What’s in my Cup: Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, tea, what's in my cup, winter

It may only November, but by yesterday afternoon, it was “beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. Bing Crosby was by no means the author or the first to record this song, but I always hear his voice crooning it this time of year.

I don’t know if it’s because of covid restrictions or the fact that I’m not as stressed as in years past (mostly because I’m not working and I don’t have little people at home) but, like so many others, I’m ready for twinkling lights and seasonal spices.

I don’t want to rush the season, though it does seem to get shorter every year. We usually celebrate Little Guy’s birthday before breaking out the decorations. Sipping something sweet with a rich, rosy colourm however, while snow fell silently (and kids and dogs delighted not so quietly), felt right.

Stash’s Pom-Rasp Green tea contains hibiscus, orange peel chamomile, pomegrantate and raspberry flavour, citric acid and matcha! The warm, rosy hue and delicately tart scent of berries was inviting. Unlike most green teas, this one was also a delight to the tastebuds. I have had other pomegranate teas, including green teas, but they lacked body and the green tea was easily distinguishable. Or in one case, it tasted more like hot fruit juice. Yuck! If Stash hadn’t identified “green tea” in the name, I wouldn’t have noticed. This was citrusy and bold; I really liked it.

It went really well with warm homemade muffins made with french vanilla yogurt and frozen cherries, raspberries, strawberries and pomegranate.

Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.

Khalil Gibran

May your cup of tea overflow with peace, love, joy and awesomeness today!

What’s in my Cup: Blueberry Jam

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, tea, what's in my cup

I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill.

Fats Domino

Dark, sweet, and plump, blueberries are a great way to start the day…and maybe end it too. They’re the most nutrient-rich berry, packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium, and plenty of healing properties.

When they’re added to jams or muffins, the calorie content increases. That’s not the blueberries fault! David’s Blueberry Jam tea lets you enjoy the juicy taste of blueberries without adding sugar. This tea from David’s is a blend of organic black tea, organic black currants, organic blueberries, organic elderberries, cornflower petals,and stevia. It’s also kosher and Fairtrade.

I made this tea the other evening and took it with me in the car. The whole car smelled deliciously fruity! More importantly, the flavour is a strong, natural blueberry note, while still retaining the robustness I want in a black tea. I often find flavoured black teas are weak, artificial or very grassy, but this is very satisfying, not cloying or tart. It’s now a “must-have” in my every day supply!

Advice from a Blueberry

* Be well-rounded * Soak up the sun

* Live a fruitful life * It’s ok to be a little blue

* Make sweet memories!

Happy Monday!

What’s In My Cup: Magic Potion

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, halloween, humour, tea, teaaddict

She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign, She said “What you need is love potion number nine” Love Potion Number 9, The Searchers

David’s Tea Magic Potion tea isn’t a love potion, but you might just love it! Or your kids or grandkids will. This blue raspberry infusion contains currants, apples, rosehips, butterfly pea flowers, raspberries, natural flavouring (kiwi, blackberry, bilberry), blackberries, and extract. Butterfly pea flowers are a Southeast Asian flower that naturally turn tea blue. After steeping for 5 minutes, as recommended, this tea had a light berry aroma and a sweet, slightly tart raspberry/blackberry flavour. I really liked it!

The squirrels, however, didn’t like me taking photos in the yard and they rained all kinds of curses down on me! 🙂 So why is it called “Magic Potion”? This tea changes colour! Just add a few drops of lemon juice and the colour changes from indigo to violet. I also found the tartness from the additional lemon enhanced the flavour of the berries, making it sweeter.David’s tea suggests it as “a refreshing caffeine-free iced tea or a berry-packed nightcap”. They also call it “a mood ring in your mug”.

There’s no mistaking what kind of potion I need. Caffeine – for alertness and rejuvenation. ― Amy Alward, Madly

Happy Monday!

