Persian Tea

Drinking Persian tea, or "cha-ee" is simply a part of Persian lifestyle - it is consumed in the morning, after meals, and throughout the entire day... 

My mom makes her own blend of tea by mixing together Twinings Earl Grey tea leaves with a basic strong Indian black tea.  There are also pre-mixed teas available in both loose leaf and tea bag form (available at Amazon.com).

Traditionally, the tea is prepared  by steeping the leaves in a small tea pot to brew a concentrated batch of tea that is later combined with hot water to create the desired strength (designated by color) of tea - basically the same concept as a  Caffe Americano in the coffee world.  (A samovar is designed for this purpose)

Persian Electric Samovar

If you are using loose leaf tea leaves, the easy way is using a coffee pot to brew the tea - this is not nearly as delicious as the flavor that results from having the tea leaves truly steep as they do in the concentrated version, but when I'm yearning for a quick cup of Persian tea, it does the trick.  Of course, tea bags are even easier still.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

* For the best flavor, use only filtered water

* Persian tea is always served in a clear glass in order to gauge the desired strength (indicated by its color - darker is stronger)

I enjoy my Persian tea sweetened with sugar or alongside some of my favorite Persian desserts, like rose water flavored zoolbia and bamieh (which I'm totally going to have to try and make myself!)

Spinach Feta Blood Orange Salad

I have not been able to stop thinking about this salad ever since reading Joy the Baker's post on the topic (that's kind of how I feel about everything she posts; it's one of my absolute favorite blogs for recipes and clever wit; she also has a cookbook coming out next month!)

This salad is simple, easy and elegant - It leaves a lot of room for adaptation, so I took the liberty of adding a few embellishments.  The main ingredients of course are the spinach, feta, blood orange and avocado.

The recipe adds sunflower seeds; I also threw in some pumpkin seeds and jumbo sized black raisins:

The juice from the citrus itself, tossed with some olive oil and freshly ground black pepper is all the dressing you need... Enjoy!

Champagne Risotto

The New York Times is a great source for recipes and food, and I kept the advice in their article on making the perfect risotto in mind as I prepared this recipe.  Risotto is a romantic and delicate meal, and what could be more romantic than a champagne risotto?  This month marks both the anniversary of meeting my husband as well as our wedding anniversary...  I decided to prepare dinner at home and this felt perfect for a special cozy mid-week meal. 

The recipe calls for

• 4 thin slices prosciutto
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 12 asparagus spears, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 3/4 cup Champagne
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

While shopping, I spotted a cheese I'd never tried  - a Moliterno with Black Truffles - and decided to substitute it in the recipe for the Parmesan - (how could anything with black truffles be bad?)

For the champagne, I bought a 375mL bottle, which was the perfect amount to make the recipe with enough left over for two glasses to toast the occasion

To make the risotto, as per the NYT article, patience is your #1 ingredient - as long as you follow the recipe, pay close attention to your rice and add the heated broth incrementally as it absorbs, you will end up with perfectly creamy but not mushy rice... So delicious!

Tom Binns Inspired Hand Painted Gems

Tom Binns' hand painted gems have inspired a tidal wave of some amazing DIYing; I just had to try my own hand at it this past weekend.  All you will need is some cheap costume jewelry and nail polish in the colors you'd like to paint your gems.

I scooped up this necklace at Forever 21 for under $8:

Given my attraction to all things neon, I already had the necessary nail polish palette for my project:

I tackled this necklace one strand at a time, carefully painting each gem (trying to avoid getting paint on the gem clasps).  I let each coat dry before finishing off with a second coat (or 3rd or 4th depending on the strength of the polish)

Here is my completed necklace; I can't wait to throw it on over a basic striped t-shirt to add some neon glam!

Keep the Dream Alive...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction ... The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Strength To Love, 1963.

