Wednesday, April 15, 2009

What's Cookin Wednesdays- Tea Anyone?

In honor of the tax day tea parties that are going on all across our country today I decided I would make tea the subject of today's post. I typically drink tea in the afternoon, right after Little M lays down for the afternoon siesta. Occasionally I will swap a cup of tea for my morning cup of joe, just depends on how lazy I am in the morning, because it is bit easier to just use some of the water Tip has already heated and just make some tea, as opposed to making coffee. Tea reportedly also has numerous health benefits, none of which I heavily buy into, I think yes it might help some, but I skeptical of what some of the "experts" studies about it. I drink it because I like it.
      As previously alluded to, I like to drink tea while it is still hot, in a coffee cup, however as we all know tea is extremely popular, sweetened and cooled, especially here in the south.  In my opinion the best type of sweet tea is sun tea. Where you let the sun steep your tea and then you bring it in and mix it as usual. However, I have read that this approach also lends itself to some pretty nasty bacteria reproduction in your drink of choice, so you have to be careful when making sun tea, and they say if you see strands floating around in your tea, then you shouldn't drink it, me, I think that would just be common sense, but Mcdonalds does have to put warnings on the coffee, warning the consumer that the contents are hot, go figure. Alot of people also like a bit of honey in their tea and milk is also very popular. I have never been fond of putting either in mine. I consider it to be a lot like putting sugar and cream in your coffee. My mom always says that if she wants coffee, then she is going to drink coffee, not that I think all 'coffee' drinks are bad, I used to commonly enjoy those machiattos(spelling?) from starbuckles.
       There are several different types of tea, black, green, red, white and herbal, which really isn't tea, because it is not usually made up of tea leaves, but of other various plant particulate. Black tea is what we typically drink, and is what is commonly used to make the southern treat sweet tea, but the experts tell you that the greater health benefits come from green and white tea. I don't care for the green variety, I think it tastes a bit cabbaggy, if you will.  However, while I am typing this blog, I am enjoying a cup of white tea. One downside is the catechins in tea stain your pearly whites quite effectively according to Food Detectives, and of course drinking more fluids means more pit stops!
     Just a quick note about the tea parties today.  We certainly are blessed to live in a country where like-minded folks can peacefully take a stand to show their opposition to out of control government spending. Long live liberty!

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