Day 29 featuring Nine Herbs- Goldfish tea

Fever free on day 29, so I am good to work from home!

https://nineherbs.uk/?product_cat=goldfish-tea-bags

I've seen these gold fish tea shaped tea bags and I have been fascinated with the way they look in water.  I splurged and bought some.  I figured I was paying for the novelty and if I went to a tea shop I could pay $3 for a fancy tea.  So, I bought a tin of goldfish.

I have to say they look really cute.  At first I was under whelmed, but then the more I watched it the more adorable I thought it was.  He just floated around the glass tea pot.

This was an herbal tea- so I had my electric kettle set for 212 degrees.  It says to steep up to 10 minutes.  And since I had it in a tea pot and it was making two cups at one time, I left it in for about 10 minutes.

The mint tea was really good. I was pleased that the fish was not only pretty but tasty too.  This was a fun treat for day 29 at home.

#Kettleson

Give joy and find joy

Kevita, Pineapple Peach Kombucha

I was craving some sushi, so I went to Giant Eagle to see what they had.  And then, I saw this 40 oz bottle of Pineapple Peach Kombucha.  It was a good price so I decided to try it.

I thought it was great.  I saw that there was stevia in kombucha, but I hardly noticed it when I drank it.  It as not overly strong like some stevia's can be.  Sometimes when there is stevia in something I can not finish the drink.  That was not the case with this one. I enjoyed the entire bottle.  

The win win is that this is good for my body and the bottle is great to use when I make my own kombucha.

The pineapple and peach played really well together.  The pineapple was more forward then the peach.  It was really tasty.

https://www.kevita.com/pineapple-peach/

Sparkling Water, Kombucha Culture (Filtered Water, Black Tea Extract*, Green Tea Extract*, Natural Flavor*)*, Filtered Water, Cane Sugar*, Bacillus coagulans LactoSpore MTCC 5856, Ginger Extract*, Pineapple Flavor*, Peach Flavor*, Black Tea Extract*, Black Tea Essence*, Caffeine (Green Coffee Bean Extract)*, Green Tea Extract*, Stevia Leaf Extract*.

Giant Eagle does a nice job with their sushi.  It went well with my kombucha.

Day 28 Featuring The Green Garden- Butterfly Pea

Day 28 of working from home.  I am fever free, so I am good to go.

For all those parents who are teaching science, this one is for you!!!  I am going to make blue tea turn purple!!

I have butterfly pea flowers.  There are lots of edible flowers that make good tea- I've had dandelion tea, marigold tea, hibiscus tea, rose tea, etc.  Well, here is butterfly pea tea.

https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Ingredients-Nontoxic-GMO-Free-Packaging/dp/B01HCL8A1A

from Amazon, "Butterfly pea tea is naturally blue and made by collecting butterfly pea flowers, also known as Asian Pigeon Wing, in bloom during the early morning hours which are then immediately sun-dried. No chemicals are used in the process nor while growing the flowers, so you can be sure to receive a 100% natural ingredient.

A beautiful colorful tea that can be brewed either hot or cold, and blue or purple! The Butterfly pea flower is an incredible blue plant that has been used for centuries in Thai traditional cooking. When the dried flowers are brewed, the drink turns to a delightful blue. If you then squeeze a slice of lemon into the tea, it magically turns from blue to purple right before your eyes. This fun drink can be mixed with syrup, honey, and lemon to give you that sweet, herbal taste. The benefits of this tea include strengthening hair, keeping it looking silky and soft, and naturally detoxing body. This tea can also be made cold by adding ice, turning it into a delightful summer drink." 

These are straight up Butterfly Pea flowers

Since this is am herbal tea, I heated the water to over 200 degrees.  I steeped for 3 minutes.  The water turned this beautiful blue color!!  I love it!!

Once you have the tea- if you add lemon (or in this case lime) juice to the tea it turns purple!!!

How gorgeous is that?!!!  I love this purple!!!

The tea itself doesn't have much taste, since I added lime, it mainly tasted like a warm lime tea.  I bet if you add these flowers to other teas if you get this same great color?  If herbal tea is kind of a yellow color and if I add these blue flower- I wonder if I will get a great green color?  I will have to try it and let you know.

Today my friend, Pam, stopped by for some tea.  I made her the Bird and Blend Earl Grey Creme tea into a London Fog.  It was such a nice surprise to see her!

Sarah popped over for some bubble tea.  I made her a lavender bubble tea with pomegranate bursting bubble.  Sarah is the one who painted me the picture below.  I think it is great, it is hanging in my living room right now! 

#Kettleson

#KerriesCupofTea

Hope you are finding joy and giving joy.

Day 27 featuring Tiesta Tea, Maui Mango cold brew

Day 27 of working from home.  I am fever free, so I am good to go to work.

I decided to share about cold brewing with you.  Cold brewing is a wonderful way to drink your tea...especially now as it gets warmer outside.

Cold brew is great- have you tried it yet?  I put in about 1 teaspoons per 8 oz of cold water, within 5-8 minutes I have cold brew tea. It doesn't get bitter because the water is cold and you are not releasing any tanins. I can add water to the cup at least 2-3 more times throughout the day.  You can add ANY loose leaf tea to water for cold brew. 

There are several ways you can cold brew- you can buy special containers or you can simply add a tea bag to your water! Easy Peasy!

