Tag tea

I didn’t think I needed a Tea Kettle… UNTIL I saw this!

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Recently, I was out shopping. Imagine my amazement at seeing so many tea kettles in one place. I haven’t had a tea kettle in years. I was brought down memory lane. I remembered having a blue Chantal tea kettle in my 20s. It had a loud whistle when water boiled.

What happened to that tea kettle? When did I give it away? I was thinking it must have been around the time that Nespresso coffee machines were “the craze.” I remember walking into Sur La Table in California. They had so many Nespresso machines to choose from.

Specifically, they had the Pixie in beautiful bright colors. I was drawn to the Lime green one. They gave a demo, I was sold on the ease of use and bought one. NO MORE TEA. So, that must have been how my Chantal tea kettle was given away.

Lately, I’ve been drinking a lot of tea. When I boil water, I use a pot. I admit, easy to use, but feels like I am camping. When my daughter went to College in Ireland she learned quickly that EVERY house has a tea kettle. Drinking tea is part of their life. It would be like the Italians. Every Italian house has an espresso machine of some sort.

As I looked at the tea kettle display I thought. Should I buy one? Is it necessary? They do whistle, my pot does not. Looking at the choices, I was drawn to the kettle with cherries on it. Made me think of a farm house.

While I didn’t buy a tea kettle that day. The display still has me thinking. Isn’t that the point of a retail display – THINK, then BUY. BRAVO!

Do you see what I see? YES, a cherry tea kettle on my stove!

Coffee… Breakfast…Tradition… making blueberry scones at home

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CB353366-48C2-4D65-9550-E232D8E8D880Have you noticed that going out for a coffee and a danish, which used to be a “treat,” has become so expensive that it is not enjoyable anymore?

When I was young, because we had four children in the family, we rarely went out to eat; it was too expensive. In those days, if we did go out, it was for pizza, once a quarter. When the waitress came to take our order, she would ask what the “children” were drinking. My father in a loud bellowing voice would say, “WATER for them, a beer for me.”

My mother did not believe in soda. Growing up in Italy, they did not drink soft drinks or fruit juices. As a treat, on Sunday, they went to the park and had a gelato she would say.

This will make you smile… when I started dating, and the waitress came to take our order, I was too afraid to order ice tea or a soda, I was conditioned to order water. It wasn’t until one date asked, “WHY are you only having water? You can order a drink. Please, have a soda or ice tea, whatever you’d like.”

FUNNY, I thought to myself, “Yeah, I’m on my own now, why am I still drinking water?!”

This past weekend I was in the mood for scones. A friend of mine sent me a recipe and it was time to try it out. Scones are usually triangular, I made hearts, see photo.

My goal was to entice my daughters, so they would say, “Mama, those are adorable, we want some!”

seattle tea potGood news — my hearts were a BIG HIT.  Just need to add tea.

HEART SCONES on Sunday.  A new tradition!

Once children grow up, we need to entice the “little birdies” back to the nest.

Mom and her tea cups…

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IMG_0531One year my family was in Florida. I was in 7th grade. My mother loved to go to flea markets. We were looking around and suddenly my mother came upon a complete tea set, similar to the one photographed here. It was white with little pink roses on it. She was determined to have it! We brought it home and from that day on, it became a fun game to say, “Is it time for chai?” Amazing how excited we got for “tea time.” I think it was the “ritual of it.”

With four kids in the family, we each had a job. One person would put the kettle on, the other person would get the tea pot and put the tea leaves in it, the next person would get the tea cups out of the cupboard with the sugar and creamer… and don’t forget the spoons and some cookies if we had any. It was a TEAM EFFORT! We would normally sit and watch a British show that my mother got from the library and for that next hour we “felt British!”

Fast forward, 25 years and now most of the tea cups have broken, but there are a few survivors. Now there are grandchildren who have been learning about “tea time,” which is wonderful.

Not long ago, I had a LUCKY find. I was at an antique shop and I couldn’t believe it. I found this beautiful “in tact” tea set. I was very excited! Best part, it only cost me $25. They told me it was “spin the wheel day.” I spinned this wheel and received a 15% discount. That made this purchase even “more fun!”

So, “tea time” continues on… now, we need to find a good British show.

What family story do you have to share? Don’t be shy.