Have a Little Pickle with your Tea Time Sandwiches

This past Saturday, I headed back to the Williams-Sonoma Artisan's Market.  I met up with my food friends for a little chat and sampling-again!  The energy in the store was electrifying as it filled with people who wanted to try the samples and meet the artisans who create such wonderful food products. 

This week's blog feature is Phickles Pickles and owner Angie Tillman.  They are a pickle company located in Athens, GA.  For those of you not familiar with the South, Athens is the home of the University of Georgia and the Bulldogs!!!  I love to learn what inspires people to create.  If you want to learn more about artisan Angie Tillman's story go here, but be prepared to be inspired to get pickles!

I love the array of different vegetables that Phickles Pickles uses in their jars.  You can find carrots, tomatoes, okra, snap beans, asparagus and oh sometimes even cucumbers on a rare occasion!  I bought their green tomato Wedgies and love the spicy and sour taste of them.  They are perfect with a sandwich or even ON a sandwich with a glass of cold iced tea. 

Here is another way you might like to use them.  In my book, Tea with a Twist, I suggest using pickled okra or asparagus for stems with my flower power tea sandwiches.  It is an easy thing to do. I am of the belief that a sandwich with a pickle or some Phickles Pickles is a lovely pairing, don't you think so?

If you don't live close, no worries because they will deliver their lovely southern products to your doorstep! 

On a side note, I will be at Williams-Sonoma Lenox Square Atlanta store doing a tea and cooking demo on September 24th from 1-3 PM.  I hope to see you there!

Happy Sipping and Sandwiches with Phickles, Lisa

Celebrating National Iced Tea Month with my Mom's Beach Iced Tea Recipe

June is National Iced Tea Month!  My first love for tea was in the form of iced tea.  Growing up in South Florida, it was the perfect thirst quenching beverage after a day at the beach or outside.  My mom's now famous beach iced tea included fresh squeezed orange juice. 

I have included an except from the Tropical Tea by the Sea chapter in my first book, Tea with a Twist. It gives a little background into my mom's beach iced tea.

"To escape the heat and keep four kids entertained, my parents would load the family in our car and head for the beach just five miles from our home. We would always go to Spanish River Park, which was adjacent to the ocean via a tunnel that went under Highway A1A. The park had playgrounds, grills, picnic tables, and huge shade trees that were great for climbing. It was easy to go back and forth from the park to the ocean and we would play for hours on end.

There is just something about the salt air and the cool ocean breezes to work up an appetite. My mom would always pack a picnic lunch for the family and make her special “beach iced tea”. After playing in the ocean waves and building sand castles fit for a king, I could hardly wait to sit down for our picnic and drink Mom’s refreshing brew that she only made for our special beach outings. It was filled with fresh squeezed orange juice from the oranges that grew right in our backyard. It was sure to quench your thirst after a hard day of playing in the water."

There is a complete tea party menu to go with the Beach Iced Tea such as Citrus Chicken Salad, Orange Tarragon Savory Scones, and Key Lime Coconut Bars.  If interested check out my book, Tea with a Twist to get all of the recipes.  Also included are some great entertaining ideas for a Tropical Tea by the Sea including what to do with the used orange rinds leftover from squeezing the oranges yourself! If you haven't ever seen orange groves, below is a quick video from my most recent trip to Florida and then the recipe for Beach Iced Tea.

Here's the Beach Iced Tea Recipe:

1. Use spring water or fresh, cold water from the tap. Do not reuse water you have already boiled because the oxygen will have evaporated and this affects the taste of the tea.

2. Measure 1/3 cup black Ceylon tea leaves into an infuser.  For this large quantity, use a large infuser so the leaves have room to expand and steep properly. You can also put the leaves directly in the teapot and strain the tea when you pour it into the gallon container.


3. Heat the water until it reaches a full boil for black teas. A six-cup teapot is a good size to use. Pour the hot water over the tea leaves immediately and cover your teapot.


4. Steep the tea for the time instructed on the tea package or 3 to 5 minutes for black tea, over steeping can also cause the tea to taste bitter.


