Tea for me

I love tea. It has more refinement than coffee not only in taste but also in its rituals. Going through the ritual of boiling the water, choosing the tea, picking the pot, steeping the leaves, to finlly sipping the fragrant brew helps me transition from the stress of traffic and work to the tranquility of home. This Saturday I'm creating a Valentines Tea for some special friends. On the menu: shortcake biscuits, strawberries and lime curd, asparagus quiche, green apple and brie on pumpernickle, chocolate raspberry tart, lemon cake, and miniature pecan pies with whipped cream. Accompanying this feast of delicacies is a superb Blueberry /Pomegranate loose leaf tea (I abhor the bag!). Of course this menu was completely different yesterday and will probably change an hour before the guests arrive. I rarely bake although it's something I love to do, which is why I put on teas. It gives me the chance to try new recipes, but unfortunately that means I'm baking test cases (and realizing the result is not teaworthy) when I should be baking the done deal. All of which means that I'm baking until midnight on Fridays and slathering sandwiches up until the guests arrive. It's all part of the MO of a procrastinator i.e. me.