Archive for drinks

Glögg and ginger cookies

December 1, 2007 at 5:54 pm · Filed under christmas, drinks, winter

Hi, my name is Maggan. Welcome to Maggan’s kitchen!

In the spirit of Advent, our employer treated us to ginger cookies and non-alcoholic mulled wine called glögg in these parts. There were raisins and almonds which I thought were for the taking. Like finger food. Silly me.

According to Wikepedia, mulled wine or glögg is traditionally cheap red wine that has gone bad and then spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, and then sweetened with honey or sugar to make it drinkable again. Almonds and raisins are also added. It is traditionally drunk warm during winter, especially around Christmas.

Today was my second attempt to like the glögg. Last year, I had bought a bottle of non-alcoholic glögg to taste. I found it too sweet. The rest I couldn’t figure out. After a couple of sips, I gave up.

My second attempt was no better than the first. I learned new things and truths though. That glögg is supposed to be warm and poured in a cup with raisins and almonds. That the raisins and the almonds are set on the table beside the glögg not as finger foods. That I don’t like glögg.

In the same spirit, of Advent that is, Tippy, Penny, X, and I are going on an outing tomorrow. We are going to the outlet stores in Barkarby to do some Christmas shopping or window-shopping. I wonder what I’ll find there.

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Teapot–my latest kitchen buy

August 24, 2007 at 10:56 pm · Filed under drinks, gadgets

Hi, my name is Maggan. Welcome to Maggan’s kitchen!

During Jo’s early years, she learned a song about a teapot. She learned it with choreography which made it fun and easy to remember.

I’m a little teapot short and stout

Here is my handle (Jo placed one hand on the hip to imitate the handle), and here is my spout (Jo raised the other hand in the air to imitate the spout)

When I get all steamed up then I shout

Tip me over and pour me out (Jo leaned to the side where the arm was raised).

Last week, I bought myself a nice teapot at The Ants (I love this second-hand shop). It is short and stout like in the song. Thick, heavy, and undamaged. Its dot design matches the cups I inherited from B 2 years ago. Most of all, the price was a bargain.

The purchase was to complement my habit of sipping a warm and relaxing drink. Most recently, green tea with lemongrass and ginger for detox and cleansing. Before this, it was chamomile for calm and relaxation.

My habit is carried out Japanese style, my friends. Noisy but very liberating. S-l-u-r-p. S-l-u-r-p. This is precisely the reason why I do it only at home, and our flat has double windowpanes and good sound insulation. That H hasn’t complained yet may have something to do with his thing for Japan and Japanese culture.

Herbal teas are best when infused. I leave it in the teapot with newly boiled water for 3-5 minutes before I pour myself a cup. Besides, I believe that one teabag of the finer teas are good for 2 cups. Wanna cuppa? I promise I won’t make any noise.

Two days ago, I learned that tea-drinking and hot baths didn’t combine well and that sipping tea in that set-up didn’t create a spa ambience. While sauna and tea-drinking are probably a good match, I have yet to try it.

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Tropicana smoothie

July 12, 2007 at 7:37 pm · Filed under drinks, food, summer

Hi, my name is Maggan. Welcome to Maggan’s kitchen!

This afternoon, I concocted a healthy drink with all the flavours of the tropics. Smoothie with banana, coconut, and pineapple. The mere thought of it makes me shake all over.

I already had the ingredients at home. 3 bananas, 3 slices pineapple, 1 decilitre juice from the pineapple, 1-2 decilitres dessicated coconut, 5 decilitres fresh milk, 5-6 decilitres natural yoghurt.

I mashed the bananas. Chopped the pineapple slices in a food processor. Mixed all the ingredients in a bowl. Got our vintage hand mixer since I have neither blender nor smoothie maker. The hand mixer works just as well as long as the fruits are chopped or mashed.

I worked on the mixture with the hand mixer for around 5 minutes ensuring that the ingredients are well blended. Cooled it in the fridge until Kael arrived.

Kael dropped by to get his present for his golden birthday. H and I had originally planned to go to his place but Kael offered to drive by instead. Really sweet, I think. And for that, Kael deserved a tropicana smoothie. He was delighted and able to guess right away that there was coconut in it.

My tropicana smoothie not only provided summer feeling (on a rainy day). It also made me hear calypso music. Or was it my tinnitus?

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A fruit smoothie for M

April 27, 2007 at 2:06 pm · Filed under drinks

Hi, my name is Maggan. Welcome to my kitchen! 

Exciting! M is coming over later. A cool smoothie is perfect for the afternoon visit. 

I can’t find my smoothie recipe. Panic! I have a mountain of lose recipes and I have no time to look for it. Panic! M is coming! Panic! 

Now, let’s see. I think it’s 3 decilitres natural yoghurt (with vanilla or melon or honey flavour). 6 decilitres fresh milk. Okay, so that’s 1 part yoghurt to 2 parts milk. Then I think, it’s 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Then 2-3 decilitres of any of these fruits: (banana, mango, apple, melon, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, boysenberry, nectarine, peach). Put all ingredients in a blender or smoothiemaker. Mix, blend, whip, liquefy until the mixture becomes smooth.

Since I neither have a blender nor a smoothiemaker, I use the mixer. You know, the one ordinarily used for beating or whipping eggs when baking. But before I put the fruit in, I chop them using my electric chopper, the early version of the food processor. Vintage. After chopping, I add the fruit pieces into the yoghurt and milk mixture. I beat and whip and beat and whip it until smooth. Taste. Delicious! Cool in the refrigerator until M arrives. 

While waiting for M, I’m sitting in the sofa pretending everything is normal. Switch on the TV. Switch off the TV. Start reading yesterday’s paper. The older ones are neatly piled on the side table. They’re for future reading. Waiting. Waiting.

Ding dong! Yes, smoothie time!

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A Mexican evening

April 18, 2007 at 9:39 am · Filed under cooking, drinks, food, meat

Hi, my name is Maggan. Welcome to Maggan’s kitchen!

Theme: Mexican 

Menu: Burrito 

Ingredients: Soft tortilla bread, ground beef, taco spice mix, fresh tomatoes, red capsicum or bell pepper, onion, avocado, sour cream or crème fraiche, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, garlic, cheese, iceberg salad, tomato salsa 

Procedure:1. On a piece of tortilla bread, spread a good amount of guacamole (avocado, crème fraiche, garlic). 2. Add 5-7 tablespoons taco-flavoured cooked beef. 3. Put tomato, onion, capsicum slices on top of the beef. 4. Put iceberg lettuce. 5. Top with grated cheese. 6. Fold one end (left or right) of the tortilla bread. 7. Fold up the lower part of the tortilla. 8. Fold down the upper part so that it covers the lower fold. 9. Hold the folded tortilla tightly with two hands, one hand holding the bottom end. 

We had this for dinner the day before yesterday. I was very hungry. H and I had 3 burritos each. Next time, I want to have burritos with some fresh watermelon juice drink. 

Watermelon drink: 1. In a blender, put watermelon wedges. Include seeds if the fruit has seeds. 2. Blend and liquefy. 3. Pour into a glass. 4. Serve chilled with mint leaves (this is optional).

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