Worth It! The Perfect Cup

     I realized it had been a while since I'd done a "Worth It" post. We all have those things we love that we would replace immediately if something happened to them. Today I will share another one of my "must haves" with you. Several years ago I discovered a store in mall somewhere called Teavana. They are the Starbucks of tea. They sold it in leaf form, they had beautiful pots and you could order a freshly made perfect cup of tea to take with you. Don't get me wrong, I love my coffee...but, I also love a perfect cup of tea. As I watched them make the tea, I noticed how they were making several cups at a time using an interesting gadget for each cup. Needless to say, I went home with the Teavana Perfect Tea Maker ($17.99).  

This is actually my second one. I use it every day, so I eventually wore the first one out.

     I love Oolong tea. Teavana has great teas, but I usually buy mine at a funky little shop in Nashville. Davis Cookware and Cutlery Shop is an old, family run business and they know their tea. The prices are good and they just bag it up for you. The first time I purchased it there and went home with my two Ziploc bags full...I felt as if I might get arrested for carrying around pot. It really is tea and it is delicious. They don't have a website, but they will ship if you call them (615-298-4728). I only hope they were not damaged by the recent floods. 

You simply use a heaping teaspoon of tea leaves per cup.

     I use very hot water (just below the boiling point) from our dispenser. It is another one of my "must haves" as the water where we live just doesn't taste very good!

This is the tea when the water is first put in the cup.

This is the tea after 3 minutes...the perfect cup!

You simply sit the Teavana cup onto a large mug and

the tea drains into the cup, the leaves stay behind.

This is what is left, and you can make a second cup of tea using the same leaves.

Care to join me for that perfect cup of tea?

I am linking with Lady Katherine @ Lady Katherine Tea Parlor

for Tea Time Tuesday. Please stop by to visit her!

How Do I Hard Boil An Egg? Then What?

I have no doubt that there are more “recipes” for hard boiling eggs than there are egg varieties. I only know what works for me. I’ve been boiling eggs the same way for 30 years and it works every time. If you don’t cook an egg long enough, you will end up with a runny center. If you cook it too long, the yolk with have a greenish tinge to it. You can eat the eggs in either of those cases, but what you are going for is a nice bright yellow, cooked yolk. Once in a while I will get an egg that is slightly undercooked because of the position in the pan (I eat it).

For this article, I used 6 eggs. There are only 2 of us here, and we have to eat everything I’m posting for all of you. I didn’t want us to overdose on eggs today. You can do this exactly the same way for any number of eggs, just adjust your pan size accordingly. Place the eggs in a pan and cover them with cold water. Place on the burner and turn onto high heat (my stove is electric, if you have a gas stove, you may need to adjust the temperature a bit or add an extra inch of water to the pan). Set your timer for 16 minutes. Do not forget to set the timer and look at the eggs to make certain they are not boiling dry. If the water boils dry, the eggs will explode. I know this for a fact. Remember how I told you I was sharing my mistakes? The eggs will come to a rolling boil. When the timer goes off, remove the eggs from the heat and set the timer for 2 more minutes. After the 2 minutes, fill the egg pan with cold water and let the eggs cool down. At this point, your eggs are ready to peel and use. Some eggs are harder to peel than others. If the eggs don’t peel “pretty” they can still be chopped and used on salads, or mixed with a little mayonnaise, pickle and celery for egg salad.

*Mom hint-fresh eggs are harder to peel. If I know I’m going to be making deviled eggs soon, I try to buy my eggs at least a week in advance.

Deviled eggs are a favorite at my house, and for potlucks or cocktail parties. They are inexpensive to make, easy and will disappear before most of the other food items.

Deviled Eggs

This recipe is for 6 eggs which makes 12 deviled eggs. If you want to make 24 deviled eggs, cook 12 eggs and double the rest of the ingredients.

6 hard boiled eggs, cooled and cut in half
2 tsp. yellow mustard (you can use spicy mustard for a slightly different taste)
2 tsp. white vinegar (red wine vinegar will also work, but will change the color of the eggs a little bit)
2 T. mayonnaise (I use light, you can also use Miracle Whip if you like the taste of it)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Place the cooked yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt (I use kosher salt) and mash with a fork until all large lumps are gone. Add vinegar, mustard and mayonnaise and stir rapidly with a fork to blend. Add a little black pepper and mix. Spoon filling into empty egg whites. Be careful not to fill them too full or you will run out of filling. You can serve as is, or sprinkle with paprika or top with olive slices for a “party” look.