I Ran Out of Milk So I Put Buttermilk in My Tea

So buttermilk…I have never really drank it or used it except when making Irish Soda Bread for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Next year I promise to do a post on it, for now if you want to make it yourself, head over to my sister blog MysteriousEats.wordpress.com. Anyways, every year I am leftover with buttermilk and have no clue what to do with it.

I know most of you are thinking: pancakes.

I’m not really a big pancake fan, so I’m not into that.

Meh.

The other day I ran out of milk, and I LOVE milk in my tea. I don’t like to drink my tea without it.

Now normally I would just go to the store and buy more but its been raining.

Actually, that’s not an accurate description. It has been storming-windy, sheets of water, etc. The type of weather that makes you want to just stay home in pajamas with a good book or movie…

 

And tea!

But I had no milk!!!!!

So then the idea came to me…what about buttermilk?

I had never even drank buttermilk before, I mean I know you can make a substitute using vinegar so I’m pretty sure it isn’t sweet. And I know in the one Ramona book they call it “sour”

“How else am I supposed to reach things?” Ramona successfully broke the egg and tossed the shell onto the counter. “Now I need buttermilk.” Beezus broke the news. There was no buttermilk in the refrigerator. “What’ll I do?” whispered Ramona in a panic. “Here. Use this.” Beezus thrust the carton of banana yoghurt at her sister. “Yoghurt is sort of sour, so it might work.” The kitchen door opened a crack.“What’s going on in there?” inquired Mr. Quimby.” Ramona Quimby, Age 8

But then in Westerns they always have the men drinking it when they come back from working the fields and such.

So I tried it and…

It is so sour! It’s like drinking plain greek yogurt.

I can’t imagine drinking a whole glass of it. But I thought maybe a few drops…?

It came out…okay. I only did a tiny bit and put in quite  lot of sugar. I don’t recommend it for everyday use, but only in a tight squeeze and only a little bit.

Well in the end it worked out, and I got my tea.

For more tea posts, go to I Tried Tea & Me’s Tea Infused Facial Cubes

For a recipe that uses buttermilk (which I had completely forgot about), go to Harlem Tea Room Cheddar-Thyme Scones

For more rainy days, go to A Water-Logged White Christmas

For more C.S. Lewis’ quotes, go to Book Club Picks: A Wrinkle in Time

Dull Times Breed Disaster

So back in 2015 I started going through Emma to celebrate her 200th anniversary.

I paused her to go through Northanger Abbey and Persuasion for their anniversary years, but have decided to throw her back into the mix with the others.

Alright!

So as I was reading, I was thinking what a boring life Emma must have been living at the time “her story” starts.

So Emma and her sister were raised by a father who doted on them and the governess Miss Taylor. Miss Taylor was more a sister than an elder, so I imagine the girls must have had a lot of fun together.

Girls night!

But then Isabella married John Knightley and there was just the two girls.

And then Miss Taylor married…leaving Emma alone with a hypochondriac father.

And who did her father have for constant companions?

Besides her father, Miss and Mrs. Bates. Now Mrs. Bates is very old and Miss Bates is a kind, sweet woman but to Emma she is also dull, older, and not one Emma could have interesting conversation with.

And who else? Mrs. Goddard, the woman who owns and runs a boarding house. Also kind, caring, but much older than Emma and another she would find dreadfully dull.

Ugh!

Yes these were the ones that Emma spent most of her days with after the marriage of Miss Taylor to Mr. Weston.

Now what about Mr. Knightley, you may ask? Yes, it is true that he and Mr. Elton visited but…

“…Mrs. and Miss Bates, and Mrs. Goddard, three ladies [were] almost always at the service of an invitation from Hartfield, and who were fetched and carried home so often…” –Emma, pg 17

“These were the ladies that whom Emma found herself very frequently able to collect…She was delighted to see her father look comfortable…but the quiet prosings of three such women made her feel that every evening so spent was indeed one of the long evenings she had fearfully anticipated.” –Emma, pg 18-19

Ugh, I’m so bored!

