0 Have you eaten Llama meat? If so, you are <bleep> sick!

A reason I write a title for this blog because I had encountered some cute llama—not that meat, just four legs and long neck cute creatures. I found myself admiring their cuteness and, even, petting their heads. Already fed them. Had to wash my hands from their lickings on my palms.
Until a day, my wife come home excited, with a white package of llama ground meat. She sickened me with her shouting: let try this for meatballs, let try this for hamburgers….I knew how I felt about how much I like Llama creatures. I tried to avoid from cooking them but she nearly strangulated me with Cheese and Mac with “I don’t know what it is”—she told me--meat. That defiled my conscience by eating my dinner. Yea, I am guilty by eating what I love. Tell you a truth, it tasted not bad. Don’t tell my llama friends.
Thinking about petting your friend at State Fair. You might find one who follow you for petting or treats.
If you already eaten Llama, please don’t talk with me about it. I don’t need Llama Anonymous group. I don’t want to admit that I am Llama eater, I want to admit that I am Llama admirer, period.

0 Homemade Chai Tea

Image via WikipediaGot tired of some chai tea that I bought from store or local coffeehouse and I found it too sweet or bitterness in back of my tongue. I spent some times on Google for Chai Tea. I had found some recipes and was little disappointed with the results. Made a decision to make my own tea recipe to make my tongue so happy. I do care about good flavors in tea instead of some stupid funny flavors in tea—I already tried some BAD tea and never buy it again. I don’t want to give you the brand names or someone will run after my wallet for saying something awful. Don’t like it, don’t buy it.
Few months ago, I tried to get a recipe from a lady, African Chef—she refused and told me to find a recipe to make a good chai tea. She told me that it is very easy that I can learn by taste.  I am glad that she told me.
I went on my a quest for good chai tea recipe—it took so long time to find right one but I did it on my own and plainly satisfied with how it taste. No secrets in a recipe. I have to endure my steamy tribulations, and my difficult trails down the steeply cliffs—no,no, I meant trials of tasting. Later I found out that I really emptied all herbs and spices out of cabinet—very happy to take a grocery trip.
Yesterday, I made Chai tea by using my brain to dump good spices in hot water—bring it to boil and steep it for fifteen before I added black tea bags to it, bring it to boil and steep it for while. Viola! it is better than I have nuked that, that, that concentrated tea before added cupful of milk.
Very nice flavors. I love anything Homemade because I felt encouraged to try some new recipes and tweaked it to “perfect” flavors. If you know how to make, don’t ask your spouse to—oh heaven, you never know….
There are many recipes to make homemade chai tea but I think it is best for me to leave you good information due to some inconsistencies in the flavor as some amateurs claimed it is best chai tea. No matter what they said, I recommend you to make your own recipe and enjoy it. I don’t want to put my recipe that you might not like how it tasted. I preferred you to make your own better than mine.

“There is no end to the diversity of recipes for making your own chai. Chai recipes are like Italian minestrone soup - its always good but everyone's recipe is different.” (Quoted from Chai!, good information on traditional chai tea.)

Ok, before I start to bore you down to death, I give you some good links for simple recipes. Other than these three links, Google….you know. Remember, you can make your own delicious tea, might be the best chai tea you ever made than anyone.
Chai Tea recipe from Betty Crocker
Amazing Chai Tea from Tasty Kitchen
Easy Chai Tea from Real Simple
Take your adventure in making your best Chai Tea.
Powered by Chai Tea.

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0 Homemade Tabasco Sauce

I had decided to make my homemade Tabasco sauce with Thai Chilies—the last batch grown from my plant pot. Beautiful red chilies. It is very simple recipe to make but hot batch need two weeks to age in refrigerator. Then strain through cheesecloth in the strainer for look-like Tabasco sauce.
Homemade Thai-asco Style Sauce

4 ounces fresh Thai red chilies, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup  distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoons salt
Combine the chilies and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the
salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and place in
a blender. Puree until smooth and place in a glass jar. Allow to steep
for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Remove, strain the sauce, and adjust the consistency by adding more
vinegar if necessary.
Heat Scale: Hot

After straining, I saved the leftover of mushy Thai chilies pulp for homemade Harissa by simply adding pan-roasted spices (cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and caraway seeds) which are grinded in coffee mill, and finished with olive oil to preserve its paste. The spiciness barometer is very hot! scale. I always add the paste to enhance my good chicken while my family ate their chickens without any damn hot sauce on it. Or add to mayo for good dipping or spreading on bread for my sandwich. Or add some serious zings to scrambled eggs. Very good, especially with flavors of pan-roasted spices in paste.
Here are the list of sites that I thought you might want to visit or “steal” to impress your spouse:
Homemade Tabasco Style hot sauce from Hot Sauce Addicts
Homemade Tabasco from Scratch, recipes from Mexican Barbecue site
During my twenty or more years experience in culinary arts, I was trained to use anything up instead of throwing it in garbage can—always ashamed when I have to throw good chicken bones that I could use it for chicken stock. It will save me good money by adding something really cheap to food (making soup, for example). All with the pulp that I got from straining the sauce from Thai chilies.

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