Tea Recipe and How To Cope With a Summer Cold

 

Hello, My Lovelies!  Can you believe that June is halfway over?  Midsummer will be this weekend, and then the days will start getting shorter.

I caught a nasty summertime cold on June 1st.  Summertime colds are the WORST!  The only thing that makes me feel a little bit better is that I really haven't missed any lake time because it has been the wettest and stormiest June *ever*...  My cold literally lasted for 15 days!

Although I never really spiked a fever, I've been cold because my family likes to keep the house cooler than what I like.  So because of my cold and staying inside a lot in the air conditioning, I've been drinking copious amounts of tea.  Also, my doctor said the best thing I could do to help myself get better is to constantly hydrate.

Serendipitously, we had a tea recipe as part of our Bible study earlier in the month, and I tried it and liked it.  

I'm sharing it here in this post!  This is all you need to make it:

The teas recommended for this recipe are hibiscus, rooibos, or chamomile.

Any herbal tea you like will probably work.

A Delightful Afternoon Tea

Ingredients:

6 cups boiling water

2 herbal tea bags

Juice from one orange

Juice from one lemon

2 T organic honey

3 fresh sprigs mint

Directions:

Combine water and tea bags in a teapot, and steep for 8 minutes.  Pour in your fresh orange and lemon juice, then add the honey.  Garnish with fresh mint.

This is a great recipe to bookmark because you can drink a cup while it's hot, then refrigerate the rest to have for later.  This tea is excellent iced!

This recipe is from the devotional SoulFull by Farrell Mason.

I also watched Cubs baseball, and I binge watched Harry Wilde.  It's a mystery series set in Ireland starring Jane Seymour.  I highly recommend it!

I have also been reading a few cozy fantasies as well as a couple of classic fantasy books.  More on them in a later post.

Full disclosure, I was also planning on reviewing a couple of new tea products, but I couldn't get my act together.  I promise to share them along with a few mini book reviews at the end of the month.

I can't stress enough how hydration helped me feel so much better.  :D

Yep!  You read that correctly!  I will review and share a recipe for Cozy Chocolate Earl Grey Tea.

Stay hydrated, y'all!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Tea Recipe and How To Cope With a Summer Cold

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Random Staycation Post

Happy Monday, My Lovelies!  Have you missed me?  I've missed y'all!!!  Shelley is back at work, and our staycation is over.  The house seems so quiet! 

I wanted to share a few highlights with you.  Honestly we didn't do much, we just watched movies, read books (especially library books), cooked, played on Pinterest and Instagram, and finished a few art/creative projects.  We also took the pups on walks and visited a few parks.  

Our goal everyday was to find a little joy.  For example, the Lenten roses, above and below.  

I love the mixture of greens, pinks, and purples.

I'm on the Mediterranean Diet, but we did cook a few fun recipes, especially on weekends.  One I'd like to share is a Blueberry Oat Mug Muffin.  I found it on the Farmhouse Pottery website.  I subscribe to them because Shanley Belle and Christopher registered for Farmhouse Pottery when they married, and I love their products.  Use the link above to see the recipe.

I've tried many "muffin in a mug" recipes over the years, but this is the first one we've loved!

I'll be making one for my afternoon snacky-snack today.

I cooked mine in a really large mug so it would cool faster, but if you want a nice rounded top on it, use a smaller mug.

There's one art project I want to share.  This was a project started several years ago when Shelley was in high school, and for some reason we never finished it.  It's a little book from her Auburn University Art Exposure art class, and while I was cleaning out the art studio I found it.  We didn't need to do too much work on it, just bind it.  It's nice to complete unfinished projects!

I store projects like this in craft boxes to protect them.

Sometimes I'll take them out for display.

These paintings are a combination silverpoint and oil paint by Victor Koulbak.

There were so many lovely exhibits while Shelley studied there, including John James Audubon and Thomas Gainsborough.

We read.  A lot.  Especially in the afternoons...

We made several trips to our local library.  We love our librarians!  They are the best.  Our library is tiny, but we can place books on reserve from the countywide system and pick them up at our local library.  I've read so many books that there's no way I can possibly blog about all of them.  Below is the shortest book review ever on my blog:

These are my favorites!

I will review the first seven books in the Bakeshop Murder Mystery Series in a separate post soon (probably early next week).

I have received some nice and thoughtful presents via snail mail.  I am so blessed!

