I found one! A teapot, that is. And it was just $5 from a local thrift store.
The title of this post is one of my favorite quotes from my favorite childhood book, Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye. It alludes to the unifying power of tea across cultures. It’s a sweet sentiment, I think.
One of my favorite autumn activities is making spices. I enjoy cooking much more in the fall and winter than during the hotter seasons, so I like to try out new spices and recipes.
(On a nerdier note, it also makes me feel like an alchemist when I use my big mortar and pestle. I like to pretend I’m my Skyrim character.)
I love the colors and textures of dried herbs and plants. I find the act of crushing peppercorns, smashing coriander and grinding sage leaves so relaxing. It feels and smells great.
Tonight I made dinner for my boyfriend and Andrew, and wanted to try something different, so I threw a spice mix together that turned out really good. I like to make spices based on themes, and I’ve been enjoying hearty, savory foods lately–lean meat, squash, green veggies, etc.. I had a bag of dried sage from a local farm, and I had a new bottle of whole black peppercorns. Both of these are strong flavors, so I wanted to balance it out with some mild flavors. I covered pork chops with this mix last night and the pepper and sage especially tasted great as a crust. This would also be good with chicken, pasta, butternut squash or cauliflower.
I got my spice jars at World Market and I love them! I tie a piece of hemp around the top just to make them look a little less industrial. You could also put the ingredients whole into a spice jar with a grinder lid. Enjoy!
I love fall produce. We picked up some squash when we were at Apple Hill a few weeks ago and I just now got around to using it. I love cooking with squash and root vegetables, because they are so colorful and turn into such different types of foods once cooked. I also like experimenting with different spices. It makes me feel like an alchemist. 
Butternut squash is by far my favorite of the squashes because it tastes a lot like sweet potatoes and is packed full of nutrients. It can be sweetened up for a more dessert-like dish, and it pairs well with savory flavors. Tonight I cooked it with couscous and beans, and it was a simple and filling dish with a touch of exotic. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients:
Steps:
Bon appétit!
In the past few years, I’ve made it a point to develop new skills outside of my element. When I graduated from college, I didn’t want to just be a bookworm like I’ve been my whole life. My favorite stories are fantasy or sci-fi, which means that the characters often possess knowledge on cool subjects or excel at particular activities. Becoming a part of the hacker/maker movement, including joining my local hackerspace, was huge in allowing me to explore new hobbies. Here are some I want to improve or develop.
Lockpicking
I’m a decent lockpicker, and I was actually supposed to work in the Lockpicking Village at this year’s DEFCON, a famous hacker convention in Las Vegas, but I was unable to go this year. (I’ll for sure be there next year, so if you go, you should come say hi!) I really want to excel at all forms of lockpicking so I can participate in more competitions. Lockpicking is an awesome skill for several reasons: it makes me more aware about the weaknesses of locks I depend on; it helps me develop good puzzle solving skills, while simultaneously improving my dexterity; and, um, it makes me kind of cool to carry around lockpicks or whip out a shim in no time. No? It doesn’t? Oh well. A girl can dream.
Blacksmithing
I have this not-so-secret dream to live in a little cottage in a mountain town like Truckee or Tahoe and work as a blacksmith. I think it would be awesome to have a hands-on trade, and I would love to design my own armor and weaponry to wear to Renaissance faires or, you know, to work (well, maybe not). When we buy our own house, hopefully in the near future, I want to set up my own blacksmith station. In the meantime, even though we have a garage, I can’t really set up an entire forge. For now, I’m going to start making my own knives, which is somewhat simpler process.
Homebrewing
Fall beers are the best, in my humble opinion. I feel like the best artisan brews are released this time of year. And yeah, okay, I’m just a sucker for pumpkin beer. It goes so well with my favorite fall foods, like stew or pies. Mmmm. I’ve been wanting to try some unconventional beer flavors, and I’d love to make other types of alcohol like mead. It’d be fun to make a brand and get custom bottles made. I love beer and trying different kinds of beer. My local hackerspace has homebrewing workshops, and we’re also going to set up a simple shop in our garage.
Clothesmaking
I’ve long dreamt of making my own clothes. I’m not much of a fan of shopping, unless it involves buying shoes like boots or accessories like funky jewelry or scarves. I wear pretty simple clothes–tunics and skirts, mostly–so it would be great to have a vision for something and make it myself instead of spending time and money hunting around for the perfect item. I can also make cool costumes or cosplay getups. I know how to sew by hand–I used to make clothes for my American Girl dolls–but I never learned how to use a sewing machine!
What other cool skills should I add to the list? Growing herbs, practicing throwing knives and archery, and fishing are also on the list, but some of that might wait until the spring.
It’s my wonderful boyfriend Andrew’s 24th birthday today! Unfortunately, I have to work today so we did a little celebrating before hand. We went to sushi, then came home and watched Doctor Who and ate ice cream cake. Tonight we’re going to a big wine tasting so we’ll still get to party. 
Happy birthday! I love you.
I was so excited when one of my favorite blogs, Inn at the Crossroads, announced that they were releasing a cookbook called A Feast of Ice & Fire: The Official Companion Cookbook for the Song of Ice and Fire book series, by George R. R. Martin (on which the popular HBO show Game of Thrones is based). It just so happened that their book was released right in time for Epic Fantasy Weekend 2012, so today during our Game of Thrones season 2 marathon, I tried out a few of the recipes. What better way to review a cookbook than by making its recipes, right?
In short: I can’t speak highly enough about this book. I’m not much of a chef–I generally stick to simple dishes with veggies and a bit of meat, and I rarely follow recipes. I’m also a terrible baker. But this book inspires me to research the food I enjoy, to think of it in the context of my favorite stories, and to get a bit creative with it on a regular basis. I sat down and read the book in its entirety over the weekend–it’s more than just a cookbook, it’s a book about history and literature. Well-written, funny, and sincere, this book is a great guide to Medieval cooking, and adapting it for the modern era. Plus, it’s beautifully designed, with great photographs.
