Pomegranate White Tea Gummy Pandas

Now who would have ever thought I'd be writing about tea-flavored gummy bears on Tea With Friends?

Well, technically they're called "Gummy Pandas," but I saw them while I was checking out at T.J. Maxx earlier this week and couldn't resist. "Pomegranate White Tea" is certainly an upscale flavor for gummy candy, isn't it?

The candies, which sell for $3.99 a bag, are from Bissinger's, a St. Louis candy company I've not tried before but which I've heard has lots of devotees. The taste was bright and sunny and fruit juice-like, reminiscent of one of those kids' drinks in the foil pouches. The package says these do contain white tea and pomegranate flavor, and they also contain tapioca syrup and black carrot juice concentrate. I've never heard of black carrots. Have you? But I have heard of gummy bears (if not pandas), and for an offbeat treat these were pretty cool!

Pappy's Sassafras Tea

It's been on local grocery store shelves for a while now, but the other day curiosity got the better of me and I had to try Pappy's Sassafras Tea.

Now some of you no doubt know where I'm headed with this, because you already know what famous drink used to be flavored with sassafras root. I did not. So when I opened the bottle, the first thing I thought was "Boy, this sure smells like root beer." Now I happen to like root beer, but I know plenty of people who would not be thrilled with the idea of root beer tea. As a semi-fan, I was happy to give it a shot! This is a concentrate, and I used two tablespoons to make one cup of tea.

And yes, the hot tea even tasted like root beer, and I liked it. I learned that today root beer is often flavored artificially, so I was happy to learn this product is made with all natural extracts of sassafras and natural flavors. I really enjoyed my visit to the company's web site, which seems sort of down-home and chatty, and you can find it here.

Catherine Beecher talks tea

I'm sure we're all familiar with Harriet Beecher Stowe, who famously wrote the anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," but are you familiar with her sister, Catherine Beecher? Catherine has been called "the Martha Stewart of the Victorian era," and many years ago I purchased a copy of the book Catherine wrote with her sister, "American Woman's Home." The other day it dawned on me I had never looked to see if Catherine had anything to say in the 1869 book about tea. Let's just say I was surprised!

In the chapter on "HEALTHFUL DRINKS" she writes:

"It has been shown that the great end for which Jesus Christ came, and for which he instituted the family state, is the training of our whole race to virtue and happiness, with chief reference to an immortal existence. In this mission, of which woman is chief minister, as before stated, the distinctive feature is self-sacrifice of the wiser and stronger members to save and to elevate the weaker ones. The children and the servants are these weaker members, who by ignorance and want of habits of self-control are in most danger. It is in this aspect that we are to consider the expediency of using tea and coffee in a family. These drinks are a most extensive cause of much of the nervous debility and suffering endured by American women; and relinquishing them would save an immense amount of such suffering. Moreover, all housekeepers will allow that they can not regulate these drinks in their kitchens, where the ignorant use them to excess. There is little probability that the present generation will make so decided a change in their habits as to give up these beverages; but the subject is presented rather in reference to forming the habits of children."

The evils of hot drinks are also commented upon:

"There is no doubt that warm drinks are healthful, and more agreeable than cold, at certain times and seasons; but it is equally true that drinks above blood-heat are not healthful. If a person should bathe in warm water every day, debility would inevitably follow; for the frequent application of the stimulus of heat, like all other stimulants, eventually causes relaxation and weakness. If, therefore, a person is in the habit of drinking hot drinks twice a day, the teeth, throat, and stomach are gradually debilitated. This, most probably, is one of the causes of an early decay of the teeth, which is observed to be much more common among American ladies, than among those in European countries. … Most tea-drinkers consider tea as ruined if it stands until it reaches the healthful temperature for drink."

As if all that weren't silliness enough, Catherine has this to say:

"It has been supposed by some that tea and coffee have, at least, a degree of nourishing power. But it is proved that it is the milk and sugar, and not the main portion of the drink, which imparts the nourishment. Tea has not one particle of nourishing properties; and what little exists in the coffee-berry is lost by roasting it in the usual mode."

I like to think, though, that if Catherine were alive today she would acknowledge her error in stating that tea has "not one particle of nourishing properties," for indeed we know otherwise. Since she was such a fan of education for women, if she were still around I'll bet she'd be first to insist we all drink more tea because of its healthful properties. At any rate, I enjoyed seeing how far we've come in our understanding of tea!

