What’s In Jacob’s Cup?

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#whatsinmycup, family, food, humour, tea, what's in my cup

Hello all! Today’s guest on What’s in My Cup is my beloved Eldest Son!

The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.

Mario Puzo

He’s my red-headed, hairy lumberjack, and often my partner in adventure. We’ve battled to save the world together and geek out as much as possible. And my I could write a series of books describing how wonderful and sweet he is, and how very much I love, but you’re hear to read about tea instead! So please give a warm welcome to J!

***

Years ago, a longtime friend sent me a care package with a ton of goodies, including a collection of loose leaf tea.

Mom had just started getting into the obsession hobby, and being a coffee drinker, I didn’t even own an infuser.

So it sat.

We’ve cracked a few vials since then, on vacation and an occasional cup at home. Judging from what’s left, the “berry fruit tea” flavour is a favourite, though there’s a hibiscus & lemon vial that’s been tried too.

Traditional vs. Non-Traditional…Whose is whose?

So what have I picked for this review? Computer…

Famous words from an idyllic future?

Full confession, I meant to do a review months ago and forgot, and my second go ’round was less flavourful than I remember, but we’re not sure if maybe I skimped on the tea leaves, or if it just aged on me.

So after a third and fourth attempt, we abandoned my batch of tea leaves and opened Mom’s packet. Mom’s tea was called Cream of Earl Grey by Puck.

The first sips reminded me of every other tea, but after a second, I noticed it is very flowery…so orange pekoe and flowers?

All told, it’s not bad, but probably not a “go-to”, but as Mom said, maybe ‘you’ve just never had a proper cup of Earl Grey tea’ before.

Sorry, Mom!

Happiness [is] only real when shared.

John Krakauer, Into the Wild

BTW: If you would like to share your favourite tea and tea mug on the last Monday of the month, please pass it on!

What’s In My Cup: Blackberry Burst

Tags

food, iced tea, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea review, tea time

Baby squirrels were chasing each other in the yard yesterday afternoon and enjoying the first of the apples to fall off the tree. I suspect a couple of recent strong wind storms prompted their premature departure from the branches. The apples, not the squirrels.

I watched them playing while sipping David’s Bumbleberry Burst tea.

A bumbleberry is a perfect mixture of burple and binkle berries, which grow on a giggle bush. Giggle bushes are extremely rare, as they only grow in special places. As the bush begins to shake, the burple and binkle will begin to ripen from green to a deep purple. At the exact moment that the berries are perfectly ripen, they will giggle. This transformation may last for hours as the bushes quiver, and if you are quiet enough, you may hear them.

If you can’t find an elusive giggle bush, you can re-create bumbleberry flavour using a compilation of fresh berries in your pies, jams and other delicious baked goods.

Fresh berries are slowly coming into season, so instead of ice, I used fresh, frozen blackberries to keep it cool.

At first, I felt about disappointed with this tea. The name had “burst” in it! As well, there was a pungent aroma wafting from the sleeve, so I expected a sweet, bright, mouthwatering berry flavour. Instead, it seemed flat, missing that punch of flavour. What it does deliver is a subtle fruitiness with floral notes, that as an iced tea, totally work! I think in North America we’ve become developed cravings for highly sugared, “dessert-y” treats. Because this tea isn’t highly sugared, it could easily be dismissed, but it was very refreshing on this warm, sunny afternoon.

David’s Blackberry Burst tea is rosy brown in colour, and the loose leaf tea itself was a warm mixture of creams and browns, with a vibrant splash of indigo petals. It is a pu’erh based tea, so caffeinated. It also includes apple, raisin, ginger, hibiscus, elderberry, strawberry and currant flavouring, beetroot, candied ginger, carrot, blueberry, garcinia, raspberry, cornflower, nutmeg, and stevia extract.

This one is definately going in my summer stash for iced tea, along with Just Peachy and Strawberry Kiwi.

The squirrels soon disappeared, likely full and tired out from their games of tag. My own eyelids were growing heavy and my cup was empty. It was for a nap or more tea.

If I won the award for laziness, I would send somebody to pick it up for me.

Anonymous

What’s In My Cup: Peaches & Cream

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food, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea review, tea time, teacup

The sun is shining, it’s not too hot, and while not everything isn’t “peachy” in my world, I’m choosing to join with the birds and sing!

