It was very, very cold (about 8degrees) last week and today it is 62. Yesterday the weather man said we had drizzles and it was raining so hard, I couldn't see our road. Crazy weather! Perfect for tea. It is lovely to sit in my nice warm living room, with my Critters, Inc. to keep my toes comfy, drinking a nice pot of tea and watching the wind scour the woods.
I've had some wonderful combinations lately. I made Julia Child's cream of mushroom soup with a mix of ordinary and woodland mushrooms - so very, very good - and had it with some of Mark T. Wendell's Hu Kwa Lapsang Souchong tea. This, as far as I am concerned is the best of the best. There is exactly the right balance of smoke, sweet, and woodsy and it went perfectly with my soup.
The other was an orange tart I made, with a pastry cream base and candied oranges on top, with a drizzle of the much reduced candying liquid. It is the best dessert I've made in a while. I know I am bragging, but I still get excited when my food turns out really well. I had it with Culinary Teas Lady Londonderry, which is one of two fruit teas I like. This has maybe a bit of strawberry, maybe a smidge of pineapple, a lot of flowery and it went beautifully with the tart. If you're an Anglophile, it supposedly was Princess Diana's favorite. It is a very feminine tea.
We went out to lunch to a new to us restaurant. They buy as much of their ingredients as possible from local farms, breweries and wineries. That I really like. The food was excellent. I ordered iced tea in honor of "hot" weather. It was okay. Standard ice tea. Oh well.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Back To My Tea, Hooray!
It is so utterly beautiful. Three days ago, after an extensive January thaw, so that we were all swilling around in mud again, the temperature dropped and it snowed! Nice sticky snow that coated every branch and twig, every pine and fir needle; all covered in silvery white. The amazing thing is that it is still on them. We haven't had enough wind to send the snow swirling away into drifts and everyday it has snowed a little. Today the sun is shining so it's just breath-taking.
Since then it's melted and blown and now we are cold to the bone and out the other side. Critters, Inc. stick their noses out, run around for 5 minutes and run in giving me "The Look" of "how could you be so mean as to put me out." Humph!
I am sorry to be such a poor blogger, but that flu really left me with a very sorry case of the blahs, temperamentally and worse, food and drink-wise, However, I think I am once again human and back on the trail of teas. Today we are drinking a sample from Teavivre. It comes from Fengqing, Yunnan, China and is called Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea. It is composed of small balls, about 3/8ths of an inch across, tightly rolled of black and tan leaves - quite attractive and reminiscent of balls of material ready to make braided rugs that are sometimes found in antique shops.
The packet gives off something of a sharp winey aroma and after I brew it for 2 minutes, it is rather pale, but very, very fresh smelling, with some wine underneath and the very barest hint of smoke. You really have to work to get the latter, so don't let it put you off. The first sip is a bit woodsy, earthy tasting, with a hint of perhaps walnut. That continues, but segues into a more roasted nut flavor, still with the wood and earth backing it up. It is a really, really good tea and I will definitely be getting more of this.
Saw some cardinals today - they really make winter bearable, as do my little downy woodpeckers.
Since then it's melted and blown and now we are cold to the bone and out the other side. Critters, Inc. stick their noses out, run around for 5 minutes and run in giving me "The Look" of "how could you be so mean as to put me out." Humph!
I am sorry to be such a poor blogger, but that flu really left me with a very sorry case of the blahs, temperamentally and worse, food and drink-wise, However, I think I am once again human and back on the trail of teas. Today we are drinking a sample from Teavivre. It comes from Fengqing, Yunnan, China and is called Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea. It is composed of small balls, about 3/8ths of an inch across, tightly rolled of black and tan leaves - quite attractive and reminiscent of balls of material ready to make braided rugs that are sometimes found in antique shops.
The packet gives off something of a sharp winey aroma and after I brew it for 2 minutes, it is rather pale, but very, very fresh smelling, with some wine underneath and the very barest hint of smoke. You really have to work to get the latter, so don't let it put you off. The first sip is a bit woodsy, earthy tasting, with a hint of perhaps walnut. That continues, but segues into a more roasted nut flavor, still with the wood and earth backing it up. It is a really, really good tea and I will definitely be getting more of this.
Saw some cardinals today - they really make winter bearable, as do my little downy woodpeckers.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Leafing It Up With Tea
Hello again, everyone, I am finally back. Himself and I both had the flu, fortunately at slightly different times, so one of us could get meals and hot drinks. One of the prescriptions is to get lots of rest and drink plenty of liquids. Such an oxymoron. Think about it - the natural result of drinking a lot is many bathroom trips - that's not really restful. Ah well.
I haven't been trying new teas - my palate has just barely recovered and I don't want to give an off-base report. However, there are many tea festivals coming up and I can let you know about them.
