British Tea

My family recently went on a trip to London during my little sister's spring break.  I was very jealous that I didn't get to go, but they did bring me back some fantastic little British treats- tea and biscuits to be exact.  This little cookie was almost too adorable to eat, but I did bring myself to snack on it with a cup of tea.  It was absolutely delicious!

Good Morning!
Margaret

Chai Tea Cupcakes

It's been a little while since I tried out a new cupcake recipe, so last week I decided I wanted to use an unexpectedly quiet evening to experiment a bit.  I came across this recipe from Bakingdom, and decided that Chai Tea Cupcakes sounded perfect.

The first time I made them, I halved the recipe and used pastry flour instead of cake flour (that's all I could find) but otherwise followed it exactly.  The batter was very soupy but I went along with it anyways.  The cupcake were very moist and delicious, but they didn't rise very well.  So this time when I made them (a half recipe again) I added an extra 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and an extra 1/4 teaspoon baking powder to the dry ingredients.  This definitely did the trick- they came out with beautiful peaks and still had the delicious flavor and moistness of the other batch!

Bon Appétit,

Margaret

Afternoon Tea

Today I spent the afternoon in Georgetown, one of my favorite places in DC, with one of my favorite people.  We had lunch at an adorable crepe cafe, and although we were eaten alive my mosquitos, we enjoyed our crepes.  Then we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of Georgetown looking for cute shops.  We ended up visiting several tea shops, and I ended up buying a bit of tea, so when I got home I, of course, had to brew some.

We stopped at a couple different tea shops, but our favorites by far were Capital Teas and The Spice & Tea Exchange.  In these shops there were little jars of each tea that you could open up and smell.  It was quite an aromatic experience, and when we walked out of the shops the smell of Georgetown, although not unpleasant, seemed a let down after the wonderful aromas of the tea shops.  I ended up buying a small bag of looseleaf 'Mountain Jasmine Tea' from The Spice & Tea Exchange and a tin of looseleaf 'Roasted Almond' tea from Capital Teas.

I was excited to try both of the teas, but the smell of the Roasted Almond was simply too intoxicating to pass up.  The description of the tea reads "A box of cookies in one cup; roasted nuts, caramelized almonds and baked apple pieces; our #1 best-selling infusion!" and it certainly lives up to the hype.  It is probably the most unique tea I have tried.  The smell is absolutely heavenly, and that smell translates very well to the taste, unlike some teas.  Also, it made a beautiful bright pink cup of tea- a wonderful and unexpected surprise!

-Margaret

Blueberry Iced Green Tea

Here it is, yet another blueberry recipe.  I have made pies, scones, muffins, and just about every other type of blueberry pastry, it seems, this summer.  I guess that's what happens when you buy bulk blueberries from Costco.  Well regardless, blueberries are one of those staple summer foods, and since it's nearing the end of summer I might as well squeeze in a few more blueberry recipes.

So I decided to try out this recipe from Closet Cooking.  My mom suggested that I make iced tea today, so this just seemed like the perfect option.  It is quite delicious, and I have some leftover blueberry simple syrup which will be wonderful in mocktails!

Enjoy!

Margaret

Wonderland

Sometimes I like to have a tea party instead of lunch.  I cut cucumber sandwiches in the shapes of flowers, pick some fresh fruit (out of the refrigerator, that is), and of course brew a cup of tea.

Sometimes I pretend I am Alice- Alice in Wonderland of course.  And nothing is quite as much the spirit Alice as a wonderful cup of tea.

Tea Party for One

Occasionally I will feel exceptionally British and decide to have afternoon tea.  Today was one of those days.  A spot of tea was wonderfully warming and relaxing on a rainy afternoon.  

On a completely different note, I spent at least two hours cleaning my room today.  And by cleaning I mean actually cleaning and organizing, not just shoving stuff in the closet like I have been doing for the past month or two.  It is quite refreshing to see so much free space around me.  I also had the chance to arrange my newest vintage dishes for jewelry and other accessories.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Margaret