Years back, I drank coffee and little else. Then the caffeine began affecting my tummy so I began to explore the world of tea. All along, I drank decaf coffee, usually Starbucks or a flavored decaf in the evening whenever I could get it. I didn't really start to drink full-strength coffee again until I got my Keurig - for some reason, I can drink a cup or two from the Keurig without it bothering me in the least - yet, if I drank the same coffee prepared another way, it would make me sick. Apparently I'm not the only one who has noticed this - some are even wondering if the Keurig application somehow affects the caffeine content of the finished cup. Fortunately, there are plenty of flavors to try and it's nice to start the day with a cup of coffee. Nothing against tea - I do love it - but for some reason, I can't drink it first thing in the morning since it nauseates me. After I eat, I can enjoy a pot or two.
But all along, I've aways enjoyed the occasional cup of hot chocolate, usually on the coldest days of winter. This year, the cravings have arrived during the past week and I've been able to satiate them since I always keep a stash of cocoa on hand. This year, the cup of choice has come from a Canadian company, Gourmet Village. I have to recommend their Creme Brule and Maple flavors but I wish they still made my favorite, Chocolate Orange. Unbelievably good - just like a liquid chocolate orange. Other wonderful hot chocolates come from Ghiradelli (if you can find it), Nestle Noir and Tim Horton's makes a great hot chocolate that isn't all that expensive either. Since I've just run out of my Gourmet Village stash, I'll be having a cup of Ghiradelli today. I've already got an order in to replenish my supplies!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
What would I do ...
if I had $1000 to spend only on myself. Oh my! I read about this on the Asian Pear blogsite (http://theasianpear.blogspot.com/) and the only qualifications was that it couldn't be used to pay bills or debt. Sounds like fun!
In actuality, I would probably use the money to buy a new iMac (mine's seven years old and getting really slow), but for here I decided to do one based on tea instead - and wow, you can really get a lot of stuff for a thousand bucks. Of course, most of the money would be spent online since there's virtually no choice around here. Here goes my list:
1. I'd head right over to www.tweedandhickory.com since they sell a nice selection of Metropolitan Teas and K-cups. I'd buy one pound bags of my favorites: grapefruit black, orange spice black, blackberry black, rhubarb cream black, pineapple black, decaf English Breakfast, decaf strawberry black, decaf peach apricot and decaf Earl grey (approx. $310), I'd then get about $200 in assorted Kcups and about $40 in hot chocolate flavors from Gourmet Village. I'd probably also break down and buy a Tassimo and some coffees and teas to go with that (another $200 at least) although I might be tempted to spring for a more upscale version of my present Keurig.
2. I'd then go to Harneys and buy some of my favorites there (Tropical green, Paris, Cranberry Autumn, Earl Grey and something new - preferably some greens or a pouchong ($100) and then to
3. Stash for a big supply of my favorite Orange Spice and some of their teawares - a Stump teapot, a new tea cozy and a selection of some new cups. Believe it or not, everything, with shipping and taxes, together would come to about $1000.
4. If I economized somewhere, I might be able to add a Shelley teacup and saucer to the mix - at some point, it would be nice to have one of these in my collection.
Fun to think about and I confess, I'm a little surprised at how quickly that money would disappear. What would you do with a $1000 in tea and/or coffee money?
In actuality, I would probably use the money to buy a new iMac (mine's seven years old and getting really slow), but for here I decided to do one based on tea instead - and wow, you can really get a lot of stuff for a thousand bucks. Of course, most of the money would be spent online since there's virtually no choice around here. Here goes my list:
1. I'd head right over to www.tweedandhickory.com since they sell a nice selection of Metropolitan Teas and K-cups. I'd buy one pound bags of my favorites: grapefruit black, orange spice black, blackberry black, rhubarb cream black, pineapple black, decaf English Breakfast, decaf strawberry black, decaf peach apricot and decaf Earl grey (approx. $310), I'd then get about $200 in assorted Kcups and about $40 in hot chocolate flavors from Gourmet Village. I'd probably also break down and buy a Tassimo and some coffees and teas to go with that (another $200 at least) although I might be tempted to spring for a more upscale version of my present Keurig.