This morning I fixed myself a cup of T-Kettle’s Peaches & Cream tea, after I hung out the clothes to dry on the line.

Of all the peach teas I’ve reviewed, this tea boasts the fewest ingredients and it’s the only one that is not an herbal infusion. Peaches & Cream is a black tea base, so it’s is high in caffeine. It also includes mango, peach, amaranth petals and camomile petals. Amaranth is a plant long used for medical purposes, boasting a purple-coloured flower. It should not be consumed by dogs, cows, or people with kidney issues. Strange list, but apparently true. Some studies suggest it may help lower chloresterol, but no study has conclusive evidence that this is the case in people, at least.

It has a delicate colour despite being a black tea base (but you can’t, which didn’t show up in this vintage tea cup so you’ll have to trust me). I also appreciated the depth the black tea gave to the peach flavour. Often I find peach teas taste as though they are artificially sweetened (some actually list peach juice granules as an ingredient, so it’s not wonder!) and like they’re missing something! Overall, it was tasty, but I think I prefer peach teas as an iced tea on a hot day.

Other peach teas I have reviewed include Tetley’s Peach Bellini and Ginger Peach with Dandelion, both of which are caffeine-free and contain hibiscus and blackberry leaves. Another summer favourite was David’s Tea “Just Peachy“. I used Peach Bellini to make sorbet last year, and T-Kettle’s Peaches & Cream would work just as well! Yum!

Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it.

Alice Walker

Happy Monday!

Dear Quarantine Diary – Week 23

Tags

covid-19 diary, covid-19 humour, dear diary, family, food, garden, humour

Dear Diary – I just want you to know I’ve entered the snapdragon stage of the year…part of me has snapped and part of me is draggin’! It’s gardening season!

Yesterday I armoured up and headed into my backyard to tackle the “jungle”, a long rectangular flowerbed aligning the fence next to our neighbour. Our neighbour just spent a lot of money paying a guy to landscape her oasis, and in order to be a good neighbour, I need to do my part.

I say flower bed rather loosely. It’s more like a strip of land ruled by an overlord called Elderwart. It’s a noxious tyranant who chokes out all living things in its path, and reproduces at an alarming rate. At the moment, the leaves are knee-high, and the delicate flowers that resemble queen anne’s lace, is nearing my shoulders. I realize I am not a giant among men (or women), but it’s beyond ridiculous.

I have battled this demon for over 20 years. Nothing kills it! I have dug pits 2 feet deep to remove it’s roots and offspring. I have severed and slashed ruthlessly and without mercy. Every year I vow that this will be the year I am victorious, and by mid-May, I hang my head my defeat.

I almost conquered it once, and it nearly killed me. Three Saturdays in a row from the time I rose until the evening dinner hour, I travailed, wreaking destruction and burying it under a thick, black cloth. But the overlord creeped under the cover of darkness to pop up along the edges and cracks, and seams in the cloth. I lost.

Yesterday, I laboured for an hour and a half (with a minecraft break in the middle), but only succeeded in clearing a 4’x2′ patch. I freed the sweet peas and I’m nearing the border on a lily. My knees were covered in dirt; I had pieces of tree in my hair. And today, my shoulder and butt muscles are screaming, “what have you done”?

I vow….this year is THE year I will conquer. Or burn it to the ground

Well it’s over, it’s over, it’s over, I won’t be pushed around
Move over, move over, move over, Get back or just get out
Set this plane up in flames
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…It’s time to burn it down!

Skillet, Burn It Down

Dear Diary – I had a TMI moment (aka Too Much Information). A TMI is the suddenly manifestation of a mental picture painted “with broad, sweeping strokes” when your brain (whether it dwells in the gutter or not) spontaneously fills in the blanks after someone says something that may be completely innocent.

The Scene

Youngest Son asked me if I wanted to play Halo. It’s been kind of our chillig out thing lately. I was rushing up the stairs at the moment.

What I said

“Sure, but first I gotta pee and grab my stool”.

The step stool was so could finally wash the windows outside overlooking the porch. The muddy raccoon prints were painful reminders of a beautiful dream…a squirrel proof birdfeeder!

Dear Diary – It took us several hours, but Hubby and I finally scraped the mud off our boots and headed to the Mall Saturday afternoon. Hubby’s phone battery has been in the “vestibule of heaven” for quite some time, requiring charging daily so it can limp through the working hours. There are days I relate!

