Tea 1) steeping duration dramatically affects the paint-stripper tendency, so stronger tea for less time 2) brand matters
I like earl grey tea. But preferably Tazo or Numi. The Stash stuff doesn't float my boat. And the wholesome organic Taylor Maid Tea people make wimpy E.G. The Bigelow EG stuff is nasty (IMO. The rest of all'ya'll who like it can help yourselves, I'm leaving it for you especially.) The bergamot gives it a minty kick without tasting like toothpaste.
If you're looking cheap, Constant Comment actually makes a "tastes like something" tea and can be successfully steeped in about 20 seconds. The teabag can be reused about 4 times too if you don't wring it out (just set it dripping on a saucer and the teabag will suck that liquid back in).
If you do have overbrewed tea, the splash of milk is helpful to keep it from eating your guts from the inside.
If you like chai, there have been several recipes floating around on how to make it yourself. Whole spices simmered in water for 10-20 minutes, then loose tea added and simmered for 3 minutes, then strain. (You'd have to experiment to find which spices suit you, but you could probably make up several quarts of the stuff and refrigerate.) I like the Tazo chai pretty well, but the Numi one is tastier, IMO.
I don't really like honey in most teas. But my honey is locally made and dark like molasses. I do like it in chai though.
Cooking. (all jumbled together) You get better at it by doing. That's the one thing I wish I'd known earlier. Two, have a box of instant oatmeal on hand for backup if there's a complete failure. Just knowing it's there means you can experiment. Three, all that stuff they say you need, you don't need all of it. You need a cutting board and a knife--- and the stamped ones are fine you don't need a hundred dollar forged blade. Buy a decent $20 one and get a new one next year. You need a giant mixing bowl because mixing is a lot easier when there's enough space... you can use it for a popcorn bowl too. I like wooden spoons. The fancy 3-way dicing of onions isn't actually necessary, you can take advantage of the layering of onions to save one of those. Use a big pot when you're boiling potatoes for mashing so you have room to stir them around and there aren't half cooked ones on the top and so there's plenty of room when you're smashing the potatoes later. Keep your real butter in the freezer except for the current stick you're using. If you don't use cheese that fast, you can freeze it. When a block of cheddar is mostly thawed, it will crumble and you don't need to grate it. Shredded carrots are invisible in spaghetti sauce and chili but add extra vitamins. You can add a scoop of canned pumpkin or microwaved banana (the heat makes fresh bananas melt) to pancake batter. Then they don't need syrup because they have flavor. You can use chai tea to thin out pumpkin pancake batter to great effect. Quiche doesn't actually need crust. Beaten eggs, sauted onions, washed baby spinach, cheese (optional cooked meats: ham, sausage, bacon, or smoked turkey all very tasty)... bake in greased casserole on 275F until done. When you're making a salad with chopped tomatoes and homemade dressing, put the tomatoes in the dressing bowl.. they pick up flavor from the dressing and the dressing gets the juices from the tomatoes making it tastier without making the salad watery. Salad with pre-cooked pasta and/or chicken in it is really good and feels like a meal, so when you're making chicken, make an extra piece, chop it into salad bits and freeze. That way when it's hot in the summer, you don't have to cook but you still have real food. (I like that salad American style with crumbled cheddar, tomatoes& dressing, shredded carrots and chopped celery. It's also good with hard boiled egg and bacon, but I never have those left over.) Hard boiled eggs are good warm. Toast and boiled egg makes for an excellent breakfast that doesn't take any longer than cereal.
and sugar warning... look at your bread label. I was astonished how much sugar was in even my artisan bakery breads. It's more than is in blueberry-bran muffins!
no subject
1) steeping duration dramatically affects the paint-stripper tendency, so stronger tea for less time
2) brand matters
I like earl grey tea. But preferably Tazo or Numi. The Stash stuff doesn't float my boat. And the wholesome organic Taylor Maid Tea people make wimpy E.G. The Bigelow EG stuff is nasty (IMO. The rest of all'ya'll who like it can help yourselves, I'm leaving it for you especially.) The bergamot gives it a minty kick without tasting like toothpaste.
If you're looking cheap, Constant Comment actually makes a "tastes like something" tea and can be successfully steeped in about 20 seconds. The teabag can be reused about 4 times too if you don't wring it out (just set it dripping on a saucer and the teabag will suck that liquid back in).
If you do have overbrewed tea, the splash of milk is helpful to keep it from eating your guts from the inside.
If you like chai, there have been several recipes floating around on how to make it yourself. Whole spices simmered in water for 10-20 minutes, then loose tea added and simmered for 3 minutes, then strain. (You'd have to experiment to find which spices suit you, but you could probably make up several quarts of the stuff and refrigerate.) I like the Tazo chai pretty well, but the Numi one is tastier, IMO.
I don't really like honey in most teas. But my honey is locally made and dark like molasses. I do like it in chai though.
Cooking. (all jumbled together) You get better at it by doing. That's the one thing I wish I'd known earlier. Two, have a box of instant oatmeal on hand for backup if there's a complete failure. Just knowing it's there means you can experiment. Three, all that stuff they say you need, you don't need all of it. You need a cutting board and a knife--- and the stamped ones are fine you don't need a hundred dollar forged blade. Buy a decent $20 one and get a new one next year. You need a giant mixing bowl because mixing is a lot easier when there's enough space... you can use it for a popcorn bowl too. I like wooden spoons. The fancy 3-way dicing of onions isn't actually necessary, you can take advantage of the layering of onions to save one of those. Use a big pot when you're boiling potatoes for mashing so you have room to stir them around and there aren't half cooked ones on the top and so there's plenty of room when you're smashing the potatoes later. Keep your real butter in the freezer except for the current stick you're using. If you don't use cheese that fast, you can freeze it. When a block of cheddar is mostly thawed, it will crumble and you don't need to grate it. Shredded carrots are invisible in spaghetti sauce and chili but add extra vitamins. You can add a scoop of canned pumpkin or microwaved banana (the heat makes fresh bananas melt) to pancake batter. Then they don't need syrup because they have flavor. You can use chai tea to thin out pumpkin pancake batter to great effect. Quiche doesn't actually need crust. Beaten eggs, sauted onions, washed baby spinach, cheese (optional cooked meats: ham, sausage, bacon, or smoked turkey all very tasty)... bake in greased casserole on 275F until done. When you're making a salad with chopped tomatoes and homemade dressing, put the tomatoes in the dressing bowl.. they pick up flavor from the dressing and the dressing gets the juices from the tomatoes making it tastier without making the salad watery. Salad with pre-cooked pasta and/or chicken in it is really good and feels like a meal, so when you're making chicken, make an extra piece, chop it into salad bits and freeze. That way when it's hot in the summer, you don't have to cook but you still have real food. (I like that salad American style with crumbled cheddar, tomatoes& dressing, shredded carrots and chopped celery. It's also good with hard boiled egg and bacon, but I never have those left over.) Hard boiled eggs are good warm. Toast and boiled egg makes for an excellent breakfast that doesn't take any longer than cereal.
and sugar warning... look at your bread label. I was astonished how much sugar was in even my artisan bakery breads. It's more than is in blueberry-bran muffins!