This time it's HIS fault!

DH's that is. I've been coming up with idea's for cooking with tea and HE has been....husbandly beast! And a tea sipping Scot at that! Well, here I am in a tea mood with the computer still in hand with a good search engine or two.... I had almost forgotten another of my favorite tea stores! Adagio Teas! After HE poo pooed my idea of using some of my mint tea (see Cultured Cup have teas, coffees, chocolates and more!) in our rice, I saw this recipe at Adagio:

Garlic-Mint Yogurt Sauce Submitted by: Kara Tawa This is a great dish to serve with beef or lamb, its a traditional lebanese dish. Prep Time: 10 minutes Serving Size: 1 cup Ingredients 1 cup strained plain yogurt 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon adagio spearmint tea leaves 4 minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1 sliced cucumber Directions In a medium bowl whisk yogurt until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until use.

India cooks use yogurt, mint, and cucumbers often when serving curries, don't ya know. I keep mint tea on hand from tummy upsets already. As the black plague of gardeners (yes, even mint), why not grab it when I want some for a recipe. Yes, it is generally cut a bit finer that what you would do by hand but....

Now what tea lover doesn't have some Jasmine around? Please! I love a nice gentle cup by itself or with lots of Chinese dishes! Look what you can else you can do with it:

Jasmine Tea glaze for Pork or Chicken Submitted by: Laurie Hall jasmine tea is used as a glaze that is especially good on pork Prep Time: 15 minutes for prep glaze gets better the longer its allowed to sit in fridge Serving Size: 4 Ingredients 1 cup water 1 tablespoon water 2 spoons jasmine tea 1/4 c olive oil 1/4 c sugar 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or chopped 1 teaspoon cornstarch balsamic vinegar pepper salt (optional) Directions make tea with 1 c. water and strain leaves add sugar and boil until disolved add garlic add pepper let simmer put cornstarch in small bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon water to create a paste while stirring constantly, add the cornstarch paste to the simmering pan in small amounts. continue stirring and adding paste until glaze reaches desired consistency. remove from heat add olive oil let cool add balsamic vinegar (start with 2 tablespoons) and adjust to desired 'zing'. I use 3 tablespoons Glaze can be used now but is better if allowed to sit in covered container in fridge. Can be used to marinate pork before grilling and then basted on a few minutes before removing from grill.

O, tea bag types, all you gotta do for loose tea: cut open the top of the bag!

For these and other recipes go here and enjoy! I did...especially showing DH other people use tea beside just for drinking!

(They too have good teas and other stuff! Again, not getting compensated in any way for this...just sharing. Can you tell who is not a coffee drinker? Humph, should I go see what chiefs are doing with coffee?)

Just another book?

Someone once said, "With knowledge comes power." Maybe the power of understanding can quell fear and misunderstanding. So I stole the following from The Book Trib so I could share a book that is going on my wish list.

Mother of the Believers: A Novel of the Birth of Islam

By Kamran Pasha | Visit Author's Website

Deep in the heart of seventh-century Arabia, a new prophet named Muhammad has arisen. As his message of enlightenment sweeps through Arabia and unifies the warring tribes, his young wife Aisha recounts Muhammad’s astonishing transformation from prophet to warrior to statesman. But just after the moment of her husband’s greatest triumph — the conquest of the holy city of Mecca — Muhammad falls ill and dies in Aisha’s arms. A young widow, Aisha finds herself at the center of the new Muslim empire and becomes by turns a teacher, political leader, and warrior.

Written in beautiful prose and meticulously researched, Mother of the Believers is the story of an extraordinary woman who was destined to help usher Islam into the world.Hollywood screenwriter and producer Kamran Pasha has an incredible range of interests and talents. He was the writer and co-producer of Showtime’s Golden Globe-nominated television miniseries Sleeper Cell and served as a writer on NBC’s remake of Bionic Woman. In 2008, he wrote his first video game, entitled 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, the sequel to hip-hop mogul 50 Cent’s bestselling game Bulletproof. Now, with Mother of the Believers: A Novel of the Birth of Islam he adds the title of novelist to his impressive credentials.

Born in Pakistan, Kamran Pasha moved to the United States at the age of three and has actively studied the Middle East throughout his life. It has long been his dream to write a novel that illuminates the vast richness of Muslim history and tradition. And with Mother of the Believers, he combines his enthusiasm, knowledge, and strong

storytelling skills to offer a fresh portrayal of the birth of Islam. Always one to think outside the box, Pasha adds a twist by telling the story through the eyes of the Prophet Mohammad’s youngest wife Aisha—politician, warrior, and the woman who helped usher Islam into the world.

