Blueberry lemon Iced Tea

This is my favorite variation of the iced tea. Blueberry lemon tea is delicious and has a beautiful color. Fresh blueberries work best. Since most of the blueberries in the house are eaten as is, it was with great effort that I was able to save a handful to make this tea.

The recipe if you can call it that is very similar to the strawberry iced tea. Make blueberry syrup and add it to the tea. Chill.

You will need (2 servings)
handful blueberries
2 tsp. lemon juice
2-4 tsp. sugar (adjust to taste)
2 cups iced tea

Prepare iced tea and chill. In a pan heat the blueberries, lemon juice and sugar until the sugar melts and the berries are tender. Mash the berries and chill the mixture for an hour. Run through a strainer and add it to the chilled tea. Pour over ice.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day three of BM #61 for the theme Beverages with Tea. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Strawberry Iced Tea

Today I present a variation of the iced tea I posted yesterday. Fruit mixed in iced tea really enhances its flavor. I had this in a restaurant once and when I asked how it was made the answer was simple. Fruit syrup mixed into iced tea. You may use frozen or fresh strawberries to make the syrup.

I have my cat to thank for this picture. I placed the background for my picture, a white board to bounce the light etc. to shoot a picture of the iced tea from yesterday's post. I then turned to prep this drink. When I turned around the cat was comfortably napping on the table. I waited for her to leave but she was not going anywhere. Finally I had to set up in a different area and click this picture. The light is a lot better in this picture.

You will need (2 servings)
1 handful strawberries
2 tsp. sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the berries)
1 dash of lemon juice
2 cups of iced tea

Prepare the iced tea according to these directions and chill. Chop the strawberries and heat in a pan with the sugar. When the sugar melts turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Chill for a couple of hours. Run through a strainer and mix it into the ices tea.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day two of BM #61 for the theme Beverages with Tea. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Iced Tea

Rising temperatures make you want to reach out for cold beverages. Iced tea is one such beverage. It is very popular here in the US and there are several brands of ready-to-drink iced tea available in the market. However, iced tea is really easy to make and tastes great when made with your favorite brand of tea. It does take some planning so that the tea is chilled when you are ready to drink it.

I am not a tea or coffee person but I like iced tea. The first time I had it was on a business trip. While I do not drink tea everyday I do like iced tea once in a while.

You will need (4 servings)
4 cups of water
4 tea bags (you choice of flavor)
sugar to taste (1-2 tsp. per cup)

Bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the tea bags and let them seep for a couple of minutes. Do not let them sit longer than 5 minutes unless you like the tea to be really strong. Discard the bags. Dissolve the sugar in the water and chill for a few hours. Pour out in cups over ice.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day one of BM #61 for the theme Beverages with Tea. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Carrot Fries

Oven fries are popular in my house. They are tasty and make a great snack. I have a variety of potato and sweet potato fries in this space. Today I am posting carrot fries. I happened to buy a bunch of carrots last week but never got around to making the planned salads. I had to use them up and this was the perfect recipe.

This recipe really brings out the sweetness in the carrots so I like to add a hint of paprika to counter the sweet taste. You can use a variety of flavors or keep it simple with salt and pepper.

You will need (2 serving)
2 carrots
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
paprika or cayenne pepper to taste
cumin coriander seeds powder (optional)
oregano or basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel the carrots and cut it into long strips. Sprinkle oil, salt and pepper. Add the other optional ingredients. Combine and place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Take them out, turn them over and bake for another 20 minutes until carrots are cooked through and crispy

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week two, day three of BM #61 for the theme Root vegetables. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Whipped Carrots and Potatoes Soup

A warm hearty bowl of soup is perfect for a cold winter evening. Especially if it can be put together quickly after you come home from work.

Soup was not what I started out to make. But once I got out the potatoes and carrots this was all I could think of. You can use a vegetable stock to enhance the flavor of the soup or use the broth in which the potatoes and carrots are cooked. I used the broth.

You will need (2 servings)
2 medium white or yukon potatoes
2 large carrots
1/4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp dried parsley or your favorite herb
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a pan. In the meantime peel the potatoes and carrots and cut then into 1 in chunks. Add them to the water and let them cook until tender. Drain the water and reserve it. Transfer the vegetables into a food processor. Warm the milk and add it to the vegetables along with the other ingredients. Add some of the reserved broth. Adjust the quantity of the broth depending upon the desired consistency of the soup. Whip until the ingredients are smooth and well combined.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week two, day two of BM #61 for the theme Root vegetables. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Shredded Sweet Potato Side / Ratalyacha Kis

Sweet potato is one of my favorite root vegetables and this recipe was my favorite growing up. The roasted peanuts and sweet potato go so well together it is magic.

