Sweet Cream

This cream was perfect on the scones over Christmas. We didn't succeed with the clotted cream due to the weather here, but we whipped this up and I don't think I'll turn it away ever! It's also great on bagels!

No idea why my picture is pink! 

Sweet Cream

1 pkg softened cream cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1-2 TBSP  sugar
1 cap full vanilla

Blend all together. I stored mine in a ball jar . Last in fridge for up to a week.

Scones

These scones were a huge hit over Christmas with several families. I served with a cream (recipe wednesday) and raspberry preserves. Best part was they were easy to make and I can prepackage ingredients to whip them up any time!

Update!! I decided to experiment with this recipe. I opened a small bag of tea (Earl Gray and I also used Orange Chiffon for a second batch) and add it to the buttermilk! I highly recommend buttermilk over regular milk unless you have whole milk.

As always credit at the bottom!

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour (preferably cake flour)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
4 Tbs cold Butter
1/4 cup Sugar (1/3 cup Sugar if you plan on eating them with jam and cream)
1/2 cup Milk
(Some Brits will use Buttermilk instead of Milk, and some will even add an egg. Try a few variations to see which you like best.)
Makes about 10-12 scones.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and enough milk to mix to a soft dough (but not wet or overly sticky).
Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly (don’t over mix) and roll out to a 1 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. (You may also just gently form some balls in your hands and place on baking sheet, like drop biscuits.)
Position rack high in the oven and Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

http://www.karenshanley.com

Earl Grey Tea Cake with Lemon and Honey

This is in my to do list for today.  I love Earl Grey tea and my dream is to work/run my own tea shop. 

Check out the credits at the end.

Earl Grey Tea Cake worth lemon and honey

Ingredients

½ cup (120 ml) milk
4 Alokozay Earl Grey teabags (I used Tazo)
½ cup (113 g) butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons (45 g) honey
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
2 eggs
1½ cup (190 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon

Syrup:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup hot water
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions
Heat the milk in a small saucepan, and then steep 2 Alokozay Earl Grey teabags in the hot milk for half an hour.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease or line a 9x5 loaf pan.
If your honey is semi-solid melt together with the butter. Using an electric mixer beat together butter, honey and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until combined.
Remove the teabags from the milk making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add infused milk, lemon zest and tea powder from 2 bags and mix until well incorporated.
Fill batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For a nice, clean split in the loaf make a cut into the batter after about 10 minutes of baking time. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil towards the end of baking time.
Combine all ingredients for the syrup and set aside. Let the loaf cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a wire rack. Poke holes into the top and brush syrup on while still warm. Store any leftover syrup in a glass jar in the fridge. A couple teaspoons of syrup make a great addition to a cup of brewed tea.

http://leelalicious.com/earl-grey-tea-cake/

I Iced the Earl of Grey!

Recipes that may help you with today's recipe are how to make ice cubes and how to boil water!

Today we are going to clean up the house for company coming this afternoon. I also am planning to have some friends over next Friday for our anniversary and they have not experienced my baking skills. So I asked the hubs what he would want the most and he said "oh hell!" I assumed that meant he couldn't choose. So I asked about the blueberry muffins and he said "those were pretty good"! So I guess that's what I will add to the list! Which as I go back to find the recipe to link it for you, I realize I've never shared that recipe! I'm so sorry! I will have it for you next week for sure!

I am currently addicted to this drink as it is so flipping hot around here. It's a cold version of a London Fog without the milk, although a little cold milk added to it wouldn't be all that bad!

I Iced The Earl of Grey
Makes 1 Large drink

2 bags of Earl Grey tea
1-2 cups water (filtered if possible
2-3 TBSP sugar free vanilla flavoring syrup
Ice
Sugar to taste (or not at all)

Boil your water, steep the tea bags according to the box, usually 5 minutes. Pour into your large cup (I use a venti Starbucks cup), add vanilla and sugar, stir. Add ice and additional water to fill your cup.

Go find a good book. Sip. Enjoy!
Lazy way is to put 2 tea bags in your Keurig or Mr. Coffee and 10 0z of water!

Strawberry Lemonade Sun Tea

Short and sweet, literally! I'm lazy and still in bed.  I need to get moving but I really don't want to.

