My Tea Package

It’s always fun to receive a package from a blog giveaway that you’ve won.  This was a lovely tea theme giveaway from my friend Angela at Tea With Friends.

I couldn’t wait to try the chocolates from Nestle Japan.  Aero was always one of my favorites and this matcha tea flavored version is delicious!  The Kit Kat bar (pale green coating and filling) was also yummy.

Angela added some Numi Pu-erh teabags in four interesting flavors – ginger, cardamom, jasmine and coconut.  I tried the ginger flavor first and was quite impressed.  It brewed up dark and rich with a mildly earthy fragrance and a light ginger taste.  I think the other flavors of this organic Pu-erh will also be enjoyable.

The YamaMotoYama Jasmine is also good.  It tastes like the tea served in a lot of Oriental restaurants.  It will be great to have on hand for serving with homemade stir-fry or a Chinese take-out meal.  I’m looking forward to sampling the traditional Chinese Oolong tea also.

The two sizes of filter bags will come in handy on our upcoming trip for our daughters wedding.  As for the pretty striped mug, I’m not sure yet whether I’ll use it for drinking tea or maybe to hold makeup brushes in the boudoir (it is a generous sized cup).

Thanks, Angela, for this great box of goodies. 

Be sure to visit Tea With Friends blog for your chance to win her weekly giveaway.

Teapot Cake

We were finally able to set some time aside to celebrate my birthday with my younger daughter and her fiancée.  We’ve been home from Mexico for a couple of weeks, but are still trying to catch up.  She is also very busy getting ready for her Florida beach wedding in May.

It was so sweet that she made time to bake this pretty teapot cake for me.  

I liked the cute shape and the blue, yellow and white color palette.  The strawberry cake inside was moist and delicious.

Thank you, Cynthia for my lovely birthday treat.

Some of you might be wondering why I haven’t visited lately.  Chances are that I have, but with all the computer issues we’ve been experiencing lately, many times I’m not able to leave you a comment. 

 

House of Three Rivers

We recently returned from our first trip to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, the Hacienda Tres Rios.  I felt some trepidation, due to the horror stories of well meaning friends, but was totally won over by my experience at this fabulous resort.

It sits on a 326 acre nature park in the Mexican Caribbean near Playa Del Carmen.  It’s a green resort (sustainable tourism) and offers modern luxury, with Mexican and Mayan traditions. 

Our two bedroom suite was spacious (1,236 sq. ft.) and very lovely.  It was really like our own apartment (minus the kitchen), with two bedrooms with sitting areas, dining and living room combination, three bathrooms and balconies.  There was an abundance of storage space and lots of mirrors.

I loved the local mahogany wood furniture and lovely Mexican marble floors.  The patterns on the floor throughout the resort featured different colors of marble in striking patterns.

This is a large resort with several guest buildings containing around 273 suites.  The landscaping is gorgeous – beautiful flowers, coconut trees, palms, and white sand beaches everywhere.

There was a long open corridor with comfortable seating that was used for tea time in the afternoon and then martinis in the evening.

The pools were beautiful, and these outdoor spaces had the Hacienda Grill in one area and a brick oven pizza restaurant in another.  My grandson practically lived on the pizza and we couldn’t get him out of the water. 

My favorite spot was the comfy beach bed right at the waters edge – the breeze, the sound of the waves, the swooping birds – could it get any more relaxing?  Oh wait – that visit to the spa for a massage and facial was was pretty close.

We did a bicycle tour of the cenotes and paddled a kayak up and down the river and snorkeled.  There were several shows and parties to attend in the evening, including a wonderful beach buffet.  The resort staff set up the tables and food buffet right on the sand and had a live band for salsa dancing. 

There was a Michael Jackson tribute at the theatre, a Mayan dinner show, the Caribbean beach night, a Circus dinner show and lots more.  And the food, oh wow! 

The garnishes were outstanding, with flowers, carved fruits and vegetables, butter sculptures and lots of other gourmet touches.  There was something for everyone, even a tea enthusiast like me could visit the Patisserie for tea and treats, although I found myself drinking much more cappuccino than tea.

 

The madeleine shaped treat was white chocolate with a fruit filling and the meringues (in front) were delicious. 

With so many options for 24 hour per day dining, it was difficult not to over indulge.  I’m a seafood lover and enjoyed shrimp, lobster, seafood soup, paella, etc. during our stay.  I tried zabaglione for the first time at the Portofino Italian restaurant – yummy.  Don enjoyed the many lamb, chicken and beef dishes.