No wonder she plunges herself heart and soul into breaking up Harriet and Robert and matching up Harriet and Mr. Elton. She bored out of her socks! Can you imagine spending every day for long periods of time with Miss Bates?

And then triple that with Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Goddard.

I think I’d be going mad for anything else to bring “excitement” into my life.

This made me think of when I was a child and mother brought me to all kinds of adult functions. She is a pastor and we had to go to everything, and I remember being bored out of my skull and wishing there was another kid there to do things with.

Good thing I had my books-

As I grew older I learned to take part in the conversation and grew less bored with being with people not in my years-but then again none of the people I have spent long periods of time with were as difficult to be with as Miss Bates.

Blah, blah

Poor Emma-especially as one who doesn’t really play, read, sing, paint, embroider, etc-she has no escape. NO escape that is, except meddling!

For more on Emma Woodhouse, go to Jane Austen Chinese Zodiac

For more on Mrs. and Miss Bates, go to Should We Pity Miss Bates or Strive to Be Her?

For more on Mrs. Goddard, go to A Visit to Highbury: Another View of Emma

For more Emma, go to Pride, Prejudice, and Personal Statements

Desire & Decorum: Chapter 6, An Intimate Affair

 

So in the last episode your father made you his heir and gave you a London season! You and Miss Parsons traveled to London, you on your own horse,

Only to have Mr. Marcastle plot against you and try and keep you from arriving. You make it out okay and meet a Prince. 

You confront Mr. Marcastle angry that he treated you that way, Miss Parsons agreeing with you in her anger. The two of you manage to scare the daylights out of him.

Miss Parsons leaves to go to her sister’s house, as they are expecting her, while you return to your father’s townhouse and spot your friend and ladies’ maid Briar canoodling with Mr. Marcastle.

Forget you!

Now Mr. Marcastle is your evil engaged (as in very not single) stepbrother trying to sully your reputation and Briar was your best friend from back home. But is she really your friend as she is trying to have a relationship with Mr. Marcastle, your enemy!

This is soooooooooooooooooooooo bad for you. Can you imagine the kind of reputation you will get when this comes out.

And Briar what are you thinking? He’s evil! He’s plotting against me!!!! You are suppose to distrust him not jump him!!!! You are a bad friend.

See Hook agrees with me.

Plus he is engaged!

C’mon Briar, you are smarter than that!

So I am going to Mr. Sinclaire’s tonight for a dinner party, so Miss Sutton and I go shopping. I decided to buy the dress as I want to impress Mr. Sinclaire.

And I have to say out of any clothing purchase I have made this one does affect the game. Mr. Sinclaire sees me in my red dress and can’t look away.

He compliments me in front of Miss Holloway.

What?

Ugh, Miss Holloway is just as bad as Caroline Bingley. She keeps trying to make fun of me and drag me down, but is struck down by Mr. Sinclaire’s compliments. Very reminiscent of a certain scene:

Boom, shut up Miss Holloway/Miss Bingley.

Miss Holloway tries to make you seem an illiterate buffoon, but Mr. Sinclaire comes to your aid. He also takes you to his extensive library…

Hold up- Stop right there.

He’s perfect I’ve decided-he’s the man for me. You know me:

He then pulls a book off the shelf and reads a page to me, it is William Shakespeare’s book of sonnets, Sonnet 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

After he reads to you, he offers you the book. It costs 15 diamonds, but I don’t care, you know me:

It looks like I just have one thing left to get-Painting, maybe?

Miss Holloway makes a snide comment about your birth and then the Duke storms in-uninvited.

Ugh, I hate this dude. I hate people who do that-just show up uninvited and expect others to accommodate them. Such jerks.

Then not only does he do that but muscles his way next to me-no I don’t want him to like me-ugh!