I got up at 9, as promised, so I would be ready to go and we could be there for the 10 a.m. opening. But Hubby was updating his laptop, so I drank tea and watched The Great British Sewing Bee instead. Then we realized my cellphone, which he was going to assume, was almost dead.

A couple hours later, we made the long trek to the Mall, very narrowly escaping collision with several drivers who drove like they were alone in parking lot! Safely parked, we headed to the nearest exit, when Hubby realized. He left his cell phone at home.

An hour later (which included a detour to the post office and a potty break at home for me after the extra breakfast tea), we arrived at our destination. Only the storefront was now part of the food court. We travelled along with the unmasked masses until we could find the “you are here” sign and find the new location.

It was a half hour wait at the store as an older gentleman argued with the sales clerk, who patiently explained over and over again until he stormed off in a huff. Our own transaction was remarkably painless, and would have been shorter had their only 2 tablets been in working condition. After a dozen attempts to write my e-initials on the screen, she went “old school” and printed out the contract.

Most of my settings, contacts, etc. transferred to the new phone, which is very similar to the one I had. The only big difference is that my cell phone hoots at me when I get a text. I’ll have to change that. For Hubby, this is the new adventure of finding all the important buttons. Most of my photos, texts and contacts are still on his phone too, hopefully not providing him with light entertainment. My ring tone and text tone are there too, so whenever the phone rings, we have to ask “is it yours or mine”? He’ll have to change that too.

Most phones come with a charger. This one did too. Only instead of having a “boy” end (USB to charge) and a “girl” end (to plug into the phone), this charger is both “girls”. Cute, but useless.

We’ll have to learn to share our one charger.

Dear Diary – Summer’s heat is coming an with it, Hubby’s complaints when I use the oven and heat the house even more, so I made a few things to tuck away. I made beet pickles, blueberry scones, chai scones…and bunny buns.

Or what was supposed to be bunny buns. They were adorable on Pinterest.

Mine looked more like an obese mixture of the dragon, Toothless, in the How to Train Your Dragon movies and a gerbil-like Pokemon.

It didn’t help that as they baked, they grew more obese, and their noses ended up stuck to the bottoms of the ones in front of them. Mmmm-wa!

Hubby complained that they were too “bready”. Ah…hello! They’re buns. Bunny buns!

I wanted to tell him to kiss my fluffy white keester, but instead, I just smiled sweetly…it makes him nervous because he has no idea what I am thinking

The next time your wife gets angry, drape a dish towel over her shoulders like a cape and explain,
‘now you are … Super Angry‘.

Maybe she’ll laugh.

Maybe you’ll die

Unknown

What’s In My Cup: Strawberry Kiwi

Tags

food, photography, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea review

June has arrived and with it, strawberry season! Luscious, sweet, juicy red berries that pop in your mouth. Even sweeter when plucked by hand and eaten still warm from the sun.

T.Kettle’s Strawberry & Kiwi looseleaf tea smells like fresh strawberries. It is a fruit infusion blend of apple, hibiscus, rosehip, papaya, strawberry leaves, strawberry, kiwi, and red plum petals is caffeine-free and vegan.

I really thought the colours of the looseleaf tea was inviting…soft purples and pinks. The tea itself was a soft and delicate rosy pink, which promised sweetness.

I once described strawberry tea as “elusive as a great summer blockbuster. Both have their are high points, but in the end, they just don’t deliver”. This delivered. Even though it had some of the all-too familiar “fruity punch” flavour found in fruit infusions, it also had sweet and slightly tart notes, and a strong strawberry aftertaste. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about kiwi fruit in tea. It’s a very tart, citrus-y berry from New Zealand, and not loved by everyone, but it was a successful pairing. While I didn’t particuarly taste the kiwi fruit, I still think it provided some sourness which only served to enhance the sweetness of the strawberry.

I think this would be a delight as an iced tea as well. I’m definitely adding this to my summer repertoire!

Strawberries are full of love & happiness.

Anthony T. Hincks

A Chai Challenge

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#whatsinmycup, food, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time

It’s the last Monday of the month and time for a guest post…except that I seem to have run out of friends. And I dropped the ball harrassing my associates because I was sick. So in the interest of doing something creative on this final Monday in May, I took on a chai challenge.

