Hi there. It’s been a while. Perhaps a four-year absence from blogging warrants a catch-up? Maybe let’s start with a little roundup of several good, true and beautiful things that have captured my attention while I’ve been away.
The Benefits of Drinking Gaba Oolong Tea
When you’re body has been overtaxed, it needs nourishment. But what are the best foods to eat when you’re exhausted or depleted in some way? All kinds of products promise to speed up physical recovery. What works? Here’s a look at what GABA, or specifically GABA oolong tea, could offer you.
Marketed as a hangover relief product, GABA oolong tea is right up there with a host of foods said to be healing, nourishing and stabilizing after physical stress. Unlike some of the everyday hangover-helpers featured in this recent Taste of Home article I wrote, however, GABA is not exactly a household word. Eggs, oats, bananas–sure. But GABA? What is it? What does it offer? How would it help you when you’re tired, sick, run down or drained? Here’s what you’ll want to know.
Read MoreFeeding a Sourdough Starter without Having to Discard: a Method
As shown in the last post, there are lots of ways to feed a sourdough starter. Most of the time, newbies learn a method that involves regularly discarding (i.e., throwing away or repurposing) half or almost all of the starter they maintain. But it’s not the only way. Below is a look at feeding a sourdough starter without having to discard–and how and why it can be better.
In what sometimes feels like another life from the one we’re now living, my husband, Tim, and I wrote a cookbook, The Einkorn Cookbook. While it was primarily about featuring 100+ recipes for ancient (original, nonhybridized) wheat, it included a few recipes for sourdough. We (he) developed those recipes during our household’s first season with sourdough–one in which we discarded a big chunk of the starter every time we baked. I loved the bread; I hated the discarding. We both wished there were a better way.
Turns out, there is.
Read MoreFeeding a Sourdough Starter Grapes: an Experiment
There are lots of methods for feeding a sourdough starter. Each baker has his or her own way. But: feeding your starter grapes? Once I heard this idea, I had to try it. Here’s what happened.
Google around for how to find a sourdough starter, and you’ll see a lot of opinions. You can get a starter from a friend (or a local bakery) or buy a starter online. If you’re adventurous, you might grow your own. (This post from almost a year ago lists a bunch of the possibilities.)
Because sourdough starters are, fundamentally, just a mixture of flour and water and air, making your own is totally doable–but not without some difficulty. That’s why many bakers have found little helps to accelerate activity and simplify the process. One example: feeding a sourdough starter green grapes.
Read More3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Try Homemade Cannoli (and Why to Ignore Them)
If the idea of making homemade cannoli sounds elaborate, that’s because it is. No matter how much you love these Italian pastries that originated in Sicily, there are lots of reasons to skip trying them at home–but at least one that trumps them. Here’s a look.
If you, like generations of Italians before you, think there’s nothing like a good cannoli, crispy shell giving way to sweet, thick Italian cheese, maybe you’ve considered making them. The problem? Going after homemade cannoli isn’t exactly a beginner kitchen project. Here are three reasons you might want to skip it.
Read MoreRecipe: Orange Avocado Chickpea Salad
According to a recent Instagram survey, 56% of respondents say it’s normal for them to eat salad as a main meal. The key? Stuffing the salad with more than just lettuce. With that in mind, here’s an orange avocado chickpea salad, a great example of a bright, beautiful, refreshing salad to try for dinner soon!
If there’s one thing that’s clear after the recent post on making salad fun, it’s that there are endless possibilities to get your greens. For anyone who’s still warming up to the idea of salad as a main course: just browse that post to get inspired by a long list of readers’ favorite recipes and formulas. Salads for days!
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