January is almost over! I am entering the 29th week of my pregnancy (month 7)! How crazy is that? I’m sure that’s an understatement compared to 2020, but it’s a big deal in my little world. Time is relative, isn’t it?
Soon, my baby will be here, my taxes will be due, and I’ll be another year older. I feel tired just thinking about it. All I really want is for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. The Lunar New Year will be upon us soon. For those of us who celebrate, are we ready? My family is dominantly Vietnamese, so we celebrate Tết. The Lunar New Year will look a bit different this year, but I still wish for Luck and Prosperity for everyone!
Back to my favorite things in January, the weather is hot for this time of year in Los Angeles. Inauguration Day was on January 20th. We officially began the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. Despite supply chain concerns, we are still rolling out the Coronavirus vaccine. It’s been great to watch people come together during these hardships. To quote Mr. Rogers:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Fred Rogers
These are the moments that are helping me get through the pandemic. I’m just taking it day by day, trying to enjoy small pleasures that life has to offer.
animatolabs.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Eats
SPICEWALLA MASALA CHAI
Cinnamon and ginger have always been my favorite spices growing up Vietnamese. These warm spices bring me always bring comfort. Since I’m not a big coffee drinker, I always order a black tea or chai spiced drink at any coffee shop. With the ongoing COVID pandemic, I don’t really go out anymore. I tried purchasing a chai concentrate, where the chai and sugar were already pre-mixed, and you just needed to add your milk/tea preference. I found a lot of these had too much sugar and not enough spice flavor for my taste. I started looking into purchasing masala chai blends to add my own sweetener, tea, or milk ratios. Blended by hand in Asheville, NC, SPICEWALLA was founded by James Beard-nominated chef and restaurateur Meherwan Irani. Their focus on fresh spices and gourmet quality really shows in the chai. The first ingredient is ginger, which creates a spicy introduction then warms you up with cinnamon notes, followed by green cardamom, black pepper, clove, and allspice. I love it! It’s a great way to wake up in the morning spicy tea and end the day with a warm spiced cookie. Fun Fact: Did you know that “Chai” translates to “tea”? When you’re saying “chai tea,” you really are saying “tea tea.” ☆☆☆☆☆
Makeup
NYX TINTED BROW MASCARA in Espresso
Over the years, eyebrows have been getting more attention. In addition to pomades, pencils, stencils, and so on, there’s now brow mascara in the market. I have dark hair and sparse eyebrows that never show up in photographs. I (luckily) missed out on the over-plucked look of the early ’00s. I’ve mostly neglected my eyebrows until I discovered Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate. Over the years, I’ve perfect my perfect swipe with my slanted brush with the pomade. I was excited to try NYX TINTED BROW MASCARA in Espresso. I wanted to see if I could get a similar look at a fraction of the cost. This brow mascara did not disappoint. There is a learning curve for me to change from a brush application to a wand applicator. The product is also wetter than a pomade, which gives me time to fix any messes I made around my brow. The brow mascara is long-lasting and easy to clean off at the end of the day. It creates a beautiful natural brow look. The only thing lacking is buildability. I can develop intensity with the pomade without overloading my brows. With the mascara, it starts looking a bit clumpy if I go too heavy-handed. This is really a personal preference. I didn’t save much time with each product. I will definitely recommend this brow mascara if you’re looking for a quality, budget product that gives you long-lasting natural brows. ☆☆☆☆☆
Recipe
Cookies are such a versatile pastry. With just pantry staples of flour, sugar, butter, you can create your perfect cookie. Using Jamie’s Chewy Chai Sugar Cookie recipe on mybakingaddiction.com, I adapted it to use SPICEWALLA MASALA CHAI. You can also use her spice blend if you don’t have chai readily available. Aside from the spices, I also made two other adjustments. I usually don’t use parchment paper on my baking pans. I like the brown effect on the bottom of the cookies. Please use parchment paper if your pan is not non-stick. The original recipe includes both baking soda and baking powder. I prefer the light, fine cookie texture that baking powder produces in the final cookie. According to Bob’s Red Mill’s blog “Inside the Mill,” baking soda develops a coarse, chewy cookie texture. When using baking powder as a substitute, use double-acting baking powder. It creates a better rise than regular baking powder.
Chewy Chai Sugar Cookies
These are warming, spiced cookies to help you get through winter blues. Perfect with a cup of tea on a blustery day.
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons SPICEWALLA MASALA CHAI
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine sugar and chai in a small bowl. Set aside ¼ cup of sugar-chai mixture for rolling cookies.
- For your dry ingredients, sift the flour in a large bowl. Add baking powder and salt.
- In a stand mixer (or by whisk by hand), beat softened butter and sugar-chai mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Slowly mix your bowl of dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
- Roll out small dough balls and roll them in your reserved sugar-chai mixture. Please each dough about 1 ½ inches apart.
- Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- The cookies will be soft right out of the kitchen. Let cookies cool for about 2 minutes before moving them to your wire racks for cooling.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 115 calories; 5 g fat; 16 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein.
diana luong 