Author: Jen Kopanic

  • Jen and El’s Indian masala

    We love Indian food; I especially love a good mango lassie. In grad school, we used to go a to hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant called Kurry Xpress in Omaha (sadly, this restaurant is now closed). It’s name was a bit of a misnomer. The food was delicious, but it always took forever for the food to…

  • FAQ about kombucha

    Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that I often get about kombucha and the process: What is this kombucha that you’re always raving about? Kombucha is a drink made from fermented tea. It is delicious and slightly effervescent. It can be flavored. It can be from sweet, tangy, or tart – it all depends…

  • My favorite kombucha flavors – July 2018

    I’ve had two friends (and about a dozen people at the YMCA) sample my home-brewed kombucha. Both times I was asked how I flavor it and what are my favorite flavors. I’ve also been asked about carbonation, sugar content, and accidental bottle explosions. I’ve answered a few more questions below about this in a FAQ…

  • Remembering our European travels: Ireland

    We have a friend of a friend (my brother-in-law, Tom) who is going to celebrate their 15th anniversary by going to Europe! More specifically, they are going to England, Ireland, and Italy. Tom shared our London post with her, but I wanted to share our love of Ireland too. Just in case it helps with…

  • Weekly sourdough bread recipe

    We love sourdough bread. And there is nothing quite like the smell of fresh baked bread. This bread recipe is adapted from the clever carrot blog. The creator of the clever carrot blog, Emilie, has great information on making a sourdough starter and how to feed and maintain it. Adapted from: The Clever Carrot Serves: 1…

  • Westy Blonde Clone

    Westvleteren 12 is said to be one of the best trappist beers in the world. It is produced by the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Vleteren, Belgium. On our last European adventure (and second adventure with Oliver), we visited the abbey-owned cafe and visitor centre called In de Vrede, which is across the street from the…

  • DIY Kombucha

    I love kombucha. I was introduced to it (and hated it) when I was an undergrad. My friend John re-introduced me to it several years ago in graduate school. That’s when I fell in love with ‘bootch and discovered two things: 1) you can get a small discount at Whole Foods if you buy a…

  • An ode to the Instant Pot

    An ode to the Instant Pot Oh, Instant Pot! I already have a rice cooker, yogurt maker, slow cooker, and more! Do I really need another “thing” (and you of all things) from the store? I was the latest to succumb to temptation that we all are buying into as a nation. You, Instant Pot, seemed…

  • Brenda’s Muesli

    We learned to appreciate oats to their fullest when we lived in the UK. Those close to me might think this is funny because “granola” definitely comes to mind as a word people use to describe me. Yes, I love granola and all that hippy stuff. But I never truly diverged from granola until I…

  • What we miss about Cambridge

    We started living a strange life of sleeping on an air mattress and living out of suitcases at the end of April. El had the idea of shipping our things over to the States as early as possible so that we wouldn’t have to wait for them for very long. We were very lucky that…