Tea-Stained Chicken

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cooking, food, food photography, recipes, tea

My cooking is fabulous, even when the smoke detector is cheering me on…

So I’m not a good cook. There are a few crime scene photos to prove it. But I keep trying, and once in awhile I have success. Other times, we had a pile of charred pots. Either way, we haven’t starved yet!

Just over a year ago, I tried a recipe for English Breakfast Tea Chocolate Cake. It was over-the-moon delicious! I made it for Dad’s birthday this year! So I decided to try another “tea” recipe on the savoury side: Tea-Stained Chicken.

Tea-Stained Chicken is also known as Laquered Chicken or Mahogany Chicken. Normally a whole chicken is smoked over a blend of spices and tea leaves, before it is glazed and baked to perfection. But my Weight Watchers recipe book skips the smoking part (thank goodness – can you imagine how much my smoke detector would be cheering?!?), and just made the sauce.

I was running late (as usual) so I prepared my stain and used it immediately, but it could be done up to a day ahead and would likely produce a much darker colour.

I brought 1/2 water to a boil, then set is aside with 1 tea bag (Tetley or Red Rose, I’m not sure which I used), 2 slices of fresh ginger and 4 peppercorns. I thought it was odd that they were so specific with the peppercorns, but it made it easy to count when you fish them out later! 😉

After 5 minutes, I squeezed out my bag and added 1 1/2 tsp. of soy sauce and 1 tsp. packed brown sugar. Back on the heat until it is reduced in half. Let it cool. Remove the ginger and peppercorns and paint it on your chicken.

They suggest browning the chicken in a pan before tossing it in the oven at 350F. The frugal dishwasher in me just tossed it in the oven. Why would I dirty 3 pots and pans for one meal?? It’s like crockpot recipes that you pre-cook 3/4 of the way before putting it in the crockpot. Does that really save me time?

The sauce was a rich, dark brown, and had thickened enough that it didn’t roll right off the chicken. I have made differnt sauces using soy sauce and ginger in the past, but this had a slight acidic tang from the tea, and a lovely subtle heat from the ginger and peppercorns. I would probably make it again.

The recipe book recommended serving the chicken with mango relish. I haven’t had great success in selecting ripe mangoes, so I made a tomato peach salsa instead. I’m surprised I haven’t shared this recipe already – I love it!

• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 peach, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
• green onion
• 1 1/2 tsp. oil
• 1 clove garlic or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. liquid honey
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

You don’t need a silver fork to enjoy good food.

Paul Prudhomme

Bon Appetit!

What’s In My Cup: Blueberry Green Tea

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, tea, what's in my cup

I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill. – Fats Domino

Green tea is one of the most popular types of tea consumed in North America. It’s packed full of health benefits. And to reap those health benefts, 3-5 cups of tea are recommended per day. Green tea does contain caffeine, with approximately 33 mg per cup; black tea is approximately 50 mg. Green tea is also approximately 99% water, so it’s a great way to rehydrate.

But…when drinking flavoured green teas, one needs to watch out for added sugar. That’s one of the reasons I like Tetley green teas – they don’t use any sweeteners.  

I’m not a big of green tea, but I find some flavours with a green tea really help to tone down the grassy or bitter flavour I associate with it. Tetley’s Blueberry Green tea was delicate and sweet, and very aromatic! In a blind taste test, I’m not sure I would guess blueberry, but definately I would guess berries.

It’s best enjoyed hot. I find, as with many teas and not just green tea, that it becomes more bitter as it cools. Pay attention to your steeping time. Green tea that is steeped too long, regardless of brand or flavour, will go bitter, and there’s no way to fix it!

This was perfect for a Sunday afternoon with a good book and a healthy treat…except maybe for the few berries I sugared! lol

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea. – Rev. Sydney Smith

Happy Monday!

