May you experience the
release Shabbat brings!
Tuesday Tea – Escape
About two years ago, I purchased a two-ounce packet of Hawaiian Colada Rooibos from Ohio Tea Co. during a sidewalk sale at their establishment. The sweet earthiness of the rooibos blended perfectly with the other ingredients and lent itself quite well to the teatail I had in mind. Although we could never settle on a name for our teatail, we enjoyed it thoroughly and frequently that summer. But alas, Hawaiian Colada Rooibos was a limited edition and is no more. Imagine our heartbreak.
The good news is that in their creative wisdom, Ohio Tea Co. took it upon themselves to offer us Pina Colada, which has turned out to be a more than adequate replacement. So, this summer, when I returned to the drawing board for crafting teatails, I went straight for the Pina Colada. The heady aroma of this tea, or tisane if you want to be technical, smells like all things lush and tropical. Ingredients include apple, rosehip, pineapple, coconut pieces, hibiscus petals, and natural flavors. It is visually pleasing in the tea ball and the color is spectacular in the glass.
I recently made our new teatail for my mother, and after a couple of sips, I asked her for ideas on a name. Before she had the opportunity to respond, I told her that I was thinking of calling it “Escape” in honor of the Rupert Holmes song more commonly known as “The Pina Colada Song.” She laughed and said she was going to suggest that but didn’t think I’d go for it.
That settled it, and if you follow the directions below, you’ll be experiencing your own Escape before you can sing, “If you like pina coladas, and getting’ caught in the rain . . .”
Escape Teatail
6 c fresh water
6 t Pina Colada tea
1 c demerara sugar
1 c fresh water
Malibu Rum
Bring the water to 212° F in a stainless-steel pot on the stove. While the water heats, measure out the Pina Colada tea into a large, mesh tea ball. When the water reaches the appropriate temperature, place the tea ball in it and cover the pot with a lid. Remember to turn off the heat below the pot (gas stove) or remove it from the burner (electric stove).
Allow the tea to brew for six hours, during which time it will also come down to room temperature. You may swirl it gently, otherwise do not remove the lid from the pot. The long, undisturbed brewing time ensures the tea is strong enough to stand up to the liquor you will add later without being bitter.
While the tea is brewing, add the raw sugar to one cup of water in a stainless-steel pot and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring gently, until a rich syrup has formed. Remove from the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. The syrup can be stored for up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
When the tea has brewed, you may swirl the tea ball once to ensure evenness of color. Remove the tea ball and discard the expended tea. Do not press out the contents into the brewed tea. Pour the tea into a glass pitcher, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until the tea is completely chilled.
To prepare:
You can perform a dry shake with a cocktail shaker if you choose. I recommend Viski products as they are quality and a great place to start building your personal bar. You can, however, achieve the same results, which is to thoroughly combine the Malibu Rum and chilled syrup, using a glass and a fork.
Measure ½ – 1 oz. Malibu Rum into a cocktail shaker or short glass and add ½ – 1 oz. of the rich syrup. Shake or stir until the liquor and syrup are completely combined. Set aside.
Choose a glass tumbler that is at least 12 oz. in size. Add four to six ice cubes depending on the size of your glass and cubes. Pour the chilled Pina Colada tea into your glass to within one inch of the rim. Top with the Malibu Rum/sugar mixture. Stir gently and enjoy!
I’d love to make this teatail again and garnish with a skewer of fresh pineapple, coconut, and apple slices. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried the Escape teatail and how you served it up!
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Shabbat Shalom to all those working hard to make the world a better place.
Wishing you rest & peace this Shabbat.
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Of Bread & Study
While the words and story ideas haven’t been coming to me lately, and my fingers missed the sense of productivity that comes with typing or writing, I have perceived an overwhelming need to do something with my hands. And since most of us are familiar with what happens to idle hands, I have decided to bake bread. I’ve dabbled with it before, but this time, I want to explore the deeper, more complex world of bread baking.