5. After the steeping, remove the leaves.


6.  Squeeze enough oranges to get 4 cups of juice.  Save empty orange rinds for later use.  You may substitute refrigerated fresh squeezed orange juice not-from-concentrate, but it is not as good as the real thing Add orange juice to steeped tea and sweeten to taste.  Add water to top off the pitcher. 

In my next blog, we are going to the personal side of tea.  Beyond being a tea expert and having a tea business, there is a personal side to tea that deeply connects me to the beverage.  You will read all about that shortly.  For now, I would love to hear about  your favorite summer iced tea recipes!

Happy Summer and Sipping Iced Tea, Lisa

Christmas Wishes and Recipe for Giving

Growing up in South Florida meant the "Winter Wonderland" at Christmas time was sand going between your toes while you walked barefoot on the beach. The closest we got to chestnuts roasting on an open fire was the crackle and pop the LP made as our treasured Nat King Cole Christmas album played the tune on our record player. My dad is a huge Nat fan and has collected his albums for years. In fact, I often wondered if that was why his album was the only holiday music we owned growing up-nobody could out do Nat King Cole.  

My dad was also a singer himself. For several years, my father was asked to be a part of a Living Christmas Tree production in St. Petersburg, Florida. When I was around 8 or so, I was asked to be a part of the production. My role was to just sit still on my dad's lap as he sang the old favorite that I had heard every year-The Christmas Song better known as Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. The night of the performance I was so nervous that my mom kept having to take me to the ladies room. I was afraid I was going to miss my stage debut due to a nervous bladder!


Alas, my time had come to go on stage. I remember getting up onto my dad's lap and nervously looking out into the audience when I realized I couldn't even see them. The lights on stage were so bright that all I could see was their bright beams . So, I just looked at my dad as he sang my favorite Christmas song to me and I forgot all about the audience. I have to say his rendition that night of The Christmas Song was the best I had ever heard-even Nat King Cole couldn't out sing my dad!

My South Florida upbringing didn't allow me to experiment with recipes for roasting chestnuts on an open fire, but here is my Microwave Chocolate Truffle Recipe instead. Some of my readers have emailed me that it has become their "new favorite" Holiday Recipe-so good and so easy. I think the best gifts are those from the heart that you make. It is such a great gift for this time of year! 

Easy Microwave Chocolate Truffles

from Tea with a Twist - All About Chocolate Tea Party

Truffles

½ cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoon butter cut into chunks
2 Tablespoon sugar 
1 Tablespoon vanilla
10 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate (60%) I like Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips* (If not using chip, break up chocolate into small pieces)
½ teaspoon salt


Cocoa Mixture
Mix 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa and 1/3 cup powder sugar together. For a saltier taste add 1/8 teaspoon fine salt.


Microwave cream, butter and sugar in 2 quart microwavable glass bowl on high for 1 ½ minutes. Stir well; heat an additional 1 minute longer or until mixture comes to full boil. Stir in vanilla and chocolate into cream mixture until chocolate is completely melted. Add salt and blend. Chill until firm enough to shape into balls about 3 hours. Shape into 1-inch balls. If desired roll truffles in Cocoa Mixture. Another option is to roll in finely ground nuts and salt. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes about 2 dozen.

Happy Christmas, Sipping, and Giving, Lisa

Tailgating and Tea

I recently returned from a trip which included giving a cooking class at A Southern Season. For those of you who live anywhere near Chapel Hill, SC, A Southern Season is a Must Visit Place. They not only have a wonderful selection of teas, but also a wonderful selection of specialty foods , kitchen tools, and culinary appliances. It is the Home Depot of the Food World!

While in Chapel Hill, I had the pleasure to stay with longtime friend Anna and her husband Mike. They treated me to a wonderful al fresco dinner on their deck the night before my class. I just thought I would feature Mike's (yes Mike's) handy work outside while Anna was busy fixing us a delicious dinner. The picture below doesn't show the lantern with a candle inside hanging from their beautiful eucalyptus tree that drapes their deck!  I wish I had a picture of the dinner that I was treated to.

The next morning it was off to A Southern Season for my Southern Tailgate Tea Party! Along with being a great culinary store, they also have a wonderful Viking cooking school.  I was invited to teach at CLASS (Culinary Lessons at A Southern Season) again in late August.  The theme was A Southern Tailgate Tea Party and Iced Tea.  The recipes came from Tea with a Twist and the history of iced tea in America came from The World in Your Teacup.   The United States has quite a bit of tea history beyond the Boston Tea Party.  Most people don't realize that the Boston Tea Party was not the first tea revolt.

