Minty Ginger Limeade

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This spring has been extra long and beautiful. The trees have slowly turned green, the tulips have stayed with us forever and the lilacs have been showering us with their sweet perfume for weeks. And it’s all because of the cool air and the spring rain. If you could be in Minnesota right now, you will be mesmerized by the color of the grass – so bright and green, almost unreal. As for every tree, bush and flower, everything has taken their time to bloom, not wanting, quite yet, to be summer again. 

I have been taking my sweet time during this spring too, and in general it is expressed in my appreciation of the many flowers that have been blooming all over my neighborhood. If you live in the Lowery Hill area and if you have been suspiciously missing (especially in the morning) lilies of the valleys, lilacs, tiny green hydrangeas and some white bush flowers (whose name I don’t know) from your side walk, it might have been me. I like taking small fragrant bouquets from my late night walks to my home and place them by my bedside so I can be woken up by their aroma.

During those everlasting spring days I love taking long walks after work and at night, when everything is quiet and I can be guided only by the lovely fragrance coming from each yard. On the weekends I love the quiet mornings or meeting friends for coffee or lunch. And my weekend two weeks ago went just like that, and as Anna and I grabbed some ginger limeade on our way out from the coffee shop, my mind blown by the fresh explosion in my mouth. My eyes squinted from pleasure and I couldn’t stop sipping this spicy, extraordinary deliciousness. The flavor stayed with me all day, and I had decided that I will make some for myself (in grande amounts) to be enjoyed during my late night flower walks.

The ginger limeade from Moose and Sadie’s was extra gingery and limy, and I liked that, but my first batch turned out to be super sweet and with not much flavor. So I boosted the ginger and lime, lowered the sugar and after a few attempts and several trips to the store for limes, I made it perfect. To make it even fresher and richer in flavor, I added a bit of honey and a handful of mint. Now my friends, if you are fast enough, I still have some left in the refrigerator and I am more than happy to share it with you, so come by.

xoxo

Minty Ginger Limeade

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 inch long / 25 cm) ginger roots
• 4 cups (800 ml) water 
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup (200 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (about 8 limes)
• 1/2 cup (or handful) fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Peel the ginger roots and slice them thinly. Place the ginger and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan, bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the ginger pieces and stir in the sugar and the honey until fully dissolved. Let it cool completely.

2. Add the mint leaves into the gingery syrup and muddle to bruise the leaves and release the mint oils. Add the lime juice and the remaining water and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight. Remove the mint leaves and pour in a bottle or a pitcher, if enjoyed right away.

3. Pour the limeade into glasses filled with ice.

Note: the ice will dilute the limeade as it melts, but feel free to add a bit more water if the limeade is too strong for you

Gingerbread Cookies

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There in the forest lived a bear. He was a small but a very good bear whose name nobody knew so everyone called him Bear. He had a small, but a cozy house in the middle of the woods with a comfy fluffy bed, nice big table with many chairs and a big pantry room where he stocked all of his provisions for the winter. The Bear’s busiest seasons were summer and fall, though armed with two big baskets, he would walk around the forest and gather many yummy things such as berries, fruits and honey. Winter was his favorite season. Everything was white and the soft fluffy snow was everywhere, making the forest look like a dreamy, puffy cloud. The other reason why the Bear liked winter so much were his long walks in the woods where he would visit his friends – the Fox, the Squirrel, the Hedgehog and the Snail. 

The Fox’s house was on the other side of the forest from where the Bear lived and the Bear liked going to the Fox’s house at least two times a week, not because she was most hospitable of all of his friends, but because she was rarely at home. And the Bear liked guessing and eagerly waiting to find if the Fox was home or not. The Fox also was an avid discoverer, traveler and a gatherer of all interesting things and the Bear loved listening the Fox’s stories about unfamiliar places and going though, touching and smelling all the Fox’s treasures from her trips.

Another house that the Bear liked to visit was Mr. Squirrel’s house. Mr. Squirrel was a small creature with a big puffy tail and the energy of a hundred squirrels. He was always on the run, always carrying something and always in the state of panic that he didn’t fill his den with enough food for the winter. When, in fact, he had so much stored food that often it would take up his entire house, even his bed and then he had to stay with the Bear. The Bear actually loved when Mr. Squirrel stayed with him because it meant that there will be a food party with all of their friends in order to free up space in Mr. Squirrel’s house. 

So on the day when the Snail and the Hedgehog informed the Bear that they couldn’t come to the annual Christmas and New Year’s parties because they had lost most of their food in the fall’s flood, the Bear knew what to do. He convinced Mr. Squirrel, though it was not easy, to bring some of his food to the Bear’s house. Then, on Christmas Eve, The Bear, the Fox and Mr. Squirrel armed with a wagon cart and many blankets sneaked into the Snail’s and the Hedgehog’s houses while they were sleeping. Then, very gently – not to wake them up, placed the Snail and the Hedgehog into the cart and covered them with warm blankets. After that they carefully wheeled their sleeping friends to the Bear’s house and waited...

