In praise of cream teas!

Way back, when my tea world consisted of grocery store bags, I used to drink my black tea with milk, never sugar. Since discovering better quality teas, mostly loose but some bagged, the milk jug has remained in the fridge. I can't even imagine putting milk in some of my favorite teas but at one time, it had to go in. Even now, when I have a cup of tea at a restaurant or at an event, the milk will invariably go into a cup since most places still serve pretty low quality stuff. And that's what milk does - it takes some of the bitterness out of cheap tea and mellows it. Even though everyone rails against putting cream into tea, deep down, you have to admit, cream is pretty tasty - much more than milk - but for the most part, it is too overwhelming for your average cup of tea.
Well, for those who actually like the taste of cream in tea but who don't want the calories or for anyone to see them pouring cream into their cup, give the cream or vanilla flavored teas a try. For the most part, they're black teas with cream or vanilla flavoring added. All the taste without the calories - who could ask for anything more?
Two I would recommend are the Cream Flavored Black tea from Adagio and Metropolitan Tea's Irish Cream Black Tea. These two are absolutely delish - very satisfying for those days when you want your tea to be a little richer. For those who still prefer bags, give Bigelow's Eggnoggin' a try - it's only out for a month or two before Christmas in the US or all year round on their website. It has that creamy taste with a hint of cinnamon and is pretty good. Today, I'm drinking the Metropolitan Irish Cream. Of course, no one should ever add milk or cream to green tea but if you're looking for a guilt-free creamy green treat, try the Candy Cane Lane by Celestial Seasonings. Again, it's only out just before Christmas, but it's a decaffeinated green tea flavored with mint and it has a creamy, minty taste. Very nice for the end of the day.
For those who want cream in their Earl Grey, try Earl Grey Creme from Metropolitan Tea (loose) or the season's pick Earl Grey Creme from Upton Tea. If it sound hard to imagine a creamy Earl Grey, just imagine an Earl Grey that has been smoothed and mellowed - it's a surprisingly good cup.

TGIF!

I've just finished a great supper that featured homemade garlic mashed potatoes - oh my! And the weekend stretches out before me. Ahhhh. Of course there will be the usual things to do - house cleaning, laundry, catching up on freelance projects - but there will also be time for sleep and some junk TV. I have a weakness for programs on ghosts and hauntings - I know better but it's a guilty pleasure, just like potato chips and pop. And yes, I know I should be eating more salads and water and reading great literature but hey, I can't be perfect ALL the time!
Here's a few of my guilty pleasures - what are yours?
TV - Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted, CSI, Antiques Roadshow, Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, Survivorman
Books - murder mysteries such as the tea shop mysteries by Laura Childs, anything by Sue Grafton or Dougas Preston and Lincoln Child; ghost stories but nothing horror-driven
Foods - Salt and Pepper Chips, Jalapeno chips, triple chocolate cookies or peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies, nougat, garlic mashed potatoes, fried chicken, french fries
music - Beatles, Eagles, Byrds, Monkees, most instrumental and anything with a flute
Drinks - orange spiced tea, decaf starbucks, cola

Fast week!

Is it just me or is this week going by extra fast? Tomorrow is hump day already. Today was payday and just in time, too. We get paid twice a month and sometimes, since the deposits are never made on weekends and some months are longer than others, it can be as long as 18 days between pays - which it was this time. It feels good to have some money again and tonight, I went for a grocery shop. While shopping, I noticed Twinnings has a some new flavors out. One that caught my eye was a black tea flavored with orange. There was also an interesting looking chai. I didn't buy the orange tea tonight but I have a feeling that a box may be coming home with me pretty soon. I have a weakness for orange flavored black teas. Few can beat Stash's orange spice but since I have to order directly from Stash to get it, that can get pretty pricey since they don't offer that flavor in Nova Scotian grocery stores. I'm also a fan of pineapple and/or citrus green teas - which I notice President's Choice is now offering. There could be some cheap tea tastings in my future. With luck, they may even taste good.

Eat Local? Just a minute ...