What are the benefits of cold brew tea? Cold brew tea is infused slowly over time to extract more goodness, producing a deliciously mild but flavorful taste with no hint of bitterness. And you can add water multiple times- you get a lot of bang for your buck.

https://tiestatea.com/products/maui-mango?variant=31878731268193

 pineapple (pineapple, cane sugar), orange slices, mango (mango,cane sugar), natural flavors, safflowers, hibiscus, strawberries, marigolds

from the website, "IMMUNITY BLEND: Our Immunity blends contain rooibos, herbal and fruit teas, which help you recover by fueling your body with a variety of vitamins and nutrients."

Even though there is rooibos in this tea, I would never know.  I can see the red strains of tea and I smell it, but cold brewing it I never taste it. This tea is great warm or cold

I love the fruity notes in this tea.  I filled up this cup 4 times with water and I got great fruit flavor every time.

If you live in Ohio and there is a Buelhers grocery store near you- they say Tiesta there.  

My mom stopped in to get a tea bag of Maui Mango to cold brew at home.

#KettlesOn

Find joy and give joy

Loosen Up Vanilla Chai Latte with Almond Milk

https://www.facebook.com/loosenuptea/?eid=ARAI6Wx5xSu9Yef9Zq55LSAOBV9ufMTtL9ej4yFi1Hxmp18cShwccUvYPjwHAfo7tIgAhPLh7HYXeOXX

I just discovered this tea company, Loosen Up.  This tea is made here in Ohio. There is a great story with the young man who created this tea.  He started his business when he was 19.

This tea is really good!  I love all the chucks of goodness in this tea.  The vanilla is subtle, but there.  You get these nice notes of vanilla and the other notes of chai- like cardamom, clove, black pepper and more.  One unique thing about tea is that the creator, Tyler, adds an olive leaf to most all of his teas.  

Tyler's dad who is a Master Herbalist, taught him the powers of the olive leaf, so Tyler adds an olive leaf to his teas now.  I think that is super cool.

I have been enjoying making this tea as part of my "Kettle's On" ministry.   During the 30 plus days we have been sheltering at home I have been offering free tea to anyone who stops by my house.  It's one small way to give joy.  

Anyone is welcome to stop by my house, wait on my porch, and I will make them the tea of their choice.

I hope you are finding joy and giving joy!

Kettle's On and taking requests....chai's made to order

I was excited to get a message from my friends, Matthew and Megan.  They wondered if the Kettle was on.

I made them the Global Tastes cinnamon chai and Loosen Up vanilla chai.  I also sent some kombucha home with them.

Global Tastes- https://www.amazon.com/Loose-Sampler-Great-Assorted-Variety/dp/B07XG3CTXR?ref_=ast_bbp_dp

Loosen Up- https://www.facebook.com/loosenuptea/?eid=ARCGlZGV765OaJ0ymn0z888LxWTuWw_VszMRp3rqAyzJ4M7POjWB8Z6djHRggJXNDJiRZMHucork-1i0

I am always happy to make tea to go.  Just let me know what you like.

Megan made me some AMAZING chocolate Chip Cookies!  I have to say these cookies were the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever have!!

She gave me the recipe. 

https://www.crazyforcrust.com/bakery-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/?fbclid=IwAR1DA1busGUZbX1WaJ3swsU3rjtbMonecruFoSpyCjubXp3XprFpipoUn08

#KettlesOn

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies are gooey, chocolatey, XL, and filled with brown butter!

Yields 12-18 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sticks butter we’re going to brown it!
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, about 6 minutes, until it becomes brown in color. It will foam, reduce, then foam again. Once it’s done cooking the foam is a light brown and it will dissipate after you remove it from the heat. Once it starts to brown, keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Let sit for about 5 minutes to cool. (Here is a visual on how to brown butter.)
• Pour into an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. While still hot, add both sugars and mix on low until combined. Let sit to cool for a few minutes.
• While butter mixture is cooling, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.
• Turn mixer (with butter mixture bowl attached) on low. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely. Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract (optional, but it adds great flavor). Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Important: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for at least 3 hours. I chilled mine overnight. It must be COMPLETELY cold before you bake it for these to turn out properly.
• NOTE: to make it easier to scoop, let the dough chill for about 30 minutes so it's not too liquidy, then scoop your dough onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Cover with plastic and chill for several hours or overnight, then place on baking sheets as in step 7 below.)
• Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silpat liners. If your dough has been chilling overnight, you may need to let it sit at room temp for about 20 minutes before you can scoop it. Even then, it’s gonna be an arm workout. It’s worth it!
• Scoop out 1/4 cup sized balls and place 6-8 on a sheet. They don’t spread a lot, but they’re BIG cookies.
• Bake for about 11-12 minutes. They will be golden on the outside and still doughy on the inside - perfect! Let cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from pans to cool completely.

Sure House, Chai with Chili

I popped in to get a chai latte with chili and I was super excited to see my friend Rachel was working.  And then as I leaving I ran into my friend Cari.

So, while I was social distancing I was blessed to see two friends!!!

https://www.surehousecoffee.com/our-menu

I then headed over to see my friend, Deb.  Who is still working at the house.  She is the one who turned me on to chia with chili.

Sure House makes their chai and then for extra you can add Chili Pepper Simple Syrup!! It is so good!!  I love the extra little kick that it gives the chai.

I was stopped at the door, no one but the 5 working in the home office are allowed in.  So, I talked to a few co-workers from a distance and delivered the chai to Deb.

I miss my friends at work!

Guard at the door...