Deep in the desert of 7th century Arabia, a new prophet named Muhammad has arisen. Foretold in a series of visions, he has been chosen to follow in his ancestor Abraham’s path—to abolish idolatry and establish the worship of the one God among the Arabs. But his quest to enlighten the world is not an easy one, and he and his small group of followers are met with anger and distain from the leaders of the city of Mecca. Mohammad longs for his people to return to the old ways of Abraham and his simple, pure vision. But how can his people stand up to the might of Mecca, whose lords live like kings, whose coffers are filled with gold, whose clansmen are armed with the finest swords and spears?

Aisha, the first child born into the faith of Islam, is destined from birth to be a pivotal player in the fledgling religion of Islam. For it is her fate to be the mother of a nation—a nation that has been chosen by God to change the world, to destroy iniquity, even as it is forever tempted to succumb to it.

When Muhammad sees young Aisha in a vision, she becomes the youngest of his twelve wives. Feisty, fierce, and intelligent, she soon establishes herself as the Prophet’s favorite. Years pass, and Muhammad’s religious movement sweeps through Arabia, unifying warring tribes, transforming him from prophet to statesman. But Aisha’s prominence and power engenders jealousy and intrigue, which threatens to tear apart the infant religion at its birth.

911

The intolerance of a few made this happen. Maybe the tolerance of many can ultimately win the future, not just for our country, but the world.  "Where there is hatred let me sow love." 


Maybe this man can say it better. (I took this from his site. Click on the title above or the context below to go there.) 

About the Book

This is a moving story of a fire fighter/paramedic with 25 years of experience, who was at Ground Zero during the attacks on 9/11. He witnessed the attacks and responded to the collective cry for help; only to discover that among those calling for help were two of his former partners and several other friends. As he dug through the rubble, he made a promise to all those who lost their lives that their efforts and sacrifice would not be buried beneath the rubble. This book is a compilation of his never before seen personal diary and photos. This will give you a first hand look into the events of 9/11 as they unfold via inspirational stories. This is a sincere attempt to bestow the respect that these heroes truly deserve and to keep their humble voices alive. His hope is that the powerful and emotionally charged stories give some feeling of peace to all the victims of 9/11 and allows the reader to live the moment, through the eyes of the these brave men and women.  A 25-year career as a first responder exposed the writer to both the worst and best of humanity. On 9/11 many witnessed for the first time what he has always known; and that is there is a philanthropic depth to the American character especially among many first responders. The daily acts of sacrifice and compassion performed by these men and women are not viewed as heroic but are simply second nature. The book highlights these traits and focuses on the tragedy that was averted by the thousands of individual acts of kindness and bravery that combined to save tens of thousands. The book is the result of a 5-year comprehensive collection of photos, artwork, stories and quotes that will connect you to 9/11 like never before. If you were personally affected by the tragedy, this book should give you comfort and pride from a totally different perspective. Regardless of your relationship to this tragedy you will discover a positive personal connection that will surprise you. Originally the book was exclusively distributed among first responders but their highly positive emotional response and their desire to share it with the public, has lead to a limited trial release for the fifth anniversary of the attacks. The following statement by the widow of a firefighter convinced me to make the book public,“ When my children are old enough, I want them to read your book, so they can better know their father.” Thank you for sharing in my admiration for those who have fallen and in keeping their spirit and legacy alive.

Tea time anyone?

OK, you guys know I love tea! OK, maybe if you don't know me on FaceBook or Twitter, you didn't. Anyway, I not only enjoy tea but I have a "thing" about things that go with tea. I even have a collection of tea pots. Not a big collection because I am picky. Not only must they appeal to me visually but they must, MUST be functional. I was once gifted with a truly lovely teapot. The problem was it tended to put an equal quantity of tea out side the cup as it did inside the cup. It did it every single time! 'Didn't even matter the tea level in it! 

There is another reason my collection is small...$. I imagine this effects the collections of many folk. I also imagine they, like me, are not stopped when they see objects they would thing about adding if not so restricted. 

While reading my email from Teavana, I saw some new Chinese cast iron teapot sets that just took my breath away! 

I must pause for a disclaimer: If I could have posted a picture in FaceBook, this posting would not have occurred as I could have shared the beauty I found. Also 'share FaceBook' let me down!  So I stole a picture from Teavana's website so I could share!

There were others of different colors. Some more elaborate. But this, ah, this just reached out to me! If I had money to fling about, I would have to check out it's functionality but it definitely wins on one of my criteria!  

O, you mustn't think Teavana gears it's pots and sets only to the 'flush'! They do not! It's just line of cast iron pots...I want to share! But seriously, if you are a tea sipper and want to share a 'cuppa' (as DH's friends would say) or some klutz just destroyed your last or you are a collector, this is one of my places to shop (if only 'window shopping')! 

Yes, I do like their teas (plural because they have lots)!

A disclosure? No. This was truly unsolicited! I'm just a tea junky who is also an enabler! Sometime in the near future, I will share some of my favorite teas and places but not now! My cup is empty!