Lucky New Year's Sandwiches with Grapes
On Nochevieja in Spain, New Year's Eve revelers eat 12 grapes at midnight — one for every chime of the clock — to bring good luck in the 12 months to come. To add good luck to your New Year's buffet, serve these beautiful open-faced sandwiches, featuring chicken and 12 grapes.
4slices of Panera Honey Wheat loaf2cups coarsely chopped cooked white chicken meat1/2cup thinly sliced celery1/2cup blanched and sliced almonds, plus 4 tablespoons for sprinkling3/4cup mayonnaise2tablespoons lemon juice1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon48red grapes, each cut in halfMix the chicken, celery, almonds, mayonnaise, lemon juice and tarragon together. Spread generously onto the slices of bread. Top each slice with 24 grape halves. Sprinkle with more almonds if desired.
makes 4 servings
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are
the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Marcel Proust
Guidelines for Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea
Wait until the water is near boiling, then pour a little into the teapot and swirl it around. This warms the pot so that it is at an optimum temperature for holding the tea. Empty the pot.
To the warmed teapot add one slightly rounded teaspoon of a tea per cup plus one teaspoon for the pot. Or use one tea bag in the pot for each cup.
When the water in the kettle has reached a rolling boil, pour it in the pot and allow the tea to steep for three to five minutes.
Your tea will only be as good as your water. It is best to use filtered or spring water only. If you must use tap water, take water during the day time from a tap and leave it out overnight. Once the water as come to the boil, take off the lid of the pot, turn fire down to low and continue to heat for 5 minutes; This gets rid of any unpleasant smells the water may have.
Encouragement softens the hardness along the way. It lightens the difficulty of a task and it blesses the recipient on the journey in life. It supplies us in times of famine and strengthens us when we are weak. Encouragement is a companionship in trial and lifts a bit of the shadow of care. Perhaps you know someone who could use a cup of encouragement today. I encourage you to offer a few kind words to someone you know that needs a little lift. Pour a bit of yourself into someone else's empty little cup, offer them a refill, to help soften trying circumstances, to put a smile on a face, or to fill an empty spot with warmth and love. One cup of encouragement, so easily given, can make a difference. May each of your cups be full today with knowing that you are much appreciated by me. Blessings, .......
Tea Time...what a wonderful way to treat your special friends.....
And aren't all friends special?
By Sandra Ramani, Organic Spa
Before settling in for their Himalayan bath therapies and herbal poultice massages, guests of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Chi Spas are asked to sit down and have a sip. From their property in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, to the newly opened outpost in Vancouver, Canada, the Tibetan-inspired brand begins all services with an in-suite tea ceremony, during which an aromatic house blend is served to clients in a jade bowl placed on a silver-plated copper stand, the presentation a nod to the way the high lamas took tea in the legend of Shangri-La. “In Asian culture, tea drinking celebrates the ideals of peace, sharing, and simplicity when offered as a welcome gesture,” explains Sheila McCann, Shangri-La’s Director of Spa Brand Quality, “and it also provides a wonderful opportunity to sit back and allow the tension of the day to slip away.”
While you may not be able to indulge in pre-bedtime massages every day, this simple relaxation ritual is something that can easily be translated from the spa to the home. We’re not talking about a chatty tea klatch with friends or a cup of chai on the go; instead, taking just a few minutes to be present in that simple ritual, the rhythmic cycle of pour, sip, repeat, will allow you mental space to reflect on the day and clear the mind before sleep. We asked British tea expert Jane Pettigrew, author of such books as A Social History of Tea and The New Tea Companion, for her tips on the best brews for bedtime relaxation, and what to avoid.
Know Your Terms
As a brief reminder, Pettigrew points out that the word “tea” should only be applied to “infusions made from the leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, or camellia sinensis. Brews made just from herbs like chamomile, verbena, and mint are not strictly speaking teas, but herbal infusions or tisanes.” Each drink has its own benefits and side effects; for the most part, though, all infusions and tisanes are caffeine-free.
Choose Wisely
When it comes to soothing pure teas, Pettigrew recommends “white, jasmine-flavored or fragrant Taiwanese oolongs, because although there is caffeine in all teas, these varieties don’t seem to have the same sort of punchy power as the black and some green. White or green leaves with rose or lavender are also particularly relaxing, though Pettigrew favors jasmine and oolongs because their “heavenly fragrance and flavor just make you want to close your eyes, tip back your head and savor every sip.”
Herbal Heaven
Being caffeine-free, “most herbals are good at bedtime,” Pettigrew confirms. “Calming chamomile, with its slightly apple-y, hot-buttered-toast and honey characteristics, seems to wrap you up in a childhood sense of security and safety.” Also good before sleeping, fennel helps relax the muscles and settle the digestion, while lemon verbena, peppermint, and valerian can help encourage a restful night.
