Almond Pu-erh Protein Shake

I’m always surprised by the kitchen sophistication of my 14-year-old niece. When we hang out, she often brings a long list of homemade cooking projects she wants to accomplish. Our latest hang-out session included crepes, walnut bread, cardamom buns, granola, seed crackers, and four-bean chili. All of which we tackled over two days. This simple…

Gluten-Free Matcha Pop Tarts

Is there anything better than a homemade pop tart? Especially a gluten-free one that tastes like the real deal. Your G-F buds’ eyes will pop out of their heads when you serve these. The G-F naysayers won’t even be able to tell they are gluten-free. A healthy dose of bright green matcha tea powder in…

Japanese Green-tea-ni

Besides my comfy bed, the thing I miss most after selling our home and all our stuff (to travel the world for a year) is access to a fully stocked liquor cabinet. We always had spirits around for whipping up a weeknight Manhattan, Old Fashioned, or any variation of my favorite cocktail—a martini. One of…

Tea & Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Originally posted on Tea Foodie [#cookingwithtea]:
Ground tea stirred into a cookie’s dry ingredients is one of the easiest ways to start cooking with tea. To easily grind tea for baking, toss the dry leaves into a sturdy teacup. Then use a pestle or heavy wooden spoon to crush the leaves while gently stirring in…

Mulled Mandarin Marmalade

(An older post updated December 2018) Mandarins are little bursts of sunshine that appear during the chilly winter months and keep on shining through spring, just before the fruits of summer start to appear. I make this easier-than-ever marmalade recipe every year, often for holiday gifts. The recipients of the homemade goodness always ask for…

Chai Spiced Trail Mix Granola

Almost a year ago, my partner and I left our very good jobs, sold our fantastic urban condo, and happily got rid of all our suffocating “stuff”. We took off on a journey we’d fondly end up calling our “midlife gap year”. This granola became a constant companion on our journey. Outfitted with an SUV,…

Whole Wheat Matcha Almond Waffles

I recently borrowed a friend’s waffle maker, which was a huge mistake because now I want one! Needless to say, I’ve been on a waffle kick. One night we even tried masa harina corn waffles as the base for our taco-like dinner, instead of tortillas. But nothing beats a classic breakfast waffle. Except maybe this…

Rooibos Candied Clementines

Orange-chocolate is my second favorite dessert flavor, next to lemon. I have memories of my dad treating me to Swiss Orange Chip ice cream at Swenson’s as a kid. Anytime I see a Terry’s chocolate orange at the market, I scoop one (or two) up. Set a bag of chocolate dipped candied orange peel in…

Turning Sugar Cookies into Tea Cookies

I used to hate anything heart shaped. Despised! You’d think since I was born on Valentine’s Day this would be innately impossible. But I got an annual overdose of birthdays bursting at the seams with anything and everything heart shaped. Sometime during my third decade, however, I turned from a heart hater into a heart…

Silver Bud Winter Mar-tea-ni

I am a tea addict. I’d probably qualify as a tea hoarder too. I just can’t stop collecting teas! Whenever I see a tea I’ve never tried, one I’ve never heard of, or simply get sucked into a tea’s story, I can’t resist the urge to snatch it up and sip it. Feeding right into…

Cinnamon Tea Infused Raisin & Barley Muffins

When you are a hardcore tea geek, people often bring you back interesting teas from far off places. I have gifts in my tea cabinet from Sri Lanka, India, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Spain, England, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, Copenhagen, France, Amsterdam, New York, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, San Francisco, Seattle…and now Alaska. My sister, Liz,…

Tea Roasted Carrot & Farro Risotto

I love fall. The colors that change daily. The cool-in-the-morning, warm-in-the-afternoon weather. The end-of-season farmer’s market fare. And the excuse to start making those comforting, warming one-pot meals. I’m a huge fan of homemade risotto, especially after mastering a Deborah Madison recipe that I turned into a Parsley, Pea, and Green Tea Risotto. But we’ve…

Chai Brined Quick Pickles

I take for granted how easy these little condiments are to make; so easy, in fact, that they hardly seem worth sharing as a recipe. Yet each time I make them, someone inevitably asks, “Will you send me the recipe?” So here you go, someone. The method is simple. Slice up your favorite cucumber super…

Lemon Jasmine Pie

If my last meal on Earth involves any kind of lemon dessert I will leave this planet a happy woman. I always pick out the lemon dessert on a restaurant menu but I rarely make lemon treats at home; perhaps because I know they would disappear too quickly? This lemon pie, however, will make a…

Chai Latte Oatmeal Mix

Winter, winter, go away. Come again another day. As I spend another dreary day cooped up inside watching the snowfall, it feels more like winter than spring. Being cooped up has its advantages though. In this instance, I’ve got time on my hands to work on some crafty food projects and play around with my…