Priya-style Chai

Since there was some talk about tea-related posts last week, I thought I'd chai-me in (get it!?!) with my friend Priya's excellent recipe for black tea with milk and spices. This makes one serving in a mug, which is why it has become my after-work snack.

Ingredients
- Black tea teabags (I use Red Rose brand because there are little prizes in the box)
- Ground cardamom
- Splenda or sugar
- Milk
- White pepper (optional)

How I make it
Put some water on to boil. In your favorite mug, arrange the teabag, a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of white pepper, and half a packet of Splenda OR 1 teaspoon sugar. Once the water is boiling, pour it over everything, leaving about an inch of room at the top of the mug. Let the ingredients steep for 3-5 minutes, then haul out the teabag and throw it away, or save it if you are extremely cheap and intend to use it again. Pour in as much milk as you like. Stir and enjoy.



Note
All the spices will sink to the bottom, so when you get to the end of your mug there will be a sludge that you should not drink. Trust me on this. If you saved that teabag from before, though, you can make another cup with your used teabag and used spices. Enjoy, Scrooge MacCheap!

Felted Pumpkins on Knitty

Pumpkins! are back for fall, and you can always count on Knitty for fun, original patterns for free, free, free. Hence these fancy little felted pumpkins. I imagine they'd be really fun to throw at someone, even if you can't use them to make a delicious pie.

Matt's Quick & Easy Brownies

This is the easiest brownie recipe I have ever found. Perfect when you just gotta have some chocolate.

Ingredients

• 2 - 4 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate (to taste)
  
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
  
• 1 c. sugar
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 t. vanilla
  
• 1/2 c. flour
  
• 1/2 bag (6 oz) chocolate chips (optional)

Optional Frosting
Some people just like their brownies frosted. This is a very quick and easy frosting that compliments these brownies quite well.

• 1/4 c. cocoa
• 3 T. butter
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• milk

Directions

for the brownies:

Melt the chocolate and butter together (about 2 mins. in the microwave). Stir together with a fork or whisk until completely mixed.

In a large mixing bowl mix sugar and eggs. While mixing, add chocolate mixture. Add vanilla. Add flour. Mix until just incorporated. For an extra kick, add 1/2 bag of your favorite chocolate chips (my favorite is Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet).

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Fill baking pan and level. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Alternately, if using individual muffin pan, bake for about 15 minutes. I love silicone baking pans, and I highly recommend them.

for the frosting:

Melt butter. Mix butter, cocoa and powdered sugar, alternating powdered sugar and small amounts of milk until all the powdered sugar is mixed and the frosting has a slightly stiff consistency. Once brownies have cooled completely, frost. Glass of milk strongly recommended :-)

Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This recipe is from Amy Sedaris' fantastic I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence



Ingredients

- 9-inch greased tube pan OR silicone bundt pan

For the cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


For the nut mixture
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar


Directions
You will be placing this cake in a cold oven, then setting the oven to 350 degrees and baking for 55 minutes.

Beat butter, sugar, and eggs together until light and fluffy. Blend in sour cream, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add vanilla and blend together well.

For nut mixture, grind 1 cup of finely chopped walnut meats in a small, hand, nut grinder, and mix with 1 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

If you're using the tube pan, spoon half the batter into the bottom of the pan (it will be very thick), sprinkle half the nut mixture over it, spoon in remaining batter, and sprinkle the rest of the nut mixture over the top. If using a bundt pan, sprinkle half the nut mixture into the bottom, then half the batter, the rest of the nuts, and the rest of the batter.

Place cake in cold oven and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Finished! Notre Dame de Grace

Pictures of my Notre Dame de Grace
- Pattern from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits
- Knit with Rowan Scottish Tweed DK , Color #030, on US 6 needles.


I call this one the 'Easy Rider'


I love looking out at the parking lot. I'm so glad our apartment is on this side of the building, and not the side facing the river.


Collar for president!


Detail of the back. Four more years for Collar!


Thanks for looking!

Thank you for HER blanket

Thanks to all those here and abroad for contributing to Hayley's college blanket. I think you'll agree that the results were spectacular! Needleworkers make the best friends. Hayley couldn't be happier.

Knitting time for Sept 8th changed to 4p

Due to unavoidable office politics, we will have knitting from 4-6p this saturday. Sorry for the late notice, but there was no way out of Wendy's office picnic. Hope to see you there!