Kicking off gardening season

Saturday was my first official day of serious, play-in-the-dirt-again gardening for the year, and since more than a few elements of my garden center around tea I thought I'd give a report. First, I was delighted to find my Camellia sinensis, the tea plant that was a gift from my friend Lynn, is sprouting new growth and looking quite healthy!

The 'Sweet Tea' heucherella I planted last year survived the winter as well and is starting to look like more than the "plug" I bought through the mail last year.

These are the flowers that 'Sweet Tea' produces, and they're pretty but I still like the sweet tea-colored foliage best.

Now here's a sad story. Last year a friend warned me I should bring all my pottery in before the weather turned freezing. I didn't. So, my big green teapot planter, which had water standing in it, froze and broke in pieces. I superglued the back to the front and decided I wouldn't completely glue back the pieces of the bottom that had broken.

Instead, I used it in a barren spot in the shade garden and transplanted a fern. Doesn't look like much yet, but I have high hopes! (I am also reminded of Patsy Clairmont's old book, "God Uses Cracked Pots." Me too!)

I absolutely love ferns. When I see the signs a fern is coming back, it makes me happy. These are called "whorls" or "fiddlenecks," I've read.

Last year I bought a Home Depot Japanese Painted Fern that probably could have been a little healthier. At the end of the year I assumed it was a goner, but it came back healthy and prettier than ever.

Fancy ferns, ferns from the creek ... I love them all.

Periwinkle is considered a weed by some gardeners, but I like it and transplanted some to the shade garden last year. As an accent, I placed this teacup birdfeeder that was a Christmas gift from my friend Deberah. I didn't have a metal stake on hand, so I'm trying some dried bamboo. (We have a stand of bamboo back by our creek that would make a small army of pandas really happy!)

I also pulled out this teacup hanging birdfeeder from last year. Decorating with seasonal things that have been put away for a while is so much fun because it's kind of like shopping except you don't spend any money!

And finally, I thought I'd leave you with a photo of my little birdbath, Mr. Frog, presiding pleasantly over 'Sweet Tea' and some random ferns. I'd love to hear what's happening in your garden!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #15 - Curried Egg Salad

For a while now I've been wanting to try an egg salad made with curry, and this was the week. I've learned that if you browse recipe sites on the web, it's pretty easy to decide which ingredients you do and do not wish to include, and in what proportions. I read once that most cooks tinker with a recipe before making it, so I've truly come to see recipes as "suggestions" more than "directions."

I know it's possible to overdo it with curry, but I *love* curry and wasn't too fearful. I started by flavoring the egg salad with just 1/4 teaspoon of curry, then 1/2 teaspoon, then a dash more, and finally some more sprinkled on top of the finger sandwiches. I loved it!


The other fun thing I did with this egg salad recipe was that I used it to make a filled, pocket-style sandwich using this nifty new sandwich maker from tea friend Lani in Hawaii! I paired the egg salad with slices of Honey Wheat bread from the bread aisle at the grocery store.

I soon realized I was pretty clueless with the instructions, which were in Japanese, but happily photos were on the package so I was able to figure it out. The two pieces of the sandwich cutter are used together. The large pink one is pressed down first, cutting out the two pieces of bread. Then you press down on the white cutter, which seals the two pieces together.


Isn't this a neat sandwich? It's too large to use for finger sandwiches, but if I were having a luncheon type affair and wanted a cute way to serve an entree-size sandwich, this is definitely what I would use. The second photo is of the top of the heart to show you the sealed top.

For round finger sandwiches, you know what is my all-time favorite cutter? It's this old-old-old Tupperware cup with a 2-inch diameter opening. It is perfect for cutting about three rounds from a piece of bread!

And now, here's the recipe:

Curried Egg Salad

4 hard-boiled eggs
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until it reaches desired consistency. I like a very creamy (and easy to spread!) egg salad, but some prefer it to have a chunkier consistency. Garnish with more curry, or even paprika, if you like! Yield: 3/4 cup of egg salad.

Mother/Daughter "Tea for Two" Aprons

The tea I mentioned yesterday wasn't the only thing I found at Ross last week. I spied this Mother-Daughter apron set, and my mom said I should get it to have on hand for when the little girls in my life visit. In fact, she pretty much *insisted* I get it because she bought it for me!

