Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Cucumber Sandwiches

My son brought home a lone cucumber, and the poor thing has sat here a few days. Since we have a glaring tendency to throw out way more food than I am comfortable with, I decided to rescue this vegetable.

Cucumber Sandwiches

One cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
2 T. malt vinegar

Mix the cucumber with the salt and vinegar, then place in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes. Once drained, pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Butter a slice of bread, lay the cucumber slices on top, then add another slice of bread. Slice into desired shapes and enjoy!

I was concerned the vinegar might make the cucumbers too tangy for a sandwich, but the butter balances it out nicely.

It has been hot here, lately. Hello! Summer is this month! But that doesn't stop me from enjoying a nice cuppa hot tea. Today it is in a mug that is intended to remind me of cooler days. The tea is a lovely herbal with pomegranates and roses.

Snakes...and tea

Monday was pretty raw, as we learned of the tragic murders in Orlando. Anger and frustration at the impotence and inability of Congress to enact laws to protect their citizens, mingled with deep sorrow and pain for the victims and their families.

As is our usual custom, my husband and I went for a walk at the local park. Ahead of us we observed a jogger doing an unexpected leap. As we got closer we saw why - a snake! A copperhead, to be exact. We three stood there watching it slowly slither away, completely unperturbed by the near collision with the jogger.

I have friends who are very much into animal symbolism, so I decided to look up snakes. This is what I discovered:

"In ancient traditions as well as modern times, snakes are symbols of healing powers and opportunities. In the Greek mythology, Aesclepius, the god of medicine, is featured with two snakes climbing up a rod, the symbol of what is known today as the Caduceus."

What a perfect symbol for this day! Healing for the families in Orlando, the monumental efforts by the doctors and medical staff in Orlando to save what lives they could, and maybe opportunity for Congress to finally find their spines and souls.

My tea and mug couldn't have been more perfect. A white tea with mint and roses, appropriately named *Sense of Peace*, and my mug with this message:

Peace be with you, Orlando.

Rainy days and tea

We've had LOTS of rain over the past few weeks, and today was certainly no different. Loud thunderboomers, as my husband calls them.  So I made myself some grits (I'm a southerner, after all) and nice cup of vanilla hazelnut tea. And enjoyed the rain.

Allergies on the run

Ha! And I don't mean the obvious, that they are making my nose run! LOL! I spent another day drugging myself, but I've definitely noticed a difference. I'm still coughing, but not in the fits that had become commonplace. So today I made myself some darjeeling. To go with the mini cinnamon rolls my husband bought me, because he felt sorry for me. Aw...

And, yes, it may be almost officially summer, but I used a Christmasy mug. Because I wanted to.

Ugh! Allergies!

I spent all day yesterday drugging myself, trying to get rid of this persistent dry cough that I know results from allergies. It's driving me crazy! So, toward evening, I made myself a nice cuppa lemon chamomile tea.

It's by Tupperware, and even has its own coaster. And, no, I didn't do any stepping out. In fact, I avoided physical stuff all day, mostly because the antihistamine made me sleepy.

Downtime after exercise

Now that vacation is over and we are attempting to return to normal life, that includes eating healthy foods and exercising. But it doesn't mean I can't treat myself afterwards. So, I do. With tea. In this case, a blueberry merlot. Don't get too excited; it's an herbal tea! But delicious!

In a mug from my time as a Scout Mom.

Primaries and tea

It was a long night last night, as we sat and watched primary returns. We talked about nothing but. Yes, we are a very politically informed and active family, so this is normal behavior for us. It also required a great deal of tea.

After I finished my iced green tea with my supper, I indulged in something a little lighter. A white tea with blueberry.

It says Houston and pictures the Houston downtown landscape.

Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Cranberry and Turkey Sandwiches

I know, it's spring. And very, very rainy. But I got in the mood, so had to indulge.

Cranberry and Turkey Sandwiches

Mix some Dijon mustard with some whole cranberry sauce, and spread on bread of choice. Top with some sliced vegan turkey, add another slice of bread, and voila! Oh, and but into desired shapes. I discovered, much to my woe, that the only bread in the house was hamburger buns. So I made do. Enjoy!

And, of course, one must have a cranberry flavored tea to go with it!

Just the way I like it

It's the last day of hubby's vacation, and for some pleasant, but unexpected, reason, he decided to make me breakfast in bed. Except I surprised him by coming downstairs while he was in the process. Best laid plans, and all. He's definitely getting better at making tea for me, tho! Today was no exception: a delicious mango and peach black tea, lightly sweetened, just the way I like it!

There's no place like home

After playing in three different towns, we finally made it home. Not before suffering thru some fairly yucky iced tea at lunch. Ick. And after a week of vacation eating, we both feel a little, well, plumper than we did at the beginning of the week. Definitely feeling the lack of our regular work out.

So tonight I am enjoying being home, curled up with a book I am thoroughly enjoying, and having a hot cup of nettle tea. Aw, normal has returned.

Home really is where the heart is. And the tea!

Happy Wife, Happy Life

We went out of town while hubby took off work for vacation. As with every hotel room we get, there's a microwave, a refrigerator, and a coffee maker. COFFEE maker. Which means if you try to make tea in one, it will taste like...coffee. Yuck. But, hubby insisted this particular type wouldn't do that, because it only poured thru hot water.

So, off we went to a local Walmart, and I found a new tea. Cranberry Spice.

Guess what?

As hubs would say, happy wife, happy like!

What I Wanted For My Birthday

My birthday was this week, and instead of going out to eat, I decided to put all my master grillers to work. I did all the prep work, and even handwrote instructions on index cards. This way they could see what heat and how long each dish needed, and they could plan accordingly. I am very, very pleased to say everything turned out delicious! And we're still eating leftovers, which is something I totally enjoy.

Hubby made me some cherry vanilla black tea for my birthday breakfast. This mug is kinda perfect.

It says Cook Dinner Tonight

The back side says Feed the World. I fed a household plus a few more. Great birthday!

Doing me proud

Hubby is off this week for some vacation time. We've pretty much just been chilling, doing stuff we want. Today he wanted some Mexican food; he's been craving it for awhile. Normally he has a beer with his Mexican food. Today he wanted...tea! Yeah, I'm kinda giddy.

Mango Peach Black.

And he's not even a Scotsman.

I'm back!

I've been away. Tornado warnings, a street that became a fast moving river from flooding, a fried motherboard that turned out not to be fried at all, and several episodes of wtf, and I have been unable to keep up with my posts. I'm about two months behind now. Yikes.

Yeah, life has been a little crazy, and that is putting it mildly. Thank goodness for tea. Seriously. Even hubby sips a cuppa sometimes. Like today. Ginger peach. As we sat and sipped our tea, I asked him why he chose this particular flavor. It was the first one he grabbed. Okay, so he's not discriminating. But that's okay. He drinks tea. He's a keeper.

This was a gift from him to me, and I absolutely adore it.