Whittard of Chelsea's Milky Oolong Tea

I have two tea personalities this summer. There's the iced-tea-loving side of me at home, and at the office, where the air conditioning makes things a little chilly at times, I'm regularly enjoying my hot tea. Happily, I still have some new Whittard of Chelsea teas to try, and this week's tasting was the Milky Oolong Black Tea.

When I opened the package, I noticed that fresh, woodsy scent I've come to associate with the very best tasting teas. But this dry leaf also has a scent that somehow reminded me of hot buttered toast!

Whittard describes this tea as having "a distinctive creamy taste and soft butter-like aroma," and I can definitely attest to getting a buttery, creamy mouth-feel from my cup of tea. I've found this almost decadent combination in precious few teas before, and I'm definitely a fan of the Milky Oolong. Are there any "Milky" blends you like? I'd love to know!

New teapot wall decor

Sometimes I come across a tea-themed piece so wonderful, I'm not sure what to do with it, I just know I have to have it. And so it was with this black metal teapot, which I found at a T.J. Maxx recently. It was just $9.99 for this rather large piece, which is about 24 inches wide by 15 inches tall.

I've moved it around several places and I'm still not sure where it'll wind up. Right now, it's hanging under a sampler I cross-stitched years ago.

It's near some teacups in the corner of the dining room, and I may or may not be adding something to the little shelf on the inside of the teapot.

Any ideas, friends?

Talking of tin teacups

Today, I'd like to share a bit of serendipity with you. First, this new teacup was a recent yard sale find from my mom. I often go home and hear her say, "I've got a teacup for you in there on the counter," but this was the first time it was a Mary Engelbreit tin teacup. Cool!

Not quite sure what I'll use this for, but I'm thinking perhaps it will contain sewing supplies when I pick up my needle again this fall.

Interestingly, a friend recently passed along some old copies of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine, now (sadly) out of print, and I was looking through this August/September issue from 2003 when I found ...

... an article about the artist Harriete Estel Berman, whose pieces include tin teapots and teacups! How much do I love her work? Let me count the ways! I love her designs, I love her color choices, and I love that she has a website where we can drool over even more of her fascinating work. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Teabread

This weekend I decided to make a teabread flavored with peanut butter. You know, I can't recall often having had a peanut butter-flavored bread, cookie or other treat at teatime. Why not? (Other than a possible faulty memory, I mean.) Seems to me peanut butter is a great taste to accompany a nice black tea, so why don't we see it at teatime more often? Perhaps you've had it at teatime and I've simply missed out?

At any rate, I made this teabread (with a few minor changes) that I found in "The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book," which I wrote about here. I *love* how it turned out!

Of course another reason I had to bake is that I wanted to show off share with you my new Tea Room Depression glass tray! I got it for just $5 (plus shipping) online because it has a tiny nick near the center on the underside, but the parts you would ever see while the tray is in use are absolutely perfect. I think having the new tray made this already-delicious teabread taste even better! Here's the recipe as I made it.

Peanut Butter Teabread

2 cups plain flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. In another large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter using a wooden spoon. Add sugar and combine well until mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add the beaten eggs in several additions, mixing after each one. Then add flour mixture and milk to the peanut butter mixture and combine well. Pour batter into pan, sprinkle with peanuts, and bake for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove paper and let cool completely on a wire rack. Serves 10.

Teatime Giveaway #27 - A teatime tea shirt

The winner of the tea journal is Karen Lee S., so congrats! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this headed your way. And for this week's giveaway, let's start looking ahead to cooler temps with a new three-quarter sleeve tea shirt!

This came from Cracker Barrel, and I've got one very similar. I love mine!

This shirt is a medium, the size I wear, and it's a very stretchy knit so if you're a little larger you can probably wear this just fine too. And if not, well, re-gifting season will be here before you know it! To be entered, just leave a comment to this post before noon EST on Friday, July 13. Good luck!

Tea with toddler friends!

