Wacky Tea...

Where is the weirdest place you have had a cup of tea?? In the bath.... in the shower or maybe on the toilet! Hmmm! I found some cute "Tea" inspired photo's that made me think of weird places to drink tea? Maybe at a concernt... while your in the mosh pit! Now that wouldn't be so fun if it's piping hot! What about in space...in a space shuttle now that would be interesting drinking!

From Here

What about in a record store?? 

Image from HERE

Or with a giant  mice and a teddy bear?

Image HERE

 maybe with a strange tatooed girl??

Image HERE

What about with frankenstein? Now that would be interesting!

Image from HERE

Or with your favourite stuffed animal?

Image From HERE

 Or maybe somewhere not so weird but wonderful... FRANCE!!! Yes please

Wherever or with whoever... Tea is a universal drink..... So why not make yourself a cup today!
How's your week been so far?

 Happy Sipping

Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Cute As A Button!!

Image from here

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
Twas very small, three guests in all,
I, Myself, and Me!

Happy Sipping!!!

Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Apricot & Coconut Cake With Passionfruit Icing!!!

Do you ever have those days where you go to make a recipe that you had in mind and then you realise you don't have half the ingredients that you needed for it! Well that is what happened with this recipe, i scanned the ingredients of my would be recipe ( A hummingbird cake if you must know) and realised no i did not have any banana to add to my cake and continued down further and realised i did not have any canned pineapple to create my hummingbird cake with! I sat stumped for a few minutes thinking of what i could do! I had promised my hubby that i would make him this treat but to no avail i would have to disappoint! I jumped up and scanned the contents of my pantry to see what i could substitute these items with. I spied at the back of my pantry a lone can of apricot halves... "perfect" i thought that can replace the pineapple! Hmmm what else goes with apricots... i continued scanning my canned goods.. "tinned tuna..?" hmmm maybe not...! Ah ha... I spy with my little eye a can of coconut milk...just what i need! So with these substitutes in hand i went to task to create for my husband an even better cake than the one promised... and i believe i did deliver!

We have heaps of passionfruits on our passionfruit vine at the moment so i thought i would made good use of these delicious little fruits and make a yummy icing to drizzle over the cake to create the "icing on the cake" so to speak.

This recipe is really easy and is a "beat & bake" kinda cake. You add all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, add to pan and voila your done!

{Download & Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

400g Can Apricot Halves, if in juice drain.

1 Cup Plain Flour

¾ Cup SR Flour

½ Tsp Bicarb Soda

½ Tsp Cinnamon

½ Tsp Ground Ginger

1 Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Desiccated Coconut

1 Cup Coconut Milk

2 Eggs, beaten lightly

Icing

3 x Passionfruit

2 – 2 ½ cups Icing Sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, grease and line a 20cm cake tin.

2. In a bowl add apricots, sifted flours, soda, spices and sugar.

3. Add coconut milk, desiccated coconut and beaten egg, lightly fold until combined and pour into tin.

4. Cook for about 40 min or until golden brown, set aside to cool.

5. ICING: In a bowl add passionfruit pulp, butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Sift icing sugar into and mix until combined. You may have to add more icing sugar to get a thicker icing consistency.

 Simply Tea Match:

 I would recommend a good cup of Rooibos Chai Tea to match with this delectable cake. The cinnamon and ginger spices in this cake mixture will really compliment the sweet and aromatic flavours of the Rooibos Chai Tea. Our Rooibos Chai is a 'Super grade' Rooibos herb leaf, with a soft, sweet aromatic taste, blended with warm spices cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and ginger. Make sure you check out the health benefits associated with Rooibos Tea.

ORDER NOW

 You can purchase our Rooibos Chai  for $12.00/100g bag or $2.00 for a sample pack!

  

 Happy Sipping.......

 Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Coconut & Raison Choccie Slice!

{Download & Print Recipe}

This is a pretty basic recipe really and very simple to make but it is so scrumptious with your morning or afternoon cuppa. The juicy little raisons pop in your mouth and work well with the chocolaty and coconut flavours going on. This one is a must to add to your recipe book for those quick whip-up times  when you really don't have the energy to make anything fancy. All you have to do is melt, sift and mix all in one bowl. Easy... Peasy!!! Now for those who really don't like sultana's i would suggest adding choc-chips or walnuts in their place.

Coconut & Raison Chocolate Slice

 Ingredients:
1 Cup SR Flour
2 Level Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Desiccated Coconut
½ Cup Sugar
¼ cup Sultana’s
125g Butter
1 Egg

Icing
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Tbsp Coco powder
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
Milk
Shredded Coconut, to decorate

Method:
1.    Sift flour and coco powder in a bowl and add coconut, sugar & sultanas.
2.    Melt butter, beat eggs and add to dry ingredients. Mix to combine and press into a lined lamington tray.
3.    Cook in a moderated oven (180 degrees) for about 20 -25 Minutes. Let cool.
4.    For icing, sift icing sugar & cocoa together; add vanilla essence and a little milk to make into spreading consistency. Spread icing over slice evenly and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Voila your done!

Simply Tea Recommendations:

To really spice this slice up a bit why not match it with our Arctic Fire? It is one of our Flavoured Black teas which has a A cool, minty flavour with subtle undertones of fruit, blended with China-Ceylon teas and blue cornflowers. The minty flavours would really enhance the chocolate flavour of the slice!

