Yes friends. It is that good.
If you look at my highly outdated profile description, you’ll find Pina Colada as one of my favorite flavours!
The smell is spot on. It even smells sweet! Coconut, pineapple, cream, I’m drooling at the smell itself.
Now – it’s 2:30am and I had one of those breakdowns tonight. One of those I have a worthless degree and am applying for the same job I could have got after high school breakdowns. So I thought, screw it, I’ll make tea and bread and who cares about sleep. It wasn’t coming anyways.
I’m drinking it hot and trying to tiptoe so I don’t wake up my boyfriend, who needs sleep super badly tonight.
There’s something about this tea that reminds me of forever nuts! I think it’s the sweetness of the apple, in a non-apple tasting way haha. You know, I’m not generally a happy person, but tea, and my friends (Steepster friends included) give me hope and genuine, natural happiness. So thanks friends. :)
Sharing tasting notes from all over is allllmost (not quite) like having the cup of tea together. I guess it’s more like sharing the same experience, in a different way. Something about that is very calming. This is much too philosophical for this tea, I should be drinking an oolong or something.
Wow, okay – how does it taste? Something in the blend is giving it a little sharp tartness, then smooth creamy pina colada taste sweeps in. It will be a perfect iced tea with a splash of rum and a little bit of cream. The flavour is light in the way Luscious Watermelon is light. It’s juicy, but not heavy. Refreshing, but with any luck, won’t leave you wanting. A nice tea.
I want some ASPARAGUTS! Thats what we call it for some reason :)
Research asparagus?
So are you going to have an asparagus feast after your research is done? Can I come? I know some tasty asparagus recipes!
You know what’s awesome? Grilled asparagus. I got Missy to start liking asparagus by putting it on the grill. :)
Shhh tell no one! As far as any one knows, I hates the rabbit food…
Haha @ Asparaguts :D
I’m doing cooking trials in a food-safe lab, so I need to store my asparagus in a food-safe fridge… and my actual lab is definitely not food-safe (filled with chemicals), so it all gets stored in my fridge (I have few options). I’ve been picking up a couple 28lb cases of asparagus each time, grading out what I can’t use, and using what works out to be maybe 1/3 of a case, so I end up with lots leftover… so yes Mercuryhime, I’m feasting this weekend and you are welcome to take as much asparagus off my hands as you want, or feast with me! :P Tomorrow’s menu includes cream of asparagus soup and stir-fried asparagus with lemon and garlic. Perhaps I will splurge on some proscuitto and wrap some up to grill/bake as well! What are your tasty asparagus recipes?!
Yes, grilled asparagus is delicious :D For my research, I’m testing it by baking, boiling, pan-frying, grilling, microwaving and steaming. By far, baking and grilling (and pan-frying) smell and taste the best :D (Although that’s not what I’m looking for, haha.)
Wow! I want your job! You’ve probably tried all my favorite ways fro the sound of things but I loved asparagus roasted with a Parmesan crust. Also shaved on white pizza with crispy shallots.
Are we talking white or green asparagus here? For the green, lightly blanched or steamed asparagus work excellently in a risotto. :)
Mercuryhime – Ooh, parmesan crust. I often roast it and drizzle it with parmesan and lemon juice (ok, douse it in lemon juice), but I don’t usually put it back in the oven after I put on the parmesan, although I seem to recall that’s what I was “supposed” to do… might try that tonight too! What is white pizza? And how do you make crispy shallots, because that sounds good!
Angrboda – You correctly guessed green :) I actually haven’t even had white asparagus (shock, horror!) but I know in Europe it’s quite a bit bigger than here. I have had purple asparagus however, and it was extra sweet and delicious :D Asparagus in risotto sounds good – I even have arborio rice because my roomie and I experimented with a few risottos last semester! Any specific recipes??
As a matter of fact yes. Allow me to promote a food blogger going under the name of Formerchef. She has provided several dishes for the menu rotation in this household. Her recipes are easy to follow and there are good pictures so you can see what it’s supposed to look like. Here is the risotto. http://www.formerchef.com/2010/02/13/mushroom-and-asparagus-risotto
We don’t use proper arborio rice, though. They’re SO expensive in this country and only come in tiny packages with only a little more than what is needed for one meal. I just buy the cheap short-grained rice for rice porridge, and it works fine for just the two of us. If I were to make it for company, I might splurge. :) (Espeically if said company was the boyfriend’s Italian colleague and his wife, because I wouldn’t want them to faint with outrage. My boyfriend told me about a time when someone had explained how they made a specific cake or dessert to Italian Colleague, and how, when ‘nescafé’ was mentioned, it was like the light in his eyes just went out.)
Heck yes, that looks delicious! Wish my foodie roommate was here to make it with me, but I think I’ll still make it anyways (she will die of jealousy)! I actually have all of the ingredients, except for shiitake/portobello mushrooms (I should pick up some dried shiitakes. Love those things!) Thank you SO much!
I think arborio might actually be pretty expensive here too… but I bought it anyways. A full recipe usually makes at least 4 servings, so it’s worth it for me, and food is one thing I let myself splurge on. I think it’s about $4 for one package? I also don’t make risotto super often.
Also, the nescafe thing makes me giggle :) Yes, it would be an outrage to some people if you didn’t use “the proper” ingredients!!
For the Parmesan crust. I toss the spears with salt and olive oil then take a mixture of parm and bread crumbs to top it off. Broil till cooked! Asparagus should be tender and crispy still!
White pizza is basically without tomato sauce and extra cheeses like parm and provolone.
Crispy shallots are simply diced shallots pantries till crispy. Yum!
We should have a cooking party!
Risotto is a fairly stable type of dish in this household. :) But yeah, I still regularly tell the boyfriend that cooking is not an exact science. :p He’ll stand there and measure everything accurately, time every step, and find something else to cook entirely if he can’t use one of the listed ingredients, where I go by eye measure for a lot of things, hardly ever time anything unless it’s simmering or in the oven for a longer time and happily substitute or leave out ingredients that I don’t like or can’t get. :) He can’t make risotto without wine, for example, where as I tend to just use extra-strong stock or add a good splash of cooking sherry. And then, on the occasion where I do want to make something JUST SO, I get it thrown back in my face. “Cooking is not an exact science, you know!” :p
@Mercuryhime – That sounds yummy! I have everything but the bread crumbs, so should pick some up and try it! And I’d totally be down for a cooking party – I’ll supply the asparagus! Hahaha :D
@Angrboda – Totally made the risotto tonight (with modifications, because apparently I didn’t have as much chicken broth as I thought!), and it was delicious! Thanks so much for passing on the recipe! Also, I think I’m about half and half with the ‘exact science’ thing – I tend to be reasonably precise with measurements, but frequently substitute things if I feel it would work (although the first time I make a recipe I usually try to follow it as closely as I can).
The stock is not important anyway. With the boyfriend being vegetarian, any kind of stock in this house gets automatically translated to vegetable stock.
As for the exact science, he’s also funny with it because he’ll go out of his way to use the right sort of obscure cooking oil sometimes, but will happily substitute sorts of cheese without a second thought. I’ve never seen the logic of that one myself.