Tea Lifestyle-Stevia recipes-Pumpkin bread No.1

I had no internet and phone for a few days because of the snow storm;(( Can you imagine how bad it was? I had to drive to the closest Fedex office everyday to check my emails.

Today I decided to give myself a treat, a real treat I always wanted!! I cooked some pumkins last night and had some left-overs. So I decided to make a Pumpkin Bread this morning. While baking the bread, a technician from Verizon, Joe, came in to fix the internet issue.

Joe could not resist the smell of the bread and started asking me questions. HAHAGIGIGAGA!! He was cute;))

Joe-Smells really good.
Me-Pumpkin bread
Joe-It smells like Pumpkin bread. He smiles
Me-I use stevia instead of sugar and all fresh ingredients for my cooking.
Joe-Used to eat a lot of sweet foods. That's why I'm fat (I do not think he is fat). Lost 50 lbs and was a pre-diabete. Used to go to McDonalds or Donkin Donuts 5 times a day because of my working schedules. Now my wife prepares meals for me at home.
Me-Well, this might be the perfect bread for you. No sugar added and I used some Whole Wheat in my bread. It tastes delicate. Try this Earl Gray Cranberry Jam I made (I was trying to sell my jam to Joe;))) with the bread.
Joe-It tastes really great with the Jam!

I was soo flattered that I decided to ask him to take half of the pumpkin bread home after done;)) He happily did it;)))

Benefits:
Low calories, Low Chalestrol, low fat, low salt, no sugar added. It tastes lightly sweet, delicate, smooth, subtle....and...yum yum!!

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes Pumpkin is good for the "Chi" in your body. It is rich in Vitamine A, and minerals such as Phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc

Pumpkin is good for eyes and skin. Pumpkin seeds can help prevent kidney stones (Phosphorus) and prostate cancer.

But avoid overeating it or eat it when you are taking Chinese medicine.

I got this recipe on All Recipes, but made few changes so that it not only tastes good, but also healthy healthy!

Ingredients (it makes roughly 1 loaf of bread) 

1/2 cup freshly cooked pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup stevia (or adjusted per your preference)
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp light salt
1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

1. Steam 1/2 Pumpkin* until cooked. Roughly 15 minutes. Then spoon the flesh out in a bowl. Mash it with a spoon. (I let the pumpkin cool down and mashed it with my hands. I love to touch my food and it's fun!!)

2. Preheat the over to 350 F. Greese and flour the 9x5 inch loaf pan.

3. Mix the Pumpkin puree, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, , eggs, stevia, and olive oil. Add all flour in and mix well.

4. Bake for 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in center come out clean.

Food Paring:

You can eat the pumpkin bread with green tea, or herbal tea. It's great for afternoon tea. 

Tips:

1. *I used Butter Pumpkin, smaller in size and taste very smooth! When you steam pumkin, do it with skin. Afer the cooked pumpkin cool down, use spoon to get the flesh out. This is the laziest way to eat pumpkin without spending half hour to peal off the skin;)))

2. Pumpkin seeds-I do not like to waste any thing. I clean the pumpkin seeds and put it in a heated pan (no oil added) until cooked. The seeds are the perfect snack food. You can eat them with their shell!!! Good way to exercise your facial muscle, your draw;)))) HA!

Japanese foods on your menu?-a report from Mitsuwa

Japanese Luxy Lunch Box

Drove to Mitsuwa today because they are having a special event. Few Japanese chefs flew in to cook for the American folks here in NJ!! I love everything freshly made!! Who doesn't?;))

It was really crowded at the supermarket!!! It took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot!! Anyway, it was worth the time waiting. I bought few things here:

Jumbo Kintsuba Green Tea

Jumbo Kintsuba Chestnut

Meat Croquette

Everything is delicious. I am a big DIY person;)). Occassionally go out to search for fun foods! The two Jumbo Kintsuba are mainly made with red beans which is traditional Japanese dessert type of food. The Meat Croquette is made with onion, beef and pork. The most delicious one is the Luxy lunch box-different kinds of fish eggs (I can not really tell), crab meat, crab eggs, Japaness style pickle and rice. The rice under tastes a little bit fruity. They might add some juice while cooking it.

Also bought some ice cream-triple bowl: green tea, vanilla and chocolate!!!

I could not wait to get home to taste my yum food!! But had to wait cause I really wanted to take pictures of them before they are gone!!

Drank tons of green tea after the meal... This is the laziest way to stay healthy;)))

First Snow in 2011!!!

I love snow, even though I have to clean my car every few hours;((( Good reason to do some exerciess!! ha!

Quickly captured few shots yesterday! My poor flowers are frozen;((( I have been taking care of my plants in the last 5 months and they just started blossoming....

Let it snow
Let it snow
Laughing all the way!!

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Happie Hallololololoween Tea lovers!!! hope you have a wonderful, while windy, happy, while scary Halloween teakend!!!

Photos by Paw Prints Charming

Tea Lifestyle-Recipes-Natural Apple Cuppa with Cinnamon

Apple is not just a fruit any more! It's a company that brings changes to hi-tech, entertaining, publishing, telecommuting industries and more.

