"M" is for "Monogram"

On Saturday my mother, aunt and I shopped at antique stores in the Rome/Adairsville area of north Georgia, and a booth at an antique mall in Rome had all its linens half off, so I got a few vintage handkerchiefs. My favorite was this green one with roses and an "M" on it, as I've had a hankering to find a few things with M's on them. (Things besides little round pieces of candy-coated chocolate, I mean.) Also, I once saw a Christmas display where someone collected white monogrammed handkerchiefs of all sorts that spelled "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and lined them up on the fireplace mantel. What a fun idea!


I was reminded I'd been meaning to ask your thoughts on monogrammed items for the tea table. Do you have any? Would you like any? I came across this embroidered tablecloth on Etsy a while back.


I liked the embroidered teawares, but ...

... what sold me on it was the pretty embroidered "M." I think it was supposed to be mine! So what if the embroidery is a little crude and imperfect? I rather like that, as it shows a human made this, not a machine.

When we got married, my husband unpacked a box one day and came across a few family treasures including a single fork marked "PATENT1955 COIN" on the back.

It has our name on it! So if you ever see 11 more exactly like this, do tell! I'd also love to find some teaspoons with an "M" monogram on them, but I haven't come across any old ones I like, even on eBay, and I don't want new ones, so for the time being these will remain on my teatime "wish list." What are your thoughts on monogrammed pieces?

Tea Tasting Saturday #33 - Huo Shan Huang Ya

Week #33. Week #33. Week #33. That's what I've been telling myself after I accidentally did the tea tasting for week #38 earlier this week! No wonder that tea looked so dark to me ...

Category: Yellow Tea

Purveyor: Upton Tea

Dry leaf appearance: Like more spindly, slightly longer Silver Needles tea leaves, except there were plenty of "double leaf" configurations in this sample.

Wet leaf appearance: Very pretty tea when steeped, I thought! When I poured off the liquid, some of the leaves stuck to the inside wall of the glass teapot and reminded me of mistletoe!

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 175 degrees, 3 minutes.

Scent: The dry tea smelled like a typical green tea. The steeped tea smelled like creamed spinach or asparagus.

Color: Palest yellow.

Flavor: After the other yellow teas I've tried, I was expecting a little more from this one. It was pretty good, and just as flavorful as the others, but I can't say I got anything new out of this one. There was a slight bit of astringency afterward.

Additional notes: Michael Harney says he loves the "spice and apricot flavors" of this tea. I wish I could say the same, but I didn't get that at all. (I cling to a favorite Steph's Cup of Tea quote from earlier this year regarding tea tastings: "Don't ever think you're wrong! If I say a tea tastes like a grape popsicle and you think it tastes like mud, then we're both right!")

Next week's tea: Golden Monkey

Tea Time features my neck of the woods!

The new issue of Tea Time was waiting for me at Hastings this week (but no Joanie, my dear tea friend and favorite Hastings employee!). Despite missing my friend, I was happy to get the new issue because it has some of the yummiest fall recipes I've come across in ages. Even thought it's a little early for me to be in the "Fall" mood just yet, all those recipes are making me glad that here in Newnan my friends have started to comment on how the trees are already losing their leaves.

Tea Time has a nice feature on pumpkin-flavored desserts, and there's not a one of these I wouldn't be willing to try. The Mini Gingerbread Trifles with Pumpkin Custard are so pretty in their little glasses, but I'm also intrigued by a couple of savory pumpkin dishes, Pumpkin-Leek Tarts and Pumpkin Risotto Bites. Pumpkin Scones with Maple Butter sound good, and the Pumpkin-Bread and Cranberry Tea Sandwiches sure make a pretty presentation!