Strawberry  Lemonade Sun Tea

Ingredients
24 ounces Filtered Water
2 Tablespoons Truvia (or preferred sweetener) - optional
1 Family Size Iced Tea Bag (or 3 regular tea bags)
1 Lemon - sliced
5-6 Large Strawberries - tops removed and cut in half
Sunshine

Ice Instructions
Combine water and sweetener in large glass container. Stir. Add the lemon, strawberries and tea bag. Seal container and place in direct sunlight for 1-2 hours. Serve tea over ice. **I prefer to let tea and fruit infuse even more in the refrigerator overnight** By WonkyWonderful

Earl Grey and Streusel Muffins

Today is preparing for tomorrow's rummage sale and my son's track meet that I didn't know about so I planned  the rummage sale. Yep, parent fail! If you follow my craft page you know I'm a tea addict. So when I can bake with it I love it!  Earl Grey and I are close friends.

Streusel and Earl Grey Muffins

1. Streusel:
Make the topping:
Mix 2/3 cup each chopped pecans, brown sugar and flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; work in 5 tablespoons cold cubed butter.

Make the batter:
Mix 2 cups flour,
1 teaspoon baking powder,
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and salt,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Whisk 3 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 stick melted butter, 1 cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla; fold into the flour mixture. Divide among 12 prepared muffin cups, sprinkle with the topping and bake 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Earl Grey: Make Streusel Muffins (No. 1), replacing the pecans with oats, reducing the sour cream to 3/4 cup and adding 1/3 cup strong Earl Grey tea with the vanilla.

Raspberry Tea

I had to share something from my favorite cookbook. It is called At Freedom's Table.

 

This is a cookbook created from recipes of military wives. Every recipe has a story or in some cases recipes came from the stories! This is one of my favorites!

You can get your copy for just $0.94 at Amazon in the link below! Both cookbooks below are similar and by the same author. 

 

Banana Tea Bread

My Mother-In-Law made banana bread this week and was talking about it on Facebook. So of course my guys wanted some. Thankfully I had bananas in the freezer. So 3 loaves and 12 muffins later...

This is my favorite banana bread recipe (could be the tea part ;). No, there is no tea in the recipe it is for when you serve tea to company!

The only thing I would change in the recipe is the fat. Whenever the Mennonite Cookbook calls for fat I substitute it with half butter and half Crisco. Hasn't let me down yet!

Sorry had to use the vintage effect! Makes it looks so yummy!

Cranberry Tea Cookies

So I have been talking to Saucy about how I would some day like to open my own tea shop.  I would love to have a place to share a cuppa and maybe even have little girls birthday tea parties!  So that is now added to my 10 year bucket list (am I truly crazier than I thought).  By then kids will be graduated and hubs will hopefully be out of the military.  So I have been doing a lot of research and looking for recipes that I could serve in a tea shop.  I found this one and remembered making it with my Aunt when I was little (probably where my tea obsession began).  So thank you Aunt Gladys for showing me the things girls should have been into instead of the mud and overalls I was...


Cranberry Tea Cookies
Makes 35-40 Cookies


2-4 oz sticks salted butter at room temperature (8 oz total)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T milk or cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 c chopped pecans
3/4 c chopped dried cranberries
1/4 c extra sugar

Cream butter and sugar til fluffy. Add milk and vanilla - mix. Add flour and salt - mix well.  It might seem crumbly at this point but if you keep blending it will come together eventually.  Add the cranberries and pecans.


Roll into 2 logs about 8 x 1 1/2".  Wrap and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.  I've also put them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes and this works the same way.  You just want it to be firm enough to cut without misshaping the round cookie.


Slice cookies about 1/4" thick.  Roll edges of cookie in sugar (if you want.  But I highly recommend!)

Herbs

Those of you that know me know that I am a huge fan of tea.  I love to use teas/herbs in place of medication or over the counter medications. 

So recently I have started looking into what herbs and flowers to plant next year (or this winter) to create my own backyard medicine chest. So I went to the Asylum library and used the computer and of course was side tracked by Facebook and Farmville2 as well as Pinterest. Which turned out to actually help! I am going to share some pictures I found there instead of trying to re-write everything!

Oh and Farmville2 you can grow the herbs and then use them to make things or feed your animals! Yes, I will be seeing the Asylum doctors for addiction...again...

I highly recommend if you have a cold or the flu or any other non-life threatening ailments that you give tea and herbs a try.  It worked for our ancestors! 

NOTE!!!!!!! We are not doctors!!!! I am just giving you suggestions and ideas to try!!

Cranberries are great for bladder infections! 

I drink a lot of peppermint tea when I have stomach issues.

Make sure if using dandelion or any herb/flower from your yard that they have not been sprayed with chemicals!

There is also a lot of combinations to help with bloating and weight loss! 

Lemon balm and lavender are my favorites to use in tea or to leave drying in my kitchen to cover odors. Lavender can be used in honey too!

Make sure to check out the websites on the pictures!

