tea for me...

   Tea lattes seem to be the new thing these days.  London Fogs have been a long time favorite of mine and now they are even on the Starbucks  menu.  It's a combo of earl Gery tea, vanilla syrup and mounds of steamy milk.  It is absolutely delicious.  Just don't order a Venti size without asking for only one teabag.  I made that mistake when I picked up two for a meeting.  By the time I arrived and we took our first sips they were terribly bitter and there was no going back with either milk, nor sugar.  Starbucks uses Tazo teabags and they are seriously concentrated. 

A rooiboos latte is also a lovely treat and rooiboos is so good for you.  It's a tummy soother, antioxidant and lots of other wonderful stuff.  When Ry was colicky I often gave him bottles of watery rooiboos to sip and my older boys love it iced with a bit of sweetness added.

I have also tried the Starbucks berry chai latte and it was thick and rich with a depth like a hot glass of mulled wine.  It was yummy...but I have yet to check how many calories go into making it so delish.

oooh just found this, it's not too bad...

 

Berry Chai Infusion Combines Chai Tea concentrate with a proprietary blend of aronia berry (tart berry similar to cranberry) and black currant (dark colored berry with a sharp, sweet taste) juice.

		Serving Size 16 fl. oz.   Amt Per Serving Calories  250 Fat Calories  0 Total Fat (g)  0 Saturated Fat (g)  0 Trans Fat (g)  0 Cholesterol (mg)  0 Sodium (mg)  5 Total Carbohydrates (g)  63 Fiber (g)  1 Sugars (g)  58 Protein (g)  1 Vitamin A  0% Vitamin C  10% Calcium  2% Iron  2% Caffeine (mg)  100

By far though, the very best tea latte I have ever, ever had t was last summer on Prince Edward Island at the Farmer's Market.  It was from Lady Baker's Tea Trolley ,  she had a tea machine that was very similar to an espresso machine but especially for tea!  It was made by Affinitea,  this machine is dreamy.

 

Imagine being able to use loose tea leaves to pump out steamy glasses of your favorite tea anytime you wanted...I'd have tea parties all the time.

Lady Baker made me a yummy mango tea variety one time, a London Fog another day and of course I also tried a green tea latte.  (the market was a frequent stop for me!)  Her high quality teas are also available on line for sale now too, just visit her site at Lady Baker's Tea Trolley.  As for the machine...I'll keep dreaming and perhaps one day the tea fairy might drop one by Birch Hill. 

Tea is not the same without scones and I have been trying to find the perfect scone recipe...tea time with scones, devonshire cream, jam and hot tea is pure bliss.  I wish everyone still did tea in the afternoons still, it was such a nice tradition.  Now it seems to be $5 coffees and chaos with a little bit of chit chat thrown in for good measure.  Definitely not the same.

Farewell for now, off to boil some water for tea and try yet another scone recipe.  I am also starting to potty train Ryan...this is day two.  You think by now I'd be good at this stuff, it is after all my third attempt!  We are doing the Nemo method, he adores Nemo and I don't have pull ups so we are using Finding Nemo swim diapers.  "Don't pee on Nemo" seems to be the phrase of the day.

Scone recipes?  Potty training tips?  Send them along...I'm ready for em!

Comments

[Shea Fields]

Hi Kerry,
Stickers are a great incentive, aswell as smarties. I truely believe in the straight to undies way to go, as pull ups feel just like diapers to a little bum. If a child shows no interest in the potty I would back away for a month or 2, then try again. Good luck!
Shea

[kerry]

Thanks Shea, I've been using gummy vitamins from Costco shaped as fish! He's going to have lots of Omega 3's this week. Me too as I can't resisit kids vitamins.

take care,
k

[Janey K]

OH! The 58 grams of sugar and 60 something grams of carbs would be of concern to me in those lattes! YIKES! That is where people get fooled--the see low calories and no fat and it is the sugar that kills them!

[Bet]

Potty training? We did Naked Summer. Ran around naked in the backyard and watered the bushes.

No pull ups, ever. Even at bed time. I know it's hard, but they have to get wet.

To do it over again, I would have waited longer. Our son was a little young, but he caught on. Carry tons of changes of clothing and never scold an accident (although, I doubt you would).

Wrapped presents (super cheap from the dollar store) were great incentives. He wanted to know what was in the "present" much more than he wanted a sticker or candy!

[Katie]

Yummm...tea lattes are wonderful. I have to try a London Fog...that sounds intriguing!

Strawberry Scones (courtesy of Barefoot ContessaIngredients

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
3/4 cup small-diced dried strawberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, add them to the dough, and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into squares with a 4-inch plain or fluted cutter, and then cut them in half diagonally to make triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked.