making tea can be fun

I picked up this kettle about two weeks ago but didn't start using it until this week. It's pretty awesome. It has 5 different temperature settings so you can brew the ideal temperature for various teas or French press coffee. It came with two different kinds of tea so I tried out the jasmine white tea by Rishi. Accustomed to the jasmine tea that you can find at the Asian grocery store, I never realized that jasmine tea could taste so good. So... now I'm hooked on two new things- the kettle and the tea.

I still have love my traditional kettle by Le Creuset but I think it's going to become kitchen decor. If you enjoy all kinds of tea, then this electric kettle is a kitchen must have.

Breville variable temperature kettle $150

fancy mac and cheese

If you like pasta, cheese, garlic, and basil as much as I do, you need to try this mac and cheese. Your mouth will be so delighted but don't make any plans to get up close and personal with anyone.

I call this fancy mac and cheese because you need two different cheeses that cost at least $12 and $16 a pound. I went for the middle of the road variety so you're welcome to spend more if you wish.

To serve 2 (pictures show servings for 4), you will need 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped; a sprig of basil, thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons of oil; 6 ounces of green and yellow tagliatelle; 1-2 ounces of freshly grated of dry Jack cheese, and 4 ounces of Manchego cheese, shaved.



Before cooking the pasta, prep all the ingredients. Once everything is chopped, grated, and sliced, start to cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. While the pasta cooks, combine the garlic, basil and olive oil in a large bowl.



When the pasta is ready, drain and reserve some of the water. (You can toss in some of the water later if the pasta seems dry.) Then toss the hot pasta with the garlic, basil, olive oil, and dry Jack (save some to top off before serving). Finally, toss in the Manchego.



Enjoy!



adapted from Macaroni & Cheese by Marlena Spieler