You Be Peace and I'll Be Quiet

 

Today's cup was under the market umbrella accompanied by cuttings of home grown sunflowers and hydrangea. In keeping with the mood, I selected a cup with a definition on the rim:

Tranquili * tea

n. a state of peace and quiet while drinking tea

  

Grace Tea's Winey Keemun is a staple in our home , a favorite standby.  I took a photo of the steeped leaves to share with you - you can see bits and pieces of tea leaves on the saucer. Whenever I put sugar in my tea I use turbinado because I like its warm, molasses-like flavor.

I took my Nook outside with me so I could read a sample from Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes, a swashbuckling adventure.  

I nibbled on a banana muffin - it had crushed flax seed inside and was topped with toasted pecans - College Girl baked a batch of them last night. You can smell a hint of fresh ground nutmeg before you even take a bite!

Have you had a chance to read a new book or magazine article? If you were able to drop by we could chat about it! You might've noticed I added a Shelfari book shelf to my sidebar where I share books I've read or are planning to read.

this cup is made by Mud Pie

 Hope you can carve a few minutes of peace and quiet into your life this week. Whether you dig into a book or not, just sitting down with a nice cuppa will definitely recharge your batteries.  

P.S. My scraproom is covered in gold glitter! College Girl has been using my Cricut to cut out things for her sorority's Fall Recruitment. The glitter has somehow escaped into the rest of the house. It's gotten so bad that kitty is sparkling, and I could have sworn Handyman was winking at me from across the room until I got closer and saw the glitter on his cheek!

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If anyone is wondering about this post's title it is from a line in the movie 'What About Bob' starring Bill Murray.

Baked Oatmeal- Who Knew?

I am trying to eat oatmeal more frequently for breakfast because it is full of heart healthy fiber and is a change of pace from my regular Greek yogurt and berries. College Girl casually asked me if I had thought about making baked oatmeal. I had not, because I had never heard of it! Where have I been? Haha! It seems lots of other people have heard of it and there is a plethora of recipes online for many versions.

A simple search will give you a basic recipe which is easily customizable. Like raisins? Love nuts? Add 'em! Want to decrease the recipe's fat? Replace it with applesauce. Enjoy some spice? Add fresh nutmeg and cinnamon. Here is the recipe we used from www.myrecipes.com:

• 2 cups uncooked oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (we used 1/3 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• cooking spray for 8 inch square pan
• nuts, raisins, cinnamon as desired

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine milk, applesauce, butter and egg, stir. Pour milk mixture into oat mixture, stir. Pour into greased eight inch pan, bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm. You may garnish with more milk, yogurt, berries, or eat as is~ It is a cross between an oatmeal bar and traditional morning oatmeal.

 
  I used one of my favorite Brambly Hedge beakers called Homeward Bound, and took my baked oatmeal outside to eat on the patio. College Girl was already out there sunning her legs.

Looks like Primrose had a great time at the shore and is snuggled in a basket for the trip home. The cup is trimmed in soft mint green. 

ROYAL ALBERT HARVEST FESTIVAL PEARS plate

 I sprinkled walnuts and fresh raspberries on my baked oatmeal. I savored every bite and returned to the kitchen for a little bit more! 

The inside of my Brambly Hedge cup is decorated with drawings of seashells, a feather, and a small flag. I enjoyed looking at the detail in Jill Barklem's artwork every time I took a sip of my Winey Keemun tea.

The nice option with Baked Oatmeal is that you can prepare it in the morning or mix it the night before, store it in the fridge and bake it the next day! I love dishes like this - so convenient. It would make a great lunch bag item in place of cookies, too.

 If your family members don't like the soupy 'porridge' consistency of oatmeal, perhaps you could tempt them with Baked Oatmeal! The next time I make it I am going to try an old Amish version.

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Boston Tea Party~

According to the website in Pursuit of Tea~

Even non-tea drinkers know the story! On the evening of December 16, 1773, over 100 colonists disguised as Native Americans boarded three ships in Boston Harbor. In the midst of a supportive crowd, they dumped 90,000 pounds of tea into the water, protesting tyrannical taxation from British rulers.

The Boston Tea Party precipitated not only the Revolutionary War but the formation of the United States itself. It was a monumental event historically- but what about all that tea? What kind was it? The leaves tossed into Boston Harbor were known as bohea, a black tea from the Wuyi region of Fujian Province, China. Tastewise, it was likely similar to Keemun. One of my favorite Keemuns is sold by Grace Rare Teas and is called Winey Keemun.

In memory of our daring forefathers, I'm drinking keemun today!

Apple Oatmeal Scones~

I have been using a little recipe book called Simply Scones by L. Weiner and B. Albright for many years. It is chock full of sweet and savory scone recipes, as well as suggestions and recipes for a variety of spreads. 

I decided to make the Apple Oatmeal Scones today, and my daughter asked that I leave out the apples. So I preheated the oven to 375 degrees and placed 1.5 cups of flour into my food processor. I also added 1 cup of oats, 1/3 cup of packed dark brown sugar, 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Pulse briefly to mix. Add 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter. Pulse several times to mix butter into flour/oats.

Combine 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons of molasses. Add 1 tsp of vanilla.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mix. The dough will be sticky and wet. If you wanted to add 3/4 cup diced apple, do it now. Spread the dough onto a buttered circle, about 8 inches across. I use parchment on my baking sheet instead of butter.

Bake for 22 to 27 minutes, and toothpick should come out clean when done. Cool for ten minutes on baking sheet, then finish cooling on wire rack. Yum!

Cut into wedges with serrated knife.  These have a lovely flavor from the molasses and oats.

Here is the cup I am sharing today~

It has a narrow blue band and sweet little flowers~

It says Minton and Chartwell on the bottom~

It was overcast and sprinkling today. I had a lovely pot of Grace Rare Teas Winey Keemun. The website describes this tea:

"This extra slow-fired tea is of a rare and extraordinary quality. Our most well known and famous blend has an unusual depth, body and color that can be likened in description to a fine wine. A uniquely crafted tea blended with varying China, Formosan and Indian teas, Winey Keemun follows the traditional formulation of an English Breakfast blend. It’s one of our personal favorites."

I agree! It is one of my favorites.~

The last few weeks I have shared a small figurine along with a teacup...well, today I am sharing my Mary Engelbreit letter "T". It is so charming! See all the objects that begin with the letter T ?  Spy the tassels too?

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