A warming "London Fog"

I just heard about this tea drink called a London Fog that’s become popular on the West Coast in the last few years. I think it sounds delicious, and since I can make it with almond milk and stevia, I can eat it on my diet without having to save it for a cheat day!

The directions, from the article:

"① Make the tea. Ideally, this should be Earl Grey, a black tea with gentle notes of citrusy bergamot. Bring water to a full rolling boil and steep the tea for five minutes in a half cup of hot water. Then strain the tea leaves out or remove the tea bag. "It's important to steep black tea in boiling water, not in the milk directly," [the tea master who made the recipe Vanessa] Cubelic advises. "The flavors extract well in water, but the fat in milk inhibits extraction."

② Steam the milk. While you're waiting for the tea to steep, set a small saucepan of almond milk or coconut milk on the stove over medium heat. Don't allow it to boil. Whisk the milk for about five minutes, until it's hot and frothy "for a nice fog-like effect." Add a half cup of milk to the tea.

Regular milk is fine, too, but Cubelic favors almond or coconut milk, because "it has such a beautiful creaminess, which enhances the vanilla and bergamot." Though some recipes call for a higher milk-to-tea ratio, Cubelic is firm about using equal parts: "Milk has a tendency to overwhelm the taste of tea if you're not careful," she says.

③ Add vanilla. Most cafés use vanilla syrup, which Cubelic finds too sweet. "What I do is use a little shot of good-quality vanilla extract," plus sweetener if desired. Swirl a half teaspoon of vanilla along the top of the foam in the cup, then stir it in. Taste and add more vanilla if desired."

Accomplishment chart, 10/30 – 11/5

Accomplishment chart, 10/30 – 11/5

Writing
- 1 blog entry for Mrshawking.com
- 3 LiveJournal entries
- 7 daily Hipster Feminist tweets

Theater
- saw Macbeth with Chameleon’s Dish Theatre
- blocked Clara’s monologue, scenes 1.5a, 2.3b, 2.1b, and 2.5b of Vivat Regina
- had 2 rehearsals for Vivat Regina at Arisia 2015
- worked 3 tech rehearsals for Dana Hall’s fall play

Website
- posted 1 blog entry on Mrshawking.com

Sewing/Costuming
- had 1 fitting for Dana Hall’s fall play
- took in and repaired 3 dresses for Dana Hall’s fall play

Media
- listened to episode 30 of Tom and Lorenzo’s Pop Style Opinionfest
- read pages 51-162 of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Service
- volunteered at the Charles River Museum

Physical
- fighter abs #7.20
- fighter abs #7.21
- fighter abs #8.22
- two-mile run
- fighter abs #8.23

Cooking
- made 7 mixed berry smoothies
- made 5 peanut butterscotch smoothies
- made meatloaf with steamed carrots and purple potatoes
- made Alton Brown’s pumpkin bread
- made broiled strip steak with pumpkin soup and sliced cucumber
- made roast chicken with steamed broccoli

New post on Mrshawking.com -- "The mistake in Vivat Regina"

"The mistake in Vivat Regina"



When I was in graduate school studying playwriting and screenwriting, one of my mentors, the great Boston theater artist Kate Snodgrass, said that everything that in the text of a play is intentional. Whatever writing choices made it into the final draft have to be treated by us, readers and critics, as specifically included on purpose by that writer. It’s all part of the world of the story, and nothing can be chalked up to as accidental, or a mistake.

With all due respect to Kate, I don’t always agree with that. As a writer, I find that the process isn’t always one smooth delivery of brainchild onto the page. I do tend to be a very intentional writer. It’s just my style to do a lot of advance planning, and I always have a motivation for why I made the choice that I made. Doesn’t mean it’s a good choice, of course, but I did it on purpose for a reason!

But even I end up with stuff in my finished projects that weren’t part of my grand design. Sometimes I have a really good part A and a really good part C, so I end up hacking together a part B because it gets me from one to the other. Or sometimes I include something that struck me on a whim at the moment, when if I’d considered it a little more deeply, I might not find it consistent with the overall vision.

One such small moment exists in Vivat Regina.

Read the rest of the entry on Mrshawking.com!

Mrs. Hawking and Vivat Regina by Phoebe Roberts will be performed January 15th-18th at the Westin Waterfront Hotel as part of Arisia 2016.