Tag Archives: TeaLula

Today’s Cuppa {Tea of the Week: Spiced Pear Bai Mudan}

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I don’t start my day without a hot beverage. And, we’re an equal opportunity household – coffee and tea – with a pretty diverse selection at home. From Ethiopian Harrar (we heart Valhalla) to Starbucks Christmas Blend, from Earl Grey to Peach-Mango, Sweet Lychee to Yunnan – I brew them both.

But there’s nothing like stopping into your favorite spot for your cup o’ joe, or maybe you frequent a tea place. I’m soooo lucky that there’s a local tea shop. I’ve mentioned TeaLula before. I visit with my kids, my husband, by myself… TeaLula, how we love you so. And it’s not just a shop with all things tea, and a hundred different loose teas, it’s an oasis for me. And I feel like we’ve made some very nice friends over the last couple years…

TeaLula: Sampling Tea

You know when you go to a restaurant and order the same thing every single time? I thought it might be nice to start off the year with something… new (innovative, I know).  Since I visit TeaLula on a fairly regular basis, I thought it might be fun to journal about the brews. Recently I tried a white tea, Spiced Pear Bai Mudan. Mmmmm. Sounds like it could be a swanky cocktail. Instead, it’s a swanky tea.

Bai Mudan is tea from the white peony. This blend has some star anise, sweet pear and see the helichrysum flowers? Adding a bit of sugar made the flavors more defined. Lovely. It’s light, unlike a black tea, and this blend has a fruity aftertaste with a surprising cooling sensation. Almost minty… it lingers on your tongue. (Made me want more, just so I could figure out what that taste was.)  My daughter said only two words after sampling the Spiced Pear Bai Mudan: melted pears.

More flavors and tidbits from the tea bar next week month!

If I don’t get back here before the weekend, I wish everyone a happy Chinese new year!

Hosting the Bridal Shower

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Bridal Shower

Shower Day was fun with an intimate crowd. It’s amazing how quickly it all happens after a few months of planning, but rest assured, we all enjoyed the afternoon. My sister-in-law’s maid of honor and friend, Megan, helped the night before.

Theme: Orange

Tabletop: Napkins had Gerbera daisies and stripes, drink umbrellas were perched in square vases with coffee beans, simple bouquet became three small arrangements.

Other decorations: pom-pom paper flowers and wire-edged ribbon

Menu: Vegetable pizza appetizer, veggie bites (aka crudites) with carrot-ginger dipping sauce, poached salmon sandwiches with orange wasabi mustard and asian pasta salad from All on the Road, chicken salad sandwiches, mac-n-cheese, fruit, marble cupcakes with edible flowers, candied orange peels with chocolate dipping sauce, and yellow cake.

Shower games: Who has the closest birthday to the wedding date? and Bridal Bingo

Shower Favor: individual, hand-packed tea bags (theme related) with personalized labels. In this case, we had Orange Orange Pekoe for the happy couple. Thank you, Sheila!

Another quick tip: decorate the gift box instead of wrapping it.

Bridal shower gift hand decorated box

Checking out the Local Taste Fest

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What is summer without a local carnival or food fest? We might not be at the swimming pool at lot, but tasting food… you’ll find us! We paced ourselves this time and went during lunch on two separate days. It was so nice not stuffing ourselves to oblivion, but I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to taste everything. One day it rained, and vendors weren’t quite ready for the lunch crowd, but otherwise, it seemed like a successful “Taste”.

The Matcha Latte from TeaLula was great relief from the heat. It was like tasting green tea ice cream, melted. Mmmm… And, the Ryne Palmer (a.k.a. Arnold Palmer beverage) can’t be beat: fresh lemonade and fresh brewed tea. Uncle Dan’s, a new place in town, served up cheese pizza and cinnamon bread among other things. Both were tasty, but they ran out of calzones… bummer. I really wanted to try J.D. Kadd’s Smokehouse pulled pork sandwich. Since I’ve stopped working in the south suburbs, I haven’t found a sandwich that compares to the BBQ places near my old office. This one was nicely seasoned, not too salty, generous portions. One of our favorites was the Cajun Shrimp wrapped with bacon & remoulade sauce from Barbara at All on the Road. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the sauce had a nice kick. I’m such a sucker for cajun food.

Last year we tried the stuffed mushrooms from Cafe Zalute and were happy they were there again. The junk yard dawg fries at Dawg House Grill were a hit with our kids and us. What’s not to like: cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon.  Lastly, we had a nice portion of  Salsaccia (Italian Sausage wrapped in a potato crust) from The 3 Olives. Never had this before, and while it was delicious, it was slightly salty for me.  Can’t wait until next year.

Tea and Birthday – part 2

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What’s a tea party without a description or pictures of food? This is what my husband orchestrated…

Delicious hors d'oeuvres

Thanks to All on the Road Catering…asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, empanadas with caramelized onions and goat cheese with tomatilla dipping sauce, shredded duck with cherry marmalade boats, wild mushroom strudel garnished with green onion, brie and caramelized apples crostini.

Yummy sandwiches

These were devoured: ham with brie and mango, turkey with guacamole, and roast beef sandwiches.

Birthday cake

Chocolate cake goes really well with raspberry flavored tea. Trust me.

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We all had plenty to drink. Iced tea on tap: South Beach Peach, Fourth of July. Tried some “Triple Flip”… really gingery, orange flavored green tea. (I think it’s green tea. Can’t remember.) Even the kids had fun.

Blowing out the candles on Mom's cakeThe husband... thanks, honey!