Teatime Tuesday: It's Not Easy Being Green

Teatime Tuesday: 

It’s Not Easy Being Green

As the beverage of choice in America, coffee is consumed by 60-70% of the population, with tea a distant second. However, according to several studies, tea is gaining popularity for its health benefits and lower caffeine content. Black tea tends to be the most popular with robust, spicy chai tea gaining traction.

Green and white teas seem to be viewed as “relaxing” drinks, although some varieties of each have as much if not more caffeine than some black teas. Made from the same leaves as black tea: Camellia sinensis, green tea has not been subjected to withering and the oxidation process. No chemical changes occur during its manufacture.

Green teas are “initially processed by soaking in an alcohol solution, which may be further concentrated

to various levels.” (Wikipedia). Next comes a series of rollings and firings to shape and dry the leaves. Sometimes, the leaf is alternately rolled or shaped by hand, giving each tea its own characteristic appearance, and rolling and shaping often differs by country.” (The New Tea Companion; Jane Pettigrew).

A number of studies have been done to determine the health benefits, if any, of green tea and include:

• An increase of one cup per day has been correlated with a slightly lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
• Green tea consumption is has been noted to lower fasting blood sugars as well as decrease the blood concentration of total cholesterol.
• A study by the National Institute of Health showed a decrease in body weight, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure.

An interesting feature to tea (black, green, white, or other) is that the caffeine is metabolized slower and more “evenly” than coffee, providing a sort of “time-release” effect thought to last 4-6 hours rather than the “jolt” one gets from coffee.

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Love Under Construction

Can two stubborn people tear down the walls of independence to find love?

Nadine Krause took in boarders to help her family climb out of debt after her father’s death. Business has gone well, and she’s earned enough to expand the house. When her brother’s friend agrees to take the job - the only man in town willing to work for a woman - sparks fly. But not the good kind. Or are they?

Looking for something different, Leo Albrecht takes a project working for Nadine Krause, the spunky owner of Cocoaville’s favorite boarding house. An easy job. Then he manages to injure himself and needs her help to finish making it nearly impossible to ignore his growing attraction. Should he break his rule of not mixing work and his personal life?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/47Gn0q

Photo credits:

Green Tea: Pixabay/Apple_Deng

Tea Drying: Courtesy tea101.com

Tea Leaves: Pixabay/Silke

Wartime Wednesday: Holiday Meals During Wartime

Holiday Meals During Wartime

Tires were the first item rationed in the US after the attack at Pearl Harbor when authorities realized rubber was going to be a crucial war materiel. It would be another four months before various foodstuff found its way onto the list, with sugar being first in May 1942. Coffee followed in November that year, then meats, fats, canned fish and canned milk, and cheese.

People integrated meatless meals in their weekly menus as well as learned how to cook “variety meats,” a euphemism for organ meats. My parents had very different experiences during the war. Mom lived on a large farm, as did many of her nearby relatives, so her family already raised most of their food. They were more impacted by gas rationing because of living so far from town. Dad lived in Baltimore City in a row house that had very little yard, so their space was limited for inputting a Victory Garden. They ate lots of canned vegetables and went without.

In the early years of our marriage when money was tight (paying off student loan, car payments, etc.) we tried our hand at gardening. We were marginally successful, but we constantly fought the deer, rabbits, and birds for our produce. And I hated weeding! We probably would have been more like Dad’s family and stuck with canned food.

During my growing up years, we went to my maternal grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving where

aunts, uncles, and cousins joined us for a feast that included turkey, ham, and meatloaf plus three kinds of potatoes, and every vegetable you can think of. For Christmas my paternal grandparents visited us (probably because the thought of loading the car with four kids and their gifts, then schlepping five hours was not my parent’s idea of a good time). Mom spent most of the morning in the kitchen, and we typically had a turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the iconic green bean casserole. We could count on leftovers.

During the war with meat at a premium, stews, soups, and casseroles were often served for the holidays. Desserts were limited and were often composed of fruit rather than sugar (although corn syrup and maple syrup were popular substitutes).

Here are recipes from the Victory Cookbook for a yummy and cost-effective wartime meal sure to please you and your family:

Chicken Pie with Sweet Potato Crust
3 Cups diced cooked chicken
1 Cup diced cooked carrots
6 cooked small white onions
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 Cup milk
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon pepper

Crust:
1 Cup sifted flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup cold mashed sweet potatoes
½ Cup melted butter
1 egg, well beaten

To make crust: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Work in mashed potatoes, melted butter, and egg. Roll ¼ inch thick.

For casserole: Arrange chicken, carrots, onions, and parsley in layers in casserole dish. Combine milk and chicken broth. Add slowly to flour, blending well. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Season and pour over chicken and vegetables in casserole. Cover with sweet potato crust. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Dessert: Baked Stuffed Apples

6 large, red apples (your choice)
1 Cup chopped bananas
1 Cup chopped cranberries
1 Cup sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
Chopped nuts (your choice)

Cup off stem end of apples, but do not peel them. Remove core and a portion of the pulp, leaving the walls about ¾ inch thick. Mix bananas, cranberries, sugar, and cinnamon. Fill the cavities in the apples with the mixture, cover with chopped nuts, and bake in 350-degreee oven until tender, about 30 minutes.

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The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects:

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR

Photo credit:

Tires: Pixabay/Florian Berger

Turkey dinner: Pixabay/Linda Rosium

Apples: Pixabay/Rita E.

Wartime Wednesday: When There's No Turkey to Be Had

Wartime Wednesday: 

When There’s No Turkey to be Had

With rationing, housewives had to get creative in preparing Thanksgiving meals for their family. Unless they raised the chicken or turkey themselves, having a full bird for the holiday was not going to happen. Some cooks turned to “variety meats (e.g. liver, brains, etc.) while other went vegetarian. Another alternative is to go with a recipe that stretched their meat amounts a LOOOONG way as this recipe from Better Meals in Wartime claims to do. Easy, delicious, and affordable.

Beef Bean Hot Pot for Six

1 pound stewing beef cut into small cubes
1 cup diced celery
1 pounded dried lima beans
3 onions, sliced
1 green pepper, minced
3 tablespoons fat
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour

Cover lima beans with water and soak overnight. Add more water and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil for one (10 hour or until beans are beginning to soften. Save water. Fry meat and vegetables in fat for about 10 minutes. Add flour, seasonings, and tomatoes.

Place in a large, greased casserole with beans. Cover with water from beans and add as much more as necessary. Bake in a slow oven (300 degrees) for two hours.

Fried Cornmeal

1 Cup Cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
¾ - 1 cup water
2 tablespoons oils

Mix cornmeal and salt in a bowl until combined. Add ¾ cup water and whisk to combine. Add water by the tablespoon until batter pours from a spoon but is not watery. Heat oil in skillet (cast iron works great!). Drop tablespoons of batter and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until crispy and brown.

Baked Apples

4 firm, sweet-tart apples
¼ cup brown sugar OR ¼ cup honey
1 ½ tablespoons margarine
Raisins (optional)

Wash, core, but don’t peel apples. Slice crosswise in ½ inch slices. Grease a flat backing dish. Lay the slices in the dish and sprinkle brown sugar or honey over them. Dot with bits of margarine.

Pour enough water into the dish to cover the bottom. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until apples are tender but not mushy. Sprinkle rains over the apples and serve warm.

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The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR