Super Bowl Sunday is nearly here, and the New York Giants are set to take on the New England Patriots. When it comes to the big game, the beverage that immediately comes to mind is … tea? OK, well maybe there are other brews consumed that day, but at Bigelow Tea we think there’s also time for tea on the road to the Super Bowl – just ask Bigelow Tea Spokesman (and New York Giants Super Bowl Champion)  Phil Simms!

So, to help make your menu a winner, here are two great recipes for the big game. Our Miniature Vegetable Quiches (yep, real men do eat quiche)! And our Perfect Peach Mustard Dipping Sauce, ideal for pretzels, chicken, sausage slices or cheese chunks. Enjoy!

Miniature Vegetable Quiches

Ingredients:

Tea Concentrate:

10 bags Bigelow Green Tea
1 cup boiling water

Vegetable Tea Mixture:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup diced colored bell peppers
½ cup asparagus tips/ cut into small pieces, 1/2 – 1 inch
½ cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon minced shallots
¼ cup tea concentrate

 Egg Mixture:

6 large eggs
½ cup half and half
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
4-ounces (1/2 of an 8-ounce) package cream cheese, slightly softened, cut into 18-20 pieces
Dill, optional garnish

Yield: Makes 18-24 miniature quiches depending on size of mini-muffin tin (About 1 ½ cups vegetable mixture.)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time:  15 to 18 minutes

Instructions:

Place tea bags in a 2-cup glass measure.  Add water.  Steep tea for 10 minutes.
Squeeze all liquid from tea bags into cup.  Discard tea bags.  (About ½ cup tea concentrate.)
Heat oven to 350 F.  Spray 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with baking spray (spray well or alternatively use paper liners); set aside.
In 10-inch non-stick skillet place olive oil.  Heat for 1 minute.  Add peppers, asparagus, peas, and shallots. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened.
Add ¼ cup tea concentrate to vegetable mixture.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the tea is evaporated.  Remove from heat; set aside.
In large bowl stir together eggs, half and half, salt and pepper.  Mix well.
In bottom of each prepared mini muffin tin, place about 1 tablespoon vegetable mixture.  Top with piece of cream cheese.  Fill to top with egg mixture.
Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until very lightly browned near edges.  Remove from oven.  Cool slightly. Garnish with dill if desired.

Perfect Peach Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cup water
6 Bigelow Perfect Peach® Herb Tea Bags
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ cup vegatable oil
3-4 drops Tabasco Sauce, or to taste

Yield: Makes 2/3 cup

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes, making sure they are completely submerged. Remove to a small strainer and, using the back of a spoon, press as much liquid as possible back into the pan.
In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey and soy sauce. Add the infused tea and stir until smooth. Whisk in the oil. Season to taste with Tabasco Sauce, cover and refrigerate until needed.

We will be seeing red here at Bigelow Tea … but it’s a good thing! To help raise awareness of heart disease in women, Friday, February 3^rd is designated Wear Red Day. The organization Go Red for Women, created by the American Heart Association in 2004, helps people all across the country plan and carry out events that support the fight against women’s heart disease.

At Bigelow Tea you know that we take women’s health very seriously. Staying active and eating right are two components of cardiovascular health, and avoiding sugar and sugar-based beverages is one way to maintain a healthy diet and weight (fresh brewed Bigelow Tea of course, contains no sugar)! Studies also suggest that tea may boost metabolism, thereby encouraging weight loss and provide cardiovascular health benefits.  And it just so happens to be delicious!

Keeping the “red” theme in mind, we thought we’d offer a few suggestions for drinking some Bigelow Tea varieties that come in those colorful red boxes: if herbal tea is your thing, Red Raspberry is the perfect combination of zing and charm. If you prefer something a little spicy, several of our black teas—including Constant Comment and Spiced Chai—come in nice, red packages too. And if you’d like a seasonal tea in pretty red packaging, consider our White Chocolate Obsession, a February favorite! Mmmmm….!

So Friday (and all year long, really) let’s enjoy our tea and be mindful of our continued heart health!

The Bigelow Big Game Sweepstakes kicks off with two separate sweepstakes that are running simultaneously, each with two equally fantastic prize packages, and featuring both teams. Hey, we don’t play favorites! So there will be four lucky winners in total. Here’s the lowdown:

Bigelow Tea New York Fan’s Sweepstakes – Win a helmet autographed by legendary New York quarterback (and Bigelow Green Tea fan!) Phil Simms plus a Bigelow Tea Classic Tea Chest filled with 64 individually wrapped teas. The tea chest is complete with an elegant cherry finish, brass hardware and eight tea bags each of: Vanilla Caramel, Earl Grey, Constant Comment, English Teatime, Green Tea, Orange & Spice Herb, Mint Medley Herb and Cozy Chamomile teas. Or you may win a Phil Simms autographed football with the Classic Tea Chest. With the stellar NFL stats of Phil Simms, like 199 touchdown tosses and over 33,000 yards passed, these will hold a MVP (Most Valuable Place) in any fan’s household, or man-cave!

