A Day in the Life of the Experimental Alchemist

It is November, which means it is the darkest month of the year.  I have to tell myself to just hunker down and hibernate, because the sun will start coming back eventually!  But when it is gray and rainy all day and gets dark at 4:30 pm, all I want to do is lay around in my PJs and drink some hot tea.  So, I set out to get cozy because I love when house is warm, and the stove is steaming and bubbling away!  Today on the menu was homemade chai, falafel with fried egg, spicy shredded beef, pot beans, homemade salsa, and homemade tortillas.

Last Night: We ran out of my favorite, non-caffeinated Chai Rooibos tea last night.  It is the perfect cup of sweet, spicy goodness topped with creamy almond milk.  It is the best thing to send you off to a good night's sleep.  But since we didn't have any left, I decided to make my own.  I have made homemade chai before, though I've never been satisfied with the results.  Unfortunately, tonight was no different.  I was trying to make a non-caffeinated version, so I left out the black tea:

#1 Version of Chai Tea:

3 ginger tea bags
1 large cinnamon stick
1 TB cardamom pods
1 TB fennel seeds
1 TB whole cloves
1 quart hot water

Add all ingredient to a large drink container (I used a quart-sized glass pitcher) and let steep.

Although tasty, this was a very weak combination. I decided to put it in the fridge and let it keep steeping overnight.

This Morning:  This morning I decided to add black tea to my chai infusion to give it more flavor (and caffeine).  I made 1 quart of black tea and added it to the chai mix.  I then added about 1 cup of milk.  I could have used more milk, but I ran out this morning...grocery time!  It was still too weak, so I added about 1 TB of honey to sweeten it.

Well, I'm still not satisfied.  I think it was too weak, not creamy enough, and not quite the spicy sweetness that I desired.  It is certainly drinkable, but it needs some more experimentation!!


Later This Morning:  I was happily frying up my falafel patties,

loading the dishwasher, and daydreaming up my new blog post...when this happened:

FAIL: this is what happens when your pan is too hot...and you turn your back on it.

Lesson Learned: Don't turn your back on frying falafel!

Hopefully my pot beans and spicy shredded beef will turn out better!

Mid-Afternoon to Early Evening:
After a fail-er-ific breakfast, my late lunch/early dinner was much more successful.  I keep several pots simmering on the stove all afternoon and came out with some pretty tasty food!

Pot Beans:

4 cups beans
2 quarts stock or water
1/2 cup onion...medium dice

Soak beans overnight (or at least 8 hours).  Put all ingredient in a pot.  BTAB/RTAS. Simmer uncovered until beans are very soft and liquid has reduced significantly...about 1 1/2 hours.  Add more liquid if necessary.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE:  Adding salt before the beans are soft slows the cooking process meaning your beans will take a lot longer to soften if you add salt right away.


Spicy Shredded Beef:

1 pound chuck roast
1 cup tomatoes, rough chop (canned are fine)
1 cup onion, medium dice
3-4 cloves garlic, rough chop
1 quart chicken stock (or whatever you have on hand.  Water is good, too)
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce or to taste
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Add everything into a pot.  BTAB/RTAS.  Simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is soft enough to shred.  Skim off any fat on the top.

Take beef out and shred (I used 2 forks).  Add back to liquid and use as burrito filling, enchilada filling, or eat as it with beans and rice.

Roasted Salsa:

1 cup onion, rough chop
1 cup tomatoes, rough chop (I used whole canned tomatoes)
3 jalapenos, whole (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
3-5 cloves garlic, in skins
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Put vegetables (and fruits) in a shallow baking dish.  Leave room between veggies so they have room to brown.  Pour olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Broil in oven (or bake at 450F) until tender and browned. Cool and peel garlic.  Then puree in food processor until smooth.  Adjust salt to taste and serve.

Flour Tortillas (from the Joy of Cooking):

2 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup shortening or lard  (I used coconut oil...refined, so it doesn't taste like coconut)
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot (115-130F) water

Add ingredient into a dough mixer and mix until smooth.  Divide dough into 8 equal portions and let rest 20 minutes.  Roll each ball into a flat circle about 1/4 inch thick.  Heat a skillet to medium high heat and cook tortillas on both sides about 30 secs to 1 min each.  Serve warm.
Note:  Whole wheat flour will make these tortillas denser than you may like.  This was the only flour I had available, and I also like the taste, so I made them with wheat flour.  I also don't like shortening, and usually don't have lard on hand, so I used coconut oil which is hard at room temp.  I have also use olive oil and vegetable oil, which works pretty well, too.  Though, as you can see from the pictures, I have not yet perfected the perfect circle! Lol!

So, all in all, it was a good day.  I didn't perfect the falafel, but I made some tasty food that was tender, spicy, tomato-y, beefy goodness.  I succeeded in staying in my PJs all day, and drank lots of tea.  And with a glass of red wine and some Skyrim...I think I can get through November just fine!