Tea onTuesday: Cranberry-Herbal Tea Granita

bettycrocker.com

CRANBERRY-HERBAL TEA GRANITA

INGREDIENTS
*5 whole cloves
*1 slice orange
*2 cups water
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 stick cinnamon
*3 tea bags red zesty herbal tea flavored with hibiscus, rose hips and lemongrass
*1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
*1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
*Fresh fruit, if desired
*Thin almond wafer cookies, if desired

PREPARATION
1. Insert cloves into peel of orange slice. In 2-quart saucepan, heat water, sugar, cinnamon and orange slice to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add tea bags. Cover; let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, cinnamon stick and orange slice.

2. Stir cranberry and pineapple juices into tea. Pour into 2-quart nonmetal bowl or 8-inch square glass baking dish. Cover; freeze about 2 hours or until partially frozen. Stir with fork or wire whisk. Cover; freeze 3 hours longer, stirring every 30 minutes and breaking up any large chunks.

3. Remove granita from freezer 20 minutes before serving. Spoon into stemmed glasses.

Garnish with fruit and cookies.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving:
*Calories 100 (Calories from Fat 0)
*Total Fat 0g
*Saturated Fat 0g
*Trans Fat 0g
*Cholesterol 0mg
*Sodium 0mg
*Total Carbohydrate 26g
*Dietary Fiber 0g
*Protein 0g

~~ecipe and photo from: bettycrocker.com~~

100 things about me

1. I am married to the most wonderful, funny, sweet man who makes me laugh daily (ok, everyone else thinks he's cranky, especially his parents, but what do they know)
2. We have no children, but I have a cat who's about 15 years old now (she's my "little senior citizen")
3. I love old, vintage, and pretty things from the Victorian age thru the 50s
4. Antique malls are my favorite place to shop, while I detest the mall (everything is just too new & pricey!)

5. I eat too much cheese--way to much, well a girl has to have some vices, right?
6. I also eat too many sweets...trying to work on cutting that way down...hello Weight Watchers
7. My favorite flower is the rose, but all flowers make me happy

8. I can't choose a favorite color- how could one be so much better than the rest? But I admit I adore PINK! And my husband would say I adore GREEN! (must be the Irish in me)
9. I enjoy looking at all the talent on Etsy & wishing I had time to do more crafts
10. I enjoy scrapbooking, decorative painting & cross stitch
11. I would like to try collage art...I find mixed media awful and yet intriguing at the same time

12. I'm shy, but not nearly as shy as I was when I was younger
13. I don't like talking on the phone--probably because I work at a switchboard :)
14. I sometimes think I miss my 20s, but then I realize I was confused, immature and didn't know who I was
15. Old men who walk around whistling songs to themselves make me smile
16. Old ladies with red lipstick and too much rouge make me smile
17. I do cook, but I want to learn more variety...I get tired of the "same old"
18. I wish I was taller (I'm only 5'6")
19. White cake with white buttercream frosting is my friend
20. Fall is my favorite time of year

21. My guilty pleasure TV show is "House"
22. I have a love/hate relationship with computers & most technology
23. I love living where it snows in the winter-time...but only on the days I'm not driving

24. I'm not athletic and I'm not at all interested in sports
25. I'd like to learn to be a great photographer (and all my blog-readers agree I need to learn!)
26. I love God (this list, by the way, is NOT in order of importance!)
27. The smell of anything pork or chicken makes me sick
28. I am a "pescetarian"....I eat fish but no "meat" (not a raving PETA person here...I miss the taste of steak...I just can't digest it)
29. I love vintage material and vintage buttons
30. I loved shoes with a passion till my feet grew to size 9 and it became too difficult to find cute shoes in my size
31. I love the outdoors, but I'm a hotel person, not a camper
32. One of my dreams is to travel to Ireland (my family is Irish)
33. I'm addicted to tea & coffee
34. I love decorating and decorating books, especially Rachel Ashwell
35. I love cottage/shabby chic/vintage styles
36. Nobody tagged me to do this list, I just felt the need to talk all about myself! :)
37. I don't leave the house without makeup
38. I'm addicted to ebay
39. I have to have nail polish on at all times...toes too!
40. I won't swim in any water that I cannot see through...I did when I was little and cannot stand wondering what is brushing against my feet under the water! :0
41. I think clowns are evil and creepy
42. I want to paint every room in my house a different color
43. My first job was at a fast food place while in college, that only lasted 6 months...too much work between college & work-study too...and I hated smelling like food! YUCK, but it made me appreciate how hard those people have to work for little money
41. I don't have a favorite movie, but I love romantic comedies and action comedies best
42. I enjoy the internet and I'm thankful for all the lovely people I have met here
43. I don't have any brother's or sisters
44. I have developed a recent love of prim items
45. I believe fairy tales do come true and there is a happily ever after, if you help them along and work hard to keep it
46. I love animals

47. I love pretty much all types of music (ok, except country or bluegrass, sorry honey), but classical & jazz inspire me the most
48. I'm 39.999 and feel like I'm finally getting to know my true self and what I enjoy and want from my life (you didn't think I was going to tell that true # did you?)
49. As soon as we win the MegaMillion, I'm quitting my job and staying at home to work on all my crafts :-)
50. I am a "farmgirl at heart"....I hang out at maryjanesfarm.org

51. I am "back in college" part-time taking classes in Deaf Interpretation while working full-time at a large University...not easy to do!

