Black Sesame Ice Cream
I had never tried black sesame ice cream, but I knew I was going to like it, because I like rice cakes with black sesame filling. It was fun to make: when the mix was spinning on the ice cream machine, it looked like cement. My first try was a failure, because I forgot to toast the seeds, so the grinded seeds didn’t smell nutty, like they were supposed to…they smelled like green pepper!
By the way, the white stick in the photo is a white chocolate Mikado. I tried to find the strawberry one, but I couldn’t find it.
4 tbsp sesame seeds
1 cup heavy cream (36-40% fat)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
Toast the seeds in a pan and using a coffee grinder, grind them for about 30 seconds, or until sesame seeds break down into a thick and glossy powder.
Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium-heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl until frothy and lemon colored, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream in a slow, steady stream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture to the hot cream, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the black sesame paste, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. (this step is optional). Cool it, putting it on a bigger pot with cold water and ice.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze. Transfer to an plastic container and freeze until ready to serve.
Deco Spirits – Earth
I just finished stitching one of the Deco Spirits, by Mirabilia. It’s inspired by art deco architecture, and represents the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. This one is the Earth spirit. I like this project because it uses metallic threads in various colors, which makes it look richer.
This is not a plastic bag
I’m proud to announce that since I bought my canvas tote bag, I’ve stopped using plastic bags. I bring it with me everytime I do grocery shopping. I have to be very fast, though; if I spend more time than usual paying for the groceries, the cashier will hurry up and put my stuff in a plastic bag.
Here I don’t see people using reusable bags often. I think I saw a girl once, but she doesn’t count. She had hippie clothes on, and even had a slogan on her t-shirt.
Please, guys, try to do the same. Let’s try to conserve the environment!
An upside-down post
˙unɟ s,ʇı ˙ʎɹʇ oʇ ʇuɐʍ noʎ ǝsɐɔ uı ‘ʇxǝʇ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɥʇ ɹoɟ ʞuıן ǝɥʇ noʎ ǝʌɐǝן ןן,ı
˙ʇnd ʎɐʇs ˙sƃuıɥʇ ǝɹoɯ
ɥɔnɯ puɐ ‘pǝıɹʇ ǝʌ,ı sǝdıɔǝɹ puɐ sʇɟɐɹɔ ʍǝu :noʎ ʍoɥs oʇ sƃuıɥʇ ɟo sʇoן ʇoƃ ǝʌ,ı
˙ʞɔɐq ɯ,ı ʇnq ‘ƃoןq sıɥʇ ƃuıʇıɹʍ ɯoɹɟ uoıʇɐɔɐʌ ƃuoן ɐ ʞooʇ ı ˙spuǝıɹɟ ʎɯ oןןǝɥ
Chai Tea
There’s a tea I used to drink in SFco. After I came back home I was craving it…so I looked for the recipe.
I’ll post it in case you want to try. It has a few ingredients, but…believe me: it’s worth it.
CHAI TEA
2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated 1 whole star anise, broken up 1 tsp orange peel, grated 4 pieces cinnamon sticks, 1 1/2 inch 1 tsp cardamom seeds 10 whole cloves 5 whole peppercorns 5 cups water 1/4 cup black tea leaves (Assam or Darjeeling) 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup honey 3 cups skim milk- Place the first seven ingredients in a pot of water.
- Bring the water to a very low boi, then reduce the heat and simmer.
- Add tea leaves and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
- Strain the liquid through a sieve.
- Add honey, vanilla, and milk. Serve.
Spring
Finally I finished “Spring”, the fourth and last of the cross-stitch pictures I was sewing. I offered to give them to my mom, so she would hang them on her livingroom wall, but she declined. Who knows if I’ll want to hang them in my future house… I just wanted to sew some of Mirabilia’s designs; I think they are very pretty, although I wouldn’t choose most of them because I’m not into fairies.
Ocean Avenue Theater
Today I found by accident a photo of an old theater close to my old home. I had always been intrigued by the building. Nowadays, it’s a school, but the shape is weird for a school: the big tower, and the neons.
No wonder it’s a former theater. It’s amazing to see the building hasn’t changed in 65 years. The truth is that SFco’s buildings don’t change much through the years. Houses are bought and sold, but people usually don’t demolish them to build a more modern one. It must be really expensive to build an entire house. It strickes me, because the construction materials are less durable than in Europe. My grandparents’ house in Spain is falling apart, but SFco’s houses will keep their charm for generations.
Jewelry
My mom just finished the bobbin lace jewelry. The set contains a necklace, a bracelet and earrings. It looks very elegant, especially the necklace.
Gingerbread Cookies
Yesterday I prepared gingerbread cookies. I was lucky to find all the ingredients. I thought I wouldn’t find molasses, but my aunt bought it for me. I wouldn’t have recognized it, because here they call it “cane sugar’s honey”.
I was very interested in preparing it because I had a cookie cutter with the shape of a little person that I bought in Walmart last year. The only use I had found was as a decoration for the Christmas tree.
It was not difficult to prepare, and it tastes delicious. I brought my aunt some, and the rest are disappearing fast. I am not proficient at decorating, but with a little bit of experience…
My mom wants me to make it again because she wants to bring it toher bobbin lace class.
Here is the recipe:
3/4 cup brown sugar 1 stick butter or margarine (1/4 cup) 2 eggs 1/4 cup molasses 3 3/4 cup flour 2 tsp ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt Icing: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted 1-2 tbsp milk Mix the sugar and the butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine together. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (aprox.175ºC). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Take around 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll it onto a floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick (about 3 mm). Cut out with the cookie cutters 
