irish tea brack

A perfect recipe for St. Patrick's Day or whenever you're in the mood for a tasty teatime treat, with a cup of hot tea used in the batter -- it's the classic Irish Tea Brack.  I like King Arthur Flour's version here because it includes chopped dates and opts for whole wheat or wholemeal flour. 

"You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was." -- Irish saying

sheldon's tea mandate

Truth be told, most people who think they don't want tea almost always seem better off having had a cup or two urged upon them.

teapots and beatrice

Today would have been the 120th birthday of artist, muse and otherwise fascinating persona Beatrice Wood, who died in 1998 at the age of 105 and nine days.  Throughout her long life, Beatrice was involved with acting on stage and interacting with the likes of handsome geniuses such as Marcel Duchamp, but it was her 1933 search for a certain type of teapot that led to a more defining career.  She wasn't able to find the pot she wanted, so she signed up for a ceramics class at Hollywood High School to make one herself.  It wasn't quite as simple as she thought, but through a combined approach of persistence, talent, and intuitive application, her work developed a style of its own and her ceramic pieces became highly sought after.  And some very distinctive teapots were ultimately created as well.

Beatrice once said that "chocolates and young men" were a key to her charming longevity, and while I can't speak for her preference, I wonder if she would have enjoyed Republic of Tea's Red Velvet Cuppa Chocolate. It's smoothly sweet and caffeine free with rooibos, bits of beetroot, blackberry leaves and chocolate and vanilla notes -- and for those of us still here on earth, maybe taking a page from Beatrice's book and signing up for an intro to ceramics or glassblowing class might be fun, to make a teapot then see where else it leads.

Pictured:  Gold Lustre Teapot -- Beatrice Wood, 1988 (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center)