Bigelow Tea New England Fan’s Sweepstakes – Win an official Super Bowl XLVI NFL Helmet signed by New England Tight End Rob Gronkowski plus our Classic Tea Chest, Or you can win an official Super Bowl XLVI NFL Football signed by Rob Gronkowski with the “GET GRONK’D” inscription with our famous tea chest. The 22-year-old “Gronk” holds incredible scoring and receiving records, redefining the position of tight end,including single-season records for most receiving touchdowns (17) and receiving yards (1,327)!

The total value of each of these four prizes is $62.95, not including the memorabilia value – which is considerable to football fans of all stripes!

Our super Bigelow Tea chest! 

To enter, simply “like” our Facebook page (if you haven’t already!) and click on the sweepstakes tab under our profile picture. You can enter one or both sweepstakes, one time each.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to win BIG! And good luck to you and your favorite team!

Bigelow Tea has thoroughly enjoyed sharing Hot Tea Month with all of you! From our remarkable live Facebook chat with Cindi to our sensational Charleston Tea Garden sweepstakes getaway, this month has been full of rockin’ tea-related excitement! Of course, the best part of Hot Tea Month was each and every cup of tea that we sipped, shared and enjoyed during January. So to now close out the month, we leave you with this centuries–old and beautiful tea poem. Enjoy!

A Cup of Tea 

When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its fragrance,
There is solace in its taste;
And the laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There’s beauty as you’ll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.

Tea helps our head and heart.
Tea medicates most every part.
Tea rejuvenates the very old.
Tea warms the hands of those who’re cold.

Can’t you just picture yourself holding a steaming mug of your favorite tea? Whether it’s Constant Comment, Green Tea or an herbal variety, it all warms the heart and soul. So, with those words, we send you off into February, where we know you’ll continue to enjoy your Bigelow Tea. Stay warm, and have a beautiful (and extra-long) February!

Poem by J. Jonker, Amsterdam, c.1670
Image by OhMyGouda, via Flickr.com

Searching for a special gift for the tea lover in your life? Look no further than our Fall In Love Tea Tin or the cool I Love Tea Tin – each with a tantalizing variety of 120 individually wrapped black and flavored black teas from Bigelow Tea. That’s certainly enough tea to warm that special someone’s heart for a long time!

Both gifts come packaged in a whimsical red tin decorated with hearts; the only difference is the design on the top, so choose the one you like best. Either tin would be perfect for Valentine’s Day but they will be available afterwards as well. After all, anytime is a good time to give a gift of tea! And the great thing about our gift tins and baskets is that their recipients have a chance to try flavors that might be new to them. It’s like opening a little gift every time they make a cup of tea! What better way to show you care?

Be sure to take a minute to browse all the wonderful gift items that Bigelow Tea has to offer, from tea tins and baskets to tea chests and so much more. You’re sure to find just the right gift for any occasion. Don’t forget something for yourself, too!

It’s getting a whole lot easier being “green,” given all the eco-friendly products on the market – from energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs to nontoxic cleaners and BPA-free baby bottles. But some reports suggest that while many consumers care about the environment, they may balk at paying more for products labeled green. The sustainabili-TEA specialists at Bigelow Tea are curious to know more about your green buying habits … do you find you’re buying less or more of these products? Weigh in on our survey!

Photo by B Rosen via Flickr.com

There’s still time to enter our January sweepstakes but hurry – the deadline is January 31^st! You won’t want to miss this chance to win an amazing 4-day/3-night trip for two to Bigelow Tea’s own Charleston Tea Garden, the largest working tea garden in the continental United States!

To enter, simply “like” our Facebook page (if you haven’t already!) then click the sweepstakes tab under our profile picture and enter your name and contact information. That’s it! One winner will be chosen in a random drawing on February 1^st.

We are just thrilled to be offering this special prize, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate Hot Tea Month! Charleston Tea Garden is located on picturesque Wadmalaw Island, just south of historic Charleston, S.C., featuring 127 acres of beautiful camellia sinensis tea plants and lush grounds to explore. One lucky entrant will win the following:

• A 4-day/3-night trip for the winner and one guest to the Charleston Tea Garden.
• Round-trip coach air transportation for 2 between a major commercial airport closest to the winner’s residence and Charleston, S.C.
• Standard lodging at a Bigelow Tea-selected hotel for 3 nights (1 room, based on double occupancy).
• A tour of the Charleston Tea Garden.
• A $500 American Express gift card for expenses!