This is the child-size apron that matches the adult-size apron above.

I thought the appliques were just too cute, including this teapot and ...

... a teacup! So now when the sweet 4- and 5-year-old in my life come to visit (granddaughter and niece), we must have something to bake because we'll need an excuse to wear these cute aprons!

Banana Split Tea

Perhaps I don't even need to write any words today. If you'd seen Banana Split Tea, you would have had to try it too, right?

I found this tin of Timothy's Organic Green Tea in the Banana Split flavor at Ross last weekend and was so curious I had to get it. First, I opened the tin and was pleased as always to find round teabags. (It actually said round teabags on the tin but I didn't read that closely!) I do miss the strings, but I find round teabags more aesthetically pleasing somehow. And the taste?

Bananas! Who knew! This smooth, sweet drink really makes a great dessert tea. If only I had some Banana Bread on hand to sip it with!

Some unexpected teatime gifts!

Last week a package arrived in my mailbox and I was puzzled. I didn't immediately recognize the name of the sender,and I hadn't won anything on eBay lately so I knew that wasn't it. Then, I opened the package and learned that Christine, who won one of my Valentine's Week giveaways, had sent me a gift of some tea-themed goodies she had made, and I immediately pulled out an old faithful teapot for a little fashion show!

There was a lovely crocheted tea cozy made with a pretty variegated yarn. I have used some of this exact same yarn before since I like the colors so much!

And there were also two tea-themed knit dishcloths, including this one featuring a teacup. I was so touched at receiving such a thoughtful surprise. As someone who loves to *give* handmade gifts, it was sure fun to *receive* some handmade gifts!

"Tea Party in your Cupboard" by Marilyn J. Miller

Reading books about teatime is a great pleasure to me, but I've noticed most of them are geared toward large-scale tea parties. Really, only tea enthusiast Emilie Barnes has written about the joys of having tea just for yourself or perhaps with a friend or two. Fortunately another writer is now promoting the joys of small-scale teatime, and I am truly delighted to tell you my friend Marilyn has just released her book "Tea Party in your Cupboard" and it is a beauty!

Marilyn is someone I have befriended as a fellow tea blogger, but before that I got to know her as the face behind Marmalady's jams. (And if you haven't tried them, you really must! Go here to check out her offerings.) I've been a fan of her beautiful and thoughtful blog for years now, and when she announced last week her book had arrived I immediately ordered a copy. It is such a lovely book, and I delved right into it the minute it arrived. This book is thoughtful, elegant, entertaining and friendly -- all words which could apply to Marilyn as well, I might add!

Marilyn says she wrote her book for those planning "the impromptu or simple tea party for yourself, one or two people, or a small group." She remembers enjoying such tea parties with her mother, and now with a nod to thriftiness she tries to hold simple tea parties herself, using her own creativity to make these times special but without a lot of fuss and expense. Happily, she tells us how she accomplishes this! In addition to tips on how to make tea, which would make this book a wonderful gift for those new to tea, the book also includes great recipes for both tea sandwiches and teatime sweets. I mentally patted myself on the back when I read that here in this book, for the first time, Marilyn was sharing her recipe for Applesauce Bread from the family apple ranch. I well remember those fun blog posts about the ranch! And of course since I am trying new tea sandwiches this year, I was greatly inspired by Marilyn's photos of her unique tea sandwiches. If you'd like a copy of the book for your own tea library, visit Marilyn's blog post here for details about this delightful new book!

The Marshall Field Tea Room

One fall day in the late nineties, my friend Susan and I had tickets to attend a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show so off we flew to Chicago. The celebrity that day was some supermodel I've long since forgotten, but I've never forgotten the good time we had and all the fun dining and shopping we enjoyed. One of the stores we visited -- and thank goodness, for now it's closed -- was the legendary Marshall Field's. Although we didn't eat there that day, I still have fond memories of the store and the trip. So I was especially delighted when my antiquing turned up an interesting bit of department store tea room memorabilia recently, this demitasse cup and saucer set.

I absolutely *love* knowing this set came from the famous Marshall Field Tea Room!

The design definitely looks like something that would have been used in such a tea room, perhaps in the twenties or thirties.

Marshall Field had several restaurants including the Walnut Room, the Wedgwood Room, the Narcissus Room and the English Rooms. This vintage postcard shows a portion of the Narcissus Room. Wouldn't you just love to have enjoyed a meal there? Perhaps some of you did! If so, I'd love to hear about it!

