After Dinner Mints

A mix of candied fennel seeds, mukhwas

At an Indian restaurant, have you ever wondered about the little mints they offer you at the end of the meal, or sometimes they have a big bowl of them at the front of the restaurant? They are candied fennel seeds and they come in different colors and flavors. These little seeds are crunchy and minty, and they help your digestion. Sometimes, I look forward to that mint more than the meal itself. Different restaurants have different mixes of mints. They are called mukhwas.

This comes in convenient 5 flavors, pineapple mukhwas is one of them

This one is my favorite, sweet mukhwas

Some mixes are sour and some are salty. I like the sweet candied fennel seeds. Mix up a few kinds and you will enjoy different flavors every time you reach for them. If you like licorice, you would love these. I bought them online, so I can eat them without going to the Indian restaurant now. 


Click if you like this post

Matcha Rice Crispy Treats

Ever since we had a piece of chocolate rice crispy treat as our road nutrition on the way home from Arkansas, I've been wanting to make the homemade rice crispy treats. I made them with the gluten-free Rice Krispy cereal and flavored them with matcha. I don't know why I had to choose the gluten-free cereal when I am using the marshmallows that are full of bad stuff anyway. But I guess I attempted to think healthy. Maybe the benefits of matcha would cancel the bad stuff out! The end product was quite delicious, so it's all good. 

My dog inspects everything I eat

Cooling down on the counter....

Matcha Rice Crispy Treats

3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp matcha, I used 2 Tbsp this time but I could use a little less the next time
4 cups marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy

Melt the butter and add matcha and stir till nicely incorporated. Add marshmallows and melt till smooth. Turn off the heat. Toss in rice crispy and mix well. Transfer to a casserole dish and pat it down. A silicone spatula works well without sticking too much. Cool at least 30 minutes.

Store it in the freezer after opening to keep it fresh

Click if you like this post

Summer Haircut

Feeling so much better already

Because we have been having unusually high temperatures lately, I have decided to get our dog a summer haircut. We don't usually do this until mid-summer, so this is quite early for us. He seems to like it a lot, though. I asked them to use the oat meal shampoo which seems to sooth his itchy skin. He had his teeth cleaned, nails ground, ear hair pulled also. He had a big treat when we came home. Good boy!


Click if you like this post

Hummingbird Feeder

Time to put the hummingbird feeder out on the front porch. It has been very warm here like summer. We have the air conditioner on all day now. I bet the hummingbirds are thirsty, too.

I want hummingbirds, not ants!

I hope to post a photo of a hummingbird soon for this season. The pictures below are from the last summer.

Perched on dogwood

Still magical after all these years

Click if you like this post