I was quite intrigued by the feature on Taking Tea in Atlanta since the big city is just 30 minutes from my house. I've had tea at three of the five places—The Ritz-Carlton, The Four Seasons, Mittie's Tea Room Cafe—but have not been to Barclay's Flower and Tea Garden or Crabapple Tea Room, though I've tried with both. I gave up on Barclay's after calling several times a few years ago and being told no reservations were available; if memory serves, they were hosting only large groups, but the Tea Time article didn't mention this. So yesterday I called their number listed in Tea Time to ask about hours and reservations but got an answering machine asking me to leave a message for another telephone number. That seemed strange, so I didn't leave a message at all. And DH made reservations for our Valentine's Tea at Crabapple this year but later got a call saying they had to cancel for lack of interest. So, if any of you Atlanta-area friends have ever taken tea at Barclay's or Crabapple, I'd love to hear some reviews!

Grilled Tea

Some bloggers would probably walk on hot coals to serve their readers, and while I wouldn't go that far, I *can* say I'd take a photo over hot coals for you! It's all my friend Gwendol's fault. I guess I should explain ...

A few weeks ago, Gwendol called me up with an intriguing proposition. She had some sort of interesting contraption she and her late husband had purchased so she could make tea over a fire in the event of a power outage. (I thought of our friend Linda and that horrible weather they had in Kentucky last winter!) Would I like to try it out? Gwendol asked. Sure, I said.

It was sort of like a "stacking teapot" except it was a "stacking tea kettle" instead, and with an infuser basket in the small pot on top. Both the large tea kettle and the pot on top have holes for straining off the tea leaves. They are both marked on the bottom "Golden Star Imports." I poured just a few cups of water in the bottom pot and enough water to cover the bottom in the smaller pot before restacking them and placing both on the grill. Once the kettle of water was hot (maybe 10 minutes or so; we were getting the grill ready to cook turkey hot dogs), I took it off the grill and moved indoors where I simply poured the water as I would from any tea kettle into a waiting teapot.

I made some Fenghuang ShuiXian oolong tea, and it was just as easy as using a stovetop kettle and teapot, it was just all there together in one efficient package. I decided it wouldn't be fitting to make my "campfire" tea in a prissy bone china teacup, so I looked through the cabinets for something a bit more rugged and found the perfect tea mug: this T.J. Maxx find from several years ago, printed with an old diner type menu whose offerings included a "pot of hot brisk tea" for 15¢. Perfect! (And thanks for the loan, Gwendol!)

Peachy Simple Syrup

Friends, I have a confession to make. Before last night, I had *never* made that Simple Sugar Syrup we've probably all enjoyed in a glass of iced tea in a tearoom at one time or another. Why hadn't I? I thought it would be too hard to make. Ha! Make that double ha! You bring to a boil equal amounts of water and granulated sugar (3/4 cup, in this case), stir it, and that's it! Why, I've had a harder time boiling eggs than making this Simple Sugar Syrup!


Here's what prompted me to give it a whirl.

Actually, it wasn't the cover of the August issue of Cooking Light but this article inside that provided the inspiration. (My husband's niece, BTW, is one of the editors of this lovely magazine but didn't write this particular piece.)

The only other ingredient I needed was a peach. Because the peaches that are peach-colored were not very ripe, I opted for a white peach. I didn't take note of the variety, and was a little bummed I had to get a non-peachy peach, but trust me on this, it was delicious! I diced the peach and placed the pieces in a bowl ...

before adding the hot syrup. Here's a link to the very simple instructions from Cooking Light.

And here's my finished Simple Syrup, peach flavored. I enjoyed some with a glass of Red Rose Iced Tea, and wow, was it ever good. (If I'd had some vanilla ice cream, the strained peaches would have been a great dessert topping, too.) So now I want to try the recipes for Lavender Syrup and Cucumber-Ginger Syrup. If I'd known these syrups were so easy, I'd have been making them long before now!

Having a "ball" with tea

I don't know about you, but I go through periods of preparing tea one way, then another. For weeks I'll make loose leaf tea in a teapot and strain the leaves. Then I'm all about preparing my own teabags and enjoying the convenience of tossing them when I'm through. Then, I get a pretty new infuser and I'm inspired to use it and only it for a while. Such is the case with my pretty new Martha Stewart Tea Ball Infuser, a former Macy's item now awaiting at your (or at least "my") local T.J. Maxx for $3.99.