Chai in Hindi means “tea”, and it’s traditionally a blend of black tea with spices, usually combined with milk and sweetened to enhance the spices. It’s become very popular in North America, and many tea sommeliers have created chai blends and flavoured chai blends. For example, I’m currently a big fan of David’s S’mores Chai blend or Baked Apple Chai.

I pulled out every brand of chai in my cupboard, 7 in total, boiled the kettle and made some tasting notes. I’m listing them alphabetically and to keep it short (because all that tea makes one need desperately to pee), I’m giving you the brand, ingredients, and my quick notes.

***

Brand: David’s Tea

Ingredients: organic, black, ginger, cinnamon, anise, cardamom, clove buds, star anise, black pepper

Tasting Notes: Similar to a traditional chai. There was heat, particularly strong bitter/floral from cardamom and star anise, but felt it lacked depth as a black tea. I may not have used enough. It probably reminded me the most of the chai blend I made at home. This loose leaf was comprised of whole spices (i.e., cardamom pods, star anise) and rolled organic tea leaves. Cost is $9/50g. All the ingredients are listed as organic and the caffeine level is marked “low”.

Brand: President’s Choice

Ingredients: black tea leaves, ginger root, cinnamon bark, star anise fruit, cloves, cardamom seeds

Tasting Notes: More subtle flavour but still very pleasant, with warmth from ginger and cinnamon. Also more cost-effective and available in grocery stores. Sold in individual sachets.

Brand: Tazo

Ingredients: Black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, black peppercorns

Tasting Notes: More expensive. Individual triangualar-shaped fabric tea came in a metal tin. I think it is also sold in sachets in a cardboard box.

This tea has a real kick! Very strong, bold spices, but flavour is overpowered by pepper. My tongue went numb very quickly. Perhaps a bit too “zingy” for me. Also more expensive.

Brand: Tetley

Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, clover and ginger

Tasting Notes: Aromatic. Makes the tastebuds tingle deliciously. Warmth from ginger and cinnamon. Pleasant blend of the other spices. can be brewed for quite strong cuppa. Reminded me a bit of mild ginger snap cookies. More cost effective and available in most grocery/pharmacies.

Brand: Tim Horton’s

Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground peppercorn, cardamom

Tasting Notes: Moderately priced individual satchets sold in Tim Horton’s chains and some grocery stores. Lots of pepper and ginger. Faint mustiness (but it might have been an older bag). I find there is a difference between the sachets sold in stores vs. sold prepared, but I may be a biased because Tim’s stores uses very hot water, and if I’m ordering it prepared, I’ve been out and I “need” a drink! 🙂

Brand: T’Kettle Chai Kick

Ingredients: rooibos, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, carob, strawberry leaves, coconut, clove, chili pepper, cardamom, black pepper

Tasting Notes: Rosy amber colour, likely because the base is rooibos, which also makes it caffeine-free. A nice option! Spices were evident but I found it quite fruity and sweet, with a predominate flavour of coconut. It is a loose leaf tea, but such a fine grind that it escaped my infuser, leaving a lot of bits floating in the tea cup, which can be off-putting. Cost is comparable to David’s Tea @10/50g.

Brand: Twinings

Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, clover and ginger

Tasting Notes: sweeter than others while retaining warmth from the cinnamon and ginger. A good strong cup of tea. Sold as sachets and harder to find in stores.

***

Not eveyone is a fan of spicy black teas, but T’Kettle did have a caffeine-free chai, and David’s Tea also provides caffeine-free forms of chai, like Cinnamon Rooibos Chai.

One of my favourite things to do is to steep a regular pot of tea but add an infuser with Chai. Lately my top 2 for this process have been David’s S’Mores Chai and President’s Choice Chocolate Chai. I have also done this after brewing a chai tea as many of those spices retain flavour for more than just one cup.

One reviewer on David’s site recommended steeping some chai with hot chocolate to “lessen the zip”.

Everyone’s taste buds are a little different, but don’t be afraid to get spicy, and try some chai.

No problem on Earth can’t be ameliorated by a hot bath and a cup of tea.

Jasper Fforde

What’s In My Cup: Citrus Burst

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#whatsinmycup, food, photography, summer, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time, what's in my cup

I’m still recovering from the Death Flu (not covid, thank goodness), and it kinda stole my taste for tea. I’m sure it will come back, and it’s not all bad because it has cut my caffeine consumption considerably. I’m replacing it with plain old water, and the occasional cup of orange juice for the vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a natural diuretic, and is known for its cleansing properties. It’s vital to healing and as an antioxidant, protects cells against heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Vitamin C helps your body absorb and store iron, and is a  necessity for the formation of blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and collagen in bones.

