The Americana

Went shopping at The Americana in Glendale today with Alex and the Abarca twins =)  Great shopping, good food, tons of laughter and got to try Crumbs Bakery.  Can't wait to go to the original Crumbs Bakery in New York!!!  Even got some Peet's coffee...can't get any better!

Sweet Tea

Sweet tea is one of those things either you love it or you don't!  My husband loves it and I don't :)  When we are in Texas or some other southern state you can pretty much order it everywhere.  Well folks, we live in California and when you ask for sweet tea the waitress/waiter looks at you like you fell out off a turnip truck or something.  It's like duh, add sugar yourself.   There are a couple of places to get a good sweet tea (not that I personally order it) here close - Lucille's, Popeyes and even McDonalds has a decent sweet tea.  Here is a recipe I received from a true southerner and they take their sweet tea serious -

Perfect Southern Sweet Iced Tea

6 tea bags
1 quart of cool filtered or bottled water
Pinch of baking soda, optional (I don't use it)
1 4-cup glass measuring cup for steeping
2 quart glass pitcher filled with ice
1 to 1-1/2 cups of sugar, more or less to taste
Fresh lemon, sliced or wedges, and some mint sprigs, also optional

Bring water to a full rolling boil.  Place the water and tea bags in the measuring cup.  Allow to sit for about 7 minutes.  Let the tea bags steep. Do not go longer than 7 minutes or you risk burning your tea leaves and will end up with a bitter tea.   Remove the tea bags.  For insurance against bitterness you can add just a pinch of baking soda - no more than 1/8 teaspoon - to the steeped tea. It will not affect the flavor, but will take away bitterness if you happened to have burned your tea leaves.

Fill your glass pitcher with ice, pour the sugar on top of the ice and slowly and carefully pour the hot, steaming tea over the ice. If you prefer a sweeter tea, go with 1-1/2 cups of sugar. Don’t pour hot tea directly into a glass pitcher without ice in it!!

Stir well and serve over even more ice, garnish with a sprig of mint leaves and a slice of lemon.

Tea Tips:
1. For perfect tea always start with fresh filtered cool water - never tap water!
2. Cloudiness is often caused by putting hot or still warm tea directly into a cold refrigerator. My method prevents this since you are pouring your steeped tea directly over ice cubes.

2. Bitterness in tea is caused by overcooking and burning the tea leaves - that is why it is important not to boil the teabags and not to steep them too long in boiling water. To counter, a pinch of baking soda - only about 1/8 of a teaspoon - can be added to the hot, steeped tea after you remove the bags. It will not affect the taste of your tea, and provides insurance against bitterness.

3. Use wooden spoons to squeeze your tea bags, a glass container - like a large Pyrex measuring cup - to steep your tea, and store it in a glass pitcher, not metal or plastic.
4. If you prefer your sweetened tea more on the sweet side, you'll probably want to go with 1-1/2 cups of sugar.

5. If you like lemon in your tea, try making ice cubes out of lemonade to use in the individual glasses. As they melt, they will infuse the tea with lemon flavor!

Saturday Mornings

Photo: Plamen Petkov

Here at the Pierce's, we usually have waffles for breakfast on Saturdays - one of those silly little traditions that just won' go away =).  Today Caleb requested pancakes.   I make a much better waffle and always seem to mess up the first few pancakes :(   I wish I had some gadget that made the perfect pancakes since they really are less work than waffles.  I found the following recipe in a magazine several years ago and absolutely love the flavor  -

The Ultimate Pancake
Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions
1.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, extract, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

3.Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Quote for the Day

Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think. ~ 



                        Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Spice Site

If you love to try new spices or are looking for some hard to find spices - check out this website

http://www.myspicesage.com/

I have found some great ready made seasonings and recipes as well.

Texas Sheet Cake

We have so been missing Texas!  I actually got this recipe from a Cooking Light magazine.  Light and fluffy yet rich and moist, Texas sheet cake is one of our favorite chocolate desserts.
Ingredients
Cake:
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs


Icing:
6 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.


To prepare the cake, coat a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Set prepared pan aside.


Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (2 cups flour through salt) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; pour into flour mixture. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.


To prepare the icing, combine 6 tablespoons butter, milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in powdered sugar, pecans, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread over hot cake. Cool completely on wire rack.


Note: You can also make this recipe in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 375º for 22 minutes.


For those who care, here is the nutritional information:
Amount per serving
Calories: 298
Calories from fat: 30%
Fat: 10g
Saturated fat: 5.5g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.2g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g
Protein: 3.1g
Carbohydrate: 49.8g
Fiber: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 44mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 188mg
Calcium: 25mg
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