Tealicious

Mmmmm tea.... :) I'm, slogging my way through a paper and all I can think about is making myself some iced chai tea. My fella has some in his pantry that I love to steal. And yes, I could buy my own but it just seems more special to be able to have it when I come over to see him :)

image and a great chai recipe found here

The tea in question is known in these parts as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and we found it at a fantastic tea shop in Toronto called David's Tea. This Chai blend is your classic combo of black tea with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and is best steeped in a pot of hot milk with a touch of honey. The thing I love most about chai is how multifaceted the taste is: spicy, warm, earthy, and refreshing all at the same time. I highly recommend picking up some chai if you're trying to cut down on coffee consumption or if you like hot cocoa but want to try something new. Actually, while we're on the subject of sweet stuff, why not check out the caramel rooibos? It's smooth and creamy-tasting and will make you go nuts-in a good way. By the way, I'd like to say right now that I am in no way affiliated with David's Tea...although if they would like to compensate me for shamelessly promoting their product that'd be just fine with me :P I just love tea.

I also happen to love the presentation of tea, so when the packaging and the product are gorgeous I get deliriously happy. Par example? Kusmi Teas (seeing as I've already wh0red out David's Tea enough for one blog entry). Kusmi is perhaps one of the oldest tea purveyors in the world; they offer Russian-style blends dating back to the nineteenth century. I had a taste of their Polish blend No. 18 and was in bergamot heaven. And then I saw the tin.

And then I saw their other tins. Hellooo gorgeous! I am absolutely in love with everything about this tin; the rich colours, the vintage typeface and the chinoiserie-inspired design on the label. Imperial Russian style with French flair. I want to design a room around this freaking tin. Maybe something Ottoman-inspired, with loads of purple silk throw pillows. Not unlike this completely realistic representation of life in Abu Dhabi as featured in Sex and the City 2. Eh, ok let's not go that far, but we can agree that both the tea and the movie are a heck of a lot of fun to look at. Want more? Of course you do!

See you after the jump for some more deliciousness!

Hup Holland Hup!

The World Cup Final is upon us!!! I will be expanding this entry later but I just wanna say congrats to all of the Oranje fans out there!  Holland's gonna win....I can just feel it :)

p.s. image not mine

-GT

Miso Soup and a Quinoa Salad

This is what I had for dinner tonight :)

I was feeling like something healthy so I made some quinoa salad and miso soup. Seeing as I cannot ever leave well enough alone, I also prepared some edamame and chopped up some carrots, beets, tomatoes, various herbs, and of course a lime wedge.

More photos and a recipe after the jump!