Citrus Burst, from T.Kettle, may not be high in Vitamin C, but it is lower in caffeine. It contains oolong tea, apple, grapefruit, hibiscus, pineapple, rose petals, papaya, and cornflower petals.

The colour was a bright yellow and the strongest aroma was grapefruit. I found it bright and invigorating, with the tart and slightly bitterness of citrus fruit, and in this particular case, grapefruit! I don’t like teas that taste like soap or perfume, but this had a lovel, light floral note that enhanced the citrus flavours. The second cup I made was steeped for a very long time (I got busy and forgot about it), so it was quite bitter, so maybe don’t do that unless you like your grapefruit strong and sour.

This tea was enjoyable both as hot and an iced tea (and I tried it as an iced tea, not just as the cold tea I left on the counter)! I think it will be quite refreshing in the summer months.

This tea was gifted to me by a sweet friend (actually, her Hubby shopped for it and he has excellent taste in tea…and women)! It reminds me of Tetley’s Citrus Kiss, which was lemon and grapefuit with a green tea base. Both were delicious but I think I prefer the unique pairing of grapefruit and floral with an oolong base because it had more depth to the tea overall. Plus none of the grassy notes that can come through in green tea, or the bitterness from oversteeping green tea.

Spring arrived while I was sleeping, but I’m wide awake now and soaking in the sunshine. At least I did this weekend. It’s raining today. Citrus Burst is definitely going in my summer favs list as my tastebuds turn to all-things fruity and fun! Happy Monday!

I’m gonna soak up the sun
I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up

Sheryl Crow, Soak Up the Sun

Peanut Butter Bread (1932 vs 2022)

Tags

baking, family, food, humour, peanut butter, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time

If you can’t control your peanut butter, you can’t control your life.

BIll Watterson

Eldest Son introduced me to the videos (and recipes) of B. Dylan Hollis. He’s a social media star who began his “career” just having a little fun posting humourous, monologue-driven cooking vidoes on Tik-Tok. What made him stand out from all the rest is that:

a) he is not a chef or a cook, but rather a jazz musician

b) he uses only vintage recipes.

On Good Friday, Eldest Son and his girlfriend followed Dylan’s recipe and made peanut butter bread – the 1932 version!

This Great Depression recipe is a simple recipe that doesn’t use any eggs or butter. Butter was a prized staple and needed to prepare dinner, not to be used on something as frivilous as dessert. In the city especially, dairy and fresh produce were extremely coveted. However, peanut butter was often a pantry staple because of its long shelf life. It provided the fat needed in baked goods, as well as flavour.

“I tell you, a door hinge could make this recipe”

B. Dylan Hollis

This peanut butter bread looked like a dense loaf, but it was surprisingly light with a subtle peanut butter flavour. It was delicious warmed with butter and honey and paired with hot tea, for an indulgent bedtime snack.

Dylan also tried a 1945 recipe, which used less milk but more salt, sugar and peanut butter. The cooking time was almost cut in half, but that’s because the temperature was much higher. And instead of mixing it all together, this recipe required hands on work, as in working the peanut butter into the flour mixture with your hands.

A week later, back in my kitchen, Eldest Son and I attemped peanut butter bread using Dylan’s recipe (after all of his failed experiments…6 to be exact). His recipe employed a slighty different method to incorporate all the ingredients. He also used less baking powder (to reduce the bitter flavour from too much), and added a room-temperature egg and sweetened applesauce. He noted that this recipe doesn’t work with natural or organic peanut butter because they don’t contain emulsifiers.

I let Eldest Son do most of the work…

But, since the peanut butter had to be mixed in using fingertips much like scones, just like with every jack-o-lantern we ever carved together, I had to get involved because Eldest Son didn’t want to get all sticky. Come to think of it, Youngest Son was the same way. No guts – no glory! Or in October, no jack-o-lantern!

I explained that we had to shag the dough, which led to all kinds of sensual sounds and slightly naughty jokes…

I couldn’t help myself…

We didn’t have any plain sweetened applesauce, so we used unsweetened pear applesauce, and we added chocolate chips. Dylan advised avoiding vanilla extract or spices like cinnamon because they tend to steal some of the peanut butter flavour. And quite frankly, when you’re baking peanut butter bread, you want to taste peanut butter!