To Dunk or Not to Dunk

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#whatsinmycup, food, humour, tea

Impatience can cause wise people to do foolish things. Janette Oke

You’ve heard it before…don’t dunk your tea bag. Dunking isn’t even in the instructions on the side of the box. But we do it anyway!! And before any tea connoisseurs pipes in that loose leaf is better, let me remind them that swishing the infusers is really the same thing! So why do we do it? Are we bored? Impatient? Late? Is it a bad habit? Or something we’ve seen somewhere? Let’s breeze through the facts: The quality of tea is first determined by the quality of the plant, and the process it undergoes to prepare it for our teacup. The quality and temperature of the water used influences taste. So does the process by which we steep it. BUT… The length of time that we steep is also important. A process called Osmotic Diffusion occurs when tea leaves are submerged in hot water. Chemical compounds need time to diffuse into the water until the compounds in both the leaf and the water become equal. These compounds, however, require different steeping times. For example, the compounds that contribute to tea’s aroma and flavour diffuse the fastest; it’s why the aroma from a bag of tea leaves is stronger more as soon as it meets the water. The next compounds are the antioxidants and caffeine, and finally tanins are released (which gives tea it’s bitter flavour).  So what happens when we dunk? Although compounds begin to diffuse the moment hot water is added, not all are diffusing at the same rate. And, since some of these compounds contain pigments, which start to colour the water, we mistake colour for flavour. As we dunk and swirl, the pigments, which diffuse more quickly in hot water, intensify the colour. But not the flavour or the quality of the tea. In our haste, we end up with a dark cup of tea that is lacking the flavour and the beneficial compounds, for which we are longing.

One moment of patience may ward off a great disaster; one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. – Chinese proverb

Or in any event, a perfectly lovely cup of tea. STOP DUNKING! Sources: Dunking Tea Bags & How Long to Steep

What’s In My Cup: Peach Hibiscus

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, tea, tea addict, what's in my cup

Every day of your life is a special occasion. – Thomas S. Morrison

Hibiscus flowers are part of the mallow family, and its leaves and stems have been used for centuries to make tea. However, scientific studies of the benefits and risks of hibiscus tea have recently begun.

Hibiscus tea is loaded with antioxidants and antibacterial properties. It may help with boosting immunity, lowering blood pressure, and lowering blood sugar levels. BUT if you’re taking medication to regulate your blood pressure or blood sugar levels, or going to have/recovering from surgery, you should avoid it. It also affects estrogen levels, so avoid it if you’re pregnant, trying, or nursing! AND avoid drinking it with acetaminophen (aka tylenol) as it can create adverse reactions. If you’re in the clear, it’s recommended that you drink no more than 2-3 cups a day.

Every day is not a success. Every year is not a success. You have to celebrate the good. -Reese Witherspoon

Homemade iced tea is always best, in my opinion, because it’s made with love. But every once in awhile, I will purchase iced tea to try a new flavour (or because I’m lazy or I’m out and I’m thirsty…you get it!) Even if it isn’t a successful day, but I chose to celebrate anyway.

I think it was the intoxicating colour of Pure Leaf’s Peach Hibiscus tea that caught my eye. Normally store-bought iced tea is overly sweet so this was a pleasant surprise. Although sweeter than my homemade (which has little to no sugar), it was a robust tea, with a hint of peach and floral from the hibiscus. But keep in mind, 547 ml = 27 g of sugar. It’s made with Rainforest Alliance certified tea leaves, and in this case is caffeine-free.

It’s Monday! It’s the last day of August. It’s a new day. Let’s celebrate!

What’s In My Cup: Rosehip Tea

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

Rosehips are the fruit or seed pod of a rose plant, and they form after the rose has bloomed. If you deadhead the flower, the seed pod won’t form. They usually form in late summer or early autumn. They best time to forage is after the first frost.

I didn’t wait that long.