A couple of months ago, I shared a unique bubble-blowing tea set I'd come across, one I intended to share with two of my favorite little moppets, Olivia, at left, and her sister Isabel, right. I know some of you thought I was really planning to play with this tea set myself, so today I present some evidence that it really was intended for these sweet little girls. In fact, I walked in the door of my friend Amy's house, where we were meeting our friend Angie and her two toddlers, and Olivia walked right up and gently took the pink box away from me as if to say, "Here. Let me take that off your hands!" We all cracked up at her boldness, and it just got better from there. Happy Friday!

A teapot thermometer

When I wrote about the high temps here in Georgia the other day, I forgot to mention that on a related note, I came across a vintage teapot thermometer when I was in LeClaire, Iowa last month!

It's a small piece, about 4-1/2 x 7 inches, but I thought it was cute so it came home with me. Some years ago I was into crocheting vintage style potholders, so these two looked right at home here.

Now the local weather channel website said it was 87 degrees when I took this photo around lunchtime yesterday, so it turns out my little thermometer is a little off, but considering its age I guess that's to be expected!

Happy Fourth of July!

Here's wishing all my tea friends a safe, happy and hopefully iced-tea-filled Fourth of July! (Blueberries in your tea optional.)

Whittard of Chelsea's Peach Green Leaf Tea

Whittard of Chelsea in the U.K. kindly asked if I'd like to sample some of their teas, and I was delighted when the box showed up the other day! First up: the Peach Green Leaf Tea.

I tend to be a fan of peach flavored teas, and I think the packaging on this one is quite lovely.

In fact, so are the tea leaves! When I first saw them, I wondered if those were rose petals I was seeing, and the answer is yes. In fact, on their website I found a helpful breakdown of ingredients: "Green tea, 5% Flavouring, 4.5% Peach bits (Peach, Rice Flour), 0.9% Rose Petals. Suitable for Vegetarians, Vegans & Lactose Intolerants." Nice info!

Here are the steeped leaves, and I must say I'm quite, quite pleased with the taste of this tea. It's nice and fruity, and the rose petals offer the merest hint of a rose taste, as the fruitiness is really the defining characteristic of this tea. I initially tried it hot, and I was not at all surprised to find it also makes a refreshing iced tea. Two thumbs up for this Whittard of Chelsea flavor, and I look forward to trying the others I received as well.

Tea, tours and temperatures!

So what's the temperature where you live? Here in Georgia we hit the hundreds in spots over the weekend, and the high temps are the topic everywhere you go. I overheard a friend pondering what to do during the heat wave, and all I could think was, "Stay inside and drink iced tea!"

My guilty pleasure these days is a glass of any iced black tea sweetened with minted simple syrup (just one syrupy drink a day, though, because of the sugar!). And to make it, I always enjoy pulling out a pretty silver iced tea spoon to use.

I have only a few vintage iced tea spoons, but I came across three marked National Double Tested Silverplate the other day (just $2 apiece) at an antiques store in the neighboring town of Senoia, Georgia. Hint: Locals pronounce it "suh-NOY," which rhymes with "boy." If you ain't from around here, you say "Suh-NOY-uh" or "Suh-KNOW-uh." This brief pronunciation guide has helpfully been printed on town T-shirts!

These rosy iced tea spoons cleaned up in no time flat, and now I'm enjoying stirring simple syrup into my iced tea with a pretty new spoon. And that's about as industrious as I care to be when things are this hot!

I was in Senoia, by the way, to join my friend Deberah in touring the new Southern Living Idea House which recently opened. It's a renovated farmhouse, and the Southern Living name is drawing lots of people to Senoia to see it. If you don't live too far away, you might want to come visit and shop the town's antique stores while you're here. Senoia is also where scenes are filmed for "Drop Dead Diva" and "The Walking Dead," if you happen to watch those shows, so don't be surprised if you happen upon a film crew or two.

Here's a side view of the front of the house. (Southern Living doesn't permit photos inside the house since it's going to be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine, and I certainly understand that.)

And here's the lovely porch—which I would enjoy sitting on if it weren't 100 degrees outside!

