A visit to Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC

Whenever I'm out of town, if there's time, I love to visit a local independent bookstore. In Raleigh over the weekend, that was Quail Ridge Books, and I absolutely loved this store!

I've seen this particular C.S. Lewis quote in a bookstore before, but not nearly as well done as it was here.

And look at this little reading nook near the magazine section. I would like to transport that to a corner of my home! I'm crazy about the clear chairs too!

And I should have taken a photo of it, but they had a cute vignette dedicated to the recent Royal Wedding, complete with Harry and Meghan paper dolls, tins of tea, a book about Prince Charles's gardens at Highgrove, and this book, National Trust Book of Afternoon Tea by Laura Mason, which I asked if I could pluck from the table (it was a bookstore, after all). The employee smiled and said yes, and she thanked me for asking so she could reshuffle things on the table. I knew I wanted this book because Linda recommended it here. I'm a lazy tea book collector these days, so I sometimes wait for one of my fellow tea bloggers to recommend a book before I purchase it. Besides, I know I can trust anything Linda recommends!

I've already made one very simple and quite delicious recipe from the book, for Moroccan Mint Tea. It's simple. In a teapot, add three teaspoons of green tea, three tablespoons of sugar, and a handful of fresh spearmint leaves. Fill the pot with boiling water (I used "just under boiling" water), and let steep for three minutes. I can't remember the last time I actually added sugar to a cup of tea, but this was absolutely delicious!

Blueberry & Brown Sugar Muffins

My dad has been sending me home with lots of fresh blueberries lately, so when it was time to bake something for our Sunday School breakfast social over the weekend, I decided to experiment with a new muffin recipe.

I do love the taste of ripe, fresh blueberries oozing through a muffin, especially since the result looks like a nice and tidy little cobbler. I also like the crunch of brown sugar on top of a muffin, so …

I decided to add cinnamon to my blueberry muffins, top them with brown sugar, and the result was a muffin I believe I'll be enjoying for quite a while to come. Maybe you too?

Blueberry & Brown Sugar Muffins

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (I used 2-percent milk)

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup fresh blueberries

About 1/3 cup brown sugar, or as desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well. In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, add the vegetable oil, egg, and enough milk to bring the total contents of the measuring cup to 1 cup. Add vanilla and blend well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix lightly, just till combined. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among paper muffin cups, sprinkle with a scant teaspoon or so of brown sugar, and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick or tester comes out clean. Yields 12 muffins.

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I have been on a real banana kick lately. I've eaten bananas as snacks, I've had quite a few banana sandwiches for lunch, and this weekend, I tweaked a favorite banana bread recipe to include some of the Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels I recently found on sale at the grocery store.

And oh my, was this good! I substituted plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream I've typically used to keep this banana bread nice and moist, and it worked out beautifully. Here's the recipe as I made it. Enjoy with a brisk cup of tea for a great afternoon snack!

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in order listed, mixing well after each addition. Pour batter into 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan prepared with cooking spray and/or lined with parchment paper. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Yields 1 loaf. Delicious served warm. Refrigerate any leftovers.