What to Skip
“Avoid strong black teas and the more robust green teas,” Pettigrew warns, since both “can deliver quite a strong dose of caffeine.” Some herbals can invigorate the system in the evening, too, so pass on anything with yerba mate (a common caffeine substitute), nettle, Ginkgo, and ginger.
To make a gallon of iced tea:
- 1- Place 4 to 5 tea bags; or 8 teaspoons (½ cup) of loose-leaf tea into a large infusing ball into a one-gallon pitcher.
- 2- Using 1 gallon of fresh cool, non-chlorinated water; bring to a boil and pour over the tea.
- 3- If sweetened tea is preferred, add sweetener at this time so it will dissolve easily.
- 4- Steep for 5 minutes or longer. Remove tea leaves and discard, (do not squeeze wet tea leaves into tea) and let tea cool to room temperature.
- 5- Using a gallon-size pitcher, fill ¾ full of ice. Pour fresh tea over ice.
To make a single serving of iced tea:
- Use steps above except: Use 1 tea bag or 2 tsp. Loose tea leaves and a single glass filled ¾ of ice
A woman is like a tea bag: you cannot tell how
strong she is until you put her in hot water.
~Nancy Reagan
If I could take your Troubles,
I would toss them in the Sea.
But since I can't, I'm sending you,
My favorite cup of tea.
(source unknown)
Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.
~Henry Fielding, "Love in Several Masques"
"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
MAKING TROPICAL TEA~~~~ Because tropical tea can be a variety of things, the first thing that must be done is clarifying what is meant by tropical tea. Tropical tea is tea that is either bought from areas where tropical rain forests exist, to tea made from ingredients that come from tropical areas, such as oranges, lemons, papaya, and mango. But, if you don’t have nor can you afford tropical fruit, tropical punch, tropical fruit cocktail, and tropical drinks will serve as adequate derivatives. Keep in mind, you want natural fruits that are tropical, not fruit imitation. ~~~Secondly, pick tea that you like to drink. I know some of you are familiar with green tea or ginseng and tea, but many of you may not like these teas. Well, here is a possible solution. Orange or black pekoe tea is familiar to all of us because it is one of the tea brands many of our parents andgrandparents grew up drinking. Now, we drink it. ~~
Third, decide what kind of tropical tea you want to drink. Do you want tropical tea made from fruit cocktail? Do you want tropical tea made from bananas or do you want to add other fruits? Whatever you decide, make your tea yours. I like to add oranges, lemons, ginger, and even cinnamon to my teaI like the Caribbean /African flair for tea. Once I even added pineapple to the tea. The taste was fruity, bitter, and virulent. I drank the tea anyway. Now, I add tea mix and fruit juice together because it is cheaper. One can of tea mix that makes twenty quarts can cost as low as $4.00, while one gallon of orange juice, pineapple juice, or any other assorted fruit juice can cost just as much. Buying the raw fruit may cost slightly more. It is your decision. You decide how you want to make your tropical tea. ~~~
Make the tea: began with brewing. Brew the tea either using an instant tea maker or simply by putting six to 10 tea bags in a pot of water. It does not have to be boiling. Brew the tea for at least twenty minutes. Add ingredients in it, such as fruit, herbs, spices or even fruit juice. But, do not over do it. Make sure that the drink taste is as strong and tropical as you like. Add more ginger to offset the sweetness. This is done to prevent sugar shock and overwhelming rushes of erratic behavior brought on by an over abundance of sugar. If you do not like sugar in your tea, use honey instead. I‘m told that honey has a healthful and energetic flair. Like green tea and ginseng, honey is a natural laxative and full of antioxidants capable of healing the immune system and digestive system. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Go to the internet and research it for yourself. Now, that the tea has been brewed, add tropical fruit or fruit juice to the tea. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes. After you come back to it, pour it into the one liter pitcher, add sugar or honey and add ice. Have a cup and enjoy a taste from the tropics!
Afternoon Tea
My copper kettle
whistles merrily
and signals that
it is time for tea.
The fine china cups
are filled with the brew.
There's lemon and sugar
and sweet cream, too.
But, best of all
there's friendship, between you and me.
As we lovingly share
our afternoon tea.
~Marianna Arolin
Tea: The Perfect Choice
". . a well deserved moment, to collect my thoughts,
to breathe and think; how good it is to have Some Tea."
~~From the poem "Some Tea" by Alan Farnham
"Ecstasy is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth"
-Alexander Puskin
Tea Dance
A tea dance is a chance to transport guests to a time somewhere in the past--a perfect opportunity to employ an imaginative historical theme (Victorian era or the roaring twenties, for example). A light buffet and light wines, sherry, and champagne can be served in place of tea sandwiches, tea, and coffee. The party should last about three hours. Sunday afternoon is a pleasant time for a tea dance from 3:00 to 7:00 P.M
Oh, how I love my kitty
She's so precious to me
I love her so much
With her I'll share my tea.
~Brenda J S ©