2. I'd then go to Harneys and buy some of my favorites there (Tropical green, Paris, Cranberry Autumn, Earl Grey and something new - preferably some greens or a pouchong ($100) and then to
3. Stash for a big supply of my favorite Orange Spice and some of their teawares - a Stump teapot, a new tea cozy and a selection of some new cups. Believe it or not, everything, with shipping and taxes, together would come to about $1000.
4. If I economized somewhere, I might be able to add a Shelley teacup and saucer to the mix - at some point, it would be nice to have one of these in my collection.
Fun to think about and I confess, I'm a little surprised at how quickly that money would disappear. What would you do with a $1000 in tea and/or coffee money?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sort of back
It's been a rough, sad few weeks. I guess it's time to start getting back to normal, although I'm not sure what that is any more. Some people return to work within a few days of a death while others work on through. I have no idea of how they do it. I'm actually glad not to be working right now since I would be absolutely useless in any workplace.
But next week, I do have a professional engagement one evening so I better start screwing my head back on. Don't want to break down in front of a room of strangers.
One thing I would like to point out is this - if someone you know experiences a death in their family, please send a condolence. It can be a phone call, a card or a one-line email. Don't worry about sending flowers or donations - just let them know that you're thinking of them. And the time AFTER the funeral is actually the best time to make contact - that's when everyone leaves you alone, and yet, that's the time when you need people the most.
And never hesitate to send food - even the most ardent chefs among us are too overwhelmed to do any cooking during those initial days. Any extras can always be frozen for the next week.
But next week, I do have a professional engagement one evening so I better start screwing my head back on. Don't want to break down in front of a room of strangers.
One thing I would like to point out is this - if someone you know experiences a death in their family, please send a condolence. It can be a phone call, a card or a one-line email. Don't worry about sending flowers or donations - just let them know that you're thinking of them. And the time AFTER the funeral is actually the best time to make contact - that's when everyone leaves you alone, and yet, that's the time when you need people the most.
And never hesitate to send food - even the most ardent chefs among us are too overwhelmed to do any cooking during those initial days. Any extras can always be frozen for the next week.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Bad time
Shortly after I wrote my last post, I received a call that my mother broke her hip. She died from complications two days later, and frankly, it was a horrible death. It's been an awful few days and I suspect I'll not be blogging for a while. It will take a while to understand why all of this happened.
Friday, March 4, 2011
I Should Like This But ...
As you may have guessed by now, I love to eat. I also love trying new things. However, there's one part of foods which have confused me - the stuff we want to like but just can't.
When I read magazines, I immediately want to try such things as Lavender Lemonade, Lavender Shortbread and salads made with edible flowers - they just look so good to eat. And let's face it - few foods are more visually appealing than sushi.
Yet, all of these things turn my stomach. The only thing I like about lavender is the color - can't stand the smell of it and the taste is nauseating - so why would I ever think that it's going to be good in cookies or lemonade? And I don't like leafy greens, salads or fish much - so the fact that it's pretty isn't going to improve the flavor.
Some may believe that we eat with our eyes, but if you can't stand a food, making it look good isn't going to help matters. Maybe it's just me, but dressing it up in new clothes isn't going to change the essential nature and taste of the product.
But after saying that, I do confess to liking Lavender Butterfly Tea - it's a green tea blended with lavender. But I think it's a case of the tea blender having a clue and allowing good quality green tea to stand out, instead of the flower. And even so, this isn't a tea for the early morning.
When I read magazines, I immediately want to try such things as Lavender Lemonade, Lavender Shortbread and salads made with edible flowers - they just look so good to eat. And let's face it - few foods are more visually appealing than sushi.