I create this recipe in memory of Steve Jobs, the man who loved apples.


The first computer I ever used was called Apple II (never heard of it? then you are too young;))should be "antique" now). It was a black screen and I had to type in some commands to do calculations. It was a very cool experience.

The second time was when I moved to the US. Apple computers were very popular on campus (probably still are) and I used Mac desktop for all my computer science classes.

Right now many people own an iphone. But do you know a fun story about the first iphone? When the first iphone was released, many media were so excited about the new product-stylish design, touch and bigger screen, etc. but soon people found you can do many things with this beautiful device, but there's one thing you can not do: you can not make a call with this phone!!;)))) Apple added the phone function immediately.  Now you can make a call with your iphone now!

This recipe is simple, tasty, natural and keeps everything original. Mr. Jobs loved simple design and was a vegeterian. He went to India when he was young. Indian foods are flavorful and normally come with deep aroma from spices.

Benefits
Apple, a once forbidden fruit, is  rich in antioxidant (both from tea and apple) and minirals. It's said "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"!!

This recipe uses everything natural, great aroma from cinnamon and apple. Low calories, no cholestrol, no sugar added. It helps weight control as well. Best of all-YOU can do it because it's easy!!

And...not much cleanning to do, yal!! After done, just eat the apple;)))

Ingredients:

• Two apples (or you can use one if only one person, wouldn't you want to share this wonderful tea with ya friends?;))
• 1 tbsp Black tea (or green if you prefer)-recommend using whole leaves. If not, use 1 teaspoon of black tea
• 8 oz boiling water
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions:
1. pour 8 oz of boiling water into your cup then add 1 tbsp of black tea. Brew for about 3-4 minutes. I always prefer my tea light.

2. Make an Apple cuppa-use smaller spoon to mark a circle on the top of an apple then take all the apple flesh out. It should leave enough space to hold your tea

3. Pour the hot black tea into your apple cuppa. Use 1 cinnamon stick to stir a little bit to get some aroma.

That's it!! Yum Yum!!

Tea Lifestyle-recipes-Whole wheat Matcha faces inspired by funny cat pictures;))

My friend's daughter was very upset because her dog died yesterday!!!;(( so sad! The puppy was trying to jump up on the bed, but failed. He was just 4 years old! The doctor said it was due to heart failure;(( I wish the little puppy found a home and friends in heaven!

I was trying to cheering her up and made this recipe!

This recipe was inspired by these two pictures I found on Flickr!! ;)) They belong to Mdf1281

Funny cat faces by Mdf1281 on flicr

Funny cat faces by Mdf1281 on Flickr

Benefits: It makes you and your stomache huppie;)) A happy ending all the time!! Low fat, full of fiber, delicate aroma, sour and sweet taste!

Ingredients:

A.

1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

½  cups all purpose flour

½ tsp light salt

2-1/2 tbsp baking powder

2-1/2 tbsp stevia extract

B.

1/3 cups butter

1 cup of vanilla soya milk (i use organic vanilla soya milk bought from costco)

1 tsp lemon juice (or half lemon)

Lemon zest 

C.

Grapes

Matcha-roughly 2-3 tsp

1.       Mix A evenly

2.       Add B into A and make a dough. Sprinkle a little bit all purpose flour so that you can roll it.

3.       Preheat the oven 450F

4.       Roll the dough to a square shape, roughly ½ inches thick, and cut into 2” by 2" square shape roughly 36 pieces. That's the skin.

5.       Use the skin to wrap the grape and make it a ball like shape

6.       Put in oven for about 12-15 minutes

7.       Matcha paste-mix matcha with very little water to make a thick match paste, more looks like paint.

8.       12 minutes later, take the whole wheat balls out and paint them with matcha paste!!

Have fun my dear tea friends!! Happy every day!!!;)



Tea Lifestyle: Non-sugar Recipes: Earl Gray Cranberry Jam

I love love seasonal foods which offer the best nutrition!! Nothing can compare the foods from the right season-fresh, flavorful, natural, the BEST! Did you notice veggie from green house does not taste the same as the ones grown in Summer!

I bought a bag of cranberries from Costco. After cleanning and throwing out the bad ones, I have two pounds left;-((( This is the benefit of cooking at home-you have the best quality and freshest ingredients. And the result? Your foods taste the best!!;))

I like  Heidi's 101 cookbooks, but normally make my own. I'm very hesitated to eat high calory foods, so I'd like my foods the healthiest one!! I replace sugar with Stevia in cooking. 

Benefits: low calories, no extra sugar added. Cranberry is ranked the top of 277 commonly consumed foods by USDA, in terms of ORAC score (Oxigen Radica Absorbtion Capacity). 

Ingredients:

2 lb Cranberries

1-1/2 cups of Stevia (you can use slightly more if you have a sweet tooth)

1 tsp Tequila

1 tsp kahlua

1/2 cup strong earl Gray

1 ripe peach

Instructions:

1. clean cranberries and get rid of the bad ones. you can let it drained for a whole night. I use paper towl to dry it.

