I enjoy finishing off that last part of the broth with a nice handful, of white rice stirred around in the bowl. Makes for a complete meal.

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomatoes (I used 4 cluster tomatoes)
1 quart vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
5 ounces of baby spinach (FRESH)

The How To:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent (lower heat if browning starts to occur).
- Add spices and saute for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth and sugar.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir. Make sure chickpeas are covered with liquid. If needed, add a little more broth.
- Simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat.
- Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas.
- Stir in spinach and heat through. (I cut into strips, they dont have to be perfect just a good handful and strip at them makes a great presentation)
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For those who know me, I am a tea lover. Its almost to the point of where most would call it an obsession. To me I wouldn't go that far, its just what I use in place of sodas (Its a health thing, I am a nut about that too :p). I love all sorts of teas hot or cold. Since my move I haven't drank as much hot tea, considering it is blistering down here in Tampa, FL and I today I went on a short quest online for some colder tea recipes for 3/4 of the year. I am not the biggest fan of plain iced tea, so that's why you wont find it in here. If you have any other recipes for me feel free to leave them in a comment.

The teas to be made:
*Peach Basil Iced Tea
*Iced Orange Tea
*Ginger Iced Tea
* Black Cherry Iced Tea
*... and the not iced tea Ginger Milk

Peach Basil Iced Tea

Yield: 7 Cups

Ingredients :
* 3 orange pekoe tea bags
* 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
* 4 cups water
* five 5 1/2-ounce cans peach nectar (about 3 1/3 cups), chilled
* 1/4 cup chilled simple syrup or to taste

For simple syrup:
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups water

* Garnish: peach slices and basil sprigs

How To:
Put tea bags and basil in a quart-size glass measure or heatproof bowl.

In a saucepan bring water just to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea 5 minutes and strain through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher. Cool tea and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Stir in nectar and syrup. Serve tea over ice in tall glasses and garnish with peach slices and basil sprigs.

To make simple syrup:
In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring, and boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Syrup may be made 2 weeks ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 2 cups.

Iced Orange Tea

Yield: 8 Drinks

Ingredients:
* 5 tablespoons orange pekoe tea leaves
* three 2 1/2-inch strips of orange rind
* 2 cups fresh orange juice
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
* sugar to taste
* 3 cups ginger ale
* 8 thin orange slices

How To:
Pour 4 cups boiling water over the tea leaves and orange rind in a heatproof bowl and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea into a pitcher, add the orange juice, the lemon juice, and the sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and chill the mixture. Add the ginger ale, pour the mixture into tall glasses filled with ice cubes, and garnish each drink with 1 of the orange slices.

Ginger Iced Tea

Yield: 4 Drinks

Ingredients:
* 4 China oolong tea bags
* 4 cups water
* 1/4 cup sliced peeled fresh ginger root (about a 2 1/2-by 1 1/2-inch piece)
* 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chilled simple syrup, to taste

For simple syrup:
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups water

How To:
Put tea bags in a quart-size glass measure or heatproof bowl.

In a saucepan bring water with ginger root just to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea 5 minutes and remove tea bags. Steep ginger root 1 1/2 hours more and strain ginger tea through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Cool tea and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Stir in syrup and serve tea over ice in tall glasses.

To make simple syrup:
In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring, and boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Syrup may be made 2 weeks ahead and chilled. Makes about 2 cups.

Black Cherry Iced Tea

Ingredients:
*2 quarts water
*1 pound fresh black cherries, rinsed and pitted
*1 1/4 cups sugar
*1/4 cup lemon juice
*2 whole star anise
*5 bags black tea, steeped in 2 cups water
*Mint sprigs for garnish

How To:
Bring water to boil in a medium-sized pot. Add cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and star anise. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cherries are almost falling apart. Turn off heat, mix in black tea, and let stand for 1 hour to cool.

Strain liquid through a fine mesh sieve, mashing the cherries with a wooden spoon to extract more liquid. Discard solids. Transfer liquid to a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve, such as after a long hot summer bike ride.

Ginger Milk Tea

Yield: 4 Drinks

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups hot water
4 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons loose black tea leaves
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar

How To:
Bring the water and ginger to a boil in a small pot. Once it is boiling, turn off the heat. Stir in tea and cover. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and sugar, and add more sugar if needed to suit your tastebuds. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a large (6-cup) blender, discarding the solids. Blend the mixture until foamy (use caution when blending hot liquids), then pour into mugs. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cucumber
4 to 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 red onion
1/2 pound lean pork
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

How To:
Slice cucumber into 2-inch long segments, then quarter the segments length-wise. Thinly slice shiitake mushrooms and red onion. Thinly slice the pork.

Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry pork until cooked and no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.

Stir-fry garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, and onions and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Add water, cover the wok with a lid, and let the vegetables steam for 3 to 4 more minutes. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.

Once the liquid has been reduced to sauce-like consistency, uncover the wok and return pork to the wok. Cook for another 30 seconds, then serve.

