A Spot of Tea

At the end of last year, close to Christmas, I had a Christmas Wish.   Now this wasn't the ordinary I want this and that and one of those type Christmas Wish, but one for what would really matter to me in the new year.   

I find especially at Christmas that we tend to try to overcompensate and end up spending a lot more than we should sometimes on people that do not really need gifts from us.   So my Christmas Wish was for time.  Time to spend with my friends and family in the new year making memories and just reconnecting.   In the technology age, although we're more connected than ever, I don't think we're really connecting.

Today, my friend and I made good on the first of my "Time Wishes".   We had tea.    Now a little history.   We're both from islands which either were or are part of the British Commonwealth and have a great British influence.   Neither of us had ever been to tea before so it was a new experience and we would spend the time reconnecting.

Our chosen location a local tea house in a small town  not far away.   We didn't quite know what to expect.    It was a relaxed and quaint setting in a converted house from another century.  Each room of the house was set up with 3 to 4 tables set with a nice mix of china, silver and cloth napkins.  The service was on point, attentive, but not overbearing. With a full (4 pages) tea menu, it was a little difficult to narrow down our choice, but we agreed on a pot of Mandarin Mango Green Tea. Two Island girls, I think they had us at "Mango". We chose well, it was delish with proper sugar cubes. 

 We finished all three levels of our tea caddy (that's the food)...Tier 1 scones and fruit; 

 Tier 2 assorted sandwiches including a tasty pimento cheese, a raisin bread cream cheese and a lovely, light and refreshing cucumber sandwich;

and Tier 3 - dessert.

After we had drained the teapot we sat and chatted for a while.

The most wonderful part was making good on the first of the gifts from my Holiday Wish. The gift of an afternoon spent with a friend. Thank you for a great afternoon!

What gifts are important to you?   What goals do you have for the New Year?  How do you plan to accomplish them?

A Relaxing Day of Work

 I love to cook.   The only problem is, living alone I tend to over do it when I do.   Although I should cook everyday, I don't because cooking for me is an event and I don't know how to cook for one or two...so I have a tendency to get bored eating  the same thing all week.

For the New Year,  I have a goal of cooking more.  The actual decree read something like "Eat out less and when I do make it a quality place.  After all, I can make rice and beans - do I need to go to Chipotle?"  You could insert your favorite, go to, quick meal that you know darn well you could make at home (Pasta, potatoes, etc).

I've also realized that in order to control what goes in, it's best to make it myself.   A dear person said it best when she said  "Cooking at home is kinder on your waist and your wallet".

This week I have been blessed because my friends have just had a baby, so I'm able to cook and do a nice thing by bringing them dinner.

Yesterday I was snooping around for some plant based whole food ideas and came across some from the country of my birth, Jamaica.   Everyone knows Jamaica's favorite son  Bob Marley, a prominent Reggae musician, who was a Rastafarian.   In addition to what they are popularly known for, Rastafarians mostly adopt a lifestyle that is called "Ital".   The saying is "Ital is Vital"   In order to maintain their vitality, Rastafarians adopt a plant based diet, with little salt.   What salt is used is usually natural sea salt. There are a few other guidelines, but that was what I was looking for - plant based and low sodium.

On today's menu (note these are not all eaten together, but provide a variety of options for meals):

1.  Ital Inspired Vegetable Soup (pictured)
2.  Curried Cabbage and Green Banana
3.  Rice and Peas
4.  Tabbouleh
5.  Assorted Fruits (pictured)
6.  There were also some vegetarian meatballs, but those were premade so I'm not counting those.


The soup started with 8 cups of water and 1 cup of yellow split peas.   That's the extent of the recipe....LOL!    Once that is cooked I just started layering:

Herbs and aromatics;   Garlic, thyme, onions, scallions, bell peppers, parsley, celery, basil, ginger, hot peppers and pumpkin (my pumpkin was already cooked from a previous meal).  This was all added once the split peas were cooked.   Oh my goodness....the house smelled so good at this point.



Now it's time to add the "ground provisions", root vegetables.  I had more scallions, this time it goes in whole, yam, cho cho (mirliton or christophine, depending on where your from), Irish potato (really Yukon gold, but this is a Jamaican soup - so Irish it is); Sweet Potato (batata), carrots and parsnips were hiding in the bottom of the bowl.   The greens didn't make it into the soup.   With all the chopped parsley, basil and thyme I thought it was enough.

Let that simmer until the provisions are tender.   I was searching for something to add in the absence of salt that would help balance out the flavor.   I added a squeeze of lemon juice and it seemed to do the trick. 

I wrapped up the day by making some fruit jars.   This is an easy way to have cut fruit on hand (or for delivery with dinner) for breakfast, smoothies, whatever.   Everything is prepared so when you need it, voila!

Do you do any prep work that helps you meet your goals?