Rosehips are ready to harvest when they are red or orange, and firm. Harvest by simply picking but watch out for thorns! how to harvest. Wash them well and either use them immediately or cut of the stem and bottom and let them air dry. Store them in a dark place for later use. They are great for tea, jams, jellies and vinegars.

I wanted to use them fresh, so I cut them in half and scooped out the seeds. The seeds are about the size of grape seeds, and the pod is also filled with tiny bristles that stick to your fingers. It’s tedious but necessary. The fibres can cause irritation inside and outside your body! One article referred to it as “itchy bottom disease”. Nasty!  Therefore, if you are not using the whole rosehip, Chef Mueller recommends using a coffee filter.

I followed Chef Mueller’s recipe for rosehip tea. I had about a 1/4 cup of chopped (and mostly de-seeded) rosehips but added more than a cup of boiling water (because I wanted to share the experiment with Mom). At first, I used a defuser within a defuser, but the water wasn’t covering all the pulp. So I removed the larger infuser, and poured the steeped tea through a coffee filter. I steeped the tea for 15-20 minutes because it was light in colour and I had used more water than recommended.

The tea was a very pale yellow and it had a slightly earthy, tart smell. It’s hard to describe the taste. At first it was slightly sweet and floral, but it also had a slightly tangy quality to it. It had a definite astringent aftertaste. Overall, it wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it also wasn’t completely unpleasant. Helpful, I know. I added some honey and the  sweetness helped. I then added some plain black tea and that provided a much fuller flavour.

My Great-Grandmother was a tea drinker, a piano player, and a creative person with a very green thumb. Even though she never had a lot of money, she used her creativity to make pretty things. She framed this cutting from a magazine. 🙂

Rose hip tea is great as a cold remedy because it has up to 25 times the amount of Vitamin C in oranges! Rose hips are also very rich in Vitamins E, K, and B, and act as an antioxidant.

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

   That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

   That’s sweetly played in tune.
-Robert Burns

Happy Monday!

What’s In My Cup: Super Ginger

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, tea, tea cups, what's in my cup

If you’re looking for a super strong flavour, super ginger is your kind of cuppa’! It definitely had heat and a strong pepper profile, reminiscent of chai, but not so strong it was rendered unpleasant. But where The Buzz and Ginger Crystal had an undertone of lemon grass, this tea was sweeter and more robust. The colour was an enticing honey gold, and the smell of ginger was more subtle than I expected from a tea with “super” in its name.

David’s Super Ginger tea contains Organic ginger, Organic green rooibos, Organic black pepper, Organic white pepper, Organic pink peppercorn, Natural flavouring with stevia extract.

Green rooibos is harvested from the same plant as red but it is processed differently. Where red rooibos is distressed and oxidized, green rooibos is treated to prevent oxidization.

Pink Peppercorns are actually members of the cashew family and get their name from it’s pink berries. So while its flavour resembles black pepper, it’s actually sweeter and  slightly citrus-y, rather than spicy. As with many spices, it’s a great way to add punch without calories, and it may have some health benefits, in moderation! Those benefits can include antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which aid digestion, blood sugar levels and general healing. But those benefits come through the use of pink peppercorn oil more than consumption.

Ginger is great for your skin and hair! More importantly, Ginger reduces heart burn and indigestion, and because it’s caffeine-free, it won’t keep you up at night! It can soothe sore throats. It is also high in zinc which play a key role in producing and secreting insulin, so it support weight loss by balancing sugar levels and cravings for carbs, as well as boosting your metabolism to burn more calories.

David’s Super Ginger tea is also Fair Trade. Fair Trade is an organization that works to support and improve the lives of tea plantation workers and small farmers. That really makes this tea “Super”!

Don’t be afraid to give up the good and go for the great. – John D. Rockefeller

Happy Monday!

Get Working…

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

“I must drink lots of tea or I cannot work. Tea unleashes the potential which slumbers in the depth of my soul.” -Leo Tolstoy

I’m starting by working on this cupcake!

Happy Monday!