Merry Christmas

Drink Tea Campaign

The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of a #DrinkTea Campaign representing a consumer-friendly, business-friendly, social media-friendly approach to promoting the benefits of tea consumption in the USA.

You can read about the Drink Tea campaign here.

Downton Abbey article and wish list

I couldn’t resist asking Santa to bring me a couple of Downton Abbey items this Christmas.

This t-shirt featuring a quote from the Dowager Countess is one of my favorite items available at the PBS store. My list also includes a couple of the Downton tea blends. Do you have any Downton Abbey items on your Christmas list? 

If you are a fan of the much loved Downton Abbey television series, be sure to check out Barb's Tea Shop blog and her terrific article "A Visit To The Real Downton Abbey" published in the January/February 2016 issue of Tea Time Magazine.

Christmas Preparations

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m getting nowhere fast with my Christmas preparations.  The only decorations in place are on my fireplace mantle.  I don’t even have my trees up yet. 

I did find an easy eggnog pound cake recipe on Pinterest and thought it might save some time.  Plus, I love eggnog and freshly grated nutmeg.  I seem to use nutmeg a lot more at this time of year.  You might like this interesting video about spices and nutmeg in particular.  Not sure if I’d drink the punch after one hunting party host tasted it and then stuck the ladle back in the punch bowl.

You can find it on You Tube - Nutmeg: Natures Perfect Package - The Spice of Life - BBC 1983 series

You can find the eggnog cake recipe on my Christmas board at Pinterest (see link on side bar).  It was quick and easy to put together with a boxed pound cake mix, organic eggnog, eggs and freshly grated nutmeg.

I was ready for a little tea break after a morning of baking, cleaning and wrapping presents.  The cake is quite good, although I over baked it by a few minutes (I think my oven is running too hot).  It would make a lovely Christmas party dessert served with peppermint ice cream or some hot spiced fruit.

Every Christmas I treat myself to a tin of Harney & Sons Tower of London Blend tea.  This black tea has the most wonderful fragrance. It is blended with pieces of dried stone fruit and oil of bergamot and honey.  You can order it online at Harney & Sons or Amazon.

Do you have a favorite tea that you enjoy at Christmas?  I know several of you like Candy Cane Lane tea by Celestial Seasonings.

Happy Thanksgiving

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  JFK 

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Pretty Tea Towel and Minions

Happened to see this pretty Laura Ashley tea towel at Kohl’s recently.  The $9.99 price was a little steep, but with Kohl’s cash and a 30% discount, the check out price was a more reasonable $2.98. 

Also, I found several items for my little granddaughter who happens to love Minions.  She wanted to dress up as a Minion for Halloween, but Mom couldn’t find a costume in her size, so they did the next best thing and dressed as Minions to take her out for trick or treat. 

Kaleigh was happy with her Minnie Mouse costume.

This is one Minion that I can relate to, especially in the morning. 

Christmas Books 2015

Because my burgeoning collection of Christmas books is taking up way too much space, I’m trying to cut down on new purchases.  Although, there is always at least one that I can’t resist.

This Teatime Holidays book (a Hoffman Media Publication)  is just packed with beautiful photos, recipes and decorating ideas.  There is even a handy tea steeping guide with basic guidelines for brewing the perfect infusion.

There are so many scone recipes that I’d love to try – onion poppy seed, apricot white chocolate, pistachio cream, candied fruit (my pick for Christmas morning), coconut orange, white chocolate peppermint (above) and more. 

These cinnamon date scones look seriously yummy.

There is even a recipe for pistachio French macarons.   There are lots of recipes for savories as well.  I thought the lobster cheesecakes and beef wellington canapés looked very appealing.

Oh yes, I know I’m going to enjoy this book.  It was available at Sam's Club with a 30%  magazine discount.

I also picked up this book at Kohl’s.  It is only $5 and 100% of the net profit is donated to support kid’s health and education initiatives in communities nationwide.  It was also a good pick with lots of recipes, crafts and gift ideas.

I’d love to hear about the Christmas publications that you all added to your collection this year.