Simple Pleasures

Sometimes, comfort food is the only thing that does the job. It was a less than stellar day around here yesterday. My sweetheart got stuck in a torrential downpour on the way home from work, possibly lost a suit, tie, and shoes to the  inclement weather. I spent the day fighting some weird turf battles at my job, and then there were strange things in my tea.

I generally count on tea to be the most predictable part of my day. It's green or brown, it smells and tastes nice, I drink a lot of it, and it's always there for me.

A particular favorite of mine is puer tea in all its forms. Puer is semi-fermented, and pressed into big cakes. Sometimes, there are stems or grassy bits stuck inside a cake of puer. Today, there was something a bit more unusual - a fern leaf!

It was time to head home and make something familiar.

I made a big batch of mac and cheese, with a healthy sprinkling of paprika on top. Hot, gooey, and just what we needed.

Take that, semi-crappy day!