Simple Pleasures: a hot "cuppa"

I don't remember much about Grade Seven, but Mrs. Pisesky, my Home Economics teacher, comes to mind whenever I make a pot of Orange Pekoe tea. It seems to me that when she taught us the basics of baking soda biscuits or whatever Home Ec meant in those Grade Seven days, she had us make tea, too.

Coming from a family of coffee drinkers, tea was rather exotic to me. But I learned to like Orange Pekoe because of Home Ec. To this day, a cup of it wakes happy olfactory memories, somehow. I suspect Mrs. Pisesky bought good old-fashioned Red Rose tea, and I learned to drink it with a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk in her Home Ec class once a week, long before I became a coffee drinker.

When I reached High School, my friend Mina introduced me to her mom's spicy-milky chai. Who knew how good black pepper, cardamom, ginger, and other spices could be when steeped with Taj Mahal tea and scalded milk? Some years later, Mrudula shared her masala recipe with me, and ever since, whenever I've wanted a more nourishing cup of tea, I make MMMMM Chai... Mina's Mom Mrudula's Marvelous Masala Chai. My daughter loves it, too.

After becoming a Second Cup coffee addict during university, tea left my consciousness for quite a while. But a 2016 January High Tea at Jenny Butchart's Residence in the gardens named after her (near the staunch High Tea city of Victoria B.C.) started me on a slow but steady turn toward a morning cuppa. Coffee's caffeine was getting to be too much for my inherited Essential Tremor, and during that visit, my best friend introduced me to a world of teas made from all sorts of blends of lovely organic herbs and spices. I owe Cathy a debt of gratitude for that!

And some of those teas have such lovely names. Pink Pearl (Green and White) Tea. Bachelor Button (Black) Tea (from Butchart Gardens). Gingerbread (Rooibos) Tea. And there were many others. My favourite at the moment is called White Divine, which has a light blueberry flavour and comes from a local coffee shop.

And then there are the backyard teas -- mint, and lemon balm, and raspberry leaf to settle an upset stomach. I've never been a big fan of the super-fruity commercial herbal teas, but they are a nice change once in a while. The teas mentioned above are just the shallowest end of the pond... there are thousands, if not millions of varieties, and more and more people inventing their own blends, which I would like to learn to do myself.

Don't get me wrong -- I haven't completely given up on coffee -- I drink decaf quite regularly, and still love my Lidia espresso once a week. That's a simple pleasure, too.

But after a weekend of feeling under the weather (no thanks to Spring Allergies that masqueraded as potential covid-19 and spoiled Easter plans with family) and several "restorative" cups of tea, I just want to draw attention to the simple pleasure of a good hot "cuppa" whatever kind of tea you prefer.

Appreciating simple pleasures improves our happiness quotient!

#61/100 Simple Suggestions... Grow your own herbs

I'm a latecomer to the world of herbs, but I guess you could say I'm an all out convert. Especially since I've been acquiring some wonderful recipes that call for different herbs, and a neighbour gave me Lois Hole's book, Herbs and Edible Flowers: Gardening for the Kitchen (2000, Hole's, ISBN 0-9682791-3-9). Oh, the flavours I can grow in my own back yard!

Basil, both this wonderful purple, and a green one,

Oregano, a must for my canned spaghetti sauce,

Sage, which just smells so good and is great in my mom's chicken dressing,

Lemon Balm makes a lovely tea,

Dill is essential for our pickled cucumbers,

and I'm really looking forward to making some Tabouli next week with my Parsley!

I didn't take pictures of Mint, Savoury, Rosemary, Thyme or Cilantro, but they're out there, too. My herb collection has been expanding over the years as friends have introduced me to new ones. My sister-in-law gave me a pot of herbs for my birthday three years ago, and that, coupled with my girlfriend's gift of lemon balm, started the herb patch idea. This year I'll have enough to dry and use through the winter.

Even if I didn't have the herb patch, I think I'd have to try to grow a little pot of herbs on a windowsill somewhere. They're a simple way to improve flavour (even just a little dill in scrambled eggs!) and please the palate... and growing them makes me happy!

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.