Black Tea Blondies

Where’s the hottest place you’ve ever spent a summer? For me, it’s Arizona. I recently moved here and just experienced my first 118-degree day. Yep, that’s hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, and way too hot to turn on the oven. During this same record-hot week, I received samples of the most…

Earl Grey Plum Torte

Being somewhat of a tea snob, I’m almost embarrassed to admit my favorite tea is one of the most common—Earl Grey. I find this deliciously flavored tea both nostalgic and comforting. It’s also of the easiest teas to cook with, because you really notice the flavor it imparts into a dish. What is that famous…

Ginger, Lemon & Honey “Teatail”

I have mixed feelings about September. I love the lingering days of summer (the temperature hovered in the 90s this weekend in Denver) yet I long for the chill of fall to set it (it was below 50 degrees one morning last week on my way to work). For now, I’m continuing to embrace those…

Cherry “Clafou-tea”

If there’s one thing I can count on being in my fridge all summer long, it’s a big bag of cherries. As soon as they become available at our local supermarket, we snatch them up weekly. Even better when the local Colorado cherries arrive at the farmers market a block from our house. As cherry…

Loose Leaf Iced Tea

Believe it or not, the recipe I get asked how to make the most is iced tea. If you have a package of loose leaf iced tea (my preferred vice over commercial tea bags) you can easily brew yourself the perfect glass to sip or pitcher to share. Here’s how. Loose Leaf Iced Tea By…

Horchata “Tea”

I’m skipping the traditional margarita this Cinco de Mayo holiday and opting for a sweet, homemade horchata with a strong and flavorful brewed tea as the liquid base. Also referred to as horchata “tea” in some Latin cultures, traditional horchata is not really a tea at all. It is a kind of infusion, however, which…

Citrus Spice Tea Poached Pears

My year last year was busy. So busy, in fact, I found myself cheating a bit and searching for the easiest recipes to incorporate into my cooking with tea routine. But I still wanted to be creative and I certainly didn’t want to sacrifice flavor. So I was thrilled to come across this tea poached…

Garam Masala Tea Pulled Pork

I’m into the slow cooker lately. What’s better than a one-pot meal that basically cooks itself? Plus, a Sunday slow cooker meal yields lots of leftovers for creative weeknight meals. This slow cooker dish was inspired by a few of my favorite things: Food Books: I just finished reading The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard…

Brown Sugar Tea Tart

It’s fun to work in a place where nearly everyone loves to talk about, create and eat good food. Last week, in celebration of Pi Day on 3/14, several of my food-loving co-workers whipped up homemade pies to bring to work and share. Included in the mix were pineapple cream pie, lemon meringue pie, bacon-apple…

Sesame Quinoa Salad

I picked up a lovely toasted sesame-flavored black tea during my first visit to an Adagio retail store last fall in Chicago. This tea has just the right balance of flavor; it’s not too overwhelmingly sesame and it has a hint of toasty sweet. Ever since I purchased it I’ve wanted to make something with…

Mango-Ginger Tea Vinaigrette with Romaine-Pancetta Salad

I’ve been working on a mango tea vinaigrette recipe for a while now, and I’ve finally come up with one that I love. It’s a sweet, limey and slightly creamy vinaigrette that makes a great dressing for greens, but it would also be great in a shrimp, crab or chicken salad, or it could work…

A Southern Twist on Mint Tea

Call Mama! is a 34-page handmade cookbook – cook-booklet, really – with titles like ‘Beans in a Bundle’, ingredients like ‘1 packet of Dream Whip’, and instructions like ‘spread one pint mayonnaise on top as frosting’. Crisco, Cool Whip and Jello are mentioned too many times to count in this Southern gem of a recipe…

Tea Mushroom Egg Rolls

My first experience cooking with smoky Lapsang Souchong tea was through Heidi Swanson’s recipe for Black Tea Spring Rolls in her gorgeous Super Natural Cooking cookbook. I’ve made many versions of this dish since, mostly as egg rolls or pot stickers, and always incorporating Heidi’s brilliant mixture of finely chopped shallots and mushrooms seasoned with…

Sweet Tea-Onion Marmalade

Nothing reminds me more of summer than onion dip. Not popsicles. Not the ice cream truck. Not watermelon. But onion dip. This food memory takes me back to lazy middle school summer afternoons at my friend Kati’s house, where Kati’s mom would always make us a big bowl of onion dip – you know, that…