This upsets the table with Mr. Chambers having to sit next to a man instead of a woman. Table settings are super important- remember A Change if Fortune. 

“Custom, however, has lately introduced a new mode of seating. A gentleman and a lady fitting alternately round the table, and this, for the better convenience of a lady’s being attended to, and served by the gentleman next to her. But notwithstanding this promiscuous seating, the ladies, whether above or below, are to be served in order, according to their rank or age, and after them the gentlemen, in the same manner. – John Trusler, p 6 from Regency Manners: Seating at Table at janeaustensworld.wordpress.com

Mr. Chambers doesn’t really care as he’s gay and is next to a very interested member of the party.

After dinner, you all go off to the drawing room. Mr. Sinclaire and you meet up aside from the others and he warns you off Duke Richards. Why does he dislike him so? And why is he so interested in who you might marry?

Mr. Sinclaire becomes so furious with the Duke he takes off on an errand…you have the option to follow. What do you do?

I followed him outside even though that wasn’t really acceptable in Regency time. It turns out that Mr. Sinclaire had an unfaithful wife, one that became involved with Duke Richards. It is very Rebecca:

Oh my gosh! Duke Richards totally makes me think of Jack Favell

The two of you have a heart to heart, Mr. Sinclaire baring his soul to you. He worries that maybe I would have been better off in the village then the shark infested society. But we still enjoy our time together.

Afterwards we go inside and join the party. They ask me to play and I blow them all away, thanks to the lessons by Miss Parsons.

 

The party ends later, you saying a fond farewell to Mr. Sinclaire.

The next morning you are awoken by Miss Parsons and Briar. You’ve been invited to the Opera St. James. The Opera St James!!! That’s where your mother used to perform!!! Will the night be fun…or a flop?

For more Desire & Decorum, go to Desire & Decorum: Chapter 5, The Road to London

For more on Choices, go to Kissing the Blarney Stone: 7 More Irish Heroes

For more on William Shakespeare, go to Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen’s Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues

I Tried Tea & Me’s Tea Infused Facial Cubes

So last month Tea & Me did a post on freezing tea, and then placing these cubes on your face. (You can read about her experiences here.) When I read that I was like:

But hey, I’m down for trying it out, at least once.

My skin and I do not get along. As I have said before it is dry and oily-making it so hard to try to figure out what skin care/products to use.

Besides that I have very sensitive skin. It is so sensitive I don’t even know half the things I am allergic to. Sometimes I am just going about my life and my skin gets irritated, hives break out, and next thing you know I’m scratching and breaking the skin.

It burns

Like my post on a Tea Hair Rinse, I waited so long to do this review, because I wanted to try out at least three different teas.

1. Boil water.
2. Make a cup of tea.
3. Steep until tea has cooled
4. Once tea has cooled pour in clean ice trays.
5. Freeze for two hours or until completely frozen.
6. Try and open pores by putting a warm clean washcloth on or using steam from shower.
7. Wash face.
8. Using a washcloth, grab an ice cube and rub all over face.
9. Rinse face with warm water.

So first I tried the Kukicha Green Tea.

“Green Tea [contains] antioxidant and disinfects.”

The second time I did the lavender tea.

“Lavender Tea soothes irritated skin and disinfects.”

The last one I did was Earl Grey, my favorite to drink.

“Black Tea disinfects.”

So I’m not sure I did it right, but I just used the cube around my face until I couldn’t stand the cold, after rinsing my face with warm water. I loved doing it in the morning as I have to get up 5-5:30 and that really woke me up as it was freezing cold!

The first one I did, Green Tea, I felt was the best. Like I said in a previous post, Green Tea is great for soothing irritated or dry skin, which I had been struggling with-more than usual. You know this weather.

Ugh!

The lavender and black tea I didn’t see an immediate response like the green tea, however, the other day my period came and was awful.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

And I got this giant zit on my chin, that ended up popping. It hurt so bad and when I bleed, I bleed a lot. I put the Earl Grey iced cube on it, which not only numbed, but disinfected and helped stop the bleeding.