Their venue has a really great setup with elevated seating and tables that have silverware setup. 

They also have a two big mirrors and cameras set up with 2 large screens on either side of the mirrors for closeups shots.

The staff is really great to work with as well.  They have prepped so much that it is easy to come in and demo and talk about your recipes and expertise. 

Here is the recipe for

Cheesey Cornbread Sausage Balls

-perfect for tailgating

1 lb package of breakfast sausage

1 1/2 cups self rising cornmeal mix

10 oz freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, do not use pre-grated

4 oz jar pimentos drained and chopped

¼ cup chopped jalapenos in jar

Dash of hot sauce



Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all the ingredients together with hands in a large bowl until well blended. Use a 1 ½ inch scoop and form balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet with sides and bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly brown. Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked or cooked.

Thanks so much to Anna and Mike for hosting me and to the staff at A Southern Season especially Marilyn Markel and Caroline Cahan!

Happy Sipping & Tailgating, Lisa

Cooking with Tea - Le Cordon Bleu

photo courtesy of John O'Hagan/TeaTime

What a fun day at Le Cordon Bleu last week!  It was time for the "Cooking with Tea" contest that I had arranged with Chef Jae Gruber to help spread the word that tea is more than just a beverage.  This was not the first "Cooking with Tea" contest the culinary college has held.  The idea surfaced a few years ago with Susan McKeen, then editor of Tea Experience Digest.  Susan had asked me to be a judge for the contest she put together.  I not only had the privilege of being one of the judges the contests, but wrote the article featuring the winners of each category.

Le Cordon Bleu was still very interested in having the contest again, but we had two problems: 

• I was in the middle of writing two books in a year and didn't have time to put a contest together.
• Since Tea Experience Digest was no longer in production, there was a need to find another media sponsor.  

This is where TeaTime Magazine comes in. Once I finished with my two books, I had time to contact TeaTime to see if they might be interested in covering the story.  To the delight of Le Cordon Bleu and me, they enthusiastically said yes!  After Teas Etc graciously agreed to sponsor the tea needed for the event, things were ready to heat up. 

I chose 9 teas from Teas Etc wonderful line for the students to choose from.  I went to the school for a tasting of all the teas and did a small tutorial for them.  It was fun to watch their faces as they tasted all the different teas.  They could choose up to four different kinds to play with for their recipe.  They could also choose which category to enter: Appetizer, Entree, or Dessert.

photo courtesy of John O'Hagan/TeaTime

As a tea specialist, it is so exciting to spread the word on tea especially to culinary students.  There was so much excitement in the air as the students gathered in the kitchen for the contest.  They had one hour to prepare their dish.

photo courtesy of John O'Hagan/TeaTime

As the students began to prep their dishes, Lorna Reeves (editor of TeaTime Magazine) and I went around to talk to the students about their dishes and how they were incorporating tea into them.  The excitement for the contest was building. 

It was time to judge the students recipes.  On the judging panel was:  Lorna Reeves, editor of TeaTime Magazine, Chef Mekolites CEC, Chef Crump, Chef Gruber, Evening LCB Evening Deen, and Lisa Boalt Richardson, Author and Owner of Lisa Knows Tea. Each student brought out their dishes one at a time. They explained their dish, the type of  tea(s) they used, and their execution of tea in the recipe.

photo courtesy of John O'Hagan/TeaTime

Each one was very different and delicious, but in the end we could only have one winner from each category.  All the winners received a copy of both my books, Tea with a Twist and The World in Your Teacup generously donated by my publisher Harvest House Publishers. 

Do you want to know the winning recipes? Look for them in the January/February issue of TeaTime Magazine along with more details about the contest.  You won't want to miss it! 

Do you have a favorite recipe using tea as an ingredient?  I would love for you to share it!