*I served mine over white rice.

Source: Appetite for China

I know this may sound complicated for those who are wanting to make this or are just looking over it even, but do not be discouraged. Most of these ingredients are cheap and easily found, and is even easy to prepare. You can find beef bones in any supermarkets meat section, but better bones can be found at the local butcher for around $1 to $3 a pound. I found all of the spices at a local Fresh Market (Earthfare or any whole foods store will do as well) they had all of the spices in little bags for around $0.50 to $4 and huge in quantity. Pho Noodles can be found at any Asian Market, and are cheap as well.

There is also a crock pot version of this for those who don't have the time. I cannot vouch for its, taste but it is made by Jaden as well and anything she posts is great. Link
Yields: 8 Servings (Don't take that lightly either)

Ingredients:
The Broth
2 onions, halved
4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat - chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tbl salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) - or 1oz of regular sugar

The Bowls
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Cock sauce (Sriracha)

How To:
Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you’ll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - if you want a little more flavor, add a few dashes more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or large pinch of regular sugar).

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that’s needed. The package that I purchased (above) - needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Source: My favorite chef down here in the bay, Jaden Hair the author of Steamy Kitchen.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves
* 2 cups water
* About 3 cups ice cubes, cracked if large
* Garnish: 4 fresh mint sprigs

How To:
Blend lemon juice, sugar, and mint leaves in a blender until leaves are finely chopped and sugar is dissolved. Add water and enough ice cubes to fill blender, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Source: Gourmet Magazine

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
* 3 cups yogurt (Make sure its the fattiest one you can get)
* 1 cup mango purée, fresh or canned Indian Alphonso mango purée
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tray ice cubes

How To:
Put all the ingredients in an electric blender or food processor and blend until the ice is crushed and the liquid is frothy. Serve immediately in tall glasses. (The drink will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Whip again before serving.)

Source: Epicurious

Yield: Makes 4

Ingredients:
* 4 strawberries, halved, plus 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
* 1 kiwi, peeled, cut into 8 wedges
* 4 4-inch-long lemongrass skewers
* 5 tablespoons light rum
* 3 tablespoons sour watermelon liqueur (such as Pucker)*
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 3 cups 3/4-inch cubes seedless watermelon, frozen at least 1 hour

How To:
Thread strawberry halves and kiwi wedges alternately onto lemongrass skewers. Stir light rum, sour watermelon liqueur, sugar, and fresh lime juice in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Transfer mixture to blender. Add frozen watermelon cubes and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries. Blend mixture well; pour into Martini glasses. Garnish with lemongrass skewers.

*Sour watermelon liqueur is available at some supermarkets and many liquor stores.
*Lemongrass skewers can be made by cutting a small amount off of the lemongrass stalk, and pealing the excess threads off of the sides of the cut portion until it looks like a skewer.

Here is what I plan on making for tomorrow night, copied straight from one of my favorite magazines Gourmet. I will be serving it over couscous and complimenting it with a nice glass of Pinot Noir.

To start things off right I always like to start a meal with something light and in this case a salad. (It always gives me some time to really prepare the meal, without having my guest grumble about how long it is taking, and wont fill them up.) So here we go.

The Salad Dressing

Yields: 3/4 cup
Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
* 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
The How To:
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just to move things along quicker I would make this while you are waiting for that one hour oven session.

* I like to serve chopped tomatoes and a little fresh Parmesan on my salad.
Im not going to explain how to make the actual salad, from here you can store the dressing in a bottle for about a week before you need to throw it out.

The Chicken and Couscous:

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 2 1/4 hr

Ingredients:
* 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
* 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
* 4 garlic cloves
* 1/4 cup mild honey
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons paprika
* 4 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 large zucchini (1 1/4 lb total), halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 medium turnips (1/2 lb total), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces
* 2 red bell peppers, quartered and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
* 2 medium onions, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-thick wedges
* 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 4 (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-lb) Cornish hens, halved lengthwise
* 6 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh parsley, cilantro, and mint

The How To:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Coarsely grind caraway seeds with salt in an electric coffee/spice grinder or crush with a rolling pin. Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with salt mixture using flat side of a chef's knife. Transfer paste to a large bowl and whisk in honey, lemon juice, oil, spices, and pepper.

Put zucchini, turnips, bell peppers, butternut squash, and onions in an oiled large roasting pan, then add half of spice mixture and toss until well coated. Stir tomatoes and broth into vegetables. Add hens to large bowl with remaining spice mixture and toss to coat, then arrange hens, breast sides up, over vegetables in pan.

Cover pan tightly with foil and roast in middle of oven 1 hour. Uncover and roast until hens are browned and vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Sprinkle herbs on top and spoon some cooking liquid over hens. Once this is done I would begin to prepare the couscous according to the directions on your box. Once you have began cooking the couscous serve the salads to your guests and yourself and enjoy!

As for the wine, I will be using this one which runs for $20 a bottle. Not a bad price, from what I have heard. I have actually yet to try this.

Carneros Garnet Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2007