On My Table and In My Cup February 3rd-10th

Greetings of peace from my table here on the West Coast of Canada, my salute to the Olympics with my morning tea. I watched the opening ceremonies last night and was very impressed. I cannot help but feel pride and excitement as I look upon the faces of each and every athlete that entered the stadium and think of all that must first happen to get them to that moment. I find it moving to see. I prefer the Winter Olympic sports to watch and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Upon my table this week Hummus and Homicide by Tana Kashian. Just started this one.

I will be sharing my review for Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child tomorrow. I could not put this down and I have one heck of a book hangover from this one.
Outstanding read.

Also a great read was Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory. I found this my most favorite of the series and the characters are so great in this one. I hope that there will be a book 4!

Miranda James Claws for Concern was one of those reads that you just have a special place in your heart for. This series has surpassed my expectations and this one was incredibly well written, with so much heart and a great mystery too!

Pawprints & Predicaments by Bethany Blake was a lovely cozy read and one that I know you will read. A great post Christmas based mystery story with lots of great animals and friends too!

Rescue cups on my table this week were a guilty pleasure for me this week, this one was a $3.99 rescue.

This Paragon rescue is a lovely light blue and it has the biggest flowers on it, I love the look and feel of it, right down to the delicate handle. This one was a bit more at $14.99 but I fell in love with it.

This $4 rescue has quite a good story which I will share next week...
In my cup this week I have had Murchie's new Sweet Heart blend of black and green tea, with fruit and delicate spices. A lovely light holiday tea. I have also been enjoying the Plumb Deluxe Readers Nook Tea, A Laura Secord Green tea, A Orange, Honeybush tea from Twinings Honeybush & Mandarin Orange tea,   and A Celestial Seasonings Chamomile & Lavender tea. I have of course started most of my days off with the Murchies Black Vanilla that is my long standing favorite!
Thank you for taking time today to join me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup August 15th to 22nd...

Saturday again and I have had a very productive week. Lots of new teas on my table and in my cup and I finished two books this week. Lavender Earl Grey in my cup yesterday morning...

I read, reviewed and enjoyed Tails. You Loose this week by Carol J. Perry and was thrilled to be able to use my framed Halloween Card from Last year. I found it at Walmart and it is such a pretty card, I bought it for myself and put it in a frame. I can not wait to see if this artist puts out a new card for this year!

Yesterday I shared my Watermelon Lime Zinger Iced Tea Tutorial....I am on my second 20 bag box from Celestial Seasonings, I really love this iced tea! Its not bad hot either, caffeine free, natural and delightful!

I also read Be My Banshee a new series for September from Joyce and Jim Lavene. I highly recommend it if you are looking for and enjoy paranormal mysteries. These authors have a winning combination of characters with this story and I can not wait to see what they come up with next.

I have enjoyed quite a few cups of new tea this week, Trader Joe's Earl Grey is a really good bagged tea.

 I have also been enjoying Celestial Seasonings Tension tamer which I added to my last batch of iced tea and it was a nice addition. I also had the Victorian Earl Grey by Celestial Seasonings which was not bad but not soon to become a favorite of mine.

I made cookies and bread this week...

this bread is fantastic and I know I will be making it again soon. No tea parties this last week but I have a special on planned for next week I am excited to share with you all soon.

I updated the Facebook page with an Autumn inspired banner and reminder of the up coming Buy A Friend A Book Day! I love this event and hope you will find away to participate in your own way. It is simple you just buy a book and give it to a friend. This is a fun one to do and I can not wait to share a few books with a few friends as well! As I live in Canada when I send the book out to my friends it can take up to two weeks to get to them in the USA or even here in Canada so the fun get's extended! I make sure to buy the book on the 31st and send it that day! Using The Book Depository is an easy way to participate because there is not cost for shipping and I can direct ship to my friend. 

That is my week in review and I look forward to sharing my review of Be My Banshee Tomorrow!

Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

How Make Watermelon Lime Zinger Iced Tea Like I Have Been Enjoying!

When I was at the Celestial Seasoning Factory in Boulder Colorado a few weeks ago I got to do lots of taste testing and my favorite of their iced teas was their Watermelon Lime Zinger tea. I asked the lady offering the samples just how she made it and now I am going to share that with you.

In the Celestial Seasonings Tea Shop I purchased 6 boxes of the tea and now I am wishing I bought more! There are 20 tea bags in each box and the price for the box you can make this tea for pennies a glass! I am truly hopeful that my grocery store here in Canada carries this blend and if not I will be placing a large order soon I am sure!