Recently I got a copy of "The Marshall Field's Cookbook" by the Field's Culinary Council, and I enjoyed reading about some of the more famous dishes from the store's restaurants. I immediately knew what I wanted to make, this Chicken Pot Pie that was a favorite for Marshall Field's shoppers. The story goes that a Mrs. Hering, a clerk at the store, shared her chicken pot pie with a tired shopper and the idea for a department store tea room was born. (It's hard to imagine such an act of service today, isn't it!) The recipe appears in the Field's cookbook but it's also available from a number of sites online, and I like the one here, because it has step-by-step photos that show how things should look as you're moving along in the recipe.

This was not a speedy dish to prepare, but oh my, was it ever delicious!

All those tasty vegetables and the tender chicken, mmm mmm good. I'm having fun researching department store tearoom recipes from the past, so you can probably expect a few more of these in the weeks and months to come!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #14 - Ham Salad Ladyfingers

I've been tempted by the idea for quite a while. Browsing the breads and sweets at the grocery store one day, I spied a package of ladyfingers and thought "Hmmm, those are certainly the perfect size for tea sandwiches, aren't they?" While I knew these would be great with some kind of fruity cream cheese mixture, I'm now of the opinion I want to stick with all-savory tea sandwiches at my tea parties. Still, the idea wouldn't go away, and this week I experimented with a simple ham salad recipe using ladyfingers as my bread.

I happened to mention at the office that I was going to try making ham salad and was wondering what to put in it besides ham, mayonnaise and pickles. Two of my co-workers mentioned a mayonnaise-and-relish mixture which, I must confess, I never knew existed. But there it was at the grocery store, pretty as you please, and I *loved* this Duke's Sandwich Relish. Tell me, please, why I should ever again have to cut up pickles for potato salad when these good people have already done the hard work for me?

My other question was this: Leave the ham diced small or give it a whirl through the food processor? In the end, I did it both ways. While the two ham salad mixtures taste just the same, I think the food processor version, the one on the right above, is prettier.

It's also less likely to spill off the sides of the ladyfingers. I really liked the little bit of sweetness from the ladyfingers, by the way. My official taste tester agreed and called the flavor "unexpected" but said he liked it. So here's the quick and easy recipe:

Ham Salad Ladyfingers

8-ounce package pre-cooked, diced ham
4 tablespoons sandwich relish
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 package ladyfingers

Combine first three ingredients just until blended. Spread on ladyfinger cake slices. Yields about 1 cup of sandwich spread.

Guess who's having a wedding tea!!!

Well, you just never know what fun news a day will bring, do you? I was busily editing some things at work yesterday when the receptionist called upstairs to say someone with a funny accent was on the phone and wanted to know if we had a secure line. She was told the call was of rather a confidential nature and they wanted to be sure privacy could be guaranteed. She said that as far as she knew that was the case, so of course when she told me this I was *dying* to know who was on the line.

A fellow named Nigel with a wonderful British accent came on and asked if he was speaking to Angela McRae. I assured him this was the case, and then he told me he was with Fortnum and Mason, the wonderful department store in London. I adore that store and immediately knew something exciting was afoot! Nigel works in the St. James Restaurant at Fortnum and Mason, a site famous for its elegant and delicious Afternoon Tea. It seems Nigel is busy getting ready for some special events planned in conjunction with the Royal Wedding four weeks from today. One of these events will be an American-themed tea some American friends are giving for Prince William and Kate Middleton right there at Fortnum and Mason! It turns out a cousin of Nigel's favorite niece reads my blog, and she told him to give me a call about consulting on the tea!

As you might imagine, I am simply beside myself! I love Fortnum and Mason so much I would be thrilled just to get to go there for tea again, but Nigel is actually flying me to London the week before the wedding to help with this special tea in honor of Will and Kate! I've already loaded up my suitcase with books on American teatime fare (Blueberry Scones! Country Ham and Mini-Angel Biscuits! Pimiento Cheese Finger Sandwiches!), and my biggest problem at this point is deciding what to wear since I'll be meeting the future King and Queen of England! So, friends, I need your help. What would you wear?

If you have any ideas, please send them -- and fast! -- to angelamcrae@HAPPYAPRILFOOL'SDAY.com. Thanks so much!