The 100 mile diet has been talked and written about a lot lately. I've read the book and basically agree with the main premise - buying your food locally is better for local farmers and the environment. And as much as I would like to follow the diet completely, there are some fairly major problems.
First problem is that this is 2009 and I live in northern Nova Scotia. Nobody grows any rice, wheat, grain, oat, nut, tea (I'm talking real tea and not herbal tisanes), coffee, orange or lemon within 100 miles of me. In fact, I'm pretty sure none of these foods are grown anywhere in the province, if even in Atlantic Canada. Yes, there are processors and those who roast the beans and get these foods ready for consumers but no one actually grows any of these products for thousands of miles from here. I can't really imagine getting along without bread, pasta, muffins (although I could easily give up certain of these foods just not ALL carbohydrates), rice, orange juice, lemon anything and of course, coffee, tea and chocolate. Back 200 years ago, grain crops were probably grown here but with limited success so they're not grown here now. This area of Canada has always imported many of its foodstuffs and I can't really see that changing anytime soon. I am wondering if the buy local challenge may inspire someone to start growing grains in Nova Scotia - if they do, I'll certainly give it a try. People who live in central and western Canada do have more access to locally grown grain products.
Now the grapefruit juice, tea, chocolate and coffee could be more of a problem - it has to do with a four month growing season ...

Fall is in the air

It's a beautiful sunny Saturday here but you can feel the fall in the air. I decided to put away the summery clothes today and bring back the fall/winter stuff - always a tad depressing. We're going to a barbecue tonight and part of me is hoping that we won't be eating outside - the nights for that now seem to be past. It does seem as though the cooler weather is going to settle in more quickly this year and there's not much you can do about that.
I'm back to drinking decaf Starbucks and my orange flavored teas - more signs of the changing seasons. I'm quite cheered by the fact that six of the last nine days have been no-spending days - only two days left to pay day and I still have $8 left so there should be no problems there. I have to confess to doing some online browsing - but as long as I don't put anything in the shopping cart, I'll be OK. It's good for me to tame my shopping demons - I have everything I need already and retail therapy doesn't solve any problems - if anything, it creates them.

Figuring it out

As noted in my last post, I have since learned that the problem of not being able to answers or make comments on blogs is due to my ancient Safari browser. If I go to Firefox, I can do what I wish so that's one problem solved. Eventually, I'll get this figured out.
Had the most divine supper this evening - garlic crusted chicken, fresh yellow beans, carrot slaw and garlic mashed potatoes. With mint chip ice cream for supper - can you say heaven? With a cup of Starbucks decaf to end the meal, it pretty much was heaven to a hungry person. Had left over Chinese for lunch with that divine Earl Grey Creme Vanilla from Upton's, plus lots of chocolate through the day.
As you can tell, the diet isn't going that well ....

Things I Did(n't) Know About Myself

The best part about being alive is that there's always something new to learn. Usually, it's something to learn about the world around us or something mundane that's limited (like a great sale at a nearby shop). And then there's the days when you learn something new about yourself.
Now those days can be uncomfortable, especially when it's something that you may initially protest. I am 48 years old. I did not grow up with computers in school, but once I got to university, I worked with them and have been doing so ever since. I would never say I'm computer literate but I do know how to use Macs (home) and PCs (work) with a fair amount of ease, thanks to years of seeing far too many changes on both systems. I think I know my way around enough to at least get by.
So why can't I answer comments on my blog? I can comment on most other blogs, yet I can't seem to reply to comments on my own. Eventually I will figure it out, once I get a few minutes. I have a feeling it's due to the fact I haven't upgraded in a while or it may be a Mac/PC thing - you'd be surprised how often a website on a Mac can look completely different on a PC. I also haven't figured out how to put on pictures or show what other blogs I'm reading. Through my job, I regularly update two company websites yet I can't figure out my own simple blog.
Anyway, I will answer comments here until I figure this out.
Yes, Canadian Saver - that Plum Orange Conserve is delish! I did buy organic plums and I'm glad I did cut them up for the jam - I was a little startled by what was inside a few of the plums - ick! I hate to think I may have eaten a few of those inadvertently. Oh well, at least the Conserve is safe. I also have a five pound bag of pears so tonight, I may make some pear mincemeat, to have on hand for the holidays - it's delicious as well. I can't quite stomach the commercially-prepared mincemeat that has suet in it - too heavy for me.
And Marlena, yes, there's nothing wrong with being an introvert. One of the weirdest things I find lately is this tendency in the media (and I work in the media!) to label anyone who's a loner as being a looney. Maybe the loners are just trying to get away from the loonies.
I am drinking a tea that's called Angel's Dream. It's a black tea flavored with maple and blackberry. It's nice but nothing spectacular. I'm glad it's just a sample. I think for work, I'll bring some Earl Grey Creme with me. Am trying to stay away from Timmy's this week - had a no spend day yesterday and I would like to have another one today. Payday is September 15 and I have $20 to last me until then. With a full fridge and cupboard, it is do-able - as long as I stay out of the shops!