As many of you know, the fall Tea and Coffee Festival was cancelled due to Sandy, but it is rescheduled for March 23-24 in NYC at the 69th Regiment Armory, 68 Lexington Ave. If you go to their website before Jan 31, the tickets are half-price. A good deal. www.coffeeandteafestival.com/nyc
The second annual San Francisco International Tea Festival is March 10.
The World Tea Expo is in June, in Las Vegas. www.worldteaexpo.com World Tea East will be in Atlanta in the fall.
There's one for the Northwest in Seattle in the fall.
Then there are the ones in Toronto,(February 2nd), Victoria, British Columbia, (February 9th) Ottowa in December and the First Flush Festival at the Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina, which is on May 19th.
Wouldn't it be fun to go to all of them? If only there were "world enough and time." Probably money, too.
I got out my old Fannie Farmer Cookbook to make something over the holidays. My grandmother gave it to me when I was about 13 - many years ago. It reminded me of our marriage. Stained, battered, underlined, given to falling open at certain passages, but still capable of producing wonderful things, a base for memorable times, sweetness in times of sorrow and difficulty, a steady diet of day-to-day goodness. Here’s to battered cookbooks and long marriages everywhere. In some countries, brides are given old spoons as a testament to the solidity of long marriages. I have two that have survived from our wedding, nearly 40 years ago. Maybe it is time to pass one on.
There should be a tradition for passing on teapots. What say, we start one. Wouldn't that make a nice 13th birthday or graduation or wedding gift? Although our children may be at ages to poo-poo tradition, passing it on is still a good thing. Family traditions give us anchors in a crazy world.
I haven't been trying new teas - my palate has just barely recovered and I don't want to give an off-base report. However, there are many tea festivals coming up and I can let you know about them.
As many of you know, the fall Tea and Coffee Festival was cancelled due to Sandy, but it is rescheduled for March 23-24 in NYC at the 69th Regiment Armory, 68 Lexington Ave. If you go to their website before Jan 31, the tickets are half-price. A good deal. www.coffeeandteafestival.com/nyc
The second annual San Francisco International Tea Festival is March 10.
The World Tea Expo is in June, in Las Vegas. www.worldteaexpo.com World Tea East will be in Atlanta in the fall.
There's one for the Northwest in Seattle in the fall.
Then there are the ones in Toronto,(February 2nd), Victoria, British Columbia, (February 9th) Ottowa in December and the First Flush Festival at the Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina, which is on May 19th.
Wouldn't it be fun to go to all of them? If only there were "world enough and time." Probably money, too.
I got out my old Fannie Farmer Cookbook to make something over the holidays. My grandmother gave it to me when I was about 13 - many years ago. It reminded me of our marriage. Stained, battered, underlined, given to falling open at certain passages, but still capable of producing wonderful things, a base for memorable times, sweetness in times of sorrow and difficulty, a steady diet of day-to-day goodness. Here’s to battered cookbooks and long marriages everywhere. In some countries, brides are given old spoons as a testament to the solidity of long marriages. I have two that have survived from our wedding, nearly 40 years ago. Maybe it is time to pass one on.
There should be a tradition for passing on teapots. What say, we start one. Wouldn't that make a nice 13th birthday or graduation or wedding gift? Although our children may be at ages to poo-poo tradition, passing it on is still a good thing. Family traditions give us anchors in a crazy world.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Flu Fell
Dea Folks, I had hoped to be back long before this, but we have been felled by the flu. Hopefully, return will be sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
I am content - another new snow, new books, new teapot, new tea for Christmas - what more could I ask for?
I am content - another new snow, new books, new teapot, new tea for Christmas - what more could I ask for?
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Christmas Greetings
Yes indeed, snow! It is still snowing and it is lovely. Hopefully, we can now save mud season for its rightful place in April.
Remember when I told you I planted ginger? I just harvested my first piece. It's on the small side, but it is definintely ginger. I feel so smart. I will put it in this afternoon's tea to celebrate. The narcissus I planted are blooming and filling the house with their powerful aroma and the first bulb in my mixed pot of leftover bulbs has broken the surface. Two of the orchids are putting out flower scapes, althought it will be a month or more before they bloom. I do love flowers in the winter.
I am going to take a break until after New Year. But I am going to leave you with this message, which was our Christmas letter this year.
There’s an old Christmas hymn “There’s a Song in the Air” that contains the words “The star rains it’s fire while the beautiful sing, for the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King.” Having seen meteor showers, one of the true wonders of the universe, I can only imagine what that star ( or stars) would have looked like. It is like fire raining from the sky, beautiful, awe-inspiring, even humbling. For those people long ago, it was surely frightening.
Christmas is beautiful too. Not in things, but in our hearts, where true beauty lives. It is a chance for us to once again put aside the glitz and open our hearts to wonder, to real beauty, to awe, to things beyond ourselves.
