Matcha, Matcha, Matcha

“Well all I hear all day long is how great Matcha is or how wonderful Matcha is, Matcha, Matcha, Matcha!

So Matcha tea is amazing, if you have been following me on Instagram, you know how much I love it.

For me I have always loved the Green Tea Frappucinos at Starbucks, but I didn’t know there was any Matcha in it.

Oh?

No, my obsession started with a book.

I know, don’t they all.

I picked this particular book up at the library, The Tea Ceremony by Seno Tanaka. It was a fascinating book that went over the history of the tea ceremony, along with discussing Matcha tea, it being the one used in the ceremony (no wonder it is so expensive).

Wow!

One part of the book really stuck in my mind, and that was when they described this one…I guess for lack of a better word, tea party, that had a ton of people and they had to keep getting new dishes and used over 200 of them. Wow, that’s a real tea party.

Wow!

Anyways, I know a lot of people like it because it is supposed to help you loose weight, help keep your brain & heart healthy, gives you healthy energy, stop bad breath, burn calories, build your immune system, help with memory, bring relaxation, help your skin, lower cholesterol, detox, etc. I just like it because it tastes good.

So I had been drinking Matcha for years with the green tea frappucino, but I didn’t start buying my own Matcha until three years ago. My niece used to come every year for the Summer, and on Mondays, my day off, we would go on trips around the world.

Let’s go!

Of course, we didn’t really go around the world. We would travel around the bi-county area recreating famous places/landmarks. She would pick a country, I would do the research on it, and then plan out the day. We would then travel and have the different places “stamp” her passport I printed off.

She wanted to go to Japan, so I planned out our trip. First we made Chocolate Oat Crackles; then we headed to the oldest building in our Gold Rush built town-a Japanese Market (no longer open though), saw the Buddhist Temple Gardens (lucky as they hardly are ever open), the local art gallery (supposed to be the Mori Art Museum), the pet store to pet cats and the cafe next door (supposed to be the Japanese Cat Cafes), Imperial Park, a Cat Bento Box, and ending with the tea ceremony.

Now I live in a small town, so it took some doing to try and hunt down some Matcha. I could have ordered it online, but she wanted to do it the next day, and she was visiting for the summer so I was going to make it happen! I finally tracked down a tiny, and I mean tiny, container for $15 at the health store. The things we do for the ones we love.

We did the ceremony, with what we had (I of course didn’t have the proper tools). But after that, we had Matcha left over, so she and I made our own Green Tea Frappucinos (I’ll post the recipe later) and lattes.

I know some people think Matcha is coarse or gross, but I love it. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it.

So here is a recipe to make your own Matcha Latte hot or cold:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tsp of Matcha Powder
• 2 Tsps of Sugar
• 3 Tbsps of Warm Water
• 2 Cups of Milk (Hot or Cold)

Directions:

1. Put the Matcha powder, sugar, and water in a cup or mug
2. Whisk together to ensure no lumps (use a matcha whisk or electric stirrer. (My dad was given one and it just somehow ended up in my home.)
3. If doing hot, warm the milk and pour into the mug. If doing cold, just pour in the mug.
4. Use the whisk or electric stirrer to combine everything until it is a light green color.

For more Tea posts, go to I Won the Regency Marketplace Giveaway

For more recipes, go to Cheese Round

For more on Matcha tea, go to Tea Chocolate

The Fan, The Girl

So here we go with another fandom post. You can see some things I love, and maybe check them out yourself.

Step by Step

Step by Step was the ’90s Brady Bunch. In this two families were melded together but it was far from the happy, perfect bond shown in the ’60s. This kids didn’t like each other at first and spent time trying to get along, they dealt with more serious issues; but in the end always had family fun.

So we have Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy), divorced father of three. His eldest is J.T., a cool jock, ladies man, and doesn’t care about school; Brandon, the cute baby boy; and Al, his daughter who has been raised as a boy.

Carol Foster (Suzanne Somers) is a widowed beautician with three children of her own: Dana, brainy, beautiful, and sarcastic; Karen, the beauty queen; and Donald the nerdiest nerd that you ever did see. Later Carol and Frank have a daughter named Lily.

Throw in a talented but not brainy nephew Cody, a French male stylist Jean-Luc, and the regular sitcom zaniness and you have a winner of a show.

