A tea for February

Before I get to the tea: I want to announce that the winners of REVEL and THE DARK BETWEEN preorder, chosen through the mighty power of Random.org, are Carrie K and Regina Garvie! Congrats to both of them!

Now . . . TEA!

January was crazy, but I'm back with a tea recommendation for February.

In my early days of tea exploration, I shopped a lot at Stash. You often can find their bagged teas at the supermarket, but their loose leaf tea is quite good, too. The Stash website is a great place to spend some time, especially if you're not quite sure what you like and don't want to invest a great deal of money in sampling a few things. I've always been pleased by their offerings.


If you like a smooth black tea, you can't go wrong with the Kenilworth Estate Ceylon from Stash. Here's their description:

Long attractive leaves, exquisite flavor and subtle body. Excellent afternoon tea.

Ceylon teas from the Kenilworth Estate enjoy the seasonal monsoons which encourage the growth of the teas in the districts of Dimbula, Uva and Kandy. Select tender leaves picked after the first monsoon and processed during cooler weather, result in a creamy character unique to this estate. With long attractive leaves our Kenilworth Ceylon Orange Pekoe has the smoothness of a great Ceylon tea with the intriguing creamy top notes this tea is known for.

I agree that this is a great tea for afternoons -- it's not quite as dark and brisk as an Assam.


Last week, it seemed the perfect choice for "second breakfast." (Not just for Hobbits anymore!) Steve and I had an early breakfast at Panera -- one scone shared between us -- and by 10:30 I was starving. So I made a pot of Kenilworth Ceylon and enjoyed it with a slice of homemade cherry orange loaf.

[The recipe originally called for fresh cranberries, but I couldn't even find frozen ones this time of year, so I substitued tart cherries. They worked fine, but I will try with cranberries in the fall. You'll find the recipe here.]

What's your favorite tea for the cold month of February?

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

A tea for December

Last week I chatted about favorite holiday music, movies, and books. This week it's holiday tea!


As many of you know, my favorite holiday tea blend is from Harney & Sons and can be ordered online or found in Barnes & Noble cafes (as well as in many shops that stock specialty food items). You can order loose leaf OR sachets!


Described as "a black tea spiced with citrus, almond, clove and cinnamon," Harney's Holiday Tea is my favorite thing to drink on chilly December afternoons.

Some other options:
Adagio's Christmas Blend
Mighty Leaf's Holiday Blend (if you'd like something fruity)
Celestial Seasonings' Gingerbread Tea (if you prefer a non-caffeinated option)
Celestial Seasonings' Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride (another caffeine-free option, suggested by Jessica McCann)
Do you have another favorite to recommend for the holidays?


The Holiday Tea pairs perfectly with Swedish Ginger Cookies (see recipe below--yes, I rave about these cookies every year!) or sugar cookies with homemade frosting.

Swedish Ginger Cookies
(Pepparkakor)
Contributed to The Kansas Cookbook by Mrs. Ernest A. (Eunice) Wall

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, butter or margarine, and shortening together. Add the molasses and egg, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix well. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in the sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten each with a small glass or a smooth object. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen.

**My notes. Maybe I make my cookies too big, but I've NEVER managed 5 dozen cookies with this recipe! Also, I boost the spice amounts a bit and throw in a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for good measure. To ease the process of rolling the dough into balls, I separate the dough into halves and roll each half into a tube and chill it in parchment. Then I can just slice the dough to form the balls. (Maybe it's easier to use a scoop? I like the logs of dough because they're slightly obscene-looking. Fun times! Also, I bake about 9 minutes.)

(photos awesomized with the "leaded window" frame in Camera Awesome)

[cross-posted at Livejournal]

A tea for November

This month's post is inspired more by the tea treat than the tea itself. I was keen to make pumpkin scones from scratch, and for me a very flavorful scone pairs well with a traditional black tea. And thus I chose Adagio's Assam Harmony.


From the website:
Bold, powerful black tea from the Assam region of India. A deep, burgundy-red cup, textured spicy and roasted grain aroma, malty rich flavor with notes of raisins. Pungent, but smooth astringency, making this tea an ideal cup to pair with milk and sugar.

Assam Harmony has long been a favorite of mine. (Apparently, it's a favorite of many others, as well, for it's out of stock at Adagio until the end of the month. Do check back if you're interested!) It's very versatile -- as pleasing for breakfast as it is for an afternoon pick-me-up.


You'll find the recipe for these pumpkin scones here (I halved the ingredients in order to make 8 scones). They truly are moist and delicious, and you control the sweetness with how heavily you drizzle the glaze. Bottom line -- if I can manage such gorgeous, tasty specimens on my first attempt, you'll have no trouble at all!


I enjoyed tea in front of the fireplace, making it a special event by employing my pewter tea service. Steve and I found this set at a charming shop in Clarksville, Missouri -- ASL Pewter. Their pewter is 100% lead-free and completely safe for the kitchen and table.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Friday Five of Random

1. FOOD: Last week I had a whole pile of black bananas and no eggs for banana bread. With Deleilan's assistance, I made a vegan version that was delicious. (Email me if you want the recipe -- I don't think she'd mind.) Once I obtained some eggs, I made these banana muffins (thanks to Caerwyn) that pretty much knocked my socks off. YUM!

2. FILM: There's going to be a film of Susan Hill's THE WOMAN IN BLACK starring Daniel Radcliffe! I'm sure this will be deliciously gothic and creepy. (I've never seen any of the TV adaptations -- have you?)

3. BOOKS: after allowing myself an afternoon to celebrate/mourn the completion of the Hunger Games trilogy, I moved on to Kate Atkinson's fourth Jackson Brodie book, Started Early, Took My Dog. The UK edition has one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen! And it's thoroughly engrossing in its meandering, stream-of-consciousness way. I'm trying to make it last because I let Steve take my copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with him to Colorado. (What was I thinking?)

4. PETS: Yesterday was National Dog Day, and Jama Rattigan celebrated with children's authors here. Just so you know, National Cat Day is October 29. Cat lovers need to represent, so put it on your calendar!

5. MUSIC: Those of you who came of age in the 80s might find this interesting: a Then and Now montage of music artists. Some folks are holding up well, while some . . . not so much. Do you see any of your old crushes? :)

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]