We’ve become very spoiled in terms of sweetness. Dylan says this recipe created more of a “dessert bread” than the 1932 recipe. In 1932, the bread was meant to be buttered or jammed, and could be included as part of the meal rather than a sweet at the end. I’d have to agree. The texture of his bread was more cake-like than the 1932 version, and a little heavier and more “roasty”. Of course, the addition of chocolate chips also made it more “dessert-like”.

But who’s complaining?

Both recipes were easy and didn’t require unusual ingredients. I hate reading recipes that require something exotic and expensive, especially when I have to buy a jar, for like 1/4 tsp. And honestly, both loaves tasted great with a cup of tea.

I’m posting the link to the tik tok video on youtube below, for your amusement…or to get the recipes. It’s about 15 minutes, and not as quirky as some of his other videos, but if you’re looking for some inspiration, why not look to the past? Not everything new is “golden”.

I shouldn’t think even millionaires could eat anything nicer
than new bread and real butter and honey for tea.

Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

Happy Monday!

Elena’s “What’s in My Cup”?

Tags

#whatsinmycup, food, humour, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time, what's in my cup

It’s the last Monday of the month and time to share a cuppa with my friend, Elena. She is a talented bassoonist, incredible singer, and a great mom to two busy boys (three if you count her husband). Her great sense of humour and crazy-good storytelling make her a delight to hang out with. We usually hang out together at the church in worship and ladies’ craft and chat. She usually chats. But she has many artistic abilities, including cartoon family portraits!

Let’s hear a cheer for Elena!

(you can do better than that!)

***

I confess I am not a true tea connoisseur; coffee has always had a starring role in the hierarchy of my caffeine addiction. I do enjoy a black or green tea paired with the right meal, or as an after-dinner cup with company. But herbal teas are my everyday go-to. They keep me toasty on a cold afternoon, act as a warm and steamy balm for a dry throat, or as a method of surviving a dastardly cold. While I am always open to trying new things, I mainly enjoy simple flavours like peppermint, or Earl Grey.  I do not recommend the “Mom Special” I recently enjoyed where, upon looking down into the last dregs of my coffee, I discovered this morning’s mint tea bag (I thought it tasted off, though in my defense I was enjoying a mint-chocolate chip cookie as I imbibed). 

But today, my cup is filled with one of the only blends I enjoy partaking in regularly: Celestial’s Sleepytime tea with its characteristic sleeping bear on the box, cozied up by the fire with tea and scones nearby.  It’s a combination of chamomile and spearmint with just a dash of lemongrass.  I must say lemongrass is not something I usually enjoy, though it doesn’t stand out in this blend for which I am thankful. The spearmint fills out the flowery chamomile, and well, it pairs well with honey, I find this tea to be just sweet enough to forgo any add-ons. The chamomile serves to soften and round out the mint, taking away that dry aftertaste that can accompany it when left to its own devices.

Of course how one enjoys their tea is often just as much a part of the comfort of the beverage.  I recommend a fancy tea cup if the mood is right, or in a comfy, oversized mug! Today, I offer to you my most unique mug in my collection.  It was gifted to me from a lovely little cafe/community art gallery out in Edmonton called The Carrot.  The blue dipped glaze is best appreciated in the sunlight, so as to reflect its many shades, and the thick walls do well to keep the tea steamy.  Most unusually, it is built to be an on-the-go mug, with its rim rolling in at the top and sealed in the middle with a large, rough cut cork.  Three small holes adorn either side of the rim for sipping, and the indented thumb hold on the handle allows for this mug to be comfortably held in either the right or left hand! A well built handle is an often overlooked, but wonderfully key feature in any good mug.

And so, may your tea experience today be one of steam, good flavour, and a comfy handle to boot!

Brunch

Tags

#whatsinmycup, family, food, holiday, humour, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time

Brunch is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch, and is often accompanied with an alcoholic beverage, like mimosa (equal parts oj and sparkling white wine or champagne). Typically brunch is served between 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and includes both hot and cold dishes, as well as both sweet and savoury.

Our morning brunch was less elaborate and caffeinated instead…tea or coffee…but did include pancakes, sausages and homemade goodies… sourdough raisin muffins, hot cross buns, and peanut butter bread.

The peeps were also up for grabs! Happy Easter! Happy Monday!

Brunch:one meal to rule them all.