The idea came to me when the writing began to dwindle, and that’s usually an indication that I need to focus on something else for a while. I’ve learned to pay attention to Adonai nudging me in a different direction as well as walking in faith that I’ll return to my writing with a backpack full of ideas gleaned from my experiences.
I knew I was on the right track with my decision when the following blog post by my editor, Kori Frazier Morgan of Inkling Creative Strategies, popped up in my inbox. While I strongly encourage you to read the entire article, the following passage made a deep impression on me:
But still, I hadn’t released myself from the task of writing until Kori’s next blog post arrived with more suggestions that I needed to hear.
“You have to do something other than write. If you assume that writing is your passion, and therefore, you don’t need anything else, you will instill a monotonous pattern into your life rather than a rhythm of creativity that lets you interact with the world in ways that inspire and invigorate.”
Backed up with Kori’s personal statement of:
“. . . I didn’t really have any hobbies. Writing is too much a part of what I do vocationally to be a hobby, and because reading is a huge part of what makes me a better writer, it’s not a hobby but rather a conduit for my work.”
That explained why my pleasure reading had become an uninspiring, boring chore. I mean, seriously, me not love to read. That’s unthinkable! But Adonai’s words through Kori’s posts provided the permission I sought to stop writing, and I freed myself from what had become my creative process ground between the millstones of fruitless drudgery.
Now, before you think that I have abandoned reading altogether, I still find that my non-fiction reading/studies to be quite productive, and since I also glean great story ideas from such reading, I’ve decided to embark upon a study with my friend and mentor, Dr. Sharon Stern, as we read The Rivkah Remnant by Dr. Rabbi Itzhak Shapira together.
I’ll keep you posted on how my new hobbies are progressing, most specifically bread baking. Recipes will be featured on my blog and archived under the section called Lightning Juice, which is about Gibson family life and where I tuck personal posts.
Please do not think that the randomness of my blog posts appearing on different days at odd hours means that I will not strive to offer you quality content. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of my posts like an old friend arriving to sit on your front porch in the early morning with a cup of coffee, midafternoon with a glass of iced tea, or late in the evening with a glass of wine. We’ll still chat, and our relationship will grow.
In closing, I encourage you to obtain a copy of my debut novel, Realm. I’ve included links below to assist with the purchase. After you’ve read Realm and fallen in love with the story and characters, please remember to leave a review at BookBaby, Goodreads, or an online location of your choice. Thank you!
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Wishing You and Yours . . .
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY
Have a lovely holiday and please exercise caution if you are setting off fireworks this year!
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Shabbat Shalom to everyone
needing rest & peace!
Let me know in the comments what traditions you keep to usher in Shabbat.
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“The seventh day is like a palace in time
with a kingdom for all. It is not a date
but an atmosphere.”
~ Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath
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Summer Vacation at Realm Central
Summer has just begun, and here at Realm Central we’re already feeling the urge to go outside to walk, garden, and eat ice cream at every opportunity. And speaking of ice cream, a hearty “Thank You!” goes out to Therapy Ice Cream & Coffee Bar in Akron, Ohio for hosting a Realm book signing last Wednesday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
So, as our minds and hearts wander outside, and our bodies closely follow, the writing diminishes in quantity ever so slightly. I used to fear the lull in my writing like the plague, and in doing so, I’d force myself to sit for long hours in front of a laptop while I stared longingly out my back sliding door, dreaming of basking in the sunlight instead of the glow from my computer. Needless to say, and yet I’m going to say it, the scant writing produced during just such a session was garbage. I mention this to remind myself to never return to that dark place.
What I’ve learned to do instead is extend myself some grace and find another way to be productive while simultaneously enjoying the summer. This has been achieved by crafting teatails. What is a teatail? I’m so glad you asked.
I have built upon my passion for tea by experimenting with brewing times, chilling the teas, and blending them with complimentary spirits. I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of adding alcohol to iced tea, but my goal is to not make a teatail so top-heavy in booze that the tea is reduced to a mere color in the drink. Search “teatails” to find what we’ve created so far. If you want to read everything I’ve posted about tea, search “Tuesday Tea.”