I am a big fan of the Passion Tea lemonade at Starbucks and my son Alex and I have stopped their often this summer to share a Venti sized drink ( I get mine with 1/2 the sweetness), which doesn't last long. Making this tea which I think tastes even better is not only going to save us money but has opened our eyes to making a great quality tea at home without adding Lemonade or Juice! I am going to make and include this tea in his lunch box for school and feel great about doing it as I control the sugar! I also loved the assurances I got during my tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tour that they use natural indigence and as a bonus Celestial Seasonings Makes their teabags with out strings and staples in a natural fiber tea bag that saves 3.5 million pounds of waste a year out of landfills!

 

To make your own you will need:
-4 Watermelon Line Zinger Herbal Tea From Celestial Seasonings
-A heat safe measuring cup
-A heat safe Juice Container
-A scant 1/4 cup of sugar or sweetener
-8 cups of water (2 of them boiling water)

Step 1-Put 2 cups of water on to boil in either your electric kettle or on the stove.  In a 2 cup measuring cup place 4 tea bags.
Step 2- Pour the boiling water over your teabags and allow your tea to steep 4-6 minutes.
Step 3- Measure out your sweetener if desired. Add it to your juice container.
Step 4- Add your steeped tea infusion to your juice container. Stir to dissolve.
Step 5- Add remaining water to you container and then allow your tea to come to room temperature and then place it in the fridge, or pour over a glass of ice and enjoy!

*The recipe inside the box for this tea is slightly different then mine so feel free to experiment with the strength of your tea!

  I hope you enjoy making and sharing this tea with our loved ones. Alex sure loves it and so do I! Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Iced Tea and  A Cozy Mystery!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

New Tea To Me And A New Recipe Book And A Canadian Mail Delivery Mystery...

I came home to a notice that Canada Post our postal system is changing yet again how mail is delivered and lets just say I am less then impressed. I already wait on average 14 days longer for each piece of mail and package then my US counterparts. I am really frustrated. Mostly because I have several books on order that should have arrived while I was away for two weeks and have not yet come. My mail is usually delivered by 11:45 am Monday through Friday when I get mail but now the notice I got says it will be changing yet again, likely less often and all to save money....but I digress. While I await the mail delivery and hope my wonderful mail man for the last 6 years has not lost his job here is a recipe and tea review, the mystery here is when my mail delivery will return to the "New Normal" I am dreading!

I picked up this book called Cookie Swap by Lauren Chattman,  on clearance (as it was a damaged book) a few months back at Indigo our local chain book store and figured I should try a few of the recipes. I started with the first one for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Though mine did not turn out exactly like the photo they were pretty good. Just slightly different from my regular recipe and the boys and my husband ate them up in record time.
I do like my cookie recipe better as it is not as sweet at this one but still very good.

On to trying the tea. The Victorian Earl Grey Tea by Celestial Seasonings is not bad. It is quite tasty but it has for sure that signature Celestial Seasonings taste that I can not quite place but is best described as "tangy" this Earl Grey has lots of Bergamot in it. Personally I think it is quite tasty but I do prefer a more smooth tasting creamy Earl Grey.
Paired with the chocolate chip cookies this was a nice afternoon treat. To view the book Cookie Swap please click here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea, a cozy recipe and a Canadian Mail Mystery. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

My Version Of The Giving Plate

I am thrilled to share my Giving Plate that I made last night. A few weeks ago I shared this craft idea I found on Pinterest and Facebook and I wanted to give it a try!

The above is the original I found. Try as I might I can not write in a straight line so I did what a lefty impatient crafter does best and well followed the circle of the plate.

I was thrilled with how this turned out. I washed the plate and dried it, then used a new sharpie marker and wrote out my poem. I placed the cup in a cold oven and then turned the oven on to 350 degrees for 30 mins, then I turned it off and allowed it to cool almost completely.

I had more plate when the poem ended so I  added "May love and laughter fill your home and joy follow this plate wherever it may roam." Then I drew a heart in the center. I really enjoyed doing this and I am going to do this again. Try as I might I can not get my writing to look like all the wonderful examples on line but I think that adds to the charm of the plate, it is a true representation of who I am and how I write.