Advent, the season of preparation in the Christian church world wide, is 4 weeks of anticipation and expectation. The first week celebrates Hope, for all people everywhere. The second is Peace, which we all hope for. The third is my favorite - Joy. C.S. Lewis called it “That joy without which the universe would not exist” Joy is the under girding of everything and only comes from God. The last is Love. Love that brought a helpless infant to Bethlehem, love that went to a cross, love that rose to rule the universe, love for each of us. Love between us and among us. Love enduring.
Big thoughts. Hard to fit them into our humble lives, but let there be Hope, Peace, Joy and Love in your heart today and every day of your life. May this Christmas be the most wonderful you have ever had.
Remember when I told you I planted ginger? I just harvested my first piece. It's on the small side, but it is definintely ginger. I feel so smart. I will put it in this afternoon's tea to celebrate. The narcissus I planted are blooming and filling the house with their powerful aroma and the first bulb in my mixed pot of leftover bulbs has broken the surface. Two of the orchids are putting out flower scapes, althought it will be a month or more before they bloom. I do love flowers in the winter.
I am going to take a break until after New Year. But I am going to leave you with this message, which was our Christmas letter this year.
There’s an old Christmas hymn “There’s a Song in the Air” that contains the words “The star rains it’s fire while the beautiful sing, for the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King.” Having seen meteor showers, one of the true wonders of the universe, I can only imagine what that star ( or stars) would have looked like. It is like fire raining from the sky, beautiful, awe-inspiring, even humbling. For those people long ago, it was surely frightening.
Christmas is beautiful too. Not in things, but in our hearts, where true beauty lives. It is a chance for us to once again put aside the glitz and open our hearts to wonder, to real beauty, to awe, to things beyond ourselves.
Advent, the season of preparation in the Christian church world wide, is 4 weeks of anticipation and expectation. The first week celebrates Hope, for all people everywhere. The second is Peace, which we all hope for. The third is my favorite - Joy. C.S. Lewis called it “That joy without which the universe would not exist” Joy is the under girding of everything and only comes from God. The last is Love. Love that brought a helpless infant to Bethlehem, love that went to a cross, love that rose to rule the universe, love for each of us. Love between us and among us. Love enduring.
Big thoughts. Hard to fit them into our humble lives, but let there be Hope, Peace, Joy and Love in your heart today and every day of your life. May this Christmas be the most wonderful you have ever had.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Taking Tea With Cookies
Actually, I'm baking cookies with tea. The tea is going in me this time, as will the cookies at some point. It just seemed a nice accompaniment. It is Twining's Christmas Tea, a pleasant smelling black tea with cinnamon and cloves. The cookies are an old Swedish recipe with hard boiled egg yolks, so they are a delicate yellow. They smell good together. This is the last batch of cookies - I am tired of making them. I'm not a fiddly person to begin with and cookie making just isn't quite the fun it used to be - I'd rather make cakes. Which I am, Julia Child's Pound Cake. This time I flavored it with rose water and I'll serve it with some raspberry sauce I made the other day.
Back to the tea. I usually shy away from tea with cloves in, as that is so overwhelming I'm not interested. But, I got it free, so why not? It smalls very nice - well balanced among the flavors. It is a dark tea, but not super sturdy, overly heavy or overly seasoned. The tea, cinnamon and clove are nicely balanced and almost, but not quite, delicate. It really is very nice with the sweet, gentle lemon in the sugar cookies. It also goes very nicely with the biscotti my lovely sister-in-law made for us.
Oh joy, Oh loveliness, oh, oh, oh, it's snowing. Hooray. I so hope it sticks and covers up the muck we are surrounded by - there is standing water all over my yard! Phoo. Just watching it fall and having tea provides me with a large shot of the cosies. Add to that a book to read and 4 furry lap warmers and I am happy. I don't want a blizzard, well, I do, but that is selfish.
Don't get so crazy with the Christmas things that you forget to have a cup of tea and appreciate the season.
Back to the tea. I usually shy away from tea with cloves in, as that is so overwhelming I'm not interested. But, I got it free, so why not? It smalls very nice - well balanced among the flavors. It is a dark tea, but not super sturdy, overly heavy or overly seasoned. The tea, cinnamon and clove are nicely balanced and almost, but not quite, delicate. It really is very nice with the sweet, gentle lemon in the sugar cookies. It also goes very nicely with the biscotti my lovely sister-in-law made for us.
Oh joy, Oh loveliness, oh, oh, oh, it's snowing. Hooray. I so hope it sticks and covers up the muck we are surrounded by - there is standing water all over my yard! Phoo. Just watching it fall and having tea provides me with a large shot of the cosies. Add to that a book to read and 4 furry lap warmers and I am happy. I don't want a blizzard, well, I do, but that is selfish.
Don't get so crazy with the Christmas things that you forget to have a cup of tea and appreciate the season.
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