Teatime Giveaway #26 - A new tea journal

It's been a month of international connections here at the Tea With Friends blog: The last winner was a reader in Indonesia, and the newest winner, Hearthkeeper in Christ, will be getting the Hello, Doily napkins donated by a reader in Canada. Congrats, Hearthkeeper, and if you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right I'll get these headed your way! The next item up for giveaway is this tea journal I found at Marshalls recently. (Glasses not included!)

The 5 x 7-inch journal has quotes and tea artwork on the interior pages, and I have a feeling one of you *needs* this journal for recording your tea pursuits! To be entered to win, just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, July 6. Good luck!

Need to hear from Jemilyea!

I need to get in touch with the reader with the nickname "Jemilyea." You won a recent giveaway and I thought I had your e-mail and snail mail addresses saved somewhere, but apparently I don't. I want to get your gift headed your way, so if you'll get in touch via the e-mail button at right that would be terrific! Thanks!

Sweet Tea Clothing Co.

When we traveled to Wisconsin recently to meet the newest addition to the family, baby Andrew, we took along a unique gift to remind everyone this sweet boy is half southern: It's a onesie from the Sweet Tea Clothing Co. reading "Sweeter than the Tea," and it comes packaged in a Mason jar! To see what the onesie looks like outside the Mason jar, go here. There are also other sizes and colors of clothing and accessories for both children and adults.


But I have to tell you one of the most amazing things to me was opening my mailbox and realizing this Mason jar had been shipped in a plain old bubble wrap envelope! I almost croaked! I shook the envelope expecting to hear shards of glass rattling around, but then I read the label and realized wow, the postal service really did pay attention and "handle this package with care." Now I don't know if I'm more impressed with the onesie or the postal service's amazing delivery of it!

A tea friend's new business!

Some of you know my friend Teresa Carter, a local caterer and tea lover who is a blogger herself. She's blogged as Southern Touch Catering, she's shared afternoon tea with several of us tea bloggers before, and as of about two weeks ago, she is now the proud owner of her very own café!

For any locals who may be reading, Teresa's café is located in the Summergrove Market Square, just past the performing arts center off Lower Fayetteville Road. Here are Teresa and husband Ken busy behind the counter.

I was actually in Wisconsin the week she opened, and last week was magazine deadline week so I was chained to my desk, but this week things are a bit better! My friend Deberah and I decided to go there for lunch yesterday, and though Teresa was quite busy we were thrilled to get to visit and beg a few photos from her and her sweet granddaughter Samantha (who was our cover girl at Newnan-Coweta Magazine a few summers ago) as well as Ken, whom we'd also enjoyed getting to know during the course of that very fun photo shoot.

My Special of the Day was special indeed: Shrimp and Lobster Bisque, a Chicken Salad Croissant, Potato Salad, Iced Black Tea (sweetened perfectly!) and an Ice Cream Cone for dessert (I chose chocolate in a waffle cone), all for just $6.95. W-O-W!

As I told Teresa, since I've enjoyed her food before I knew it would be good, but it was even better than I expected! That Shrimp and Lobster Bisque was to die for, and the Chicken Salad was terrific as well (love to find grapes in chicken salad). The Potato Salad was simply delicious (just the right amount of mustard!), and everything tasted so very, very fresh. No surprise, as Teresa is very committed to fresh and natural ingredients and actually told us a little about the process of finding some of the ingredients that go into her food. Nice!

I also give points for fresh flowers on the table and ...

... the cheerful decor! Since Deberah and I went early, there was one brief moment when two tables gave me a clear view. Glad I got the shot, as I'm told the lunch rush descended upon the place shortly thereafter!

There are also cookies and cake slices available at the counter, and I left with some yummy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies! Everything truly exceeded my expectations, which really is not surprising since Teresa is a veteran caterer and, personally, such a class act. And ... she has mentioned the possibility of hosting teas in the future, so you can see why I'm terribly excited for and about my entrepreneurial friend!

*For fellow bargain hunters who'd like to see the daily specials, look for Southern Touch Catering on Faceboook and "like" her page!