Yet, all of these things turn my stomach. The only thing I like about lavender is the color - can't stand the smell of it and the taste is nauseating - so why would I ever think that it's going to be good in cookies or lemonade? And I don't like leafy greens, salads or fish much - so the fact that it's pretty isn't going to improve the flavor.
Some may believe that we eat with our eyes, but if you can't stand a food, making it look good isn't going to help matters. Maybe it's just me, but dressing it up in new clothes isn't going to change the essential nature and taste of the product.
But after saying that, I do confess to liking Lavender Butterfly Tea - it's a green tea blended with lavender. But I think it's a case of the tea blender having a clue and allowing good quality green tea to stand out, instead of the flower. And even so, this isn't a tea for the early morning.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Springing into March
February is nearly over and the only good thing I can say about it is that it is the most consistent month of the year.
The weather is ALWAYS crappy in February. Even in years where there has been plenty of good weather, February always manages to stick in a few blizzards and ice storms just to keep those arm muscles toned (from all the driveway shovelling). This year has been no exception. As I write, there's a blizzard blowing outside.
Yet, earlier today, the sky was blue and sun shone like nothing I had seen in a while. It even seemed warm, in a wintery-sort of way. I went for a long walk. When I came home, I made a batch of double chocolate chip muffins and drank lemon tea.
Maybe spring is coming. One thing's for sure.
March is definitely coming in like a lion this year ...
Let's hope it owes up to the second part of the cliche.
The weather is ALWAYS crappy in February. Even in years where there has been plenty of good weather, February always manages to stick in a few blizzards and ice storms just to keep those arm muscles toned (from all the driveway shovelling). This year has been no exception. As I write, there's a blizzard blowing outside.
Yet, earlier today, the sky was blue and sun shone like nothing I had seen in a while. It even seemed warm, in a wintery-sort of way. I went for a long walk. When I came home, I made a batch of double chocolate chip muffins and drank lemon tea.
Maybe spring is coming. One thing's for sure.
March is definitely coming in like a lion this year ...
Let's hope it owes up to the second part of the cliche.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Online Shopping Woes
There are times I wish the internet had never been invented. At one time, I was content to buy my tea at the local grocery store and purchase the occasional tea mug or cup at a nearby shop, usually when my last one was broken.
Now I can buy whatever I want whenever I want.
And there are times when I want a lot!
Case in point. Today I discovered Stash Tea (www.stashtea.com) has introduced their new spring lineup of teawares. It wasn't long before I had my shopping cart loaded up with three new teapots, three teacup and saucers, two tea mugs, two cozies and two of their newest blends. And I could have kept going. We're talking cups decorated with violets, toile, chintz ... all the good stuff! Tea flavored with Meyer lemons!
Fortunately, I finally managed to force myself off the site. So I went to www.harney.com, drooled there for a while and managed to get away from there before I spent any money. Then I went to ... well, you get the point.
I don't need any new teas. Nor do I need any new mugs or teapots. I'm quite well-stocked, thank you very much.
But for some reason, I still crave more.
Now I can buy whatever I want whenever I want.
And there are times when I want a lot!
Case in point. Today I discovered Stash Tea (www.stashtea.com) has introduced their new spring lineup of teawares. It wasn't long before I had my shopping cart loaded up with three new teapots, three teacup and saucers, two tea mugs, two cozies and two of their newest blends. And I could have kept going. We're talking cups decorated with violets, toile, chintz ... all the good stuff! Tea flavored with Meyer lemons!
Fortunately, I finally managed to force myself off the site. So I went to www.harney.com, drooled there for a while and managed to get away from there before I spent any money. Then I went to ... well, you get the point.
I don't need any new teas. Nor do I need any new mugs or teapots. I'm quite well-stocked, thank you very much.
But for some reason, I still crave more.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Food, glorious food!