Did you know that MacKenzie-Childs is making pretty camouflage mugs?  Well they are.  At least they're camouflaged in my art studio!  Check it out:

Patti from Pandora's Box sent me this beautiful mug from Aurora, and as you can see she knows me very well!  It is my new favorite mug because I love the size, and it makes me smile to take it into the art studio.  Some days I only sit in there, drink tea, and look at art books.

Jeanie from The Marmalade Gypsy sent me this care package:

I love the purple she wrapped everything in, and I also LOVE the pink ribbon :D  Let's take a look at my loot:

I've enjoyed reading the tea book because it focuses on the history of tea and some of the traditions for serving tea.  

When I changed my winter tray filled with all things hot cocoa for a spring tea tray, I decided to display the book because I can grab it easily when I'm on the sofa and read it.  I also put out a nice assortment of teas for spring from Stash Teas.

The prayer books for cancer and breast cancer are both special, and Jeanie was a featured poet in each.  This one, above, made me cry.  Jeanie has many talents: she's and artist and a writer.  She even made the purple felted hearts.  I don't know anything about felting, but I see it a lot on IG and Pinterest.  It's a neat craft!

Tomorrow, please join me and other bloggers for an Easter/Spring Tablescape Blog Hop hosted by Sweet Rita at Panoply.  

I have also decorated other areas of our home (not just the dining room).  I'll post about it on Thursday.

On Friday, I'll return with a Literary Friday post about this library book recommended by my librarian.  Sometimes she'll read a book and text me to come pick it up because she knows what I like.  I was blown away about this one!

Shelley and I did a little online retail therapy I'll also share at a later date.

Thanks so much for reading my blog.  I can't wait to get caught up with a few of my favorite blogs this week.  

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Random Staycation Post

Monday, March 28, 2022

Mad Tea Party 2021 And a Giveaway

 

Happy Saturday, My Lovelies!  It's time for the Tenth Annual Mad Tea Party hosted by the Lovely Vanessa @ A Fanciful Twist.

The table is set, the food is arranged, and the tea is steeping.  Your timing is perfect!  The timing is also perfect for a Mad Tea Party because the world has truly gone mad as the Hatter himself!  Fun parties like this are a super-fun distraction from the madness (and the rain), don't you agree?

Sit wherever you'd like!  There's plenty of room.

Serve yourself some delightful delectables while I pour your tea.  Here is our afternoon tea menu:

We have a lovely selection of teas, however our daughter wanted Typhoo, also known as builders' tea.

Yep.

Just keeping it real.

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."

"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I must be mad because I've started a series of art perfect for the March Hare and Mad Hatter's tea parties.

Tea for Two

18" X 24"

Oil on Artist Board

That 70s Show Teapot

6" X 6"

Silverpoint on wood panel

I have a third painting almost finished.  I will share it here on the blog soon.

Resources:

Everything on the table is MacKenzie-Childs except the following:

Silverware: Horchow

Napkins:  Shabby Chic

Napkin rings:  Pier1

Tiered server:  Mosaicwares

"Let Them Eat Cake" Vase:  Molly Hatch via Anthropologie

Placemats:  Vintage Italian

Baked goods:  All the baked goods except the Madeleines came from the Continental Bakery in Mountain Brook, Alabama.  The finger sandwiches were varied, and I forgot to put little flags on them: We had no idea which one we'd chosen until that first bite.  *hostess failure*

The Giveaway

I will be giving away the little silverpoint drawing of a 1970s silver teapot. Silverpoint is different from graphite.  Silverpoint pens use a silver (yes, real silver) stylus.  For more information on silverpoint click HERE.  All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment telling me your favorite macaron flavor.  A winner will be chosen randomly on August 7, 2021.

Thanks so much for your visit!  Please visit Vanessa and thank her for hosting this Blog Hop;  she also has links to other parties you can attend!

It's always tea time!  

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Mad Tea Party 2021 And a Giveaway

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Winter Tea Party

 

Happy Thursday, Lovelies!

Recently, we had a little tea party as part of our celebration of Hot Tea Month.  We were planning a winter wonderland party, but we're tired of winter.  We instead decided to decorate for Valentine's Day, but without a lot of pink and red.  During the party we celebrated Shelley's last semester of undergrad.  YAY!!! 

We had fun decorating the table.  I chose a linen table runner that feels like spring and summer, but it does have thistles on it, which is reminiscent of winter.

