Iced Green Tea

Shanghai, China, Spring 2009

Iced Green Tea    by Nancy Minnich Manubay.  I had the wonderful experience of being invited to visit with a good friend and her family while they where living in Shanghai, China. They were gracious enough to fly me there and entertain me for a week. I am so thankful to them for giving me the experience of exploring another culture, and of course getting to spend time with them and their children. It was truly a great experience, thank you!

Flash forward to January of 2012, when my then fiance, John, and I moved in together five months before our wedding. Both in our late 40’s, and having lived alone for most of our adult lives, this was certainly a challenge. Especially for two adults with many different tastes.

Which pictures would we hang on the wall and where? Who would use what room for an office? Every time my husband would ask where something of his would go, I would reply, “In your office.” At one point he finally said to me, “There are so many things in my office, there is not room for me in my office!” At least we were able to laugh about it.

One surprising thing we argued about was which teapot would sit on the stove, his or mine. In my mind this was insane, since mine was clearly nicer!!!  After a visit to his sister, the problem of the teapot was solved. She had a really cool electric water kettle on her counter, which we used to make our tea.

Four cup glass bowl I use to steep the tea.

Thus my love for the Capresso water kettle began. There is no longer a need for a teapot on the stove or arguing over which one. Win-win!

Iced Green Tea

4 c. boiling water

4 green tea bags (I use two regular and two decaf)

3 t. sugar (optional)

2 quart pitcher filled with ice

cocktail umbrella and straw (also, optional)

 

1. Boil 4 c. water and add the tea bags.  Steep for about 5 mins.

2. Remove tea bags, add sugar and stir.  (if preferred, omit sugar or adjust to your taste)

3. Pour tea over ice into a 2 quart pitcher, adding water if necessary to fill the pitcher.

4. Stir and serve over ice.

Enjoy!

~Liz

Refrigerator Oatmeal

Refrigerator Oatmeal        This is probably one of the easiest grab-and-go breakfasts you could imagine. The number of possible combinations and flavors is limited only by your own imagination. Fo…

Source: Refrigerator Oatmeal

Sesame Noodles

The ultimate comfort food!

At least for me, noodles are pure comfort food.  Add some Asian flavors and you cannot go wrong.  This recipe was given to me by a coworker.  The recipe calls for a pound of noodles, but I usually halve the recipe for just me and my husband.

This is an easy and quick recipe that is perfect for bringing to a casual picnic or party. It is intended to be served slightly cool or at room temperature, but is just as good served warm.

Sesame Noodles

16 oz. angel hair pasta

1 1/3 c. shredded carrots

4 T. sesame seeds, toasted*

1/2 c. light soy sauce

1/3 c. olive oil

1 t. sesame seed oil

1 T. sugar

1 t. ground ginger

1 T. white wine vinegar

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

4 scallions, diced for garnish (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the carrots to the water so they cook with the pasta.  Do not over cook noodles.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, vinegar and pepper flakes.

3. Toss noodles in the dressing mixture and add toasted sesame seeds.

4. Sprinkle with diced scallions (green onion) for garnish.

5. Serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

~Nancy

*To toast the sesame seeds, the recipe calls for baking at ~325 degrees for about 2-4 minutes. I prefer to put the seeds in a dry frying pan at low-med heat.  You need to pay attention though, because they will burn quickly. Stir the seeds until they are a nice light brown and then transfer them to a paper plate until you are ready to use.