I did lose 17 pounds - and now I'm afraid to weigh myself because I'm back to baking and eating! One thing about being off work - it gives you plenty of time to bake up goodies. Today, I made brownies with a lazy chocolate icing - just take two milk chocolate bars and place them on top of the hot brownies from the oven. The bars will melt and you can spread the chocolate all over the brownies. It will harden when the brownies cool and you will have the best tasting icing ever - without messing up any dishes! I also made carrot pineapple muffins, which are as tasty as they sound. We might be having a pizza for supper but I might just make a cheese and mushroom quiche anyway - if we do have the pizza, we can always have the quiche tomorrow.
I do need to make some tea and it's either going to be a coconut black or a plum black tea. Both are favorites and today I feel the need for something tasty and familiar.
I do need to make some tea and it's either going to be a coconut black or a plum black tea. Both are favorites and today I feel the need for something tasty and familiar.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Kindness works!
The sun is finally out after our most recent two-day storm. I slept in, partially because I was tired and partially because I was afraid to look outside and see how much snow there was in the driveway. When I finally got out of bed, there was a nice surprise - someone had plowed the bottom end of the driveway. There's still work to do around the car, the walkways and steps but by clearing out the bottom half, including what the city usually dumps in our driveway when it plows the street, my secret snow plower has lightened my load by at least 50 per cent. I have no idea who you are but THANK YOU!
A little bit of human kindness has gone a long way in restoring in my faith in people - I needed that - and not just from a physical standpoint.
I tried one of my new teas last night. Tangerine Orange Zinger from Celestial Seasonings is delish! It's an herbal tea with a wonderful orange flavor - when the weather warms up, I can imagine it making a wonderful iced tea. Definitely worth trying.
A little bit of human kindness has gone a long way in restoring in my faith in people - I needed that - and not just from a physical standpoint.
I tried one of my new teas last night. Tangerine Orange Zinger from Celestial Seasonings is delish! It's an herbal tea with a wonderful orange flavor - when the weather warms up, I can imagine it making a wonderful iced tea. Definitely worth trying.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Storm weary
It's now past mid-February here and the snow is stacked high outside. The temperatures has finally gotten back up to around 0 C and the sun came out yesterday and even hung around a bit today. Of course, that makes the fact we're expected to have two snow storms this weekend seem even more dreary.
Winter has officially overstayed its welcome. Yeah, I know it's Canada but still, in a place where storms usually leaves amounts measured in feet, enough is enough.
I planted a pot of herbs today - parsley, basil and chives. I'm drinking more green teas, probably more of a reaction to the heavier black teas of winter. But today, I did receive two new ones - Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger and Zhena's Gypsy Rose Black tea with rose petals - they both seem pretty springy to me! Here's hoping they're good.
Winter has officially overstayed its welcome. Yeah, I know it's Canada but still, in a place where storms usually leaves amounts measured in feet, enough is enough.
I planted a pot of herbs today - parsley, basil and chives. I'm drinking more green teas, probably more of a reaction to the heavier black teas of winter. But today, I did receive two new ones - Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger and Zhena's Gypsy Rose Black tea with rose petals - they both seem pretty springy to me! Here's hoping they're good.
Friday, February 11, 2011
18 bottles of jam on the wall, 18 bottles of jam ...
I've been reading everything in sight, including cookbooks. I came across a few recipes to try and today, I got the ingredients. After three hours, I had 10 bottles of lemon pineapple jam and eight bottles of white grape jelly made. The ingredients cost about $14 so that works out to around 77 cents per eight ounce bottle - definitely a bargain, if you don't count labor costs. Plus, homemade jam is always better - even if it looks like the grape jelly isn't gelling - grrrr. And I even followed the directions for a change ...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Good N Cheap!
For the past while, I've been wanting to try Tetley Earl Grey Vanilla but I've always managed to talk myself out of it. Well, on Saturday, it was selling for $2.49 for 24 bags and I thought - if you're going to try it, now's the time.
I've gone back to mostly loose leaf teas but this stuff is great for when you can't be bothered dragging out the infusers, filters or what have you. The Earl Grey flavor is strong enough not to be overpowered by the vanilla, and all in all, it's quite a nice cup. One bag will handily do a small teapot or two cups. I'm comparing it today to my Upton's Earl Grey Creme and it stands up surprisingly well. This is definitely one of Tetley's better offerings.
