ranyart's Profile

I live in San Francisco where EVERYTHING is expensive. Occasionally I'll hit up a fancy cocktail bar with some friends, and then I think the most pricey I'll get is around $15. One time I got a cocktail for about $23 but it came in a limited-edition tiki mug that I got to take home, so it was worth it.

This is one reason why I mostly stick to beer at bars; even expensive beer on draft is generally under ten bucks.

I made this last night and it was fantastic! It was just two of us so I halved the recipe. I tend to buy the bite-your-face-off strength ginger beer but I'm glad I went with a more restrained one (Ginger People brand) this time; I think a stronger style would have overpowered the other flavors. This was delicious and I'd definitely make a full batch for a party in the future.

I do this at home on occasion - I keep ground cardamom around and sprinkle just a bit into the filter before I grind the beans and it gives the coffee a lovely flavor.

I first got the idea from Philz coffee; their original store is about four blocks from my house in San Francisco and they have two blends that they add cardamom to by default (although you can get it in any coffee they serve). The Philharmonic is one of my favorite coffees they make and the cardamom flavor is a big part of that.

I have a drip machine with a built-in grinder; I received it as a gift five or six years ago and I'm very happy with it. When it breaks I'll probably just buy a good grinder to use with my french press, so that I won't use as much counter space and can get a better grind on the beans, but it's working great for me now so I can't complain, especially since I didn't pay for it!

I *just* bought some of this last week, after hearing about on a vegan blog and finding a recipe to make my own. I figured I'd try it first before deciding if I want to try to make it at home. So far I've just had it spread on crispbread and it's really tasty; it hits my stinky cheese happy-place but definitely has its own flavor going on.

Thanks for this! Although I do admit that since I love leftovers, my partner and I often make normal-sized recipes and just save the rest.

My go-to salad dressing, based on the Veganomicon version:

3T maple syrup
2T apple cider vinegar
2T mustard
3T walnut oil
1/2t mustard powder
salt/pepper to taste

I make this in a screw-top jar and shake it like mad. Probably 80% of my salads are dressed with this.

One of my favorite easy vegan dinners is a bowl of polenta (or grits, I'm not picky) topped with garlic-sauteed greens and beans that I've cooked a bit in tomato sauce. You can make the sauce as complicated or basic as you want, and if you get some good beans like Rancho Gordo it is a phenomenal meal.

I'm a fan of using smoked sea salt on top of any bacon-friendly dish; that usually hits the salt/smoke button for me. I remember enjoying bacon sometimes when I ate meat, but I don't think of it as a huge loss not to eat it now.

I had the same "problem" of extra ginger syrup a while back, and I made a few dark & stormies and put the rest in cocktails made up of muddled mint leaves, gin, ginger syrup, and seltzer. No proportions, sorry - I just fiddle with it until it tastes right.