As I was creating the plate I was enjoying one of my new teas from Celestial Seasoning Teas this one is called  Tension Tamer. Caffeine Free and exactly what I needed this evening! This tea contains Eleuthero (Ginseng) Peppermint, Cinnamon, Ginger, Chamomile, Lemongrass, Licorice, Catnip (I know what you are thinking but catnip calms humans, but makes cats crazy! Go Figure!) this tea also included B6 and B12...I am so glad I brought this tea home and I am hoping I can find it here in Canada! If you are someone who enjoys Herbal Tea or someone who is under stress in your life I can tell you that this is a lovely blend and even great cold!
Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Tea Craft today! As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup August 8th-15th...Home At Last

I have spent the better part of the last three days in the car with three children, my husband and a huge amount of tea I purchased! Now safely settled at home here in Canada, I can say I have happily added a few US States I had not yet been to, to my list. We traveled from Washington State, down through Oregon, over to Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, then Wyoming, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Washington then home! I can personally attest to the rest stop quality of each of these states and tell you if you have to go in Wyoming, that is the place to do it! These people know how to make one free comfortable, welcome and educated their rest stops are fantastic. Though we did not stop for long in Wyoming, I would say that is a place I would like to spend more time in for sure, and not just at the rest stops.

Likely my most favorite tea related purchase of the trip was from the Celestial Seasonings Tour I took in Boulder Colorado. It was fantastic and look at my beautiful teapot. It was hard to leave behind and if I had space I would have bought a few more then I did.

 I purchased a lovely little breakfast tea set as well while I was there,  it was 1/2 price. But there were at least a dozen more I wanted! The cup and saucer were $5.45 and the teapot was $12.45 honestly would you have left it? Okay maybe you would have but I had such a great time I could not leave it behind. With the Canadian Exchange rate being as lousy as it was I really could not justify purchasing more but I really really wanted too.

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I brought my own cup and saucer on the trip and I am so glad that I did that, tea tastes terrible in Styrofoam and paper cups and this really helped me to feel more grounded and relaxed. I will say that the cup and saucer made it home in one piece and that I would do this again in a heart beat. I will bring a tea pot next time though as well. In addition to my own electric tea kettle for boiling water and my teacup saucer and selection of tea I was quite a sight between 4-6 am each morning but I tell you it really makes a difference. Also in my hotel room before dinner and bed it was lovely to have this treasure and comfort with in arms reach.

I read three books on my 11 day vacation, I finished Death of An English Muffin by Victoria Hamilton, Give Em Pumpkin To Talk About by Joyce and Jim Lavene and Mount Rushmore Q&A by Don "Nick" Clifford. Not bad for for me feeling car sick a lot of the time.

I would like to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of you who came on vacation virtually with me and for your patience with my posts. I am so looking forward to reading my next cozy and got some great inspiration to continue writing a few cozy series of my own. One day I hope to share those with you as well.
Thank you for joining me for A cup of tea and a cozy mystery. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Nothing on my table this week As I have been Traveling, but lots in my cup August 1st - 8th Tour of Celestial Seasonings In Boulder Colorado A Must Do For Tea Lovers

This is me, in a hair net and totally over the moon to have been able to tour the Celestial Seasonings Tea Facility In Boulder Colorado. Not my best photo ever but likely one of the most fun afternoons I have had so far on this trip.

I love the art work on all the boxes all so cozy and perfect with a cozy mystery. While I could not take photos inside the factory the tour was quite something, about 20 mins and well worth the time. Every tea that Celestial Seasonings makes is blended, made, packaged and shipped from their Boulder Colorado location. It is their only location so every sip of Celestial Seasoning Tea is from the very spot I stood in their factory today!

I loved tasting the new teas and loved the Watermelon Lime Zinger Iced tea. So much so that I purchased 6 boxes and can not wait to serve it at my next tea party!

If you happen to have this tea at your local store pick it up, place 8 bags into your pitcher, cover it with boiling hot water, let it steep for 6-8 mins add 1/2 cup of white sugar to taste and then fill your pitcher with water and ice. Then enjoy!

I bought myself this tea pot while I was there and it is huge. I can not wait to show you what I mean when I get home but it is about as tall as my laptop and it is wide too! Can not wait to have this to show you on my table at home!

I really wanted to bring home the Owl teapot too as he was stunning but had to leave him behind do to lack of space but I did pick up another beautiful pot and cup and saucer that I will share when I get home!

All in all this visit was spectacular. I learned lots and enjoyed sampling the new tea flavors and the old standbys too! They had a fantastic gift store, tea shop and book store! I highly recommend stopping in if you ever find yourself in Boulder Colorado! Click here to learn more about Celestial Seasonings and Their Free Tours.
Thank you for joining me this week on A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery I look forward to sharing more fun finds from the road as I travel this up coming week as well.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com