There's that "eau de nil" color again, that pretty blue-green shade that makes me think of the ocean, Tiffany, and Fortnum and Mason. It's what caught my eye, but upon inspection, I was impressed that Martha's infusers actually have her name engraved on the charm attached to them. I wonder if, a hundred years from now, women will be remembering Martha like we remember Isabella Beeton as a superstar homemaker of yesteryear.

At any rate, I am simply enjoying having, and using, a new tea infuser. I once heard tea described as a great example of "slow food," and I agree. I am such a great fan of the calming influence of the tea ritual. Stop. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Wait on the kettle to boil. Then, enjoy the sights/sounds/scents of the gurgling hot water being poured into the teacup where it brings the tea leaves to life. Take a slow sip. Ahh. One of my favorite Bible verses has long been "Be still and know that I am God," and the simple act of slowly preparing a cup of tea reminds me to do just that!

"Blogging for Bliss" by Tara Frey

There's a great new book I read this weekend that I think some of you will be interested in as well! It's called "Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal" by Tara Frey, and it appeared at the perfect moment for me. I've been wanting to "freshen" the look and content of my blog, and thanks to this book, I now have a number of resources at my fingertips that will help me do precisely that.

I've read a few blogging magazines and articles that weren't really that helpful, but this book is full of practical information I *know* I am capable of following. There are tips on inserting some simple HTML codes, and the book also lists helpful websites where bloggers can find free resources such as photo frames and fonts. It was all I could do not to stop every page or two and try something out, but I was determined to read the book, think about my likes/dislikes for a few days, and then try out a few of these new techniques.

The author (whom, oddly, I don't think I'd ever heard of) is apparently quite a successful blogger herself, and she appears eager to help the rest of us become more successful as well. She features 50+ popular blogs for inspiration, and I love that most of the bloggers interviewed share their own favorite blogs. While this book focuses on the creative/artsy/crafty types of blogs, I find that much if not most of this information is applicable to us tea bloggers as well. And for anyone wanting to start a blog of your own, this is a great how-to guide, and one I wish I'd had at the beginning. I was feeling I'd gotten a little stale with both my look and my posts, so hopefully I'll soon be on the path to blogger bliss myself!

Tea Tasting Saturday #32 - Meng Ding Huang Ya

For only the second time this year (I think), I had to go outside my normal favorite tea vendors (Harney, Upton) to find a tea on my list. I was afraid I was going to be ordering from China again when I discovered a vendor in Tucson, Arizona which had Meng Ding Huang Ya in stock. Great service, and my tea tastings continue apace!

Category: Yellow Tea

Purveyor: Seven Cups

Dry leaf appearance: Very similar to last week's tea, this Meng Ding Huang Ya looked very much like Silver Needles.

Wet leaf appearance: Again, this tea reminded me of French cut green beans. One interesting observation: When I poured off the steeped tea, these tea leaves seemed much drier than they usually are. Did I simply drain them more than usual? I don't think so.

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 175 degrees, 3 minutes.

Scent: The dry tea smelled like a strong green tea. The steeped tea smelled *exactly* like freshly steamed asparagus.

Color: Pale yellow.

Flavor: At first sip I thought perhaps this was going to be like some of those white teas that don't have that much flavor. But second and third sips and the tea's personality really changed! Not only did I get a nice mouth feel with this, but I also detected that rich, almost brothy taste I've enjoyed before. Never give up after only one sip!

Additional notes: Michael Harney didn't write a whole lot about this tea, perhaps owing to the "mystery" of yellow tea production I mentioned last week. He did say this was a "more astringent, slightly more vegetal yellow tea," but I didn't detect any astringency at all.

Next week's tea: Huo Shan Huang Ya

Favorite finds of the week

So what that I had 50 things on my to-do list yesterday before I head out on a long weekend! I still managed to find time on my lunch hour to head to an estate sale in the area I called home for almost 17 years prior to marriage. And it was a good sale, too! My favorite purchase would have to be this vintage tea pitcher I got for $4, which seems to be my magic price for bargain goodies this week.

