Matcha Latte

We have been drinking matcha lattes daily.

Find a very good quality matcha tea powder.  Research it well.  Buy online or from your local grocery store.

For a latte, an electric frother is essential.  No worries, they are very easy to operate and clean.  They also are versatile.  You could enjoy simply warming your creamer or milk for coffee.

The bamboo whisk and 2-cup measuring cup are important to have.

You could do without the sift and half-teaspoon, but I enjoy the consistent and smooth taste they create.

You can go with regular dairy milk or a healthier alternative.  We enjoy Oatly Oat Milk.  And if you desire to sweeten your matcha latte, cane sugar is fabulous, and is what most tea shops use.  Agave is also very good, and it can be added to the frother with the milk to be warmed together.

I will add a how-to-make video later.  There are plenty on YouTube.  As with most things, practice makes perfect.  

Give a Matcha Latte a try.

Good Meal

Chicken Red Curry

Morning Glory

Omelet

Asiana Market

South Asheville now has a big market where you can buy the ingredients you need.  Saturday afternoons are great times to go since a lot of fresh produce is shipped in then.

Asiana Market

Fruit Som Tam

recipe

Khanom Tom (Coconut Balls)

recipe

I made another big batch, this time using Pandan (coloring, flavor and fragrance) and Peabody Pea extract (the purple).

Som Tam Thai

I made this popular Thai salad for the very first time.   It is a green papaya salad that comes from Northeastern Thailand.  Ingredients: green papaya, carrots, green long beans, cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, chillies, dried shrimp, palm sugar, juicy limes, fish sauce and roasted peanuts.

In Thailand, you often eat Som Tam with slices of grilled pork neck and roasted chicken.  And you have to have sticky rice!

It's sour, spicy, sweet, salty and savory. 

 There's also a lot of fiber and vitamins, and it's low in calories, fats and carbs.

These peanuts came from South Alabama, where my husband is from.

Last June, we went to the restaurant Saibaiji in Bangkok.  Check out some of the Som Tams on their menu.

Ingredients can really vary: pickled crabs, fermented fish sauce,  Mama noodles, mixed fruit, sweet corn, green mango, salted eggs, guava, grilled pork, lotus roots, glass noodles, young coconut and mixed seafood.

Click here for more of our photos at Sabaijai.  The menu is unbelievable.

And click here for the ultimate guide to Som Tam.

For ingredients like green papaya, fish sauce and dried shrimp, I like YZ Asian Market in Asheville.

Homemade Kimchi

Takes at least two weeks to ferment if you leave it outside the refrigerator.  Here's recipe for a real Korean version of kimchi.  I did a healthier viersion of kimchi, using only these raw food ingredients: napa cabbage, scallions, carrots, daikon, ginger, crushed red pepper, garlic, celtic sea salt and paprika.

Honey Roasted Peanuts

I started with fresh peanuts we got in South Alabama.   I've roasted them, and they were good that way.  The honey roasted ones have been our favorite, though.  I will add the recipe later.

Nibbles

Mainly wanted to show off the charcuterie board.  See the bear?  We love all kinds of cheeses, nuts, fruits and honey.  We've also been enjoying some plant-based cheeses as well.  A set-up like this is good when friends come over for cocktails.  But sometimes we just like the nibbles just for ourselves.

Raspberry Champagne Cakes

King

plus Prince

add a Queen

and another King

a little charcuterie spread for a friend

a cocktail and entire cake for my friend's birthday