Another reason the writing (novel and blog posts) will probably slow down this summer is that I’m in the research phase for a portion of my current WIP. I need some info on sailing, and while I’ve made a contact through a writing friend, the new contact is out of town, so writing is on hold at the moment. Bring me another teatail!
But I’m no fool, and in making the best use of this time, I’m staying in touch with writing by reading. Rabbi Sacks’s Covenant and Conversations, specifically his essays on the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) at this juncture, has gloriously dominated my reading. As I mentioned in a recent blog post (Say My Name, Say My Name), R. Sacks’s essays are so full of life that I simply cannot believe this man has passed on.
I’m also revisiting C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and I’m halfway through The Silver Chair. I find Lewis’s work to be timeless and influential, and whether reading his fiction or nonfiction, I’m taken back to the foundation of my own writing. Sidebar: Narnia reminds me of another favorite book from my childhood, South Star by Betsy Gould Hearne, which also heavily influenced my writing. I didn’t realize how much until I reread it last year. Perhaps a blog post on this would be a good idea.
Anyhow, Realm Central is always open and at least one staff member will be present to answer your questions and reply to your comments. If you need a great summer read that’s great all year long, and one to which you’ll return again and again, we highly recommend Realm. We’ve made it easily accessible to you with the handy links below.
Stay tuned for updates and remember to have a great summer!
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Keep Shabbat, and Shabbat will keep you.
Wishing you rest and peace!
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Tuesday Tea – We Be Jammin’
June and strawberries just go together which is why today’s Tuesday Tea features one of our favorite teatails, the We Be Jammin’. This light and delicious teatail is rich in sweet, jammy strawberry flavor. It’s gorgeous in the glass and perfect for summer.
Wild Strawberry, from Ohio Tea Co., is luscious with rosehips, hibiscus, apple pieces, strawberry pieces, and raspberry leaves. It’s perfect for icing. As a tea enthusiast, I insist that my teatail recipes highlight the tea, as all tea cocktails should, instead of boozing up the drink resulting in a beverage top-heavy in alcohol(s) wherein the tea is reduced to nothing but a color.
We Be Jammin’
6 c fresh water
6 t Wild Strawberry tea
1 c demerara sugar
1 c fresh water
Smirnoff strawberry vodka
Bring the water to 212° F in a stainless-steel pot on the stove. While the water heats, measure out the Wild Strawberry tea into a large, mesh tea ball. When the water reaches the appropriate temperature, place the tea ball in it and cover the pot with a lid. Remember to turn off the heat below the pot (gas stove) or remove it from the burner (electric stove).
Allow the tea to brew for six hours, during which time it will also come down to room temperature. You may swirl it gently, otherwise do not remove the lid from the pot. The long, undisturbed brewing time ensures the tea is strong enough to stand up to the liquor you will add later without being bitter.
While the tea is brewing, add the raw sugar to one cup of water in a stainless-steel pot and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring gently, until a rich syrup has formed. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. The syrup can be stored for up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
When the tea has brewed, you may swirl the tea ball once to ensure evenness of color. Remove the tea ball and discard the expended tea. Do not press out the contents into the brewed tea. Pour the tea into a glass pitcher, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until the tea is completely chilled.
To prepare:
You can perform a dry shake with a cocktail shaker if you choose. I recommend Viski products as they are quality and a great place to start building your personal bar. You can, however, achieve the same results, which is to thoroughly combine the Smirnoff and chilled syrup, using a glass and a fork.
Measure ½ – 1 oz. Smirnoff strawberry vodka into a cocktail shaker or short glass. Add ½ – 1 oz. of the rich syrup. Shake or stir until the liquor and syrup are completely combined. Set aside.
Choose a glass tumbler that is at least 12 oz. in size. Add four to six ice cubes depending on the size of your glass and cubes. Pour the chilled Wild Strawberry tea into your glass to within one inch of the rim. Top with the Smirnoff/sugar mixture. Stir gently and enjoy.
Now that’s something to be proud of!
hl gibson, author 