Poetry In A Pot Of Tea: tea

Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Homeward Bound

The light is what guides you home,

the warmth is what keeps you there.

Ellie Rodriguez

A pleasant Spring day outdoors-

perfect for some gardening

and a cup of tea. I just discovered

straw bale gardening on Pinterest, and stepped out onto our patio to look for a good spot to place a bale.

Brambly Hedge by Royal Doulton

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.
Jane Austen

For charm and whimsy you can't beat Royal Doulton's Brambly Hedge beakers and teacups! I sipped a bit of Assam while dead-heading Pansies and drawing up gardening plans.

Assam is located on both sides of the Bramaputra River in India.

I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.

George Washington

Home, the spot of earth supremely blessed,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
~Robert Montgomery

See the mouse in the basket?

Where thou art – that – is Home.
Emily Dickinson

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Friday, July 4, 2014

Stars and Stripes

Happy Independence Day!

Are you going to a parade, picnic or barbecue? Plans for a firework display?

'Blanche' dressed for the 4th of July. She stands watch over my sister's alpine garden.

We like a low key day away from crowds. From our backyard, which is on a hill, we can see four to six public firework shows each year. No need to look for parking or a place to sit, we need only go outside after dark and enjoy the patriotic show! College Girl and I had fun in the kitchen this morning making yummy things to eat: first up, smoothies!

We don't use a recipe- we improvise.(all measurements are approximates) We blended one cup of frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup chopped peaches, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 TB flax oil, 2 TB rice protein powder. Yielded two glasses.

The next thing we made was

Broccoli Orzo Salad

This salad is great cold or at room temperature.

Dressing: 2 Tb olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, 1 medium clove of pressed garlic, fresh ground pepper, 2 tsp dried Basil. Mix and pour over salad ingredients.

Salad: 3 cups steamed broccoli, 8 oz. cooked orzo, 2 green onions (I use onion powder), 1/4 minced fresh parsley, 1/4 cup chopped black olives, 2 chopped tomatoes or 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (optional).

And my tea of choice today? Why, it's The Whistling Kettle's 1776 Blend. It's a combination of Assam and Ceylon teas infused with strawberry and maple.

Have a lovely holiday~

If we ever forget we are one nation under God,

then we will be a nation gone under.

Ronald Reagan

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

Do You Know The Way to Leprechaun Lane?

By Killarney's lakes and fells,
Em'rald isles and winding bays,
Mountain paths, and woodland dells
Memory ever fondly strays;
Bounteous nature loves all lands;
Beauty wanders everywhere
Footprints leaves on many strands,
But her home is surely there.
Angels fold their wings and rest
In that Eden of the west,
Beauty's home, Killarney,
Ever fair, Killarney.

E. O'Rourke

You may remember this teacup from last year. My friend Patty sent it to me. It's musical and has a wind-up key underneath the cup! I love the different sized shamrocks on it and the wavy lip edge. I display it all through Spring because of it's cheery green and white color. Today I used it and a printed Irish blessing, which I framed, to decorate our afternoon tea table.

Our new cat - adopted last September - saw me placing the shamrock tablecloth on our kitchen farm house table and thought it would be a lovely place to doze and watch the backyard birds. I quickly squashed that idea! So, he contented himself with watching me set the table while keeping one eye on the backyard in case any birds visited. And one obliged! A Western Scrub Jay stopped by for a peanut.

I love using this white teapot because of it's size and pretty embossed design.

Tea for two!

For each petal on the shamrock,

This brings a wish your way,

Good health, good luck and happiness,

Today and every day.

Pansies, Sage blossoms and a Daffodil graced the table.

I love using our claddagh napkin rings. Did you notice there is also a claddagh on the cups? The claddagh symbolized Love, Loyalty and Friendship.

These claddagh cups have no designated manufacturers mark. They are footed ceramic beaker style cups.

The aroma of Irish Soda Bread filled the kitchen and tasted wonderful with butter, jam and a cup of tea.

We'll be listening to Irish music for the next few days. Next to our c.d. player are discs from The Fenians and The Boys of The Lough.

The reverse side of the cup has shamrocks on it

Do you celebrate St Patrick's Day with a corned beef dinner or a city parade? Have you ever tried making Irish Soda Bread? It's very easy.

Sláinte is a word literally translating as "health" and is commonly used as a toast in Ireland and Scotland.

photo Clara Ceramics

Happy St. Patrick's Day~

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Monday, November 25, 2013

November Morning

A tingling, misty marvel
Blew hither in the night,
And now the little peach-trees
Are clasped in frozen light.

This morning College Girl cooked up a pot of old fashioned oatmeal. It was the perfect thing for a chilly November morning! I like mine with toasted almonds, prunes and a drizzle of honey and milk.

It was so dark and overcast that I lit a candle before I poured the tea.

How do you like your oatmeal? With milk? Do you add a sprinkle of cinnamon like we do?

Upon the apple branches
An icy film is caught,
With trailing threads of gossamer
In pearly patterns wrought.

by Evaleen Stein

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tea Time Brings Longevity

Ever since tea was discovered, it's been thought to have many health benefits and it's interesting that modern research is proving many of these claims are true! For afternoon tea today, I made a pot of Harney & Son's Oolong and served it in my special wicker basket teapot. Have you ever seen one of these?

The basket acts as a natural cozy to keep the tea piping hot - perfect for an autumn picnic or summer patio tea.

When I purchased this colorful teapot and basket, it came with matching cups. Lucky me! It's fun to sip from these delicate cups without handles. Remember, no pinkies in the air - that is an etiquette faux pas.
Click here for a handy teatime temperature and steeping chart.

oolong is a semi fermented tea principally produced in China and Taiwan

Do you recognize any of the Chinese characters on the cups or teapot? This one represents longevity

This symbol - for Shou- is near the spout.

I looked through some of my tea books and learned that tea bushes were planted in Taiwan, previously called Formosa, around 300 years ago.

I snacked on grapes as I watched 'our' little cottontail drop by for his daily carrot. Remember when he climbed into my parsley pot? He doesn't mind sharing the backyard with me, so I finished my tea.

Do you see the kimono clad cat?

It was a gift from a friend when I was studying Urusenke, Japanese Tea Ceremony, with my sensei Mrs. Koizumi.

If you have only had black tea and want to try going 'green', you can start with a quality oolong before moving to a typical green tea. All tea comes from the same plant, but it is the processing (fermenting, rolling, drying, cutting) that gives it it's characteristics. It is a ~~big~~ adjustment for some palates to go from drinking black to drinking green teas. Ha ha!