Laboring on Labor Day

Yes, I worked today. I grumble about working on holidays but in truth, it's really not that bad. For one thing, it's usually nice and quiet and it's usually easy enough to get everything done. As well, it now means I have another day banked for when I need it - which is always nice.
But Labor Day is sad in a way - it means summer in this part of the world is pretty much ending and any hot day from now on is pretty much a gift. Unlike other parts of Canada, we had plenty of nice days this year - probably more than what we're used to. And we also tend to get really nice falls so hopefully the dreaded snow and ice will hold off until mid-December like they usually do. As usual, I think of all the things I should have done this summer but hey, you can only so much.
I bought a beautiful new glass pitcher this summer to make iced tea but I really didn't use it that much. I'd probably make a batch this evening of decaf orange black iced tea, before I put the pitcher away for the season. I wanted to like that decaf orange tea as a hot tea but it didn't do that much for me so I'll try it cold.
Tonight, I may make a batch of plum-orange conserve, which is delicious on buttered toast. The question is, so I have the energy?

Saturday!

This week flew by but I'm still glad it's over. I'm in need of some serious "me" time - by nature, I'm a loner, who tends to get overwhelmed by being around a lot of people. Some people say this is shyness but I'm really not shy - more reserved than anything. I'm quite happy being alone and doing things by myself, which a lot of people don't understand. Case in point - I've had a cellphone since they became popular but I still leave the house 90 per cent of the time without it and I rarely turn it on. I view it as an emergency device whereas others use it so they can always be in contact with others. Most of the time, I'm quite happy not to be in contact with others. I like the idea of times when people can't reach me - I think it's unhealthy to be always on a electronic leash. It's not that I don't like people - I just need time to myself alot more than most.

But today, I did take some time to be social by going to the Farmers Market where I know just about everybody. There was lots of great stuff besides - pears, apple, plums, carrots, potatoes, green tomatoes, garlic, lettuce and chocolate croissants. Yeah, I know the last is not a vegetable but I can't be virtuous all the time. I'm drinking some fair trade decaf right now which isn't too bad.

As for the rest of the day, I plan to stay out of the shops, drink jasmine tea that a friend gave me to try and just get in touch - with myself. And the laundry.

Yawn!

It's Thursday night and I'm exhausted. I don't really know why - I'm just thinking it's an end of the work week thing.
I spent no money on Wednesday but boy, did I make up for it today. Fortunately, most of it was necessary stuff but it still adds up. I did get some Clif bars, tins of fruit, granola bars and boxes of raisins for lunches - all on sale. When it's back to school time, the stores seem to have all sorts of neat things for lunch on sale and I figure it's a good time to stock up. The ethnic meals continued with pizza on Wednesday and for lunch today. Tonight, we went to a business-type reception and feasted on deep fried hors d'oeurvres - not sure of their ethnicity but they were pretty tasty.
As far as teas go, I'm really liking the Baker Street blend by Upton, the more I drink it. I may have to break down and buy another bag before the truly cold weather arrives. It's definitely a fall brew.

September comes in .... like September

This week, we're enjoying the cuisines of the world - homemade Chinese food Sunday night, Mexican on Monday and Greek tonight with souvlakie (and I'm sure that's not how you spell it), oven roasted potatoes and salad with lettuce from my garden and topped with a yogurt dressing - made with my own yogurt that I made last night! It's the stuff that I made in the crockpot and it's delicious!
Tomorrow night will be Italian night and I'm making pizza dough right now so it will be ready for toppings tomorrow evening. There is something truly satisfying about making your own stuff - even the salad tasted better with its few odd leafs from the garden.
Teas are definitely getting more seasonal - had pumpkin spice at Timmy this morning. It's definitely one of the nicer bagged teas around - I'd recommend it. Right now, I'm pondering a cup of chocolate cream decaf while I wait for my dough to do its stuff. That might be one of my better ideas today ...