See the little teacups hanging there? ("Yes, Angela, I'm not blind," someone is saying.)


And the tea kettle design? Some would say "coffee kettle," but not on this blog. I just love this tea pitcher. I popped DH's red mousepad inside to make the design show up better.

The estate sale (which continues today at 343 Hal Jones Rd. in Newnan for any of you who can go) had lots of great buys. Like a nice stash of vintage handkerchiefs for $1 each. I am especially fond of Christmas ones.

Christmas items always seem to be in abundance at estate sales, and I found several good buys on them yesterday. A few years ago, I wanted a vintage glass Christmas tree topper but couldn't seem to find one I liked for a good price. This $1 model, in the original box, with the original sticker, was just my style.

As were these ornaments, $1 for the whole box. Have you all been to any good estate sales lately? I always love to hear about your own favorite finds!

A teacup pretty enough to eat!

One of the smartest things I've done all year is give my cake-baker friend Susan a subscription to a cake decorating magazine for her birthday. Why? Because she has been kind enough to share the first two issues with me, and while I had to give them back (it was, after all, a gift!), I have a whole new type of cooking/crafting to which I now aspire. "Sugarart" happens to be featured in the August/September issue of American Cake Decorating magazine, and Susan knew I would want to see this amazingly lifelike teacup and saucer how-to article and someday try my hand at this myself! Can you believe this teacup is made of something called Mexican paste, which is mainly confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, water and shortening?

If you go here, you can read about the designer of the teacup, Kim Morrison, and see her other completely fabulous work! (Do NOT miss that Tea Table Cake with sugar teacup and napkin! Incredible!)

This is the cover of the new issue of the magazine, and I think this cake is beautiful as well. I am simply amazed at how cake decorating has become such an art form in its own right. But you can bet I will try my hand at making a "sugarart" teacup and saucer one day. I love it!

Reflections on a $4 teacup

Do you have "rules" regarding teacup collecting? For instance, you buy only ones with pink roses on them, or only Christmas ones, or only solid color ones, or only bone china ones? Anything? I'm just curious, because I bought this $4 set over the weekend since it was pretty but also because I'm stocking my future tearoom, and I realized $4 and under is my "must purchase" price for teacup and saucer sets in good condition. If it had been $5, I could have left it, even though I think it's pretty. I imagine myself standing in that tearoom one day, after the dishwasher (or patron) has accidentally broken a teacup (or saucer), and I am going to wish I'd bought those cheap sets when I had the opportunity.


But I also realized I have a real "thing" for scallops, especially the scallop shapes on this saucer. So ... this set had a lot going for it: price, shape, condition.

I also thought the rose design was pretty, and although it wasn't as "pink" as I would like, it was pretty and vintage enough that I would be happy to have it in my tearoom one day. I'm actually open to a lot of different types of teacups, but that set me to thinking about how it's easier to list what I *don't* like in teacups:

-- Footed teacups (they're pretty, but they seem wobbly to me; I do, however, like footed teacup ornaments because I don't have to use them!)

-- Iridescent teacups (I just don't personally care for iridiscence on my teacups; if you do, I hope we can still be friends!)

-- Uncomfortable handles on teacups (I believe it was tea friend Maureen who recently mentioned "handle comfort" to me, and I realized I, too, prefer a handle I can hook my finger through and don't have to pinch)

-- Too heavy a teacup (some of the new, cheap, made-in-China teacups are actually pretty but they weigh a ton and would be quite uncomfortable to use)

Obviously, I've given this way too much thought! But what about you? Any teacup quirks you can share?

This product doesn't suck -- but should!

Now I do hope I haven't startled you too terribly by using in my heading what in certain instances can be a vulgar word. But today -- and there is no way 'round this -- I am writing about a new (to me) product that I wish I could say sucks. Only, it doesn't. I'm talking about the Hammond's Candies Iced Tea Sippers I found at a T.J. Maxx over the weekend.