....When the Snail and the Hedgehog woke up on Christmas morning, they were puzzled and surprised. They had no idea what had happened and how they ended up in the Bear’s house. The Bear, on other hand, was so happy and was eagerly handing them two small cups of honey chamomile tea. Then the door opened and there arrived the Fox and Mr. Squirrel carrying many baskets of the Squirrel’s provisions. After that they all gathered and cooked a lovely breakfast, drank some tea and sat around the Bear’s table. They chatted laughed, as all good friends do, for many days and nights until the new year arrived.

The end.

This project was a collaboration between me and the lovely and very talented Lindsay Schwartz. It is very rare in life when we have the chance to meet an exceptional human being that would not only magnetize us with their genuineness, kindness and humanity but with whom we would also work so well. To me, Lindsay is one of these people. And for various reasons that I can’t find words to describe, she makes me peaceful, aware on myself and my surroundings and open to the creativity that lies deep in me.

Thank you, Miss Linz, for being who you are and I look forward to many more shared moments and projects together.

Video Art Direction and Hand Lettering by Lindsay Schwartz.

Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe was modified from this Bon Appétit Magazine recipe.

Ingredients:

Makes about 40 3-inch cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick / 115 gr.) butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg 
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest

Simple Frosting:
• 2 cups of confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp water

* I used Vietnamese cinnamon for my cookies because of its complex flavor. Feel free to use any cinnamon you like/have.

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the egg yolk. Then beat in the orange juice and orange peel (batter may look curdled). Blend in the flour-spice mixture and mix well with a spatula. Gather the dough together into a large ball.

3. Cut the dough ball in half and shape each half into a flat round disc. Take one of the discs and roll it out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper (this will prevent dough from sticking) to about 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully place the rolled dough with the parchment on a baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Repeat with the other dough disk.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F.

5. Take one of the chilled and rolled out discs from the refrigerator and slide it from the baking sheet onto a table. Remove the top parchment paper and line the baking sheet with it. Working quickly, cut out cookies using cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies onto the lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out more cookies.

6. Bake the cookies until golden, for about 8 minutes. Let the cookies stand for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies and the parchment paper to a cooling rack to cool completely.

7. Repeat with the remaining rolled and chilled dough.

8. Using a whisk, mix the icing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until well blended. The mixture should be thick and not runny. Add more water or sugar in necessary. Place the mixture into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag) with a very small tip attached and decorate. Let the icing dry for at least 4 hours.

Store cookies in a plastic box lined with parchment paper.

Thai lemongrass coconut soup

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As a kid growing up in Bulgaria I didn’t have much food-related cultural experiences. The most adventurous my family ever got was eating dumplings and red cabbage in some sort of a sweet sauce (and we all didn’t like it) on a trip to Eastern Germany. In the years to come, as the country changed, our eating habits changed too. As the country opened its doors to new things, some of the first to open restaurants in Bulgaria were the Chinese. Eating Chinese food to me was like a trip to a foreign land – so exotics and delicious that I would have had it every day if I could.

As I moved to the United States in my early twenties, I got exposed to so many different and exciting cuisines and life experiences. I was blown away how a simple thing as a carrot could be cooked in so many ways, with so many different spices and depending on the type of cuisine it could taste totally different. 

Quickly, Thai food became my new favorite cuisine. There is something so fresh and flavorful in the way the food is prepared; the use of lime, cilantro, lemongrass, coconut milk and all the fresh veggies. It is like a sunny summer day for the taste buds. I love it. 

I had always had Thai food at restaurants and I was too afraid to prepare it myself. One day, however, I decided to challenge myself with a very basic recipe for Thai coconut soup. This soup became a favorite of mine and I have modified and improved the recipe over time to match my taste. 

What I love about this particular recipe is that the base is not sweet, but rather fresh and citrusy. It is a versatile base and all the veggies can be substituted with different ones. It could be vegetarian or non-vegetarian, which makes this soup very adaptable. It is a favorite of mine, I hope you love it too.   

Thai lemongrass coconut soup

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 lemongrass stalks, each cut in 4 pieces
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (if available at your market, if not you can substitute for 1/2 lime)
• ½ medium size ginger root, grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch long strips
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced in 1-inch long strips
• 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped in 1-inch pieces
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder or paste
• cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons oil

• 1 lb mahi-mahi fish, sliced thinly (optional)
or
• 2 lbs boneless chicken breast. sliced thinly (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the peppers and onions, and lower the heat to medium-high. Sauté for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the curry paste/powder, tomatoes and garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and ¼ of a lime. Stir gently. Bring the soup to a boil, then set the heat on low and simmer for 15 minutes stirring from time to time. 

2. If using chicken, toss the chicken into the soup and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

If using fish, add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the fish is soft and tender (be careful to not overcook; fish can easily become tough and chewy if cooked for a long time).

3. Remove the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves from the soup and serve with fresh cilantro leaves, lime wedges and steamed rice.

Basic steamed rice recipe:

The rice-to-water ratio is 1:1 1/3. Knowing this you can increase the rice and water amount based on the number of servings.

Makes about 4 cups of rice:
• 1 cup white long rice
• 1 1/3 cups water

Place the rice in a medium sized pot and rinse it over running water about 4-5 times. Add the water. Bring to boil, set the heat to medium-high, and cook for 5 minutes, making sure the water is not boiling over. Set the heat to low and steam for additional 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.