Kombucha

A friend of mine suggested I try a new fermented tea beverage called kombucha. She told me that she liked the drink, but also told me it tastes like vinegar. Grrrreeeaatt...that kind of advice would really encourage the average person to purchase it. Anyhoo, yes, I'm an anomoly, soI went to Strawberry Fields to pick it up. When I was there the clerk asked me, "Have you tried it before? *huge pause*It takes like....vinegar." I still bought the drink. (Hey, what do you expect, my thesis is on functional beverages).
I could not really place the flavor, but if I had to describe it, I'd say it tastes like beer made of tea. There's a bit of effervescence in a low-sugar solution. It's quite interesting...not yummy, but interesting. In a 16oz bottle, there is only 70 Calories and 4 grams of sugar.
It's supposed to have probiotics in it and all these other things. The label touts that it supports weight control, healthy hair and skin, metabolism, and a long list of other benefits. This is followed by a line that states, "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." I am taking a Food Safety course, so I'm keen on statements on food labels now. So, maybe this tea elixir is good for you. After all, it does have a taste that makes you think, "It tastes like it's healthy."

yerba mate

i study quite well at coffee shops because i focus more by tuning out other people. plus i avoid randomness in my lab or apartment (a.k.a. phone calls and tv). mike told me that i should spend the $4/drink just to get more work done because the less time i spend in grad school, the more time i have to work a real job and get paid. (says the girl wearing the t&c "one day i'll get a real job" shirt). Yes, this made sense to me, so now my hobbies include hanging out at the coffee shop trying different drinks on the menu.

The food science tidbit of the day. My current drink of choice is yerba mate . It's not really a tea, but it is steeped like tea. It's slowly gaining popularity and is quite popular in Brazil as a source of caffeine. There has not been a lot of research done on yerba mate, but some other Food Science labs are studying it. I don't know enough about it, but in a few years, yerba mate will probably be a quite common word in food speak.
To me, it tastes like your basic non-flavored herbal tea. Quite earthy with bitter afternotes. Flavor-wise I would prefer a good japanese green tea.

i heart hummus

i really love hummus. i once tried making it in high school in a blender and it was awful. i didn't want to splurge and purchase tahini so i just added sesame seeds to my blender. long story short, i never made hummus after that.
fast forward 8 years to the present and i decide to attempt to make hummus again. ready for the challenge, i went to the store to pick up some chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) and i forgot to purchase them! i had to purchase a bunch of supplies for an event i was doing for my apartment complex so it slipped my mind.
i was still on a hummus kick and i have a brand new cuisinart hand blender that's been lonely at home. so instead of not making hummus, i decided to make black bean hummus instead.

Recipe:
1 med chipotle pepper on adobe sauce
1 large clove of garlic
1 can of black beans lightly drained (drain half the can)

Blend that sucker up to your desired texture.

Yummy!

cookies

here are some decorated sugar cookies from christmas. i asked my mom for a recipe and i guess i misheard her. i was expecting a fool-proof recipe b/c she used to make these cookies with her 1st graders. well, i misheard her on the phone and instead of using 2 blocks of butter, i used 2 pounds. the dough was quite difficult to work with and i kept adding extra flour. thus, the cookies were a bit doughy and not as sweet as i would have liked.
but i do think that everyone made them look yummy!

flavor forecast

Mccormick Spices just released the top flavor trends of the year:
The top 10 pairings to watch for in 2008:

* Lemon Grass & Lychee
* Vanilla Bean & Cardamom
* Chile & Cocoa
* Orange Peel & Natural Wood
* Poppy Seed & Rose
* Coriander & Coconut Water
* Red Curry & Masa
* Oregano & Heirloom Beans
* Rubbed Sage & Rye Whiskey
* Allspice & Exotic Meats