These Iced Tea Sippers came to my attention last year, actually, but it would have been too expensive to order them and have them shipped to me. When I saw two flavors at T.J. for just $3.99 each, I had to try them both, the Lemon and the Watermelon, since they would "playfully flavor your tea," the package said. Hey, "playful" is my middle name!

I eagerly plopped a Lemon Iced Tea Sipper into my glass of iced tea (Red Rose), and I tried to sip through this candy "straw." Nothing. I waited a few minutes, thinking perhaps it needed to soften up. Nothing. DH came in from the deck and, since I was standing there sucking air from a piece of rock-hard candy in a glass of tea and felt a need to explain what I was doing, I asked him to give it a try. Nothing. "Maybe it's just supposed to dissolve in the tea?" he said. "But it SAYS 'sip as a straw!'" I said.

Not one to give up easily, I opened the package of Watermelon Iced Tea Sippers. Several of them had broken (which I couldn't tell before opening the package), so I bit off a piece. It tasted slightly strange for watermelon flavor, but it had the consistency of old-fashioned soft peppermint so I thought this one had a chance of working. I placed it into my tea and stirred. I reached for the Iced Tea Sipper, and as I *attempted* to sip through it, the piece I was holding disintegrated into merely a powdery memory. Soon, I watched the underwater ballet in my tea glass as my Iced Tea Sipper splintered into pieces like the Titanic heading to its watery grave.

I can only conclude that T.J. Maxx, in a rare let-down for this shopper, must have acquired a batch of old Iced Tea Sippers, and I am sorry to say they didn't work for me. And that simply sucks! (Please forgive me, gentle readers, but you know I had to say it!)

A Mosaic Teapot ... sort of

The Saturday shopping with my mom and aunt resulted in several fun "tea purchases," including a mosaic piece I simply had to have. First, I noticed this handle and lid hiding under a shelf.

Then I thought, "Is this a teapot or what?" so I turned it to see the spout. But it wasn't *quite* a teapot.

It was a 12-inch-tall mosaic teapot candle holder! Now is that cool or what! I found this at the T.J. Maxx and More at Cumberland, and I think it's one of the neatest mosaic pieces I've ever come across. I've been tempted to give mosaic crafts a try myself, but a very talented friend tried them and ended up with what her family calls "the grout table." I occasionally see mosaic teapots in antique malls, but they often look very clumsily made -- like I made them! I also had a feeling DH was going to like this, and when he looked at it admiringly and said "That looks like folk art," I was very pleased, as that's going to be the style of our "cabin in the woods" one day. Now I'm on the search for a pretty candle in variegated colors, but I think this piece is quite pretty "as is."

Tea Tasting Saturday #31 - Jun Shan Yin Zhen

Although I was rather sorry to say so long, oolongs, I am very interested in what the next three weeks of yellow teas will bring!

Category: Yellow Tea

Purveyor: Upton Tea

Dry leaf appearance: Very stiff olive green leaves shaped like claws. Or maybe surfboards. Reminded me very much of Silver Needles tea leaves.

Wet leaf appearance: Looked like very tiny French cut green beans.

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 175 degrees, 3 minutes. I had to watch the water, since I've grown accustomed to boiling it to about 205 degrees.

Scent: The dry tea didn't really have much of a scent. The steeped tea had that vegetal scent I associate with greens.

Color: Pale yellow.

Flavor: This was a very enjoyable tea with a smooth flavor and an almost buttery finish. I didn't detect any astringency, and I polished off two cups of it quite quickly!

Additional notes: It wasn't until after I'd done my "observing" that I noticed Jun Shan Yin Zhen is also called "Jun Mountain Silver Needles." No wonder the leaves reminded me of Silver Needles tea! And from Michael Harney: "Plucked in the spring, the tea's sweet tips are also beloved for the way they sway vertically in a kind of dance when dropped into hot water." Yes! In fact, because I knew my water would probably be too hot, I poured the water in the pot first, cooled it to 175 degrees and then added the tea. Harney actually suggests doing it that way so you can watch the leaves dance. Aren't they pretty? I know only my fellow tea nuts devotees can appreciate something like that!

Next week's tea: Meng Ding Huang Ya