Friendship

I just love the way tea looks in this tea cup. A special friend, who brings me special treasures, gave this cup to me. In China they fill the cup half full, the other half is left to fill with friendship. I recently learned that while watching the Olympics and a short story on tea in China. I never knew why I only filled half way, but now I know. Thanks Caryl for the special treasures you find for me and sharing half full cups of tea.

Friendship Tea

by Earlene Grey

Either for a lifetime or

Just a little while,

Some people need many friends.

Others need just one or two

Honest souls to walk with them

Along the way.

Whichever I am to you,

Or you are to me,

Let us take tea and

Enjoy our marvelous company.

A quote:

To have a good friend is one of the highest delights of life;

to be a good

friend is one of the noblest

and most difficult undertakings. --Anon.

Tasha Tudor's Birthday

Today is Tasha Tudor's Birthday. She was a special and unique woman. I treasure the books I have that she wrote or illustrated. In honor and to share here is her Stillwater Iced Tea receipt from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook.

As an introduction Tasha says "This is one of my specialties of which I am inordinately proud. You must start with real tea, made correctly - that is, with freshly boiled water steeped for no more than five minutes. Fresh spearmint is another must."

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

5 tablespoons either English or Irish Breakfast loose-leaf tea

1 quart fresh, cold water

6 fresh oranges

6 fresh lemons

6 fresh limes

1 quart ginger ale

fresh spearmint sprigs for garnish

To make the sugar syrup, place the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the flame and place the sugar syrup in a canning jar. Allow it to cool before placing a lid on it. Keep the syrup at room temperature, as it will congeal in the refrigerator.

Put the cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the tea leaves in a large pitcher and pour the boiling water over them. Steep for 5 minutes, stirring once. Pour off the tea through a strainer, into another pitcher. Allow it to cool but do not put in the refrigerator, as the cold will cloud the tea.

Allow the juice of half an orange, half a lemon, and half a lime per glass - squeezed, of course, and strained.

For each serving, put the fruit juice in a large glass, 10 ounces or so, pour in the tea to half-fill the glass, and then fill the remainder with ginger ale and 2 ice cubes. Add sugar syrup to taste. Place a sprig of fresh spearmint in each glass and serve.

Serves 6-12

Visit www.storybookwoods.typepad.com for more Tasha Tudor tributes.

Breakfast Tea Party for One

One morning last week I was feeling sort of down and thought a tea party would cheer me up. It was breakfast time and I wondered if it was OK to have a tea party for breakfast. I decided it was a good idea. In my freezer I found a lemon verbena cookie and a white cupcake. Lemon curd was added to the center of the cupcake. Then frozen bread was cut into heart shapes for the open face sandwiches. The hearts were spread with a mixture of cream cheese and chopped red pepper, cucumber, and smokey green olive. The tea for this instant tea party was a black orthodox Nilgiri tea, a sample picked up from the World Tea Expo. On the packaging it said "Bliss from the Blue". It was bliss, a smooth black tea, which was the perfect tea for a morning tea. So if you are ever feeling down and need a little pick me up consider a breakfast tea party for one. Look in your freezer or cupboard, be creative, and you can also have that special treat for yourself.

Walk in the Park

Saturday I was delivering Rose Tea Jelly to the Rose Garden Shop in Washington Park.

My husband and I decided to stay after the delivery and take our morning walk in the park.

What a beautiful morning! Enjoy the walk with us.

We begin here by the tennis courts. Aren't the flowers pretty?

Down the trail

Through the Rose Garden

The Rose Festival Queens each have a block with their name

and the year of their reign here.

The roses are in full bloom now and beautiful!

We walk past the amphitheater. I once danced on that stage.

When I was 40 years old I was in a performance and danced a Hungarian Folk dance with

a group of women as the mama's with their young daughters. Our heads were encircled with

flowers and ribbons flowing down our backs. It was such fun and one of my dreams

in life was met.

Jim admiring the roses. He definitely is a rose lover.

Stop to smell the roses each day!

Sushi

All set, let's make sushi. It is a great meal on a summer evening, but it would be great served at an afternoon tea too. Here are all the veggies cut, the rice made, the nori (sheet of seaweed) layed out, and the crab ready to go. I often use imitation crab to keep the cost down.

With a wooden spoon spread the rice on the nori and add a line of imitation crab.

Note: don't put the rice clear to the edge as it will squish out when rolled.

Now add the veggies. I added slivers of cucumber and avocado here.

This would generally be called a California Roll.

Now start rolling everything. Oops! my nori tore alittle, but it still will taste good.

Now slice the roll in about 1/2" to 3/4" slices.

Now here is the finished plate. Enjoy!

From the Little Japanese Cookbook by Emi Kazuko

The term sushi is a corruption of sumeshi, meaning vinegared rice, which is used in all sushi dishes. (the rice is the secret to holding it all together)

Vinegared Rice

2 cups short grain rice (cooked) I usually use about 3 cups

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp salt

Cook rice. Put the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl and mix well until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Transfer the boiled rice to a large, preferably wooden, bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over. Using a wooden spatula/spoon, fold the vinegar into the rice; do not stir. Cool to room temperature before using.

You can also use slivers of zucchini, asparagus, green onion; use your imagination and have fun!

Tea and Beauty

A page from The French Art of Tea, Mariage Freres, on Tea and Beauty. It says: Rinsing Auburn hair in Tea will give it wonderful coppery highlights. Tea mixed with a few drops of lemon is an excellent astringent for oily skin. Tea steeped in pure water with a lump of sugar can be used to soften the skin after cleansing or shaving. It is also used in the East for personal hygiene. Tea compresses on the eyelids reinvigorate tired eyes. Tea can be dabbed onto face, neck, and even arms and legs to give a delicate tan to skin that has not yet been tanned, or to prolong a tan acquired on holiday.

"Teaism is the art of concealing beauty that you may discover it, of suggesting what you dare not reveal." Okahura Kakuzo (1862-1913) The Book of Tea

Quote of the Day

"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations"

Faith Baldwin

The picture is part of my children's vintage collection.

This dress is from the 1920's.