I Love....

....so many things.....

  • first snowfall of the winter
  • .....the last snowfall of the winter....
  • 10 year old sons who still want to go out with mom.  Too big to hold your hand, but not too big to be with you and who still consider you kinda "cool".  Heavy emphasis on the kinda.
  • 13 year olds who give very few signs of thinking that you're not cool, too.....yet....  ;)  Who show you that they still kinda like you by snuggling up close during a movie
  • a good, good, good concert, and make it LOUD!
  • quiet music in a quiet house
  • good days at work
  • great days at home
  • a good read
  • a new craft
  • a new and exciting recipe
  • an old "tried and true" comfort food meal
  • rain
  • warm sun
  • camping
  • coming home
  • my silly, smart, talented, thoughtful husband
  • fuzzy slippers
  • summer flip flops
  • blue jeans and yoga pants, both trumped by a good pair of pajamas
  • dressing up
  • a strong cup of coffee
  • and a beautifully mellow cup of.......
TEA!!!

We've recently made a point of stopping at David's Tea in the Lawson Heights Mall in Saskatoon a couple of times.  The first time, well, I just needed a calming cup of tea.  Just did.  We stopped there on a whim, hoping to find something warm and soothing and good for the soul.  I was impressed with the store and how and what they offer.  Since that first trip there, I've been scheming hoping to return and to expand my tea tastes, to give a little nudge in the direction of finding a "guilty pleasure" that would be light on the budget (well, sort of) and heavy on the comfort.  I came home with a nice cuppa tea for the trip, plus 3 small sizes of teas to imbibe in at home.

When they told me last time that any tea that they serve could be served fresh and hot, in a latte or in an iced fashion, I got thinking that one could take this tea thing and nudge it a little in the direction of experiments/new flavor sensations.  To this point, I've only ever tried tea lattes in the following flavors - London Fogs (Earl Grey), Chai (see here), and a deliciously delicate Japanese Mist (cherry vanilla) latte at Waskesiu a couple of summers ago.  So, when we got home, I started doing a bit of research on the syrups attached to tea lattes.  I did notice that David's Tea sweetens their tea with a simple syrup instead of sugar, and the syrup users state that there is less of a grainy texture to the sweetener.  Well, can't say that I ever thought sugar was all that gritty, but on the other hand, a poorly stirred cup of tea does leave a sugar film on the bottom of the cup.

Simple Syrup Recipe, for ordinary sweetening:

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar

Boil gently for 5 minutes.  Store in a decorative bottle or squeeze bottle for easy dispensing.  I haven't been able to find the ratio of sugar equivalent yet, but I think I'd start with a tablespoon of syrup to equal a teaspoon of sugar and experiment from there.  I may be way off with that, but it's a fair place to start, I think.

The next research showed that London Fogs are sweetened with Vanilla Syrup

Vanilla Syrup

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla

Boil water and sugar gently for 5 minutes.  Take off the burner and stir in vanilla.

Let's be real here; homemade lattes and syrup knockoffs are SO SIMPLE.  And cheap! 

I love.

Earl Grey is a decent tea, but not a favorite.  However, I do have some Earl Grey tea in the cupboard, so in the spirit of all things adventurous, I made myself a London Fog this afternoon, if for no other reason than to get a little milk in me and to experiment with these syrups.

London Fog

1 cup strong Earl Grey tea - let it sit for a good 5 minutes if possible.
1/2 cup heated milk - I stirred mine in a pot on the stove with a whisk to get the foamy action
3 Tbsp vanilla syrup

Done!  And I'm loving it!

Analytically, next time I will let the tea steep just a tad longer, or maybe even use 2 tea bags.  The milk does dilute the tea quite a bit.  3 Tbsp of syrup is plenty.  I may even try less next time.

But, I'm already planning on a 'next time' for the London Fog and that makes me happy!

Have to confess that one of my New Year's resolutions this year was "drink more tea". 

I've thought about that a few times and have giggled at that resolution a little bit.  "Drink more tea"?  Is that all you could come up with?  How about "spend more time with friends"?  "Study a new language"?  "Be a better wife/mother", etc.?

.....drink more tea?????.....

'Drink more tea', because to drink a cup of tea, you have to slow down.  You have to take the time to boil a cup of water and let the tea steep.  You sip the tea not too slowly, not too quickly, and it soothes the soul.  The very process of making a cup of tea soothes the soul.

I steep, I sip, and I slow down and I remember that life is good and life offers an eclectic variety of things to savour, if only you take the time to discover them.

And.       I.       LOVE.

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