for a hot pot. Enjoy these treats on days when you aren’t scheduled for the upcoming holiday gatherings.


How many of  you already have turmeric in your pantry? (I did!) How many of you were putting it in tea? Not me. Numi Oganic tea’s non-GMO and Fair Trade Certified Teas presents the first full line of this sort of premium turmeric-focused blends, which are earthy, robust and, of course, golden orange.
Kin to the ginger root, the powder is a favorite in curries. It’s used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and now people are talking about curcumin, the medicinal compound in turmeric, associated with relieving pain and arthritis, decreasing blood clots, preventing cancer, strengthening digestion, detoxifying the liver and healing skin wounds.  Turns out it’s a superfood and I’ve enjoyed this admittedly acquired taste in a tea that makes me feel like a world traveler. I imagine myself in cool cafes, gathered around family tables and relaxing in exotic gardens as I enjoy these flavors:

Three Roots
Blending earthy turmeric, spicy ginger, and sweet licorice, Three Roots transports your senses to an exotic Indian Bazaar.

Golden Tonic
This uplifting blend of turmeric, lemon verbena and dried lime mingle for an exhilarating dance.  Golden hues of turmeric have an earthy sweetness as the zesty citrus notes soar and enliven the senses.

Fields of Gold
The mellow richness of turmeric, the sweet calming notes of chamomile, and the lively zest of lemon myrtle reside in Fields of Gold.

Amber Sun
With a radiating, smooth richness, this blend of turmeric, rooibos, vanilla beans and a hint of cinnamon offers mellow apple notes with a sweet peppery zest.

Coffee Blocks
All you coffee-dependent folks passing Facebook memes about how you couldn’t do without your coffee, have you tried it with butter? I’m speaking of adding butter to your coffee to bring out the flavors. No, you don’t have to do it yourself, Coffee Blocks has done it for you. Keep the little cups in your freezer and dissolve them, nay, froth them, in hot water. I put mine in the blender and my mother loved it. It’s best with a sweet pairing. We paired with berry and white chocolate cookies I whipped up from Mason Jar Cookie Company,
That was breakfast. Now, back to this coffee deal. Butter. It works. Go to coffeeblocks.com and try it, then take your own photo of your experience and tag it @coffeeblocks.
Oh yes, bet it would be good with something pumpkin.
ddoiron@panews.com

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