The only thing I was ever disappointed in was that Dana was always turning down Cody as she thought he was “too dumb” but ended up with Rich who was dumber than soap. I always wanted Dana and Cody to get together as he may not be the smartest; but he was loyal, faithful, and adorable

Sweet Valley High

Go here to see who you are

Sweet Valley High was a book series I started reading in the fifth grade. Previously I had read a few books of the Sweet Valley Twins series, but couldn’t get into it. I was looking for something to do my book report on, and just checking out the stacks when I came upon Sweet Valley High: The Stolen Diary. I liked the story and started reading the rest of the series.

As I kid I really liked the series and wanted to even live in their idealic Californian world, and I thought the stories were fun and interesting.

As an adult I know they weren’t the best written book. Most of them are cheesy, silly, or sometimes don’t make sense; but these were the ’80s-’90s versions of Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill except with a different type of drama. And the fact that Elizabeth preaches about commitment to her sister Jessica, yet cheats on her boyfriend way more than her sister.

So the story follows the twin sisters, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. Both are juniors, blonde, 5’6, and size sixes. Elizabeth is the smart, responsible one who dreams of being a journalist or writer.

Jessica is the fashionable, social butterfly, cheerleader that dreams of parties and popularity.

They leave in Sweet Valley near Los Angeles and attend school with their friends. The first book focused on the two girls, but the later ones were divided into two stories: one about a friend or relative while the other is about the girls. The later series got a bit darker and was done in short series, two or three books that went together. The topics ranged from drugs, sex, school dances, serial killers, sports, werewolves, princes, vampires, kidnapping, stalkers, etc. You know normal teenage girl stuff. 😉

Yes as the series progressed the writers changed, and while I didn’t like some of the alterations I still continued to read and collect (still do so today) the novels. What can I say? They are such a big part of my childhood they bring on a tsunami of nostalgia.

I continued reading the books, but didn;t car for the Senior Year or College Years. For me it was just the junior high one. I always wanted Elizabeth abd Todd togther, although as an adult I see they didn’t have the best relationship; and I really liked Jessica with Ken Matthews or Bruce Patman. I don’t know  why, but I shipped Jessica and Bruce so much.

The books were turned into a TV series which sort-of-not-really followed the book series. It was fun to watch and you see a lot of different stars move through. Maggie Lawson (Psych) is Elizabeth Wakefield, Jason David Frank (Power Rangers) as A.J. Morgan, and my introduction to this mega-hottie Jensen Ackles as Enid’s cousin.

Supernatural

Hmm…what to say?

So my only knowledge of Supernatural before my friend convinced me to watch the show with her was that it came on before Las Vegas, and that the director used dark lighting.

However, that all changed when my friend was introducing the show to another friend. I walked in as the episode had just begun, and the next thing you know: I was hooked.

So the show is about two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester; who have spent their lives hunting down Demons, Ghosts, Vampires, Djinns, Wendingos, etc; pretty much anything “supernatural”.

Sam tried to leave the life behind and live a normal life as a lawyer. However, he finds himself drawn back in when his older brother Dean asks for his help in tracking down their missing father and to avenge the death of his girlfriend.

The first five seasons deal with searching for their father, uncovering a conspiracy, and trying to stop the Apocalypse. While I still watch the show and enjoy the new episodes, those first five seasons were so fantastic and my favorites.

So let’s talk about the boys, Dean and Sam. Dean is the brawny, white knight; caring and compassionate willing to sacrifice himself for others. As their dad was MIA for their early lives, he raised same and sometimes treats him more as his child than a younger brother.

Sam is more independent, intelligent, a researcher, cool, collected, and a planner. He is just as caring and compassionate; but more the general willing to create a strategy rather than run in guns blazing.

They also are funny and interesting. And the fact that they are three years apart reminds me of my older sister and I. We are three years apart and she is a Dean, while I am Sam. This was exhibited in the episode Tall Tales. Just trade computer for hair dryer and it is us!

Now being a Christian, I may not agree with the theology they use (as it appears to be a combination of Catholicism and Calvinism); but I enjoy the show anyway.

One of the main reasons why?

He’s everything you’d want (personality and interests-wise) in a man and in one incredible package.

Too bad he doesn’t exist in real life.

Another thing I love about the show is the music. They have all the classic songs that I adore. It’s nice to have something that plays good music instead of todays boring genres.

Yep, all part of being a Supernatural fan.

But while I have sad feelings when watching, I also enjoy every moment I see the Winchesters on screen.

So now as I am a part of the fandom, we have a certain sentiment we like to share with others:

And the flipside?

For more on Supernatural, go to A Bump in the Night

For more on Dean Winchester, go to Back to the Supernatural

For the previous post, go to We Will Fandom You

And Stay tuned for part 24