Happy Sipping and Tasting, Lisa

Celebrating Summer with Iced Tea

June is National Iced Tea Month.  Even though the official start of summer isn't for a couple more weeks, I always thought anything after Memorial Day is summer in my mind.  I grew up in south Florida and it felt like summer in April.  Growing up, we always had a pitcher of iced tea in our refrigerator and since my parents were "Yankees", it was never sweetened.   I hadn't heard of sweetened iced tea until I moved to the South after graduating from college.  I now like my iced beverage somewhere in between "Yankee" and "Southern" style most of the time.  If you are interested, I share my story in Tea with a Twist about my first experience with "sweet tea."

I LOVE iced tea and find it really refreshing in the summer. It is good all on its own, but it is also good to mix with fresh fruits too!  Good iced tea made from loose leaf tea is easy to make.  In The World in Your Teacup's United States chapter, I share how iced tea became popularized.  To my knowledge, the U.S. is the only country that drinks iced tea on a regular basis.  In fact, most of the tea Americans drink is iced-about 85%.  I guess, the rest of the world doesn't know what they are missing out on!

The recipe below for iced tea is in both Tea with a Twist and The World in Your Teacup.  I also share many variations on iced tea in Tea with a Twist. such as Tea Sangria and my mom's Beach Tea. 

To brew one gallon of gourmet iced tea with loose leaf tea

 

1. Use spring water or fresh, cold water from the tap. Do not reuse water you have already boiled because the oxygen will have evaporated and this affects the taste of the tea.

2. Measure 1/3 cup tea leaves into an infuser. For teas or herbals that require a heaping teaspoon for one cup of tea like Rooibos, use 2/3 cup leaves. For this large quantity, use a large infuser so the leaves have room to expand and steep properly. You can also put the leaves directly in the teapot and strain the tea when you pour it into the gallon container.


3. Heat the water until it reaches the correct temperature, generally 160 to 180 degrees for green and white tea, 190 to 200 degrees for oolong, and a full boil for black teas, herbal infusions, and fruit blends. A six-cup teapot is a good size to use. Pour the hot water over the tea leaves immediately and cover your teapot.


4. Steep the tea for the time instructed on the tea package, generally 1 to 3 minutes for green and white teas, 3 to 5 minutes for black teas and oolongs, and 5 to 10 minutes for herbal infusions and fruit blends. Over steeping can also cause the tea to taste bitter.


5. After the steeping, remove the leaves.


6. Transfer the tea to a gallon-sized pitcher and sweeten if desired. Then add enough cold tap or filtered water to make one gallon.

I am off to the World Tea Expo this week.  I am teaching a class on Tea and Chocolate Pairing and I am also a part of the Authors Circle and doing book signings.  It is exciting to visit with all my tea friends again-like one big tea party for three days!  I will be posting on my adventures in tea, new finds, and favorite products when I return.

Happy Sipping and Summer, Lisa

Talking Tea at Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

I love to not only write about tea, but to talk tea too! It is one of my greatest pleasures to share with people how wonderful tea is to drink. I love it when people come up afterwards all excited to try tea or to try different types of tea. This past weekend, I was invited to speak at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Atlanta that featured Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali.

I was a part of the Entertaining and Tasting Workshops.  I have done this show ever since it came to Atlanta three years ago and I have to say this was the best show ever.  The turnout was wonderful.  I presented, "What Tea Should You Really Drink?" 

After each presentation, I signed both my books, Tea with a Twist and The World in Your Teacup at the Cook's Warehouse booth. 

To me, it is such a thrill to see people that are truly interested in tea and who desire to know more.  Some people get overwhelmed with what tea is best to drink and how to steep loose leaf tea.  I love to demystify tea and tell them that brewing a great pot of loose leaf tea is easy, delicious, and good for you!  Volunteers that helped with the show are culinary students from Le Cordon Bleu and also high school students interested in going to culinary school.  It is fun to be in the back kitchen watching everyone prep for the cooking demos. A big thank you to those volunteers that helped with my presentation! 

It was really fun to see Paula Deen and Bobby Flay at the show too.  I had seen Paula Deen in a past show but this was the first time to see Bobby Flay live.  He was informative and entertaining. 