52. I tried to learn how to crochet a dishcloth and just kept going...it became a scarf and now I can't stop crocheting scarves! :)

53. I love aprons

54. I am NOT a morning person--Do not test this one

55. Since I type so much now I find I can barely write in cursive anymore. When I try I mess it up so if I must use a pen and paper – I print. Usually in all caps

56. Reading blogs that are dark with light print is difficult for me

57. I love tea and anything tea-related

If anyone actually made it all the way to the end of this, thanks for reading! :) I may finish the 100 someday, but for now this seems like plenty. A girl has to keep an air of mystery about her, right? Geez, I can't let out ALL my secrets at once!

MJF: Teacup & Saucer Exchange 2008 cont'd.....

I shared a few posts back that I had joined my first teacup & saucer exchange on Mary Jane's Farm. I did finally find the perfect teacup & saucer for fellow farmgirl, Ally, in California. I loved this teacup and saucer and had to buy it when I found it! Being a lover of chinese food & tea, it was a delight when I spied it! I love the light blue & royal patterns...it has a chinese dragon in the middle of the teacup inside & on the saucer as well.

I included a few goodies for my new farmgirl friend. The latest issue of Tea Time magazine, a must if you love tea! It always has great articles on different tea rooms both in the U.S. and abroad, tea ideas, and lots of tea party recipes. Of course, I also included a box of tea and some tea biscuits...got to have those with tea! I even made a cute little cellphone "dangle"...it's a tiny blue teapot! :-) I made one to hang on my cell phone and I just love it. Nothing like announcing to the world your love for tea.

I hope she enjoys these as I have enjoyed this teacup exchange...my first! I can't wait for the next one! I think I will start looking for another teacup & goodies! :-)

Back to School



Taken in Gatlingburg, TN, Smoky Mountains

How can it be this time already? No, I don't have children going back to school, just myself! And how can I be behind in classes in only 2 weeks? My textbook finally arrived Friday--after the first assignment was due Tuesday! Oh well, it's a good thing I'm on good terms with my instructor. :-) So I have spent the last two days buried in this book playing catch-up. My husband says he'll see me in December when the semester ends. :-) The Stokoe system vs. the Liddell-Johnson Hold Movement is NOT my idea of fun! I don't want to learn the morphology and syntax of every lexical unit is American Sign Language! Yes, I am whining.

I could be doing so much more in my craft room! I have to admit I have been taking "breaks" and working on my crocheted scarf. WOW--I never knew this could be so addictive! I will have to post a pic when I am finished.

It's hard to believe it's practically fall. The weather sure isn't cooperating here--it's an amazing 89 degrees today! But, it's supposed to drop in the 70's later this week...and for that, I am grateful. I have already put a fall tablecloth on the kitchen table and started poring over fall recipes...apples, pumpkins, cinnamon. I love the colors of fall & the scents of fall! I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. I just LOVE Oct to Dec, well, maybe after March. After all, I am Irish too. :-)

The Granny Palace

I have always wanted to crochet. I can remember as a little girl studying over a booklet that had directions for crocheting, knitting, embroidering, and tatting. I never did learn to do any of it except a bit of embroidery-work, but I did have all these neat little rolled up balls of yarn in different colors. :-)

I finally decided to learn how to crochet! I may be a bit ambitious...I started making a simple dishcloth, but for once my rows have turned out quite nice and so it has evolved into a scarf! Who else but myself would decide to make a scarf for a first project?! I have never finished a dishcloth in my life, because they always ended up with these horrible crooked edges. But a woman on MJF forum suggested I try using a N-hook or larger. Well, I found a N-hook at my local Wal-mart and wow! I can't believe the difference. I can't stop crocheting!

My husband is thrilled to see me take up a new (I think he means "inexpensive!") hobby and especially since it looks like I might even finish this one! :-) At this point, I have so many "craft" things started, I figure I'll have to live to be atleast 100 to finish them all!

I am obsessed with this scarf...I find myself crocheting while I'm waiting for anything. My husband now thinks I'm nuts. OK, nuttier. We were in his truck the other day and he made the comment that he needed a cover for his laptop and immediately, before I could say anything, he says, "and I don't mean something you crochet!" ROFL. What?? Did I give the impression that I was going to cover the house in everything imaginable that can be crocheted? He did tell me that he didn't want to live in a Granny Palace! I thought I was going to die laughing. What is a Granny Palace? Apparently it's one of those homes you walk into and everything right down to the toilet paper is hiding in or under something crocheted! Well, I don't think I'll be that bad...but I did threaten to crochet him a Nilla cookie box "cozy". :-)