Category Archives: Sipping

Home Carbonating System

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Well, it’s definitely project time around these parts. Maybe it’s the Berkeley air that’s inspired me? The sweet swoosh of the salty breeze off the Bay?

More likely it’s boredom. Because when you move to a new place, you have to make new friends. And I’m still a little behind on that. Thus, projects are my friends! And they always return your phone calls.

Among my many projects this month was my new, fancy dancy home carbonating system. Homemade seltzer! Whenever I want it! Nerdy foodie jump for joy!

So now I have a 10 pound carbon dioxide tank that lives on my counter pretty much permanently and delivers me delightfully effervescent bubble water / soda / cocktails whenever I like.

The original plan was to spend hours visiting numerous hardware stores finagling parts and pieces and building this seltzer machine. Because, you know, I’m so hardcore.

And then I happened upon the incredibly fabulous Oak Barrel in Berkeley. Not only do they have everything for any home beer or wine maker, they also happen to have carbon dioxide tanks complete with the regulator and carbonator attachment to make a complete home carbonator system. Without any work.

Gasp. My planned day of futzing and messing and probably breaking the damn thing were smashed. Thank god.

Way too much money (but no headache) later, my fabulous carbonator is my favorite new kitchen appliance.

Info on how to build your own or acquire one pretty much ready-made, after the jump.

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Bacon Bloody Mary

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Oh no you didn’t! Oh, yes I did!

If you’ve ever been to Hash House in San Diego, you may have come across the Greatest Bloody Mary That Ever Lived: The Bacon Bloody Mary. There is no substitute. No breakfast beverage comes close to the wonder that is a bloody mary with bacon. I dare you to try.

Today, fond college memories came flooding back to me, inspiring this extremely intense pang of desire for a bloody mary. I remember driving down on Friday nights from USC to UC San Diego to visit my friend Masha. We’d (of course) drink like fish all night and then ease out of our hangovers with brunch at Hash House the next morning. Usually after waiting like 45 minutes to get a table. And the sun would pierce our eyeballs like the devil’s pitchfork waiting for that table. Our hungover brains were mush waiting for that table. I may or may not have lay down on a sidewalk waiting for that table. Anyway…oh what endured for those bloody marys!

We’d dive into the most un-apologetically gargantuan breakfast plates like pancakes or chicken and waffles and wash them down with bloody marys served in equally giant beer glasses. And they had bacon in the glasses! Giant pieces of crispy peppered bacon so large they stood up in the glass! And pickles. Yum…pickles.

Here’s my version of this fabulous cocktail, still available at their amazing breakfast house in San Diego. I highly recommend a visit sometime, hungover or not.

Oh, and you see those little white bits in the bottom of the glass? Those are actual pieces of bacon. You’re drooling. I get it. When you slurp this bad boy with a straw you get crunchy little pieces of bacon. Smoky. Fatty. Good.

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Jam Session

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Where the hell was I yesterday? Abandoning you, obviously. I’m sorry. My heart and mind were elsewhere. Consumed with jamming and puppy play time. I didn’t mean to ignore you, I swear.

It was a marathon canning session. 24 jars. 6 hours. 2 pounds of jalapenos. 8 pints of strawberries. 1 pound of tamarind in their lovely, crunchy pods. 3 adorable weck canning jars. Unknown pounds of sugar. 2 doodles (labradoodle, woodle; translation: Bertie (labrador, poodle mix) + Walnut (wheaten terrier, poodle mix).

I could barely stand when I got home. Though that’s possibly because I was weighed down with jars, a yelping puppy and a few too many shots of jam cocktails. Because that’s what brilliant ladies like me and my jam partner in crime @jamsofthenest decided to do with our overflow jars of jam. I think any self-respecting jam maker on hour 6 in the kitchen would agree: BEST USE of EXTRA JAM EVER.

We kicked off the day with some lovely fried eggs, toast, coffee and dog biscuits. Because one cannot live on jam alone! The dog biscuits, of course, went to the dogs. They relished their new found romance + open backyard to run around in + multiple treats from completely enamored owners.

Jam #1: Jalapeno Pepper Jelly. But, of course, we can’t go traditional. That would be boring. So we added red bell pepper for color, orange zest for flavor, and (just for kicks) a few of the smashed tamarind pods. Delightful.

Jam #2: Strawberry, Dill, Jalapeno Sauce/Jam. We’re calling it saucy because it’s blended a bit less chunky than traditional jam. Mind you, the dill and jalapeno just make it awesome. Like crazy delicious. And highly recommended with vodka.

Jam #3: Tamarind Jam. You’ve never heard of this. You barely know what tamarind is. Don’t worry, we’re all in the same boat. I also had never witnessed a pod in person until yesterday morning. Nor did I have any intention of ever making tamarind jam before yesterday in a blurry wander around Whole Foods. I mean, I don’t just wake up and think of these things. But we didn’t just use tamarind in this jam. Oh no! We used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon juice and some secret weapons for this wonder. What does it taste like? Kind of like warm, spicy iced tea in a creamy, oozy spoon full of goodness. It is amazing with whiskey over ice. We invented it. You heard it here first kids.

So, if you’re in Hancock Park in the next few days, don’t lie and say “you’re in the neighborhood” and want to come by for a jam cocktail. Because you’re never in Hancock Park. No one is. Except for me. And Daniel. Sometimes Walnut (he, of course, has many other preoccupations). But yes, you can stop in for a jammy cocktail. And we’ll swoon over puppy love and hours spent over boiling pots of sugar, water and fruit. That’s what we’re jamming.

Chai Tea

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There are some things you just never think of making from scratch. Things you’d rather just buy at the store and save some valuable time. Chai tea is one of those things. Why on earth would you try to make it at home when your friendly neighborhood barista can brew some up for a thrifty few dollars?

Because you are a true culinary explorer! A pioneer! A dare devil! You want to know where your food comes from, even down to that cup of tea. A few years ago I came across a really simple homemade chai tea recipe and have been making my own ever since. For literally pennies in spices, tea, ginger and milk, you get a warm, satisfying drink you can make by the gallon and warm up whenever you like. I’ve been known to brew up a pot on Sundays and put it in my coffee to-go cup for the ride to the office in the past, no one ever wiser that it was indeed chai instead of coffee inside.

So, on my recent trip to the frozen north, we came across a lovely Indian market in a random Santa Clara shopping mall. I was like a bee to honey! Any opportunity to explore a new ethnic market, please don’t mind me as I disappear for a few hours.

This particular store was much larger than most I’ve visited so I took the time to lovingly cover every aisle and shelf. I bought a ton of fantastic spices and the prices, oy vey! Like a Beverly Hills Jew at a Loehmann’s sale!

Ethnic spices are about one million times cheaper in their respective ethnic markets than in places like Whole Foods or another supermarket, so I always recommend putting together a list as you come across recipes that require them and then shop to buy. I bought a quarter of a pound of green cardamon (300+ pods) for less than $5. At a pricey spice store or even health food market, I would’ve expected to pay $5 for about 10 pods. No joke, I’ve paid that in the past. My wallet, and I, cried a little on the inside that day.

So today felt like a chai brewing day, which I whipped up using the following recipe. Took about 30 minutes and the results are lovely. I (like most people) am used to the much sweeter chai from Oregon Chai or Starbucks, so you may need to add a little more sugar. Make sure your ginger and spices are fresh and crushed nicely so you can extract all of their flavor.

Recipe and more photos after the jump…

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