Here is the ribeye steak he was making.  It had a spicy rub on it and then he seared it on each side in a frying pan.  It was topped with a mango salsa!  I was in the presenters lounge earlier in the day as the show director's husband was eating the steak from the earlier show that day with delight.  I wanted to ask him for a bite, but couldn't get the nerve!  It looked delicious.  Bobby Flay didn't ask me, but if he did, I would tell him to pair his steak with a smokey Lapsang Souchong and then maybe finish with some Puerh.

One of the teas that was sampled during my presentation was Orange Blossom Oolong.  This tea is not only wonderful and refreshing to drink, but fun to cook with as well.  In my "Tropical Tea by the Sea Tea Party" in Tea with a Twist, I poached the chicken in it for my Citrus Chicken Salad.  You really can taste the tea in the salad as an interesting and subtle flavor note!  This is a quick, easy, and good recipe to make-great to serve on its own or in sandwiches!

Citrus Chicken Salad

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts


4 cups prepared citrus tea* steeped double strength


1 t salt


2/3 cup light sour cream


1/3 cup light mayonnaise


6 T fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)


1 T orange zest


2/3 cup chopped celery


½ cup toasted chopped macadamia nuts


Salt and pepper to taste


8 orange rind halves and/or lettuce


Orange peel to garnish


Place chicken in large sauté pan and cover with tea or chicken broth. Let liquid come to a boil and then poach chicken by covering and turning off heat. Allow to poach for about 20 minutes. Chicken should be cooked all the way through. Allow chicken to rest until cool enough to handle. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, orange juice, orange zest, celery, and macadamia nuts in a large bowl and mix well. Chop chicken and add to mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and place in refrigerator until completely chilled. To serve, slice rounded end off of a halved orange rind used to make the beach iced tea. Place a scoop of chicken salad in orange rind or serve on a bed or lettuce. Garnish with a strip of orange peel curled on the top or orange zest.

If you are wondering where to purchase the tea, Vintage Tea carries the whole line of teas that I used in Tea with a Twist!   

Do you have a favorite recipe that uses tea as an ingredient?  Would love to hear about it!

Happy Sipping, Lisa

A Garden Tea Party-Hostess Tips

I recently returned from one of the BEST tea parties I have ever attended-I love my job.  Patty Blanton hosts a tea party once a year as a fundraiser and kick off to the Sacred Heart Garden Festival in Augusta, GA.  I felt so honored to be the guest speaker for the event.  The speaking topic chosen was "Tea and Etiquette" and it was fun to do "a refresher course" in proper etiquette including American and Continental style eating!

The theme chosen for the event was based on my book, Tea with a Twist with the "Flower Power Tea Party" chapter as the inspiration.  It was a beautiful southern day and perfect weather for a tea alfresco!  Prior to the tea, guests could tour the Blanton's personal garden while sipping on champagne. Their gardens are beautiful to say the least.  I remember thinking to myself that I wasn't sure anyone would ever be touring the Richardson's garden as we struggle with keeping the grass green and the weeds out at this point! 

Although my book was the inspiration for the tea, Ms. Blanton took the theme and ran with it.  I thought you might enjoy some of her garden theme tea party ideas!

There were individual menus placed at each place setting that were made from homemade paper with dried flowers pressed into it.  Most of the recipes served came from Tea with a Twist, but a few were added such as Mini Bacon, Tomato, and Basil Sandwiches which are her mother-in-law's favorite! She even used the blooming tea which was my inspiration for creating The Flower Power Tea Party.  All the food from that chapter has some type of flower in it to make the party special and unique.  To make it even better, Patty made her own butter to go with the scones!

Each place setting also had a small sugar and creamer that were hand painted by Patty as the party favor.  Each creamer had fresh flowers in them that added to the garden theme and each set was unique in its painted flower design.  She also used my idea of adhering fresh flowers to the tablecloth using sunflowers to add to the garden party theme!

To continue with the garden theme, each chair had a basket of flowers beautifully tied with ribbon to the back of it.  To be green, her husband plans on planting the flowers as ground cover in his garden after the tea.

At the end of the tea, we all had Godiva liquor with fresh whipped cream on top in small cordial glasses.  Each guest went home with a cube of homemade goat milk soap made from the Blanton's own goats, a bookmark, and a signed copy of Tea with a Twist.  It was a wonderful day benefiting a lovely cause-Sacred Heart Cultural Center.  I hope this tea has inspired you to have a garden tea party. With Mother's Day coming up, it could be the perfect time to entertain with tea alfresco style! 