Arctic Fire... ORDER TODAY

 You can purchase our Arctic Fire for $11.00/100g or a sample bag for $2.00

 Happy Sipping....

Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Spring Please Come Back...

Well spring has definitely disappeared that's for sure. I have struggled to get organised and inspired to try and put something smart and witty up... but alas i couldn't... my brain has succumbed to the winter blues again. I have cocooned myself again in bedsocks, tracky dacks and warm and cosy blankets, sidled up beside the fire with warm cuppa in hand and a good book... well books actually. Since being stuck inside the house i have read my way through about 4 books in the last 3 weeks.  My library card is my best friend in winter and seems now spring as well. I truly love re-reading the books i have but it is also great to go to the library and get some fresh material. I have found some great books on small business, loads of information on Tea, great cook books and wonderful novels. I have also managed to pick up a cheap 2nd hand desk to put in our spare room to "create' a bit more functional work space!

What have you been doing in this rainy weather to keep yourself entertained?

 Need something warm and delicious to drink in this wet weather be sure to....

Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Tea LOVES!.....

For all you tea fanatics out there i know that for myself i not only love a good cup of tea but i LOVE little knick-knacks, homewares, picture etc that depict cute and whimsical picture's of teapots, cups etc. I thought i would show you what i have found lately out there that are on my WISH list of things to add to my "TEA" love collection!

Gorgeous Print by "Bee Things" Visit  Store: HERE

Alway Time For Tea - Tea Towel from Lark. Visit Store: HERE

Pride & Predjudice Tea Cup: Visit Store: HERE

Gorgeous Teapot Necklace! Visit Store: HERE

Cutest Lavender Tea Cosy: Visit Store: HERE

CUTEST T-Shirts for kids By Billy Mac - LOVE THEM. Visit Store: HERE

What are some of your favourite "Tea" Things that you have purchased lately??


Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~

Blueberry Meringues

 Download & Print Recipe

Now your in the mood for something a little bit special with your arvo cuppa... why not whip these little babies up in the morning and enjoy them in the afternoon! The recipe looks a bit in depth but it really is full of helpful hints along the way... the basic meringue recipe was from Taste.com.

Makes: 30

Ingredients
4 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch salt
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
½ Cup Blueberries

Method
1.    The most important thing to remember when making meringues is that moisture is their greatest enemy. Therefore, don't make meringues on humid or rainy days. Also, avoid making them when doing other cooking. Moisture in the air will prevent them from drying completely and will make them "weep". Preheat oven to 120°C. Measure and prepare all your ingredients.
2.    Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them - cold egg whites incorporate less air than those at room temperature. When you separate the egg whites from the yolks, separate each egg into a small dish or ramekin rather than straight into a large bowl. Transfer the whites and yolks to different bowls before. separating the remaining eggs. This way, if a yolk breaks into a white, you will not spoil all four egg whites. Egg whites from 59 g eggs were used for this recipe.
3.    The salt will help to stabilise the meringues and help them stiffen before the sugar is added. A pinch of cream tartar can be used in place of the salt if you wish.
4.    Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Have all the required utensils on hand. An electric stand mixer or electric hand beaters with a whisk attachment or a hand balloon whisk can be used to whisk the egg whites. they will all give good results but the texture of the meringue mixture will be slightly different with each.
5.    Place the egg whites and salt in a large, clean, dry mixing bowl. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachment/s are free of any water, or fat such as butter, oil or egg yolks, as this will inhibit the egg whites from incorporating air and producing a good volume. It is best to use a stainless steel, glass, ceramic or copper bowl for whisking egg whites and not plastic as traces of fat are difficult to remove from plastic bowls. Use an electric mixer or electric hand beaters to whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
6.    Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking until just combined. The sugar should be added gradually but there is no need to whisk well after each addition. If the sugar is added too slowly, the resulting mixture will be fluffy and not smooth and will give the final meringues an open texture.
7.    After the last of the sugar has been, added, continue to whisk for a further 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and glossy, all the sugar has dissolved and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted. The best way to test if all the sugar has dissolved is to rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger.
8.    If it is smooth, all the sugar has dissolved. Keep a close eye on the mixture and stop beating as soon as it reaches this stage. If the mixture is overbeaten, the meringues will collapse during cooking and beads of sugar will form on their surface.
9.    Add blueberries and carefully fold through meringue mixture.
10.    Use teaspoons to spoon the mixture onto the lined trays to form the meringues. As a guide, each meringue will be about 2 level tablespoon measures of mixture.
11.    Place the meringues into the oven and reduce the temperature to 90°C. When you place the meringues in the oven, the initial slightly higher temperature sets their outsides. The lower temperature then dries the meringues rather than bakes them. Leave the oven on for 1 1/2 hours or until the meringues are crisp and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven - this will take 3-4 hours.
12.    The meringues will have a crisp, light texture and a very pale, even, off-white colour.
13.    Store the meringues in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Simply Tea Recommendation: If your wanting to match your tea with this sweet little number i would recommend our Lemon Tang herbal infusion. It is a blend of lemongrass, chamomile, ginger, hibiscus flower, rose petal and rose myrtle. It will cute perfectly through the sweetness of the merginue. Simply Delicious!

You can purchase our Lemon Tang for $13.00/100g or $2 sample bag.

ORDER NOW!

Have a great weekend and Happy Sipping!

Visit Us At: The Simply Tea Shop ~ "For The Love Of Tea" ~