London Fog

Have you ever had a "London Fog"?

I just recently heard about them and decided it was worth trying.  Not sure if it should be called a flavored steamer or a latte tea...

Here's how you make one:

Heat a cup of milk.  I did mine on the stove so the flavors would have time to blend.  In that cup of milk have an Earl Grey or Lady Grey (has lavender) tea bag or use loose tea as I did (you'll have to strain it when you are finished) and a portion of a vanilla bean or some vanilla extract (my choice).

Heat to your favorite temperature.

Pour/strain into your favorite mug/cup.

Add your favorite sweetener.

Curl up in your favorite chair wrapped in your favorite quilt/afghan.

Enjoy.

Tea Time Treats: Colorful Israeli Couscous Salad (Recipe)

At Tea Time Treats, the recipe challenge for May was 'colorful'.  Rather appropriate for spring, isn't it?  I immediately thought of this light and delicious salad.  So good!

http://hedgecombers.com/2016/05/02/tea-time-treats-linky-party-may-2016/ 

Salud! at Whole Foods: Tuscan Kale Chopped Salad

At a recent cooking class at Whole Foods, we did this delicious winter salad.  I'd never used Tuscan kale before and I'm quite impressed.  It's a 'kinder, gentler' kale as compared to the curly kale I'm used to.

Current Tea Time Treats Challenge:

Mediterranean Baked Feta

At a recent cooking class, we prepared an appetizer that was different from the 'same old' appetizers you always see.  To say it was the hit of the class session would be an understatement!

The recipe theme for the December Tea Time Treats was "sugar and spice".  I fudged a bit on the 'sugar'... instead of having white sugar, this uses honey instead.

Note:  Buy the best Feta you can find.

Tea Time Treats: Lamb and Lentil Soup

Here's one of our favorite 'cold day' soup recipes.

Lentil and Lamb Soup 

  2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  2 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

  1 large onion -- finely chopped

  2 garlic cloves -- minced

  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  2 cups brown lentils -- rinsed and picked over (I used what I had: red and green)

  14 1/2 ounces canned chop tomatoes with juice

  8 cups chicken broth

  1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

  Freshly ground black pepper -- (optional)

  Salt

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Brown the lamb, a few pieces at a time, transferring the browned meat to the insert of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker.

When all the lamb has been browned, add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the skillet, and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. The lamb will be tender.

Skim any excess fat from the surface of the soup and add the parsley.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and some black pepper, if you like, before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

http://hedgecombers.com/2015/11/01/tea-time-treats-november-2015/

Bacon Quiche with a Different Type of Pastry

Are you tired of the same old pastry crust for your quiches?  I was... and didn't even realize it!

That is until I took a class at Whole Foods called "Amazing Bacon".  The Bacon Quiche had a wonderful flaky crust.

This recipe has you making mini quiches... which are great for a party, but not so great for feeding a husband and company.  So I doubled the dough recipe to make my standard 9X13 quiche.

It turned out SO good!

Summer Baking: Pesto Stuffed French Bread

The one thing that says "summer" the most to me is fresh pesto.  Basil is my only annual plant and I am so sad to see it go after the first cold snap.  Yes, I do freeze a lot of pesto but you know it is not the same as fresh.

So let's have some fresh baked pesto stuffed French bread!

Ready to knead.

But don't knead too much!

Divide the dough for four loaves of regular French bread or two loaves of stuffed bread.

Roll it out.

Put the pesto on and spread it out.

Then jelly-roll it up.

Make sure the ends and seam are pinched closed.

Ready to go in the oven in a French loaf pan.  (You don't have to use the loaf pan but the bread will be flatter... more rustic looking.)

A perfect loaf of bread.

See the pesto?

So good!

Tea Time Treats: Chocolate & Strawberry Cookie

This month's challenge at Tea Time Treats was "chocolate".   What perfect timing since my most recent class at Whole Foods had a wonderful chocolate dessert!  It's a recipe by Chef Dan Maggiepinto, owner of Caffe Nona (a featured restaurant on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives).

The recipe consists of 3 'layers':

A rich chocolate cookie,

strawberry salsa, and

chocolate-hazelnut cannoli cream.

ENJOY!!