Carma Spence, Chief Kitchen Creativity Officer

Tea that Makes You Feel Good

April 25, 2011Product ReviewsHeavenly Lemon Tulsi, Honest Tea, organic tea

Photo provided by Honest Tea

I love drinking tea. It hydrates and tastes great. Of course, I picked up the tea habit early in life when I lived in Nairobi and we would often have High Tea. I also have many fond memories of having a cup of tea, with cream and sugar of course, with a cookie as an evening snack at my grandmother’s house in San Francisco. I have ADD, so the caffeine has a reverse effect on me, helping me sleep better.

As the years have passed, my tolerance of caffeine has changed. The amount that makes me sleepy compared to the amount that makes me sick like a hangover has reduced to the point where I just avoid caffeine pretty much altogether (except when it comes to chocolate, of course!).

That’s why I’m always keeping an eye out for caffeine-free teas that still taste great. I’ve had many a decaffeinated tea that just tasted watered down — no matter how strong you made it.

That said, I don’t have that problem with naturally caffeine-free herbal teas. But they just aren’t the same. So I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I received a sample of Honest Tea’s Heavenly Lemon Tulsi to review for this blog.
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Simple Pleasures Are the Best

April 21, 2011Food Fiction & Essays, Taste Testspancake mix, pecans, pumpkin taste tests, pumpkins, waffle mix

I never shopped at Fresh & Easy until I moved to Long Beach. And then only because it was the closest grocery store. And I’m sorry it turned out that way because I’ve had a “Where have you been all my life?” experience since I […]

Simple Strawberry Salad

March 1, 2011Recipessalad

This simple salad is quick to make, healthy and very tasty. Ingredients: Wild Rocket greens 5 strawberries Creamy Onion Vidalia Dressing Directions: Arrange greens on a large plate. Slice the top off the strawberries and clean. Slice two of them and arrange the slices over […]

Grilled Egg and Turkey Sandwich

January 23, 2011Recipes

Ingredients: 1 Tbsp butter 1 jumbo or large egg 1 Tbsp Tomato Alfredo sauce grated Parmesan cheese 2 thin slices of turkey lunch meat 2 slices of your favorite sandwich bread Directions: In a small frying pan, melt butter over low heat. Add egg. Dollop […]

The Gingerbread Man Is Coming to Town!

October 13, 2009Food Fiction & Essays, Special OccasionsChristmas, gingerbread man

Once upon a time, there was a father who really loved gingerbread men. So, he made up a Christmas tradition for his sons and daughter. On Christmas Eve the Gingerbread Man would come to town and give all the children their very own gingerbread men […]

How To Choose The Right Pot and Pan Set

April 16, 2008Tools of the Tradepans, pots

Public domain photo from pixabay.com

No kitchen or cook would be complete without a great set of pots and pans. It simply cannot function without them. So, this equipment needs to be a priority.

How can a pot and pan set do all of that for you? Well, it is really very simple. Believe it or not, the pans and pots in your kitchen mean a great deal to the foods you are cooking and just how tasty or delicious they are. Here are some tips to help you shop for your perfect set.
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Basic Cooking Terminology

April 9, 2008Cooking Techniquesglossary, terminology, terms

Public domain photo via pixabay.com

O.K. If you’re going to follow a recipe, you’re going to need to understand some basic cooking terminology. Many recipes use terms that have specific meanings. Many use abbreviations that you need to understand. (For example, a Tbsp. is much larger than a tsp. – I once made a batch of gingerbread men that turned into saltbread men because of my own confusion between these two.)

So let’s get to it!

Boiling
This means to bring any type of liquid to a boil. The boiling point is generally 212 degrees. Boiling is usually accomplished when bubbles have broken the surface of the liquid.

Bone
When you see this in a cookbook, it is generally telling you that you will need to remove any bones from the meat.

Braise
With this cooking technique, you brown the meat first and then place it in a pot with liquid. Then you tightly cover the pot and slowly cook the meat.
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Author Archives: Carma Spence