While looking for recipes to make, I wanted something I could make with ingredients I already had around the house so I didn’t have to go shopping. This means that I had to adapt a few things here and there, but for the most part, I stayed true to the foods. I also made only Medieval recipes, not the modern ones (although I plan to try some of those soon too).
The menu:
Also on menu but not with recipes from the book:
Honey biscuits
I like these because they required no eggs or any baking–just mix it all together and fry it on a pan.
You’ll need:
I used wheat flour instead of bleached, and also opted for powdered cinnamon instead of ground, but I think ground would have been better.
I’m not much of a fan of wheat flour, but I rarely bake, so I keep it around the house just in case I need something for gravy or sauce. As a result, the biscuits were a bit on the blander side, but I think the original recipe would have been much better. Overall though, I enjoyed these as a simple and not overly sweet treat, and I’d like to make them again but add new ingredients like fruit or other spices.
Iced Milk with Honey
You’ll need:
I thought this would pair well with the biscuits, and it did. I used original almond milk and powered cinnamon, and this drink kind of reminds me of chai, one of my favorite drinks ever. I found it refreshing and the honey paired well with the biscuits.
You’ll notice how the honey sunk to the bottom, and I did not chill the drink enough so it separated quickly. My boyfriend recommended blending it, too, for a fun twist.
We were still hungry after our snack, so I decided to just make breakfast. Based on the ingredients I had at home, I had a go at the onions in gravy, which is in “The North” part of the book. I always identified with Winterfell and the Night’s Watch, and the food of the North matches my taste more than any other region. To make this into a proper breakfast, I also cooked some potatoes, steak and hard-boiled eggs. I’m calling this the “Woman of the Wall Breakfast,” since I would totally join the Night’s Watch.
This recipe was delicious. I love onions, and I love gravy, and I thought it made for a hearty breakfast food. The onions remain crunchy but the flavor is highlighted by the presence of apple cider and butter. Beef broth was the only thing I didn’t have, so I used a bit of salt water to compromise. Beef broth would help make this a great side dish for cold nights, but even in the summer, it was very good.
Even though these are some of the more simpler recipes in the book, cooking them while watching the show made me feel a part of the world in a completely new way. This cookbook is a must for any fantasy lover, even if you’re not familiar with A Song of Ice and Fire. In the meantime, also check out the website and browse the many other wonderful recipes. And let them know what you think!
Somehow, last year, the finale of the first season of Game of Thrones happened to correspond with the big Renaissance Faire held every year in Lake Tahoe. Luckily, it’s happening again this year, so I’m starting a yearly tradition to hold an Epic Fantasy Weekend to indulge my lifelong obsession with all things fantasy.
Last year during the unofficial Epic Fantasy Weekend, we played Oblivion (ah, the pre-Skyrim days…), rewatched all of GoT, drank a bunch of beer and went up to the Valhalla Renaissance Faire. And that’s pretty much what we’re doing again this year. It rained a lot the entire weekend, but if anything, it added to the whole vibe. We ate fish and chips in the forest of Camp Richardson, and stayed up late questing with candles lit around our desks and a supply of hefeweizen (with orange slices… mmm). It was pretty magical.
I’ve been to the Renaissance faire in Golden Gate Park, and the one that used to be held each year in Genoa, but the Tahoe one is by far my favorite. Lake Tahoe is pretty much one of the best places to have a ren faire, especially since it’s up in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, much of the local architecture is inspired by Scandinavian and Bavarian culture, and there is an abundance of restaurants/pubs with names like Black Bear Inn and The Divided Sky (and one called Fire & Ice, funny enough, although it’s a stir fry place). There’s also a freakin’ castle called Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay. Need I say more?
This year, we’ll be heading up to the faire. I haven’t really gotten an outfit together, but honestly, most of my closet consists of peasant skirts and scarves, so it shouldn’t be too hard to throw something together. Someday I’ll make an awesome Dark Brotherhood outfit like I’ve been dreaming of doing for a few years now.
I also want an outfit like these lovely ladies from last year’s faire.
I’ll also be seeing Snow White and the Huntsman, which is a movie I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for. That sounds dramatic, I know, but when I was a child, I yearned for the day where I could make a film adaptation of my favorite fairy tale characters starting rebellions instead of lusting after princes. I didn’t end up as a filmmaker, so it’s nice to know that others share my visions. No matter what the reviews say, I think I’m going to really like this movie. I was head over heels in love with Alice in Wonderland, another movie that got mixed reviews, but since the same producer is behind Snow White, I’m not too worried. Ever since I saw this promo image of Kristen Steward in armor–Snow White is wearing armor, people!–I’ve been extremely excited.
And while I’m really sad that GoT is ending until next year, I’m really excited to see the finale of this season–which has been freakin’ awesome, by the way.
Other items on the EPW 2012 agenda:
Annnd I also pre-ordered Guild Wars 2, but the beta weekend events don’t happen until next weekend. Can’t they move it up a week? Sigh.
So now I just have to get through one more day of work, and the festival can begin!
A few photos from the week taken by me and my significant other (follow him on Instagram @ando1337.)
Today Andrew and I went to the army surplus store and the restaurant surplus equipment store to hunt for unique items for our new place.
Then we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.
I got a pair of combat boots (one of my New Year’s resolutions!) and some ammo containers to use in my battleroom. Success, I say!
Andrew and I went to check out the Gold N’ Silver Inn Restaurant, which is a Reno staple and was featured on Drivers, Dive-Ins and Dives.