Here is one of the the tea sandwich recipes from my Flower Power Tea Party that Patty used. She pickled her own asparagus to use as the "stems" of the flower to serve with the sandwiches similar to the picture below from Tea with a Twist.  If you are not into pickling, no worries as I provide an online company in the back of the book that you can order them from or you should be able to find them in a specialty food shop too!

                                                 

Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Sandwiches

(the flowers in this recipe are the artichokes)

8 ounces softened cream cheese
3/4 cup shredded domestic Asiago cheese
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
2 tablespoons sweet onion, finely chopped
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
cherry tomato slices for garnish
fresh whitle bread

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes and bread, together in a large bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Spread mixture onto fresh white bread and cut using flower shaped cutter . Garnish with a thinly sliced cherry tomato in center.

 

Serving Suggestions

Randomly place the sandwiches on a large platter or individual plates, using pickled asparagus spears, pickled green beans,pickled okra or freshly blanched asparagus to represent the flower stems. Place small basil leaves on the “stems”.

Happy Sipping, Lisa

Can Tea "Do the Twist"?

Thought you might enjoy seeing my new book trailer. If you watch to the end, tea really can "do the twist"! Very fun to make-I hope you enjoy!!!

If you want to purchase Tea with a Twist, click here

Would love to know what you think and as always, Happy Sipping

Tea with a Twist-Review & Behind-the-Scenes

"FLOWERS, FRUIT, FIESTAS, EVEN FOOTBALL-if you are looking for fun and adventurous new ways to host your friends, Lisa Boalt Richardson's Tea with a Twist will inspire you to throw one of these themed teatime parties."

Tea with a Twist: Entertaining and Cooking with Tea  had the honor of being reviewed by Tea Time Magazine for their May/June 2010 issue. .

To read more, pick up a copy of the magazine on newsstands now.

Behind the Scenes:
I thought it might be fun to reveal some behind-the-scenes stuff for Tea with a Twist.  Some of you might not have realized that my role was more than just an author for the book, but I had a lot of involvement in the photoshoot and creative look for it as well.  Since this was my first book, I had quite the learning curve to not only write and create recipes to go with each chapter, but also had to figure out what I wanted each chapter to look like in pictures.  It was definitely a learn-as-you-go type experience. 

The connection to the fabulous photographer for both my books, Lauren Rubinstein, was a "girlfriend connection".  We both happen to get our eyebrows waxed by the same gal and she hooked us up and I made the pitch to use Lauren to my publisher.  It just goes to show you, you should never underestimate your networking opportunities! 

Lauren and I had a pre-production meeting with the stylist where we discussed my vision and feel that I wanted for the book.  From there, a shot list for the book was created.  After I made a few minor changes to the shot list, it was approved. 

We shot Tea with a Twist in one long hard week.  I was at the photoshoot as the Harvest House representative and made sure the photos were the look I wanted for each party, as well as, staying true to tea.  I did help out with food prep for some of the recipes and learned a ton watching Lauren and Annette (the prop and food stylist) do their magic-and magic it is.   

                                                                

The cover photo for the book came about at the end of one of those long days. We were done for the day, everything had been packed up, and we were talking about the next day's shoot, which included the cover. As we were talking, the light was shining in the window just right onto the table and VOILA, the cover photo was created with arranging a few teacups!

It is so fun to watch those that are really good at their job create beautiful things.  It was also wonderful to watch my words, recipes, and parties come to life!  I feel honored to have a book that is so beautifully done and well received-Thanks Tea Time Magazine for the great review!

Happy Sipping and Reading,
Lisa 

Tea Twist or Tea Travesty?

As an author and speaker, I realize that I am not going to please everyone.  That is why there is room for so many in this world because everyone has their own style and those that like that style.  My approach to tea is one of study and learn all I can about it in certification classes and on my own, but also to have fun with tea. 

I recently received an email from a disgruntled reader of Tea with a Twist.  Here is what she wrote:

"I was quite disappointed with your book, I'm sorry. I too love tea and was raised around Tea Parties, etiquette and traditional tea parties of which salads and salmon steaks were never on the menu. Why do you and so many other "Tea Experts" not stick to the right information about tea and turn it into such a travesty. No wonder "High Tea" is so misunderstood in the USA."