Overall, this was a great vacation and I’m looking forward to returning in a couple of years.  We took over 300 photos (plus some by the resort photographer), so it was difficult to decide which ones to share with you.  I hope you can at least get a glimpse of this little piece of paradise.

You can check out their website here if you’d like to see more. 

Mexico vacation

We’re leaving tomorrow for our trip to Mexico.  The resort we chose sits on 326 acres and is a beautiful nature park near Playa del Carmen.   

The Hacienda Tres Rios looks like a wonderful place.    There are pristine cenotes and rivers for kayaking and snorkeling, an equestrian center and a yacht club.

Relaxing on a beach bed with my Kindle sure sounds inviting.

With gourmet cuisine at the resort’s restaurants (Mexican, Asian, Italian and more) including Café de Paris Patisserie and made to order brick oven pizza by the pool, it will be hard not to indulge too much.  There’s even afternoon tea each day.

The resort offers yoga and Pilates in their fitness center, two beautiful pools, as well as many outdoor activities – that should help us burn off some of those extra calories.

The suites feature lovely native materials and Hacienda Tres Rios is very focused on sustaining the region’s  natural beauty and culture.

I’ll have much to share when we return Easter weekend.  See you then. 

eteaket–The Perfect Cuppa

Recently I received a package of teas from eteaket, a company that is new to me.  eteaket is based in Edinburgh at 41 Frederick Street.

The tea samples included Blooming Marvellous (flavored green tea), Bouteaque Jade Sword (green tea), Strawberries & Cream (fruit infusion), Bouteaque Blue Mist (black tea) and Chocolate Abyss (flavored black tea).  What great names and the tea itself is lovely to look at.

I know I’ll have very little time this week because of travel preparations, but I couldn’t resist trying the Chocolate Abyss blend right away.

What a lovely fragrance escaped from the bag when I opened it.  This blend does have a subtle chocolate flavor and a lovely smooth sweetness.  I usually don’t drink black tea without milk, but this was perfect without milk or sweetener. 

My hubby, the coffee drinker, was also impressed with this tea.  He said “this is good and it has a sweet taste”.  How could it not be yummy - it’s blended from quality black tea, real chocolate pieces, cocoa bits and coconut flakes.

Their website states “eteaket aims to rekindle Britain’s passion for tea”.  I sure wish that I could visit their Tea Boutique and Café in central Edinburgh where they serve breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.   

Meanwhile, I have four more teas to try - a cup of Strawberries & Cream at bedtime tonight sounds inviting. 

I hope to post more on my eteaket tea samples when I return from Mexico.

 

Quilt Shop Hop

Last Thursday I spent a pleasant morning with a couple of friends visiting two of the quilt shops participating in The Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop – Quilts & Fixins and A Scarlet Thread.

I love to see all the bolts of colorful fabrics and all the wonderful patterns for quilts, clothing, tote bags, etc. 

It’s strange that there always seems to be an abundance of coffee theme fabrics, but few with a tea theme. 

The overall theme of the Shop Hop this year was A Day At The Fair.  Quilts & Fixins shop theme was Dog Show.  This cute quilt with the little Scottie dogs reminded me of my Mom.  When I was little and would ask her to draw a doggie, she’d always draw a Scottie.

A Scarlet Thread had the shop theme Midway Games.

The selection in the Bundle Mania was great.  It is really nice to buy a bundle of fabrics that all co-ordinate in color and pattern.

There were so many tempting patterns that I’d enjoy making for my little granddaughter.

This alphabet quilt was really cute.

Visiting these shops certainly makes me want to dust off my sewing machine and get busy. 

How about you – do you have any special sewing projects in the works this Spring?

This cheerful red teacup fabric was added to my stash.

 

Catechins in Green Tea

It’s wonderful to drive around the neighborhood and see the beautiful azalea bushes in bloom.  It really feels like spring now.

Today I was reading about catechins (antioxidants) in green tea and how they help protect against cancer.  Did you know that when you add lemon juice to tea you absorb 80 percent of the catechins, versus 20 percent in tea without lemon. - from Publix Greenwise Market magazine.  Next time I enjoy a cup of green tea I’ll be adding a slice of lemon.

It’s nice to know that a cup of green tea has more antioxidant effects than broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries and protects the body against free radical damage.

What better time than Spring to enjoy the delicate flavors of green tea.