Our menu for the party:

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver's Ham Sandwiches

Three Ingredient Scones

Darjeeling Hot Tea

The Mr. and Mrs. Beaver Ham Sandwiches are from a delightful book entitled A Literary Tea Party by Alison Walsh.  Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are characters from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.  The roll-up sandwiches are made on oatmeal bread and are filled with cream cheese, pesto, and prosciutto.  Readers of my newsletter can see the recipe in the February edition.

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver's Ham Sandwiches

These went quickly, and I almost forgot to get a photo of them.

I would also recommend these sandwiches for a picnic or luncheon.

IndieBound Affiliate Link

This recipe book is perfect for the bibliophile who loves tea parties!

I served the scones with lemon curd and raspberry preserves.  The scones aren't very sweet, which is another reason why I love them!

The scone recipe is genius!  You will find it below.  I love the scones because they are very light.  The carbonation in the lemon soda allows the scones to rise.

This recipe is everywhere (I found several sources sharing it), so I'm unsure who the genius is who created it.

Three Ingredient Scones

You will need:

3 cups self-rising flour

1 cup lemon flavored soda

1 cup heavy cream

*You will also need cooking spray.

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray; lightly dust with flour.

2.   Sift self-rising flour into a large bowl. Combine lemon soda and cream and pour over the flour. Mix until dough is just combined. Turn dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Flour your hands with a lot of flour and gently pat dough into a large rectangle. Do not overwork the dough. Cut into triangles or squares.

3.   Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.  I used a larger biscuit cutter, so mine baked for 14 minutes.

Homeschooling parents and grandparents:  Making this recipe is a wonderful lesson in chemistry (baking is chemistry, after all) for younger children!  Plus it is very simple to mix, and an adult can assist with the sticky part.

Have you been celebrating tea this month?  Or are you like me, celebrating it all year long  ;P

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Winter Tea Party

Thursday, January 28, 2021

National Hot Tea Day

 

Happy National Hot Tea Day!

Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies!  It's National Hot Tea Day, and this post is a celebration of my favorite beverage.  I have shared hot tea and a plethora of hot tea parties over the years here on the blog.  It's fun to look back and see older posts, especially those involving the girls when they were younger.  It's also funny to see how I've improved a little in my mad blogging skills, LOL...

Do you have any favorite hot teas?  I have too many.  And I'm finding even more via my SipsBy monthly subscription box.  The company has a regular subscription, and they also have themed boxes throughout the year.  It's a fun and less expensive way to try new teas, and I share them with my daughters, too.

I really have enjoyed the Stash brand teas from my subscription, especially the Super Irish Breakfast.

One of the themed tea boxes I ordered was the Christmas Cookie Tea Box.  It included the above teas.

My current favorite flavored tea is The Republic of Teas' Cuppa Cake Tea: Caramel Vanilla.

If I had you over for tea, which one would you choose?

I've hosted several tea parties over the years, and you can find links to them on the Tales of The Traveling Tote Page.  A few of my favorites:

Anne of Green Gables

Nancy Drew

Other tea posts can be found by searching tea in my search engine in the sidebar.

Several of my past posts have recipes for delicious tea party treats, too.

One of my favorite recipes for hot tea is:

London Fog Earl Grey

The original post can be found HERE.  

This is all you'll need for the recipe.

London Fog Earl Grey Latte Recipe

Ingredients:

2/3 c strongly brewed Earl Grey tea

1/3 c whole milk

1 1/2 T maple syrup

1T brown sugar

1 t vanilla bean paste

cinnamon sugar for garnish

Procedure:

Brew your tea, and while it steeps you can gather the rest of your ingredients.  Let tea steep at least five minutes.

In your milk frother begin frothing milk and set it to the highest milk temperature setting.  

(I have a Breville Milk Café Electric Frother, and I highly recommend it.  It heats milk to the perfect temperature, and it's perfect for hot chocolate, too.)  

As it's frothing the milk and heating it, slowly add the maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla bean paste.  These ingredients make the milk thicker and creamier.

Pour your tea in a large mug, and add the frothed milk by first adding the milk and then spoon the foam on top.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top to taste.

NOTE:  If you have a handheld milk frother, you might want to mix all the ingredients in the tea first and froth the milk by itself.  

Yummy!

Do you take your tea with lemon?

How do you like your tea?

Please leave me a comment sharing with us what kind of tea you like best and how you take it!

Join me at the end of the month for a winter-themed tea party!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

National Hot Tea Day

Tuesday, January 12, 2021