I've gone back to mostly loose leaf teas but this stuff is great for when you can't be bothered dragging out the infusers, filters or what have you. The Earl Grey flavor is strong enough not to be overpowered by the vanilla, and all in all, it's quite a nice cup. One bag will handily do a small teapot or two cups. I'm comparing it today to my Upton's Earl Grey Creme and it stands up surprisingly well. This is definitely one of Tetley's better offerings.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Snow Day!
The snow fell fast and long yesterday - leaving us to shovel a foot of the white stuff off our walkways and driveway today!
Everything's pretty much shut down and understandably so. A good day for hot chocolate and a pasta, cheese, tomato and hamburger casserole that I found in the freezer. Since shovelling burns off tons of calories and I was out there for a least an hour, I'm not too worried about the calories on this meal.
Tried that Lipton Mandarin Orange Green Tea - not bad. Not my favorite but certainly very drinkable. The orange flavor is fairly light and not too artificial tasting. Probably wouldn't buy it again but I'll finish off the box.
Everything's pretty much shut down and understandably so. A good day for hot chocolate and a pasta, cheese, tomato and hamburger casserole that I found in the freezer. Since shovelling burns off tons of calories and I was out there for a least an hour, I'm not too worried about the calories on this meal.
Tried that Lipton Mandarin Orange Green Tea - not bad. Not my favorite but certainly very drinkable. The orange flavor is fairly light and not too artificial tasting. Probably wouldn't buy it again but I'll finish off the box.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The fun never stops - please?
The last half of January is just something I'd rather forget, between losing my job for no good reason, finding out that the person who I recommended for a part-time position has now taken over my former position (ouch!) and accidentally eating one of my back fillings while consuming an otherwise delicious homemade apple crisp.
OK, enough with the bad luck please - it's now time for a break.
I went out today to run a few errands and while downtown, bought myself a beautiful handmade tea cup in the most gorgeous shade of pale mauve. Just looking at it cheers me up. Of course, what's the point of a new cup without some new tea to put in it? So I bought a box of Twinnings Lemon Green, which I am drinking right now and a box of Lipton's Mandarin Green in the pyramid bags, which I plan to try later. The Twinnings Lemon Green is really nice - fresh and lemony without that icky weedy taste that lemon teas often fall victim to.
A storm is apparently on its way here - at least I don't have to worry about getting to work! There are some advantages to my new lifestyle ... and I plan to enjoy every last one for as long as I can. I raise my pretty new teacup towards a better future - not just for me - but for you too!
OK, enough with the bad luck please - it's now time for a break.
I went out today to run a few errands and while downtown, bought myself a beautiful handmade tea cup in the most gorgeous shade of pale mauve. Just looking at it cheers me up. Of course, what's the point of a new cup without some new tea to put in it? So I bought a box of Twinnings Lemon Green, which I am drinking right now and a box of Lipton's Mandarin Green in the pyramid bags, which I plan to try later. The Twinnings Lemon Green is really nice - fresh and lemony without that icky weedy taste that lemon teas often fall victim to.
A storm is apparently on its way here - at least I don't have to worry about getting to work! There are some advantages to my new lifestyle ... and I plan to enjoy every last one for as long as I can. I raise my pretty new teacup towards a better future - not just for me - but for you too!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Another tea
A fellow blogger sent me a nice pile of tasty teas a few weeks ago and I've been slowly trying them. The latest is an Earl Grey from The Assam Tea Company. I normally shy away from Assams - just don't care for them. But I think Assam is just a name for the company - this tea seemed more like a Ceylon-style or even Nilgiri. Whatever it was, it was pretty good!I also tried a peach or apricot tea from this company and also liked it. Apparently they're a Canadian company so I'll have to check them out on the web. Thanks again Marlena!
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