Fancy Salts

For my birthday, my friend Kate gave me a whole bag full of fancy salts. My brain immediately thought “salted caramels” but I know I need to expand my repertoire. But that required a bit of research on the Salt Works website.

Here’s a bit about what I learned about the salts in my birthday bag…

Alaea: has a bit of Hawaiian red clay in it. Is used for roasting or grilling meat and in traditional Hawaiian dishes like Kalua Pig and Hawaiian jerky and poke.

Salish: alderwood smoked salt used by PNW native Americans to smoke salmon and other meats

Mediterranean: harvested in the south of Italy. Has a mild flavor and bright white color.

Murray River: comes from the Murray River in Australia. This flaky pink salt gets its color from carotene, a salt tolerant algae. Best as a finishing salt.

Fumee De Sel: this salt is smoked with wood from Chardonnay oak wine barrels. This salt has a unique flavor that can be used in many different ways.

Cyprus Flake: light and fluffy and used to garnish fish or vegetable dishes or in baking.

Himalayan Pink: one of the purest salts on earth mined deep in the Himalayan Mountains, this has both healing and nutritional properties. Use to rim drink glasses or rub into meats or vegetables for grilling or roasting.

Hiwa Kai: this dark black salt gets its color from activated charcoal. Evaporated in the sun, it has numerous health benefits. For finishing, salads, meats and seafood.

Sel Gris: also known as gray salt. This salt has a high moisture content and a gray color from the clay in the salt ponds. It is great for cooking or baking. Grind it fine to sprinkle on nuts or popcorn.

I promise to use them on more than just caramels… ;o)

La Tea Da

I didn’t think I would ever become a tea snob. I like my cup of Celestial Seasoning tea just fine. Besides I like reading all those sweet little quotes on the box.

But then we went to the tea store at the mall… then I discovered good tea! I mean, really good tea. Every tin of tea he opened smelled heavenly! It was so hard to not buy a bit of every one of them! That is, until I saw the price tags. ;o)  But we did splurge and bring home a few different bags of tea.

I do enjoy a lovely cup of tea but my favorite part is all the things I learned about the world of tea that I never knew before.

Since I am so excited about my newfound knowledge, I thought I would share some of it with you:

White tea: This is the least fermented of the teas and has only 1% of the caffeine of coffee. It helps with detoxification, hydration, as well as a healthy skin and complexion.

Green tea: The next most fermented tea with 5-10% of the caffeine of coffee. It boosts the immune system and helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Oolong tea: With 10-15% the caffeine of coffee, this is almost the most fermented of the teas. Aids in weight loss, metabolism, and digestion. Also promotes healthy skin and teeth.

Black tea: This is the most fermented of the teas. It has an energy boosting 20% of the caffeine of coffee and is good for the heart and cardiovascular system.

For the first time in about 15 years, I can drink black tea again. Since my youngest son was born, caffeine has not done nice things to me. Even better news… you can decaffeinate any cup of tea by simply only drinking the second brewing! All the caffeine comes out in the first brewing of the tea. This was especially good news since we bought a couple of Mate teas….

Mate tea: This tea has all the caffeine of a cup of coffee without all the acids and oils. As an added bonus it is also a source of vitamins and minerals. People say the 2nd or 3rd steeping is even better than the first!

For the days when my stomach isn’t at it’s best, we also picked up a few rooibos and herbal blends.

Rooibos: These teas have no caffeine and promote digestion and can even help with upset stomachs.

The best sweetener for tea??? Raw cane sugar makes it sweet, and enhances the flavor without changing it.

Now that you’ve learned so much about tea, you should heat some water and relax and enjoy a cup!

Fruit Mochi

Here is another yummy treat from the Asian market: Fruit Mochi. These mango mochis are made in Taiwan and are super good! They are a dessert made from gelatinous rice and filled with fruit gel. I have to confess I haven’t liked every dessert we’ve bought at the Asian market, but this one is a winner!

 

Now if I could only find them in red bean… :o)

Coconut Gel

My sister Theresa introduced us to one of the most tasty little treats I’ve ever had: coconut gel! It is just wonderful! In fact, it is almost addictive. We love it in fruit salads and the liquid is a great addition to fruit smoothies! The amazing part is that I really don’t like coconut! But I have to admit, it’s growing on me. And as soon as the boys move out, I’ll have a whole jar all to myself… :o)

I have always wondered what coconut gel is??? But the ingredient list on the jar says, “coconut gel”. Not helpful… So I did what I always do when I want to learn something new. I Googled it. Here’s what I learned from Wikipedia:

“Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinus. Nata de coco is most commonly sweetened as a candy or dessert, and can accompany many things including pickles, drinks, ice cream, puddings and fruit mixes. The product originates from the Philippines.

The primarily coconut water dessert is produced through a series of steps from:

1. Extraction of coconut water
2. Fermentation of the coconut water with bacterial cultures
3. Separating and cutting the produced mat of nata de coco
4. Cleaning and washing the acetic acid out of the nata de coco
5. Cutting to packaging

Commercial nata de coco is made by small farms in the Philippines.”

 

Waffle Off

This isn’t a recipe but a review for a product that I absolutely love: Waffle Off!!! Kate told me about it years ago and I try to always have it on the shelf.

You can only buy it at Cash & Carry (restaurant supplier) and it is $5, but it is totally worth it and lasts for a really long time!

Not only does it not put a nasty build up on your waffle iron or griddle like normal oil sprays, but NOTHING sticks once you use it. I think I could put Elmer’s glue in my pancake batter and it still wouldn’t stick to the griddle! :o)

If you ever get a chance to pick some up, DO IT! You won’t be sorry!