I thought the reader's comments would create a great blog and an opportunity for explanation, education, and hopefully great feedback and discussion!  Now, I don't think anyone loves a traditional English afternoon tea party like I do!  In addition, early on in my tea career, I was trained and certified by the Protocol School of Washington in Tea and Etiquette and teach classes still to this day on the subject matter. I do think proper protocol and etiquette is very important and varies on the level of formality!  For instance, there is a difference between a BBQ dinner at your local rib shack and a dinner at a five-star restaurant. 

Having fun with tea was my inspiration for writing Tea with a Twist-hence the word "Twist". I wanted to create tea parties that were a little outside-the-box as some might consider me to be-especially my kids!  My inspiration was "a tea party can be all sorts of things as long as you are sipping tea".  I also wanted those that didn't own china and silver to still feel like they could entertain with tea without the expense of having to buy those items!  My philosophy on teatime is that it is anytime so, creating parties for all different events and incorporating tea in them was exciting!  I realize this is might not be everyone's "cup of tea" though.

My love of learning about this beverage took me on a quest to discover traditions in other countries other than my own. That is why I wrote The World in Your Teacup.   Culturally speaking, I would be remiss if I stated that there was one "right way" to have tea as each country celebrates tea differently.  However, for most Americans, a tea party is fashioned after the English tradition of finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts which is properly called an "afternoon tea" not a "high tea". 

To help get the message out about the proper terminology on tea in the "English style", I purposely did a high tea menu for my second book in the England chapter.  A high tea is a "meat tea" or a "supper tea" served in the evening and it is much heartier than an afternoon tea.  I also featured many "high teas" in Tea with a Twist, just with a little "twist" of course.  If you want to learn more about a traditional English high tea or how tea is celebrated around the world, you can read more about it in The World in Your Teacup. 

Well, salads or scones, salmon or sencha, travesty or twist, I do hope we all just enjoy TEA!

Tea Travesty or Tea Twist?  I guess it is up to the reader to decide. What do you think?  I would love to hear!

Happy Sipping, Lisa

Big Announcement - Exciting Partnership

Bringing to you on a Silver Platter the Announcement:

 Lisa Knows Tea and The World in Your Teacup

have partnered with

Heart for Africa

Before I became published, I made a commitment that I wanted to give a portion of the proceeds of all of my books back to charitable organizations. (And yes, I believed I would be published, although I received lots of rejection letters and it took about 7 years to do-so I hope that is motivation to not give up on your dreams either!) In a later blog, I will share my partnership for Tea with a Twist! 

While I was researching and writing The World in Your Teacup, I just felt and knew my charity had to have something to do with Kenya. 

I looked into several organizations before choosing Heart for Africa.  The way I discovered Heart for Africa was interesting.  Although I was an active participant in the photoshoot for my first book, Tea with a Twist, I didn't produce it.  My title, however for The World in Your Teacup  is not only author, but producer as well.  That meant I not only wrote the book, but I was also in charge of the photoshoot.  I had to create a shot list for the photographs for the book  and also source all the correct tea items that would be used for each country written about.  I even became the assistant food stylist for the week since our budget was tight (it always seems like budgets are tight, doesn't it?) 

I was trying to source items made in Kenya that we could use for the photoshoot, when I came across Heart for Africa.  It was mentioned by one of the member's moms of my daughter's small group from our church.  Although they didn't have anything at the time that I could use in photos, my interest in the organization grew and I researched their mission and how they were helping Kenyans.

It was a wonderful feeling to drop off my first check from my advance of the book just last week.  It will be even more wonderful to continue dropping off checks as I receive my royalties from The World in Your Teacup and hear how it is helping Kenyans!  I plan on wearing some of the jewelry from HOW (Helping Orphans and Widows) at my speaking events and book signings . 

You can read all about my partnership with Heart for Africa and HOW by clicking the link below:

The World in Your Teacup and Heart for Africa Partnership

I would love to hear back from you about what you think of my new partnership and better yet, how you could have a heart for Africa too!

Happy Sipping and Giving,

Lisa