12th September, 2008: Mint Medley® Tabouleh Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Olives
There is nothing like the taste of mint…try this great recipe, no matter what the weather, it would be delicious served warm or cold!
Mint Medley® Tabouleh Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Olives
Ingredients:
6 Bigelow Mint Medley Herb Tea Bags*
3/4 cups Bulgur Wheat (Tabouleh)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 large tomato, split and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cucumber, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
3/4 - 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, about 4 ounces
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
Yield: Serves 4
Instructions:
Pour the Bulgur wheat into a bowl. In a glass measuring cup, pour one cup of boiling water over the tea bags and steep for 4-5 minutes. Remove the bags to a small strainer and using the back of the spoon, press as much liquid as possible back into the cup. If needed, add additional boiling water to measure 1 cup, then pour it over the Buglur wheat. Let it stand until all the liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put the finshed tabouleh (Bulgur wheat) in a salad bowl. Add the tomato, cucumber, feta cheese, scallions, mint and olives, turning to mix well. Pour in the olive oil; add salt and pepper and toss again. Taste to adjust the seasonings, if neccessary. Serve over a bed of lettuce leaves.
*Other suggested Bigelow Teas could be used are Green Tea With Mint, Plantation Mint, Chamomile Mint, Sweet Dreams or Peppermint teas.
For more great recipes and entertaining ideas, visit our website at http://www.bigelowtea.com/entertaining/recipes/
Posted by John at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
11th September, 2008: Make Today Better than Yesterday
As September 11 comes around, I know we all take pause to reflect back on the horrific tragedy that took place in 2001. There are no words to describe the pain, the suffering and the loss for all of us. We cannot stop what happened in the past but we can all make sure we take the time to tell all those around us, family, friends and co-workers how blessed we are to have them in our lives…may we each try every day to make this world a better place. Not just for us but for our children…
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
10th September, 2008: Six Tips for a Buffet Tea
Are you into casual entertaining? According to the Tea Party Girl, “A tea buffet is a simple and beautiful way to host a less formal tea gathering.” The blog even delivers six easy serving suggestions.
Among them are these winning tips:
- First, “keep your food pretty, but simple.” This means the tea should be the only item that’s drippy (sorry, no chicken wings allowed). Serve nothing that’s extra hot or requires cutting with a knife.
- Second, limit your beverage selection to two teas, “an herbal/decaf and a black tea of choice that you brew ahead. DO NOT put out a number of teabags for your guests to choose from and expect them to brew their own tea and deal with drippy teabags.”
- Third, use “no scented candles to interfere with the fragrance of the food and tea!”
For more tips on serving tea buffet-style, read the full Tea Party Girl post here.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
9th September, 2008: Green Tea May Provide Relief for Dry Mouth
For centuries, the health benefits of green tea have been widely speculated. Tea drinkers can agree on its delicious taste and because of that, have continued to drink it. Recently, though, studies have emerged linking green tea to the prevention of the autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome.
Sjogren’s Syndrome, or dry mouth, is a relatively common disorder in which people do not produce enough saliva. According to research at the Medical College of Georgia, in an experiment with mice with the same condition, those treated with green tea extract produced much better results than other test groups.
Lead researcher, Dr. Stephen Hsu explains that “30 percent of elderly Americans suffer from degrees of dry mouth,” so there truly is a need to find some sort of remedy. One notable effect of the experiment was the short time it took for the healing benefits of green tea to work. Dr. Hsu said, “Those treated with the green tea extract beginning at three weeks, showed significantly less damage to those glands over time.”
So, tea drinkers, now in addition to all the tasty and relaxing effects of tea, it might actually be keeping you healthy. Maybe milk and green tea can unite in their cause to “do a body good” like in this green tea ice cream recipe!
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
8th September, 2008: Looking Like the Last Rose of Summer…not a Chance with these Summer Tea Dresses
Have you ever heard someone sigh “I just don’t want to look like the “last rose of summer” in this dress!” They are probably not referring directly to the poem of the same name by Irish poet Thomas Moore or a YouTube video singing the widely-known melody, The Last Rose of Summer, which set the poem to music…but rather are inferring looking “out of season” from a fashion standpoint during the transition from summer to fall.
Hear’s the good news: this season, according to the September issue of Lucky Magazine, you can “transition a frothy patterned dress into next season with a long cardigan, a thin belt, and playful lace up open toe shoes.” Similarly, bright floral dresses are featured topped with jackets and super shiny high heels to provide a “chic wintery edge.”