For more on Tea & Me, go to I Tried Tea & Me’s Tea Hair Rinse

For more tea posts, go to Use Tea to Soothe Dry or Irritated Skin

Kissing the Blarney Stone: 7 More Irish Heroes

So every year, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, I do a post on 17 awesome Irish heroes and heroines.

So this year, I tried to get 17 more Irish heroes and heroines from books, film, and TV (like I did for years 2013-17), but I wasn’t able to get that many. So instead if 17, I only have 7.

Aw, man.

Maybe next year I’ll be able to reach 17 again! But as for today:

7) Jimmy O’Brien from Fashion Model (1945)

Jimmy O’Brien is just your normal stock boy in a huge department store. He is dating one of the models and they are talking about getting married. Another model flirts with him, and a fight breaks out. Later, he finds her dead, along with another model, and the store owner. Being around so many dead bodies-the police are after him as they think he is a deranged killer. It up to him and his fiancé, Peggy, to prove his innocence and solve the crime.

Why Jimmy is Awesome: 

Jimmy is just a sweet, bumbling, goof-but an all around nice guy that is just adorable. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, flirt with another girl, or do anything wrong. He’s incredibly sweet, unfortunately-just has rotten timing. Above all-he is hilarious.

For more on Jimmy and Fashion Model, go to Wrong Place at the Wrong Time: Fashion Model (1945)

6) Marvin “Mouth” MacFadden from One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill is a small town in North Carolina where basketball is everything. The town is divided into the wealthy and poorer sections, in one lives Nathan Scott-captain of the basketball team, wealthy, dating the hot/punkish cheerleader; and Lucas Scott-plays the river court, raised by a single mom, spends his time reading classics, and being nonexistent in school. These two are half brothers, their father’s choice of one over the other impacting their lives and choices.

Why Mouth is Awesome: 

Mouth is a nerdy guy, from the river court and one of Lucas’ best friends. Mouth stays friends with him through thick and thin, big egos and shattered dreams. He always there to lend a hand, give advice, and hangout.

For more on One Tree Hill, go to We Will Fandom You

5) Bridget from An American Tail

A family of mice, the Mousekewitzes, are immigrating to America. On the ship ride over, a storm occurs and Fieval is washed ashore, believed dead. The family continues, grief stricken over their loss, while unbeknownst to them, Fieval floats to New York City. Fieval tries to find his family and gets caught up in all kinds of adventures along the way.

Why Bridget is Awesome: 

Bridget is an amazingly kind and caring mouse. She is a suffragette, political activist (speaking out against the attacks of cats against mice), and takes Fieval in until he can find his family. When Fieval comes up with a plan to fight the cats, she not only supports him, but rallies all her friends to join in.

4) Flynn O’Malley from Veil of Secrets, Choices Video Game

Veil of Secrets is a choose your own adventure type of video game. You play the main character and decide what to do next in the story. In Veil of Secrets you are visiting your best friend and roommate from college, Kate O’Malley, as she is marrying the wealthy son and heir to the Sterling empire. However, she doesn’t show up to the wedding, and you team up with her brother Flynn, deputy Naomi, and criminal defense lawyer, Grant; to discover what happened. Will you find out the truth? Or be the next victim?

Why Flynn is Awesome: 

Once a con, (although he really should have gotten off with a lighter sentence-the judge being a friend of the Sterlings gave him a much harsher one than he deserved) now all he cares about is helping to find his missing sister. He will go through anything and do anything for his baby sis, even a car accident doesn’t slow him down as he will gladly roll through the pain to find her. If you decide he will be your partner in solving the case, he will protect you through everything and everyone to the best of his ability (although you are the main character so you will be doing the actual taking down). Also if you choose he can be your boyfriend and you can inspire him to continue down the straight and narrow path

3) Caitlin O’Koren from Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

It is Caitlin O’Koren’s 16th birthday, but instead of waking up to cake and presents, she instead wakes up to police and panicked parents as her older sister has run away. This was supposed to be Caitlin’s year of being out of her perfect sister’s shadow, instead she finds herself stuck in it even more. She and her best friend join cheerleading, but through a series of events she ends up dating drug dealer bad boy, Rogerson Biscoe. This takes her in an incredibly different direction than her sister, as she has always wanted, but into another world and an incredibly different romantic relationship.