 (More inspiration here)

Happy Birthday Dr. King

Neon Lights

I am so digging the neon trend (especially for accessories) & super excited to get cranking on some DIY projects!!!  Here's some inspiration I'm collecting for the weekend... :-)

Hand Painted Crystals

Brazil Colored Painted Crystals

Crystal Clip Ons

Mix with prints

Made with Plastic Lanyards

Neon Crystal Hoop Earrings

Alexandra Blak

Alexandra Blak

Love this belt...

Minoux

Washer & Rhinestone Pendant

My recent trip to the hardware store yielded some great over-sized metal washers that I purchased for $0.40 each. 

I decided to make a pendant out of this one with some clear rhinestones I had laying around.

Use super glue to adhere the rhinestones to the washer:

I strung the pendant from a silver chain, but think it would look great hanging from some neon colored rope or some leather cord as well...

Roasted Fennel with Salmon

This recipe fits in perfectly with my nutritional resolutions starting out this year: eat more vegetables, more salmon and other foods with healthy omega fatty acids, and less white flour/starch.  Check, check & check!  Not only that, but this meal incorporates fennel as well, which I can't get enough of.  Once again, Trader Joe's never ceases to amaze me: I purchased a pack with 2 bulbs of fennel for $2! I once paid something outrageous like $8-9/lb from the normal grocery store....

For the vegetables, you'll need cherry tomatoes, fennel, lemon, garlic and thyme:

Combine the vegetables with salt, pepper and olive oil, then roast in a pre-heated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 40min:

Once the fennel is tender, place your fish filets on top of the vegetables and roast all together until the fish is cooked/flakes easily (about 10-15min)...  That's all there is to it, now enjoy! (Remove lemons before serving)

Mini Bungee Bracelet

I scooped up some pretty awesome loot at the hardware store... Can't wait to get cracking on some DIY fun! Here is a peek at the goodies with this bracelet fashioned out of a mini bungee cable:

Doug's St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

This past weekend was my amazing friend & co-worker's birthday...  He and his family used to love this special St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake from a specific bakery for special occasions.  There are a lot of recipes floating out there using yellow cake mix, but according to him, these are not the authentic gooey butter cakes he knew and loved.

Many have tried and failed to replicate this amazing dessert; it seems nothing yet has come close to replicating the perfect gooey buttery bliss of his memories.  For his birthday, I decided to take a stab at it using a recipe similar to this one... I know it won't be the real thing, but hopefully it comes close!

To prepare the dough:

Whisk to combine the water (1/4 cup warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit) and yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast) mixture to then set aside for a few minutes.  Next, cream the sugar (1/3 cup) and butter (1/2 stick at room temperature) together until fluffy:

Mix in the egg (just one) and vanilla (2 tsp):

Stir in the water-yeast mixture, milk (1/2 cup warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit), salt (1/4 tsp), and 2 cups of the total 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour needed.  Switch to using a dough hook and knead mixture for about 5-8 min, gradually adding last 1/2 cup of flour as needed to result in a smooth dough.

Cover bowl with a towel (I also covered in saran wrap) and leave in a warm place until dough rises to about double in size (about 1 hour).

To prepare the Gooey Butter Topping:

Combine granulated sugar (2 1/2 cups), butter (2 sticks unsalted, softened), salt (a dash), egg (just one), light corn syrup (1/4 cup), vanilla extract (2 tsp), water (1/4 cup warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, flour (2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour) and beat in an electric mixer until well-combined.

When the dough is ready, gently punch it down and press lightly into greased baking pan to fit; press up the sides to keep gooey mixture from running under. 

Prick the dough with a fork and spread gooey butter batter over the dough:

Bake in preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes. Topping should be bubbly and golden brown. Be careful not to over-bake; the topping will not be gooey if cake is baked too long.  Cool cake on wire racks until the topping settles and sprinkle top with confectioners sugar - serve warm or at room temperature.

Yields: 2 - 9x9" cakes; 9 servings each or 1 - 9x13" cake; 12 to 15 servings.

Happy Birthday Doug!