Earl Grey - Not just for the captain

     Any Star Trek fan will tell you what Captain Picard's favorite drink is: "Tea, Earl Grey, hot".
     I got curious one day when I was having lunch in downtown Port Huron, Michigan. I was sitting in the now-closed Diana's Sweet Shop and saw it on the menu. They brought me a bag and I immediately loved the smell right when i opened it.

     Flash-forward years later, and Earl Grey is still one of my favorite teas. Here's how I fix it, especially when I'm about to sit down and write:
     Let two bags steep in a soup-mug. Not for too long, though, since the lavender oil makes a weird film on the surface.
     Add a dash of milk or creamer. When it comes to adding creamer, I use my bi-racial skin color as a guide. For this, I add enough creamer so it matches the outside of my forearm.
     Add 3 teaspoons of sweetener. It's a good treat.

Dream chili

     I've been feeling irritated at the utter shortage of habanero peppers in Vincennes. The more I notice their lack, the more I want to make chili. And the more I want to make chili, the more idealized this dream chili becomes.
     First is the meat to be used. I'd go with a combination of a few chicken thighs and a pork loin roast. I'd stick those into the crock pot. When they become buttery soft, I'll remove the bones. Then I'd put the resulting meat into a container for later.
     Next comes a combination of red and black beans. I let those soften and cook in the pot.
     Once the beans are softened, I'd put frozen corn and a can of diced tomatoes in there. Then enough tomato juice to make it stirable but not soupy; you don't want to go fishing for every morsel.
     Next are the spices: 3 tablespoons of chili powder; Tbsp each of salt, pepper, and cumin; 1 C of brown sugar; and enough peppers to bitch-slap your tongue. I use a handful of habaneros, ground in the processor, same for onion.
     I let that cook for a bit, then throw the meat back in there. Before dishing out each serving, I put a layer of rice into a bowl, then pile the chili on top. But I don't mix them because I want each spoonful to be a nice cross-section of chili and rice.
     That's what I want... Right there.

The Food Blog Has Landed

     I'm a foodie. I guess you don't get to be my size without enjoying food. I think I'm addicted to my own cooking, actually. Of The 7 so-called sins, I would say that gluttony is often the first I turn to for gratification.
     With that, I've decided to start a food blog. In addition to talking about food preferences and recipes, I will also talk about drinks.
     The reason I call it The Saccharine Inferno is because I love the combination of sweet and spicy tastes. As of right now, I'm lamenting the local shortage of habanero peppers. I don't use actual sugar, but Splenda, as I am diabetic.
     However, not everything will be about sugar and spice. I'll also post about my culinary explorations, too.