2. Put it in food processor-Liquefy for 30 seconds or longer. I prefer my jam creamy. It's also easier to cook.

3. Boil hot water to brew Earl Grey-3 tbsp Earl Grey with 1 cup of water. Brew 5 minutes.

4. Peel the skin of peach and use the back of spoon to mash it.

5. Mix well all the ingredients-Earl Gray tea, cranberries, liquors, stevia, peach all together in a non-stick pot. Put it on stove until boil then simmer until the jam becomes thick and creamy. Need to stir often to avoid getting burned at the bottom. 

That's it!! you can use this delicious Earl Grey Cranberry jam for many things-dipping sauces, cook fishes (I did last night and it was de-li-cious!), meat, BBQ (Oh yeah!), salads dressings, etc!!!

Wanna try it? Invite me to your party;)))

Tea 101-The mystery of Iced Tea

I remember I read an article posted on The Tea Association of USA-Iced Tea: The Distinctively American Beverage by Steven Smith and Steven Wright. This is not the first time I read articles which referred Richard Blechynden as the person who "invented" iced tea.

While others might say, like another article 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair by Lyndon N. Irwin, that iced tea was invented earlier than 1904.

I have never had real evidence until I bought an old old cook book-The Century Cook Book by Mary Ronald. I love yard sales and enjoy the smell from old items. One time I stopped by at a yard sale in Livingston and bought over hundreds dollars worth of old books @ $1 each!! I struggled to find a space for these treasure!!

The other day I was thinking to find out how people in early 20 centuries brew their tea then I found this "Iced tea" session in my book!! The one I have was published in 1904, 2nd edition. It was copyrighted in 1895. That means before 1895 or earlier, iced tea was not too new for Americans.

 

While I contined my research, I found another interesting book online-The Kentuky Housewife by Mrs. Lettic Bryan, which was published in 1839!! There's no really iced tea recipe, but it included some thing like "Iced Orange juice", "Iced Cherry Juice"

"Iced Cherry Juice:

Beat the white of 6 eggs to a stiff froth, mix them well with a quart of thick cherry juice, and three quarters of a pound of powdered loaf sugar, still it until sugar is dissolved and freeze it. "

 

 This means before 1839, people already knew how to make iced beverages!!!

People, like Russian, or Inuit, who live in cold weather learned how to store food in iced or snow houses. I know Russians used to make iced beer in old days.

Who first started iced tea then? To me, it's a mystery!

Do you know any?

Tea 101-Things you may not know about tea (part 1)

When I was very young, one of my best friends' father bought some "bubble candy" after a trip to Europe. "You can use it to make bubbles", she then showed me a big big bubble on her face...it was soo pretty, pink bubble, pink skirt, with a pink ribbon on her hair! A group of boys always followed behind her every time she did the bubbles! She used to use her precious "bubble candy" in exchange for the best meals in the whole town!!

Never knew the "bubble candy" is used to fresh one's mouth until I moved to the US. Always thought it was a toy!! And it's called gum, not "bubble candy".

What did our ancestors chrew to fresh their mouth after having onion? I know Chinese used to chew tea leaves to remove bad odors from their mouth. That's what I learned from my grandpa.

Why, you may wonder?

Tea leaves can obsorb any smells and moisture in the air. That's why we need to store teas in a well-sealed jar and consume it quickly. One thing gum does not have, but tea HAS is fluorine, a natural component of tea. It helps prevent cavity.

You can actually put some tea leaves in your refrige as an odor remover! try it!!

One time I told a sale rep that tea can obsorb odors. He then said, Jane, can I put tea leaves in my shoes? Of course you can!! but do not drink it afterwards!! Remember that!! It would be euhhh.....

Put some tea leaves in your shose today and see what happens!! let me know how it goes;))

Tea Lifestyle: recipes-whole wheat strawberry green tea pancake!!!

I always wake up with an empty stomach every morning! And my breakfast normally is a meal;))) One time I read an article-"how to lose weight while sleeping"! That's why-sleeping well is a good exercise!!;)) I probably "jog" a lot in my dream;))

Today I decide to try Whole wheat strawberry green tea pancake!!! One time I had few strawberries in my refridge, but did not know what I could use them for. I added them to my pancake...it was sooo delicious!!! The aroma from strawberry always makes my mouth watering! It also add rich flavor and juicy to the pancake.

Benefits-low calories, low cholesterol, rich in fiber, proteins, antioxidant, vitamins, and minerals, enough energy to keep your morning going, very healthy, tastes not too sweet.

Ingredients:












A.
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
¼ cup pan roasted Oat meal flakes
2-½ teaspoon corn starch
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5  strawberries
1 cup of Green tea (1 table spoon of green tea brewed with 8 oz water)

B.      Honey (few drizzles)
C.      Yogurt (fat free)
D.      Multiple strawberries for display
E.    Green matcha paste (optional)

Instructions:

1.       5 strawberries in blender, 2-3 quick “Stir”. Just in small pieces, not liquid.

2.       Mix everything from A together until smooth

3.       It generates roughly 4 medium sized pancakes.

Add some plain yogurt between the two pancakes, additional strawberries on top, and pour some honey