Garlic galore!

In mid August, I planted my spring garlic. I kid you not - sometimes, it takes me a while to get around to things. At first, it looked like something was digging up the bulbs so I daresay there's a few squirrels or crows in my neighborhood with really bad breath. This was followed by a mini drought and then came Hurricane Bill, followed by tropical storm Danny - about 200 ml of rain in two days. Well, I checked the garlic patch today and everything looks peachy - the garlic is shooting up plenty of scapes so there is hope of garlic in either the late fall or next spring. Someday soon I am going to harvest one of the spring garlics that I did plant back in May. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I know there's room for a vampire pun in here but I'll hold back since I am starting to nod off and not as erudite as I could be.

High cost of postage

I love getting stuff in the mail - who doesn't? Today, I received my Bento box from Bento Crazy - it's the cutest little thing - three layers even - but I am, ahem, how do I say this delicately, a big eater, especially around lunch time. I love to eat and I love to eat lots. I may have to use another box besides this box although a diet may not necessarily be a bad idea. Apparently grown men use these boxes for their meals - surely a medium-sized woman could do the same. And just think of the money I could save if I cut back on my eating ....
Nyahhh. Like that's going to happen.
Anyway, I also dropped by the Post Office to mail two parcels. One to another part of Nova Scotia (a medium sized box that weighed less than a pound) and one to the southern US (a small envelop that was stuffed with notecards). It came to just over $21. It's enough to discourage you from mailing yet - I love getting mail. I assume everyone else loves getting it too.
Anyway, yesterday I made iced tea with Shoppers Drug Mart English Breakfast tea bags. This morning I tried it. To say it was a bad idea would be an understatement. It's not often I spit out tea but when it comes to truly bad tea, I'll make an exception.

I'm a newbie

You can tell I'm a newbie to blogging - it never even crossed my mind to see if anyone was commenting on my blog until this evening! Thank you Canadian Saver - now I know someone is reading! Anyway, I apologize for not publishing the comments until now - this whole month has been a bit d'oh for me! In reply to your comments, yes, you should give hot tea a try - you might be pleasantly surprised; yes, I find it hard to leave Shoppers without a cartful too and I got the address for bookcloseouts.com from your blog - a very dangerous place for those of us who like cheap books!
We escaped another tropical storm relatively unscathed this weekend and last night I saw the Oak Ridge Boys, thanks to complimentary tickets. They were great! Lots of energy, good singing and great songs. I'm not normally a fan of this sort of music but I'll make an exception here - if you get a chance, go see them.
I wish I could say I got lots done this weekend but I didn't - however I did try some nice Rose Congou tea yesterday at a friend's. Very pleasant, although I think I would prefer it for the spring or early summer. I'm craving heavier teas now and may even make a spicy iced tea for the morning.
I've made three bentos since my last post - I think this could become very addictive. If nothing else, it will force me to use up more of my food and allow me to have healthier lunches, and that can't be bad. I hate wasting food, especially hate to see fruit and vegetables go bad so maybe the bento lunches will help use up the small bits and bites.

Storms and bento

Here I sit with a cup of plum tea and pondering the following: yet another hurricane/tropical storm is headed this way this weekend. The problem is, no one will pay much attention to it and that could be bad - mainly since this one has a far better chance of hitting us dead on. I guess I'll worry about that through the day as I do my newscasts. People blame the media if we give them the forecasts and tell them to prepare and then nothing happens. These same people scream if we don't tell them and something does strike. It's tough to find an accurate balance, especially when you're dealing with something as fickle as the weather. You don't want to frighten people unnecessarily but you still want them to be ready. This will be my challenge today.
I tried decaf orange tea last night from Upton. Not bad but I think I'll use more leave when I try it again - it didn't have quite enough flavor for me and it could be my fault.
I've been surfing a little too much lately, looking at bento box sites. It's inspired me to try one today for my lunch - blueberries, nuts, crackers and cheese and a granola bar. Hopefully I can use the smaller bento serving sizes to get me to eat less - been enjoying my meals a little too much lately!