Wow, this package has an approximate retail value of $3,200! So grab a cup of your favorite Bigelow Tea and submit your entry today! Good luck!

Soba noodles, traditional Japanese fare served both hot and cold, are capturing the attention of American pasta lovers. Nutritionists are taking note of soba’s nutritional profile too. Made primarily of buckwheat, these brownish, slightly chewy noodles have fewer calories and carbohydrates than white-flour pasta. Soba noodles are also a good source of essential nutrients like manganese, choline, thiamine and riboflavin. And Bigelow Tea thinks soba noodles taste great too, especially in this recipe pairing them with Bigelow Tea’s Chinese Oolong Tea!

Try this dish, with just 161 calories per serving and only 3 grams of fat. Slurping from chopsticks encouraged!

Oolong Soba Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

6 cups (1500mL) water
10 Bigelow® Chinese Oolong Tea Bags
8 ounces (224g) soba noodles
1 ½ teaspoons (7mL) toasted sesame oil
¾ cup (180mL) carrot, shredded
1 cup (250mL) bean sprouts
6 small onions, thinly sliced
Salt to taste

Dressing:

2 teaspoons (10mL) sesame seeds
¼ cup (60mL) Bigelow® Chinese Oolong Tea (reserved)
1 tablespoon (15mL) low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10mL) toasted sesame seed oil
Dash of sugar

Yield: Serves 8

Directions:

In a large pot bring water to a boil; add tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove ¼ cup (60mL) tea and set aside for dressing. Bring tea back to a boil and add noodles; cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, make dressing by placing sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking pan frequently until lightly toasted, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add reserved tea, soy sauce, oil and sugar; mix well.

When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.

Return noodles to pot. Add sesame seed oil and toss to coat. Add carrot and bean sprouts, toss to mix.

Place on a serving plate, drizzle with dressing. Garnish with extra green onion.

Photo 1 by FotoosVanRobin, via Flickr.com

Angelina Jolie is one of the most recognized actresses in the world, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, mother of six, star of blockbuster movies like The Tourist and Salt, and now a first time director of the new movie In the Land of Blood and Honey which has been getting a lot of attention! So how does this superstar deal with an intense and hard-hitting interview with 60 Minutes? She drinks tea of course!  She was calm as a cucumber throughout this recent interview, enjoying her tea while she talked with 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon.

At Bigelow Tea we’re thinking that perhaps it’s this drink of choice that gives her the sereni-TEA to stay so composed, especially while keeping up with all the activities going on in her life. Like us, maybe a spot of chamomile tea or mint tea puts her in just that right frame of mind for relaxing, while still helping her to keep focus.

Angelina’s partner in life, Brad Pitt, is no stranger to drinking tea either, specifically in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Yes, Hollywood loves tea! As Benjamin Button, Brad actually spends a great deal of time in that film, almost 45 minutes, making and drinking tea!  Again, we can’t help but wonder what flavor Brad would brew for himself… a classic like Earl Grey or the enduring Constant Comment?

We’re hoping tea is an important part of Angelina and Brad’s home life. With their full work scheduls, juggling projects, kids and volunteer work (it all sounds very familiar doesn’t it?) they must look forward to a quiet cup together at the end of the day. Here’s a raised cup to this hard working couple and another busy day!

Image via cbsnews.com

Impressionist paintings are often romantic depictions of the good life; picnics, parties, families playing, and tea time (!) are all common scenes found in Impressionist works. Bigelow Tea certainly enjoys viewing artwork that portrays people pouring, drinking and enjoying our favorite beverage, like the above painting, Tea Time, 1909, by American artist Henry Salem Hubbell! Hubbell’s beautiful paintings are recognized as nostalgic and hopelessly romantic … and we think they perfectly reflect the finer points of the art of tea!

Tea In the Garden At The Chateau de Rozieres (1906)

Hubbell was born in Kansas in 1870 and later studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. He continued his studies in France in the late 1890s, exhibiting with many of the French Impressionists. He painted in Europe until he returned to the U.S. in 1910. In addition to his Impressionist paintings, he painted many prominent portraits including one of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1940), which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Study For The Orange Robe (1908)

Bigelow Tea of course thinks that moments related to preparing and sharing of tea are moments well worth savoring … that’s why Hubbell’s paintings make us smile. We’re overjoyed to see tea time memorialized as a truly special part of everyday lives!

Images 1 and 2 via Americangallery.wordpress.com
Image 3 via Allartclassic.com