5th May, 2008: Speaking of Tea
Regardless of when or where they were born, some of the world’s greatest thinkers have held tea in high regard. People such as the English novelist Henry Fielding who gave us the character of Tom Thumb. The Chinese philosopher T’ien Yiheng. Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hahn. Or Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. Their own words summed up their sentiments toward tea.
If Fielding were alive today, he might prefer to enjoy his tea while watching a soap opera. Or that’s the sense one might get from reading this quote from his novel Love in Several Masques: “Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.”
Yiheng considered tea a form of escape. “Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world,” he said.
Thich Nhat Hahn used tea in practicing mindfulness, a trend which has gained renewed interest today. He advised, “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”
Lastly, there is Alexander Puskin who described tea as a delicious luxury with the words, “Ecstasy is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth.”
Find more tea quotes to whet your appetite, like these published earlier on the Bigelow blog.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
2nd May, 2008: Cinco de Mayo: It’s Margarita and Quesadilla Time
Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, is a day to celebrate the heritage and pride of all Americans of Mexican ancestry. Below are some great recipes to try…
Ultimate Pomegranate Margarita
Ingredients:
6 ounces (180mL) boiling water
6 Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz Herbal Juice Tea Bags
1 ounce (30mL) white tequila
1 ounce (30mL) lime juice
1 ounce (30mL) Cointreau
1 teaspoon (mL) sugar
10 ice cubes
1 small pomegranate (seeds used for garnish)
Instructions:
Pour boiling water over Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz Herb Tea bags. Let steep 3-4 minutes. Remove bags and chill.
Place chilled tea in blender with remaining ingredients and ice cubes; blend until mixture turns to slush. Garnished with pomegranate seeds (optional).
Yield: Serves 1 - Prep Time: 5 minutes.
Grilled Vegetarian Mushroom Quesadillas
Ingredients:
¼ cup (60mL) butter
6 Bigelow I Love Lemon & C® Herbal tea bags
¾ cup (180mL) boiling water
3 teaspoons (10mL) chili powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 pound (500g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon (5mL) salt
1 - 8 ounce (250g) pkg. Tempeh, crumbled
2 cups (500mL) light Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
Canola oil
12 - 6 inch (15cm) flour tortillas
Lemon wedges as a garnish
Instructions:
To prepare filling:
Place teabags into measuring cup and pour boiling water over bags. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bags and reserve tea.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add tea, chili powder and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onion and salt. Saute until mushrooms are brown and tender.
Add the crumbled tempeh and saute 2 minutes more or until heated through.
Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes.
To assemble quesadillas:
Preheat grill to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly brush 6 tortillas on one side with oil. Place the tortillas oil-side down on large non-stick rimless baking sheet (Use a cookie sheet with sides by turning it upside down). Divide the filling mixture equally among the tortillas, top with cheese, top with remaining 6 tortillas, brush tops with oil.
Gently slide the quesadillas onto the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side, until heated through and golden brown. Remove from grill and let stand for 2 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole and lemon wedges if desired.
Yield: Serves 6 - Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes.
For more great recipes, go to our website under Recipes/Entertaining.
Posted by Liesl at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
1st May, 2008: A Bigelow Tea bridal shower
Dear Bigelow Tea,
Recently, I held a bridal shower for my niece, Chessie, at The Colonial Inn in Concord, Massachusetts. We are all big tea drinkers so we decided an afternoon tea would be nice. I had silver teapots overflowing with bright colored spring flowers on the tables and as favors, gave tea cups wrapped up with an assortment of Bigelow teas. Bigelow Tea is a favorite in our family! My sister, Julie, Chessie’s mother, is a Constant Comment fan from way back. Thought you might enjoy seeing the photos:
Sincerely,
Susan O’Neil
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comments (5)
