Monday, March 29, 2010

Easter Tea Eggs


Marbled Easter Eggs are beautiful and easy to make. After they are finished you can cut them in 1/2, take out the yoke, and use them as little cups for chicken, seafood or tuna salad. Wonderful for Easter!

Recipe:
1 dozen extra large eggs
3 tablespoons of Assam tea leaves
8 cups of water
2 teaspoons of salt

1. Put the eggs in a large soup pot and cover them with cold water.
2. Bring water to a gentle boil and cook for 15 minutes.
3. After the eggs are cooked lift the eggs out of the pot and place them under cold running water for approximately 3-4 minutes or until they are no longer too hot to hold.
4. Place the cooked eggs on the counter on a paper towel to cool.
5. After eggs are cold, gently crack the eggshells all over by rolling them on a paper towel or using the back of a spoon the tap the shells of each egg. Be careful and don't let the eggshell detach from the egg.
5. In a large saucepan add the Assam leaves, water, and salt.
6. Gently place the cooked eggs into the pan. Make sure the water covers the eggs,add extra water if you need.
7. Bring the water slowly to to a boil and as soon as the water boils turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pan.
8. The eggs must simmer in the liquid for 1-hour.
9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the eggs cool while sitting in the liquid.
10. After the eggs are cool, drain and place the eggs in a sealed plastic bag.
11. Store in the eggs in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
12. Remove the shells right before serving.

PS- Add a drop of food color to step #5 if you want colored eggs.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Time For 1st Flush


Darjeeling tea is known as the Champagne of Tea- for good reason! In Darjeeling the tea plants are dormant during the winter months but as the weather turns a bit warmer, and the spring season begins, the highly anticipated harvest of the first flush Darjeeling tea begins. Typically harvested in mid-march, first flush is wildly popular in Paris and has regularly been airlifted to famous customers and has been likened to the annual release of the famous French Beaujolais Nouveau wine. In the U.S., Americans are more partial to the second flush Darjeeling which is harvested during the summer months. The second flush is a more robust tea and the majority of Darjeeling tea found in the U.S. is second flush.

Try a delicious first flush Darjeeling on March 20th (2:30pm) at Lemons & Limes in Chestnut Hill.8133 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, PA 19118 (215-242-3080)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Drink Green Tea for Relief!


It seems as if someone in my house has had a runny nose and cough since last October and we have loaded up on vitamins and "immune" enhancers (you know, the tablets that fizz when you drop them in water) with no success. My 14-year old son has gone through more boxes of tissues than I can count. New study results (from a double-blind study) were released that show Green Tea may be the answer for those suffering from cold and flu symptoms.

There were 32% fewer people with cold-flu symptoms

There was a decrease in the number of symptomatic days by 36%

There was a decrease in the need for medical treatment due to symptoms by 58%

There was an average increase in immune system gammadelta T cells by 28%, and

There was an average increase in immune system IFN-gamma secretion by 26%

Now, you need to drink at least 10 (8oz) cups of quality, green tea for these results. If you try it, let me know if it works for you! Cheers.



(Rowe CA, Journal American College Nutrition)