Stay for Tea

Notes from a weekend

Cold soba with dipping sauce, tofu, kabocha squash, barley tea. Mmmmmmm.

This is Birdie. I got to hang out with him a bit, too. He belongs to N. and has different color eyes, and his real name is really Major Tom.

I also made a peach basil crumble, rather at the last minute, when N. and I decided to bake at her house. It was incredibly easy and I used this recipe from Martha Stewart. It was a success. The only thing was that the dish was just a little too big. Next time, I’ll make it in a smaller, deeper dish so that I can layer more peaches in it.

We watched Fellini’s And The Ship Sails On at home, and also saw Moon. I liked both movies, for different reasons. Moon, however, was probably one of the best movies I’ve seen in the theater for a long time. In fact, it was shatteringly beautiful and clever.

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June 30, 2009

3 little things

It’s been trying, here. A few other obstacles added to the already challenging course. I’ve been skulking and moping about the house, but also trying to keep busy. Here are three things that are neat, that made me happy in my domesticity:

1. Dorot frozen chopped herbs – got these at TJ’s. These little containers are packed with frozen chopped basil, parsley, or garlic. They’re shaped like ice cube trays, and all you do is take out one cube whenever you need it, and add it to your cooking. The flavor is strong and fresh, and it’s great for someone like me – I buy herbs, but never manage to use up the entire quantity before it goes wilted and brown.

2. LISN incense pack – My boyfriend gave me this a long while ago, and I just found it nestled in my desk drawer. Each incense stick has a silly little name, like “Crystal breeze” or “Sound on wave,” but the scents are pleasant and the little packet is actually the incense holder.

3. NEW CHAIR! I found this chair in the street:

A nice, sturdy rocking chair, but finished with awful upholstery in pukey cream color. So I got some fabrics:

and after weighing the appeal of both patterns, ended up going with the nice green print.

Tada! I’m very satisfied, and I can use the other fabric, as I dubbed it “deco giraffe,” for something else in the future. It was in the discount last chance bin, so well worth the $4. Click here for a close up of how the fabric looks stretched.

The whole process was insanely easy. You just unscrew the seat pad, pull out all the staples holding the fabric over the seat cushion and batting, then use the old fabric piece to cut out the right shape from the new fabric – I would even give an extra inch or so, as you’re cutting. Then pull the fabric over the seat cushion, get your staple gun, and pulling the fabric taut just staple it to the seat frame, making sure to fold and tuck it in at the corners nicely. Then put it back in the chair and screw it back on, and tada.

Total cost = $2.39 for the fabric, plus $14 for the staple gun, which I now want to use for everything, ever.

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April 7, 2009

Motherland comforts

Today I quickly whipped up one of my favorite Russian breakfast foods, syrniki. My friend El. and I call them “pancheesies.” They are a very common staple of Russian homecooking, kind of like hash browns and pancakes are the familiar staple of any American’s breakfast.

The recipe is as easy as pie (actually, easier than pie).

1 1/4 cup of farmers’ cheese (this is a cheese that is similar to goat cheese in consistency, but actually tastes like cottage cheese. It’s the closest equivalent here in the States to Russian cottage cheese called “tvorog,” and is fairly easy to find in most larger grocery stores)
1 large egg
2-3 tbs of sugar
1/2 cup flour

Mix all the ingredients well in a mixing bowl, until the consistency starts to look like slightly lumpy mashed potatoes

Using a spoon dipped in cool water to prevent sticking, scoop up a generous spoonful of the mix, and form into a ball, then flatten into a small pancake. Coat both sides of the pancake in a little bit of flour, and fry in hot vegetable oil in a deep skillet, turning over so that both sides are lightly golden brown.

Syrniki taste great with a dollop of sour cream, with a serving of your favorite jam or preserves, or just on their own, depending on how rich or sweet you want your breakfast to be. I also like them as an afternoon tea snack. I had mine with Yorkshire Gold tea from Taylor’s of Harrogate, and a spoon of June Taylor‘s fig & port preserves I picked up at the Farmers’ Market a while ago, and have been savoring since.

(Yes, that mug is great).

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