What is Kitchen Kreature?

Our small kitchen buzzes to life with activity when I come home. Food is sculpted from its raw shape into dices, slices, wedges, and purees. Flames dance off the range, heating sauces and vegetables and soups. Colors decorate the granite counter tops - slices of green avocado, chunks of yellow mango mixed with diced red and green bell pepper, and bottles of spices - dark red, brown, green, yellow, white - are lined up and ready for use. Aromas drift delicately through the house, teasing the senses and rousing the appetite. The sound of vegetables being chopped are like the heartbeat of the kitchen itself, sauces bubbling create an acoustic energy - the life blood of most recipes.

The kitchen allows one to fully be immersed in being "local" - buying from the farmer's markets and enjoying the bounty that grows around the neighborhood. Paradoxically, it also is a terrific way to travel. From the rawest ingredients, I can make a dish from east central Africa to accompany a National Geographic safari on TV, or put on some blues, light a candle, and cook up a classic and hearty creole platter.

This room embraces so much - art and creativity, travel and discovery, and the pure essence of being local. In this blog, I share my experiences and discoveries - the delights of the kitchen.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Summertime Sun Tea

This is a great, simple recipe for a summertime cooler...

1 quart fresh spring water (I use an old glass milk bottle)
5 teabags (Luzianne is my favorite and a true southern tea)
1 cup granulated sugar

Pretty simple - just put the teabags in a glass bottle or pitcher and cover loosely.  Let it sit in the sun for 3-4 hours, then remove teabags and add the sugar, mixing gently until dissolved.  Add to each tall glass:

Crushed ice
2 cherries (with stem)
Small wedge of orange
Whole strawberry, halved longitudinally
Sprig fresh mint
Slice of lemon perched upon the edge of the glass

A word about sun tea and bacterial contamination: I have read a few articles and there is no doubt that this can be a concern.  Many say you can get the same effect by brewing in the fridge for several more hours, while others claim having made and drank sun tea for decades with no problems.  My own thoughts are using a very clean glass container and bottled water and ...  pray?

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