Why Caitlin is Awesome: 

Caitlin is a 16 year old girl trying to navigate her way, especially in the midst of all these transitions and changes. She is a good friend, there for anyone who needs her, and a powerful character, as she encounters serious abuse and is able to do the steps to heal and come through it. An amazing story and character-that I STRONGLY recommend.

For more on Caitlin and Dreamland, go to Plot Twist

2) Katie Callahan DeMaio from The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clark

Katie Callahan DeMaio is a widowed county prosecutor. Katie has a rare condition which causes her to lose too much blood on her period, causing lightheadedness, blackouts, etc. One day she is driving home from work and this causes her to crash-she becoming a patient of the Dr. Edgar Highly. She is given medication, but doesn’t take all of it and awakes in the middle of the night-seeing a man move a dead body?

Meanwhile, celebrated physician and miracle birth, Edgar Highly, is facing a very large problem. One of his patients is unhappy with his care and going to go to her former physician. He has to take care of her quick, or else all will be uncovered. He prepares to take her dead body to her house, did someone spot him in the window?

Katie hears of the suicide and starts investigating, will she uncover the truth or be the next victim?

Why Katie is Awesome: 

Katie is a wonderful person who cares about her family, friends, and coworkers. She has encountered a lot of tragedy, but remains a powerful person who looks ahead at the future. She is smart, fun, and cares about bringing justice to all. She will not let an innocent person go to jail, but continues to bulldog it and search out the truth.

For more on Mary Higgins Clark, go to That Face-I’ve Seen Her Before…: Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1997)

1) Michael “Crocodile” Dundee from Crocodile Dundee (1986), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)

Michael “Crocodile” Dundee is living his life in Australia, his reputation being built up by a friend, and making his living by taking tourists out on tours. He is strong, tough, battles any beast, and is friends with an aborigine clan-who actually raised him. When a beautiful New York reporter, Sue Charlton, writes a series of articles on him, he becomes so popular, that he joins her in New York. He’s a regular fish out of water, but his sweet nature wows Sue. The two return to Australia in the sequel, taking down drug dealers/smugglers and saving a friend of Sue. In the third film, the two and their son head off to Hollywood-also getting into crazy shenanigans and solving crime.

Why Crocodile Dundee is Awesome: 

He is such an amazing man. He is kind, caring, protective, supportive, and always there for Sue. When she wants to stay in New York, he stays too even though there isn’t much for him to do. When she has the amazing opportunity to go to L.A., even though he’ll be separated from Australia and the land he loves, he wants her to take every opportunity that comes her way-along with wanting their son to see both cultures so that he can decide what he ultimately wants to do with his life (when he is older). He a great guy, and I can watch all three films a thousand times and never get tired of them.

So that ends my list for this year. You all know what I’ll be doing with the rest of my day. Eating some soda bread made by my sister blog, MysteriousEats.wordpress.com. And my yearly tradition, watching the Disney Channel Original Movie: The Luck of the Irish.

For the 2013 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to Pot o’ Gold: 17 Irish Heroes 

For the 2014 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to At the End of the Rainbow: 17 More Irish Heroes

For the 2015 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to Lookin’ Over a Four-Leaf Clover: 17 More Irish Heroes

For the 2016 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to The Wearing of the Green: 17 More Irish Heroes

For the 2017 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to With a Little Luck of the Irish: 17 More Irish Heroes

For the 2018 Saint Patrick’s Day post, go to Top O’ the Morning: 7 More Irish Heroes