Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

Mint Tea Refresher Tips for the Best Tea

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Today I have a few mint tea refresher tips for the best tea experience! Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it’s especially delightful.

If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.
William Ewart Gladstone

Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it's especially delightful. Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. If you're growing mint, I would suggest you plant it in a container up off the ground or it will take over your garden!I recently purchased these sweet pots of Mojito Mint from a local greenhouse.Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it's especially delightful. Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. If you're growing mint, I would suggest you plant it in a container up off the ground or it will take over your garden!Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. Most experts advise planting it in a container, up off the ground, or it will take over your garden! It will even send out shoots and sprout new plants where they land :)

When planting mint, make sure to provide good air circulation and well-drained soil to prevent rust or powdery mildew. If you see wilted leaves or dark spots, pinch off the affected leaves immediately and watch the plant closely.

How to Prepare Mint Tea

  • Harvest 1/2 cup of fresh mint (I use stems and all). Rinse and pat dry.
  • Place mint in the strainer that fits in your teapot. I love using my little cast iron pot I found at Chapters/Indigo. They don’t always carry these lovely little pots, but you can also get them from Teavana.
  • Meanwhile, to warm up the teapot, boil water and pour in about 1/4 cup. Cover and let sit for a minute or two (this is without the mint!)
  • Discard the water used to warm the pot.
  • Set the strainer filled with mint into the pot and fill with the remaining hot water.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Pour into cups, add a fresh mint leaf and enjoy!

Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it's especially delightful. Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. If you're growing mint, I would suggest you plant it in a container up off the ground or it will take over your garden!Did you know mint contains vitamins A and C, as well as Calcium and Iron?Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it's especially delightful. Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. If you're growing mint, I would suggest you plant it in a container up off the ground or it will take over your garden!
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Mint tea is soothing and refreshing, and if you can use fresh mint it's especially delightful. Growing mint is easy and satisfying as this plant is vigorous and aggressive. If you're growing mint, I would suggest you plant it in a container up off the ground or it will take over your garden!

Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread

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On Sunday I whipped up a batch of Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread as a way to make use of the abundance of herbs I have growing on my deck.

For me, one of the most calming and satisfying moments in gardening is walking outside with a pair of clippers in hand, ready to snip herbs for a meal I’m preparing. I have fond memories of this ritual going back years and years; back to when I was a newlywed, and we had to drive out to a farmer’s field where we rented a patch of land and filled it with everything from parsley to corn.

I love savoury dishes and anything using herbs paired with parmesan sets my mouth to watering. This recipe is so simple and easy there’s no excuse to not have these on hand all the time. Served with a lovely potato soup … well, does it get any better?

Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread, Keeping With the Times
Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread, Keeping With the Times
Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread, Keeping With the Times

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Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread
 
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix together parmesan, salt, pepper, herbs and flour.
  2. Place butter in mixer, and mix on low until fluffy.
  3. Add the parmesan-herb mixture to the butter and beat until combined.
  4. Add 1 tablespoon of water to help bring the dough together.
  5. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes.
  6. Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thick.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut small shapes, re-rolling dough as needed.
  8. Place shortbread on a cookie sheet.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes. The time depends on how thin the shortbread is, as well as how crispy and toasty you want the finished product.

Rosemary Thyme Parmeson Shortbread, Keeping With the Times
I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

For my photography tribe … I have a post coming soon describing my food styling process – hope to see you then!

Recipe inspired by the lovely Jennifer Farley of Savory Simple

Roasted Garlic, Onion, Raspberry, Rosemary Jam

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Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onion, Raspberry, Rosemary Jam… now that’s a mouthful!

Roasted Onion Garlic Raspberry Rosemary Jam

There are lots of recipes for roasted garlic and onion jams, but this one has a twist that I haven’t seen before.

We were on holidays and I was trying to make this when I realized I didn’t have any sugar. As I rummaged through the cupboard I found a jar of (seedless) raspberry jelly… hmmmm… I wonder how that would taste….

Well, delicious, that’s how! The raspberry jelly makes this tasty treat go right off the charts.

Once I start eating it, quite honestly I can’t stop. Hubby and I have spent quite a bit of time debating as to how best to serve it.

Roasted Onion Garlic Raspberry Rosemary Jam

We came up with quite a few suggestions…

1. With a spoon (me)

2. With meat (he)

3. With crackers and brie (me, he)

4. On a whole baked brie (me, he)

5. With crackers and cream cheese (me)

6. With a fork, or even a knife if needs be (me)

So I thought I’d share my super not so secret recipe here with you, and for me, when next I go to make it and can’t remember what I did.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onion, Raspberry, Rosemary Jam
 
Ingredients
  • 3-4 large onions, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 heads garlic (roasted)
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 jar seedless red raspberry jelly
  • 4 garlic cloves - sliced
  • 3 - 4 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
Instructions
  1. Cut the top off of the garlic heads and cover in foil. Roast in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
  2. In a heavy skillet, slowly saute onions in butter until they have turned a light caramel colour. It may take up to half an hour. Add the balsamic vinegar and water as needed to keep them from drying out. You can't really walk away from this task - you don't want to burn them, so stay close by, and stir often.
  3. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the onions.
  4. In another skillet, saute the garlic slices in butter until lightly browned - this will take about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the raspberry jelly to the onion, roasted garlic mixture and cook and heat until the jelly has melted. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the garlic slices, and the fresh rosemary.
  7. Heat gently for about 5 minutes, and ladle into jars. Store in refrigerator.

Roasted-Garlic-Onion-Rosemary-Jam-Collage

Don’t forget the fresh rosemary!

Roasted Onion Garlic Raspberry Rosemary Jam

Mesclun Mix Salad Presentation

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I created this salad from a “Mesclun Mix” which is a term used to describe a “mix of salad greens grown closely together, and harvested while young”.

Mesclun Mix, Salad, Balsamic Dressing

I have a little herb/lettuce garden growing in pots on my deck. I have to keep it on the deck because this creature roams our yard and would clean it up in short order. There would nothing left.

I created this salad from a “Mesclun Mix” which is a term used to describe a “mix of salad greens grown closely together, and harvested while young”.

All mixes are a bit different, combining Royal Oak Leaf lettuce, Red Salad Bowl lettuce, Curled Chervil, Green Ice lettuce, Paris White Cos lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mustard greens, and endive, just to name a few.

I purchased a pot “ready-made” so I don’t really know exactly what’s in this salad, but I think there is spinach, beet leaves, mustard greens, and green lettuce. Some of the plants have flowers, and flower spikes, and I also used a few leaves from my tiny basil bush.

The colours, and textures, and shapes are all so unique and beautiful, which inspired me to have a little fun and make a salad bouquet! Of course, this is not something you are going to serve at your next family reunion, but maybe next time you are having only a few people (adults) for a special dinner, this would be an elegant and fun way to start the meal. Serve this delicious Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing on the side and sit back and wait for the rave reviews!

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Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp white wine
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Combine, shake well and drizzle over salad greens.

Nutritional Value