There is a large variety of sweet potatoes available in the grocery store. I use the Japanese sweet potato. It has a dark colored skin and are white on the inside. They are firm and hold their shape a lot better than the rest of the varieties. They are also the closest in taste to the sweet potato my mother used.

When cooking root vegetables it is best to add salt before the vegetable is cooked through to keep it from turning to mush.

You will need
1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 serrano pepper, de-seeded (optional)
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
a handful roasted peanuts, ground

Peel the sweet potato and shred in a food processor or using a grater.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and chili pepper (if using). Cumin burns color quickly. As soon as it changes color and before it turn brown add the shredded sweet potato.

Add the salt and cayenne pepper (if using). Mix it all up, cover and let it cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Uncover and add the ground roasted peanuts. Combine well, cover and allow to cook until the potato is cooked through, another 5-10 minutes. Check frequently to prevent it from burning.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week two, day one of BM #61 for the theme Root vegetables. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Baked Cauliflower Florets

Roasted cauliflower florets make a great snack. I usually put whatever flavors I have on hand. Sprinkle a little cheese and bake just long enough to melt it.

Today I had very few florets of cauliflower in the refrigerator, not enough to make any of my usual favorites. I was baking crackers so I decided to bake the florets as well.

You will need (1 serving)
1/2 a cauliflower separated into florets
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
your choice of spices (I used cumin and coriander powder)
sharp cheddar cheese to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Sprinkle olive, salt and pepper on the cauliflower florets. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes until cooked but not mushy. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients and bake for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!





Sending this recipe to the Valli's Kids's delight event for baked snacks hosted by PJ.

This is my entry for week one, day three of BM #61 for the theme Cookies. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Sourdough Crackers

These crackers are a great way to use your sourdough starter. The crackers have a distinct sourdough taste and texture. They are really easy to make and do not take up too much time.

I got this recipe from the King Arthur flour website here. The recipe calls for unfed starter but since I changed to a new process of maintaining a starter I have no unfed starter to discard. For this recipe I let the fed starter sit in the refrigerator for a week before using it. In summer I would let it sit out for a few hours or maybe two-three days in the refrigerator.

Maintaining a sourdough starter is easy and though it takes planning baking with sourdough is therapeutic. If you are on the fence about a starter go ahead and make one.

You will need (30 crackers)
1/2 cup whole white wheat flour
1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. mixture of dried oregano and basil
1 tsp. olive oil

Let the butter soften to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the oil to form a smooth ball of dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a board or counter top. Lightly flour a rolling pin and the parchment paper. Place the cold dough on the board and roll it out to the thickness of a cracker.

Using a pizza cutter or knife cut out the rectangular crackers as below. Brush with the olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crackers brown at the edges. Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely before storing.

Enjoy!





Sending this recipe to the Valli's Kids's delight event for baked snacks hosted by PJ.

This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #61 for the theme Cookies. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.

Spiced Potato Wedges

Last week I had a visitor and was in need of a quick light snack, or at least one where I would not be tied down to the kitchen. I made these spiced potato wedges. I used regular white potato so they cooked up really quick. The oven did all the work.

These wedges turn out crispy and tasty. They were all gone very quickly. I had to prep everything for the pictures before they came out of the oven. They taste best right out of the oven and I did not want to let them get cold.

I used cayenne pepper with some coriander/cumin powder for the spice. You could use your favorite blend of spices.

You will need (2 servings)
3 medium white potatoes
salt and black pepper to taste
spices (I used a pinch of cayenne with a 1 tsp coriander/cumin powder)
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges. Sprinkle all the dry ingredients (except oil) and combine to coat the potatoes with them.

Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle oil over the top. Bake for 10 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven and flip the potatoes. Return the sheet to the oven and bake another 10 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown.

Enjoy!





Sending this recipe to the Valli's Kids's delight event for baked snacks hosted by PJ.

This is my entry for week one, day one of BM #61 for the theme Cookies. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#61.