And the winner is...

Mountain High Chai!

Tea!

I never used to be much of a tea drinker. I liked the idea of drinking tea, wrapped up in a shawl on a cold, snowy Saturday morning with a good book in hand, but always in the end it seemed infinitely more satisfying to down a cup o’ Joe with the requisite tablespoon of half & half.

Cut to years later, when I started dating—and later married—a tea drinker. No doubt influenced by his family’s Irish heritage, S. would serve and asked to be served just a simple cup of Lipton, please. By default, I started drinking Lipton.

A few months back, I participated in a three day juice cleanse during which I was compelled to drink eight cups a day of green tea. I found that I liked the mild, soothing flavor, and then started to experiment with other teas.

A trip to the local market yielded a box of the delightful Better Morning Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud, a tea company headquartered in Basalt, Colorado. With selection limited to just a few flavors, I went online to order a sampler.

Two Leaves and Bud promises the experience of “whole leaf organic tea in its purest, native form.” I don’t know much about tea, but I do know that Better Morning Blend changed my approach to tea.  I’m looking forward to drinking my way through the sampler.

Next up: a comparison of orange sencha, mountain high chai, and pomi-berry.

-M 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light by way of myrecipes.com. Many times when I want to make something in particular I just Google the recipe. 

I love soups because they are easy and nutritious. When I take them to work for lunch, I can feel good about what I am eating. They are both healthy and inexpensive. A Midtown Manhattan lunch costs approximately $9 - for a sandwich or for noodles. Wouldn't you rather pack a hearty vegetable-based soup and a few slices of baguette? 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cream-of-mushroom-soup-with-sherry-10000000522384/

Ingredients:

• 20 small or medium-sized mushrooms (10 brown, 10 white)
• 1 large onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 Tbs crushed garlic
• 4 cups no-salt organic chicken broth
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 4 Tbs half & half

Directions:

Sautee chopped onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until tender. Add chopped mushrooms and garlic and sautee until tender. Add sage, salt and pepper, stirring until incorporated. Add chicken broth and let simmer 20 minutes. 

Blend mixture in multiple batches in food processor. Put mixture in pot and cook on low for 10 minutes, adding sherry and half & half.

I hope you enjoy this easy and healthy cream of mushroom soup!

-M

At Long Last!

Dear Readers,

Please forgive our absence. Julie has been preoccupied by graduate work and Marie has been busy settling into life as part of a twosome. Lots of cooking has been happening, but the same cannot be said for blogging. :)

Sincerely,

Julie and Marie