Organic African Nectar Tea

Trying out a new tea and I'm loving it so far! This is Organic African Nectar tea from Mighty Leaf. It's made with African Rooibos leaves, rose petals (marigold flowers), hibiscus leaves, mallow blossoms, and spices. All ingredients are organic. This is my first time trying rooibos tea (or red tea) and it definitely has a unique flavor that I'm not accustomed to. I usually drink green tea, and will occasionally have black, white, or herbal tea. The African Nectar is unique in that it has an exotic, light, smooth, and rich flavor that's lacking in the other teas. It's an herbal tea so it doesn't have any caffeine (not meant as morning pick me up!). There's a stark contrast compared to the herbal teas I've tried before which have more of a stronger fruity taste that can become too sour for my liking (the Bigelow herbal teas). This tea is meant for a quiet night in, as it promotes calmness and is known to protect the heart and prevent stress. You can find this tea at your local drugstore or online at Amazon. You can even find it at Paris Baguette Cafe! :)

The Honey Ladies: Cherry Blossom Honey

I've never heard of flavored honey until the Mardi Gras Festival that I attended about 1.5 weeks ago. There was a stand that sold honey with various unique flavors, such as wildflower, orange, and the one pictured above, cherry blossom. After testing out a few flavors, I decided to go with the cherry because it had the most unique taste -- leaving the biggest impression. I recommend this if you like cherry because the fruit can be tasted quite heavily (after all, cherry is not light on the taste buds!). Nope, not subtle at all. It will definitely add pizazz to your daily monotonous cup of tea. Seeing what The Honey Ladies had to offer, it opened my eyes to the differing types of honey out there. Since I'm a regular consumer of this sweet substance, I'm excited to try out the rest of their distinct flavors!

Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl Spread

First time trying Trader Joe's cult favorite Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl spread! It's a combination of the cookie and cocoa spread, mixed into one. Amazing. I love how you can see the two different spreads in a vertical pattern in the jar! Trader Joe's original creations are the cookie butter and the crunchy cookie butter. I've tried the crunchy cookie butter before, which has small cookie pieces in a peanut butter-like consistency with hints of gingerbread, nutmeg, and cinnamon flavors. Yum!

Speculoos is actually a product of the Netherlands, which is not surprising considering that the term speculoos is a type of ginger shortbread biscuit traditionally eaten on St. Nicholas' feast in the Netherlands and Belgium. These biscuits have some sort of image pertaining to the holiday and are made of many spices: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. Trader Joe's cookie butter is basically spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a whole lot of sugar. I'm glad that it does not have too many spices in it since I'm not a fan of high spiced snacks, such as gingersnaps.

Apparently the cookie butter is so high in demand that it's not always available at your local Trader Joe's, although I haven't frequented the store enough to confirm this. I also heard it's really popular in the Philippines and Singapore and it's been such a food craze that Trader Joe's had to limit one per customer. Yikes!

If you don't live near a Trader Joe's, you can also buy these on Amazon and Ebay! They, however, will be more expensive compared to the in-store retail price of $3.99 per jar.

Also, it doesn't rank high on the health scale so be careful -- because you won't be able to put your spoon down once it hits the jar! :)

Bundt Cakes

Red Velvet and White Chocolate Raspberry bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes! 
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Moist, flavorful, and yummy. These bundtlet's (that's what they call it) literally melts in my mouth with every bite. Both are topped with their signature frosting, cream cheese (used with real butter!). The frosting is absolutely rich and delicious that I even licked some off my hands (couldn't help myself as I am a lover of sweets). The White Chocolate Raspberry is made with white chocolate cake with raspberry puree while the Red Velvet is made with cocoa, buttermilk, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips! Yum!

I like how the company uses the "freshest and finest ingredients," using fresh eggs, real butter, and cream cheese. I also like how their bundtlet's are wrapped in an individual plastic container, making each one special and ready-to-go.

For those of you who have never heard of a bundt cake--not surprising, as its competitors are the notable cupcake and macaron--they are a style of cake with a unique ring-like shape. Basically, they resemble a donut, except the bottom is completely flat and the top resembles a circular worm with repeating nodes (yes, odd comparison). There isn't a particular recipe for the bundt cake, as opposed to the pound cake with a 1:1 ratio of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. As long as it is made using the bundt pan to produce that particular look, then it can be called a bundt cake. I believe it's called a bundt cake because the word bundt resembles bundles, which is what the cake looks like.

The bundt cake is inspired by the Gugelhupf, which is a similar cake that was popular among the Jewish community from southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Alsace. 

The main difference between the Minneapolis and European one is that:
1. The American version uses flour, sugar, and eggs while the European uses yeast dough, raisins, almonds, and kirschwasser (cherry brandy popular in European sweets).
2. The latter is much higher in length with an extra layer on the bottom.
3. Fruits, nuts, and coffee are often associated with the Gugelhupf.

I'm not sure why bundt cakes aren't as popular here in the states (or maybe it's a west coast thing?) as compared to a cupcake. Maybe it's because it's more difficult to decorate them in a way that makes it look more attractive to eat. Nonetheless, I'm glad there are some stores that continue to specialize in the beauty of bundt cakes!

Sakuramochi w/White Chocolate

Mochi (mochigashi) is a type of confectionery originating from Japan. It is a rice cake that is made of mochigome, a form of short-grain glutinous rice. It is made from Japonica rice, or rice that is grown in Japan. This particular rice is used because the short to medium mochigome lack amylose, a component of starch that resists digestion. Since mochi has little to no amylose, they are highly digestible, and as a result tend to have a higher glycemic index (AKA will result more quickly in a higher blood glucose level in the body after consumption). In other words, you should eat up with moderation! :)

Mochi is produced using glutinous rice, which are pressed and molded into a rounded ball shape. In the past, the mochitsuki process to make this was quite labor intensive. They would soak and cook the rice overnight, and then pound the rice with mallets and mortars the next day. Talk about exhausting! Nowadays, mochi can be made in your own home using the microwave!

They are often served as wagashi (Japanese sweets that are often served along with tea) and traditionally consumed during the Japanese New Year--although they are very popular and produced and consumed year round. 

Mochi come in other forms, such as daifuku, which are mochi with a sweet filling (anko azuki beans--sweetened red bean paste--are commonly used). I've also seen mochi ice cream, which are a mochi exterior with an ice cream filling! These can be found in certain grocery stores such as Trader Joe's.

The mochi pictured above is the "Harajuku Mochi Chocolat: Sakura." It's a product of Japan, so it is imported and therefore a bit more expensive. They used artificial red food coloring to obtain the rich pink color, which contrasts with authentic sakuramochi that uses red bean paste. The white chocolate filling was also almost non-existent. The mochi not only tasted better, but the flavors definitely overpowered the chocolate. Not only could more chocolate be added, but the quality could also be improved. It was not very rich and tasted quite artificial. Although they do use real cocoa butter, it was not enough to give the chocolate an intense and creamy taste. The mochi itself, on the other hand, did not disappoint. :)