Therefore, there is no need to purge that summer tea dress, which was the trend this summer. After all, you’ve enjoyed wearing it all summer long while sipping your favorite tea. Perhaps you even own a signature tea dress designed by Kate Moss? As we’ve reported before, Ms. Moss is a huge tea fan.
All you need to do is reach deeper into your closet for a few extra items…and step out this month for a cup of hot tea, confident you do not look like “the last rose of summer.”
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
5th September, 2008: Honor Your Grandparents: Sunday is National Grandparents Day
National Grandparents Day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In 1978, the United States Congress passed legislation, signed by President Jimmy Carter, declaring it a national holiday. September was chosen for the holiday in order to signify the “autumn years” of life. And it is all those years that one woman, Marion McQuade, a housewife from West Virginia, set out to recognize. This special day is set aside to appreciate the lifetime of experience, strength and guidance older people have to offer.
How do you plan to make this day special for your grandparents and elderly relatives and friends? Maybe they start and end each day with a cup of tea? Or maybe they’d delight in something totally different like a Green Tea Spa Bag? Whatever the case…here are some great gift ideas.
Bigelow Golden Assortment
Green Tea Spa Bag
If you’d like to see more, go here. For more information on National Grandparents Day, go here. Happy Grandparents Day to all!
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
4th September, 2008: Company Picnic Time
Okay today is the company picnic and I hope I fair better than last year. We have an annual softball competition and last year besides my team losing to the one of the Finance teams (by the way, they had two STACKED TEAMS), I pulled my quad muscle. So although this picnic is filled with many laughs and great camaraderie, I am so hoping I do not take away any long term bodily injuries….wish me luck!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 7:55 am | Comment (1)
3rd September, 2008: What’s for Dinner?
It’s time to try some new flavors around the dinner table! And what these entrees have in common is tea and great taste! Each of the three dishes highlighted here was featured during a cooking demo held on March 7th. Included were: Pomegranate Risotto, Glazed Chicken Breast using Constant Comment® Tea and Green Tea Poached Shrimp with Green Tea Vinaigrette.
Is your mouth watering yet? If not, take a look at the recipe for the Risotto which includes Bigelow’s Pomegranate Pizzazz tea. Other key ingredients are Arborio rice, fresh tarragon and mascarpone cheese.
The Constant Comment Glazed Chicken also contrasts both salty and fruity flavors with ingredients such as apricot and pineapple preserves which marry with the flavor of soy sauce. (Get that recipe here.)
And, last but not least, is the Green Tea Poached Shrimp, a stir-fry dish that’s drizzled with Green Tea Vinaigrette. Flavors include hints of garlic and ginger. And adding a healthful dose of green are vegetables ranging from snow peas to baby spinach.
Click on the links above for complete recipes, and bon appetite! Or rather, bon appe-TEA!
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
2nd September, 2008: Tea and Conversation with Julie Andrews
How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? Many a thing you know you’d like tell her. But how do you make her stay?…
…Why you sit in the sun with her and indulge in tea and conversation. One incredibly fortunate interviewer for USA Today spent time with Julie Andrews, known for her leading roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, to discuss her new book, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years.
In 1998, after throat surgery damaged her vocal cords, she turned from singing to writing as her main creative outlet. Ms. Andrews always had a love for the craft, publishing her first children’s book, Mandy, in 1971 under the name Julie Andrews Edwards. It seemed this was to be a second opportunity for expressing herself.
Julie spoke eloquently and openly about her early life and career. She chatted about her latest book, the arduous process of writing it, and to the interviewer’s delight, Ms. Andrews also provided tea bags. She prepared the tea — declining to sweeten her own — and proved without a doubt that grace, charm, and tea continue to be a timeless combination.
Posted by Ruth at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
1st September, 2008: Where did the summer go?
It happens every year — we think to ourselves: Is it Labor Day already? Although traditionally thought of as the symbolic end of summer, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September since the 1880s as a federally recognized “day off” honoring American workers.
What are your plans this Labor Day? Perhaps attending a traditional end of the summer barbecue? Taking one last dip in the ocean before heading home? Traveling to New York City where the first Labor Day Parade was held? Maybe you’ll catch some of the 43rd annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis? We recently spoke about this event, and Muscular Dystrophy in relation to green tea, in our blog, Raise a Cup or Seven to Green Tea Health and Hope.
Whatever your plans, before you begin putting most of your white clothes away, be sure to relax with a tall, cool glass of your favorite iced tea! For great iced tea recipe ideas, go here.
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