Not a fan of teas and herbs but would like to try a herb for a specific ailment? Head to the herbal section of your pharmacy or health department and see if they have a pill version for you to take! I take Evening Primrose Oil for menopause! It also helps with inflammation so it is working for my fibromyalgia as well. Oh and did I mention it works for eczema to! Those are only a few! So I take 1 pill 3x a day to treat THREE of my ailments and it works wonderfully!  

Not bad for something marketed for PMS!

Hope I have opened your eyes to a whole new way of thinking! Even if you switch from soda to tea like I did this week it will be a step in the right direction! 

Beverages!

Before I get started just wanted to point out some changes to the blog!  On the left hand side you will see an About Us button.  For those of you who started with us that is just our intro from the beginning.  If you are new here, go check it out and see who is in charge of the Asylum!  Also, if the search box doesn't work for you, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and you can see all the labels we have for our recipes!  Maybe you will find inspiration there!  Thanks again to everyone who has come to hang out at the Asylum table!

Now on to the fun!  We had a reader request for low calorie coffee drinks or teas, something different to get you through those hot summer days that are already here!  We would like to again apologize to our reader for your comment slipping through the Asylum cracks!
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Water and Tea

I just bought myself a cute pitcher at Target that looks like an old cream can.  It will be used a lot this summer.  We usually keep lots of drinks ready so we are not going to the soda fridge and our kids are only able to have them once in awhile.  We keep that fridge in the basement so we have to really want it to go all the way down there to get it!

Our go to is plain old water with fruits in them.  Fruit infused water, that's what it is called!  You can buy pitchers that have a separate area that the fruit goes into, or like so many on the internet use mason jars with lids!  They are portable, ready to go and can be thrown in a cooler for a summer trip!

Some ideas:
Lemon and or lime slices
Strawberries and kiwi
Cucumber
Orange and Lemon (my favorite)
Apple slices and a stick of cinnamon
Strawberry jalapeno

If none of those sound good to you, head over to Infused Waters and get some ideas!

My new pitcher will be filled with Tazo Iced Green Tea most of the summer and I like to add lemon slices and a little honey to make it sweeter, but I have been know to add whatever fruit is in my fridge!  Any tea that you make hot can be made cold as well, just follow the directions on the box.  Watch your sweeteners that is where we tend to get into trouble!
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Coffee

If you are a coffee drinker just make your favorite coffee and let it cool completely.  The better quality coffee you use the better the results!  Add ice to your cup and add your milk, this is where the calories and fat come from, so choose wisely or skip it all together!  Then add your flavoring, I have used everything from flavorings made specifically for coffee drinks and coffee creamers to what ever I find in my fridge.  The flavorings can be found in your coffee aisle.  They have plenty of sugar free or low calorie flavorings to choose from!  You can add a zero or low calorie sweetener to your drink as well, but I would stick to raw sugar-it worked for our ancestors!  Add whip cream-it is low in calories and fat!

If you want your coffee drink to be a more slushy/frap consistency, throw it all in a blender and give it a spin!  You can even add protein powders to make it a healthy choice!

If you are a Starbuck's customer HERE is a link showing you how to order your drinks low calorie!
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Lemonade

Why do I always picture a 50s housewife taking lemonade out to her husband that is mowing the lawn?

Ever tried Carrot Lemonade?  A friend made this for me once and I found the recipe HERE!  It was very yummy! 

I don't know where I found this recipe--

Fresh Mint and Ginger Lemonade1/2 c (packed) chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 c Chopped fresh ginger
1/3 c Honey
2 c Boiling water
1/3 c Fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 c (about) cold water
Ice cubes
Fresh mint leaves
Lemon slices
Combine chopped mint, ginger and honey in medium bowl. Add boiling water. Let steep 30 minutes. Strain into 4-C glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Add lemon juice and enough cold water to measure 4 C total. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Fill glasses with ice cubes. Add lemonade. Garnish with mint leaves.

One of my favorite blogs-Alice in Wonderland has a great homemade low sugar lemonade!
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This isn't a low calorie drink, but it is one of my favorites in the summer time.  Right up there with Chocolate Cherry Cokes! 

June Bug

Better Homes and Garden

 

Ingredients

3 cups ginger ale

4 tablespoons grenadine

4 tablespoons orange juice

3 scoops orange sherbet

Directions

1. Blend together ginger ale, grenadine, orange juice, and sherbet. Pour into ice-filled cocktail glasses. (To make a version with alcohol, add white rum.)

Note: If you are a alcohol drinker, you can add a flavored rum to this!

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I hope that helps and didn't make you even more confused!  It has been a crazy day here at the Asylum as I write this! Summer vacation is in full swing!  Do you think they will make my white jacket a pretty turquoise one?