Sipping in Style

"Tea to Go"

I am a huge tea fan...ginger peach to earl grey, I just about love it all ~ and since I seem to be in my car often, I enjoy the convenience of a travel mug. 
The feel of stainless on my lips or in my hand, however, is just plain, well, COLD, 
so when it comes to picking the perfect vessel for my hot tea -- porcelain is exactly what I enjoy. 
I can lose myself for just a few minutes while I'm sitting, bumper to bumper on the highway waiting for the traffic to clear...I can imagine myself sitting in a cafe sipping freshly brewed, 
hot tea in a porcelain cup. 

This eco-friendly Terra bird pattern Tea To Go cup by HUES & BREWS 
has some unique features I've enjoyed using.
The lid is silicone, helping to keep the beverage cold (or in the case of my tea) hot 
-- and it helps prevent spills on the go!

The double wall procelain cup traps in air for extra insulation. 
There's also a silicone stopper on the bottom that prevents water from entering the hollow cavity [that double walled insulation] when washing the cup. 

And the pattern? It reminds me of a trip to South East Asia...and the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden in Hong Kong, a place where men brought their caged birds and hung them outside to sing to each other while they socialized. 

Spirit 16oz. sip cup

So you won't be surprised to learn I also love iced tea...and love to travel with it. 

This green [BPA free] acrylic sip cup is sturdy and comes with its own straw.  

It's even designed to hold hot beverages 

[although I can't remember the last time I had the urge to sip something hot through a straw!].

Hues & Brews sells through retailers only...and their website will help in finding a retailer near you. They offer a wide variety of i-pots [Steve Jobs, eat your heart out] that make perfect gifts.

Wine Memories

Put away that 

Analysis of the life cycle of Cork, Aluminum and Plastic Wine Closures! 

It's just plain boring.

Memories are relived through wine bottle corks, and no screw top lid can replace that.

If you do keep those corks from those memorable moments ~ weddings, anniversaries, celebrations of any and every kind, a memorable bottle from recent travels ~ they're probably stored away in a jar or bag in the back corner of a kitchen counter.

Bring those memories alive as conversation starters and decoration with the new

WINE BOTTLE CORK CAGE. 

 

 

Available in an assortment of shapes and sizes, what a perfect gift with a very special bottle of wine, for yourself or friends.

A fun and innovative way to keep and cherish all of your wonderful wine memories. Just drop your treasured corks in the top.

 The "bottle" is an artfully sculpted metal work with colored glass spheres, and the reverse side depicts a grape image in metal. The bottom hinges open to release the stored corks.

How about a wedding gift with a bottle of something special with this tree ornament that will keep that special wine cork?  Perfect and unique.

 

Sifting through...

I've never been a big fan of sifters. Inevitably, someone at my home would rinse an old one and everything in it would become caked and the workings would rust, causing me to make that "ooh, yuk!" face when I would pull it from the cupboard [just before tossing it in the trash]. 

And my aching hand...after cups and cups of cake flour and cups and cups of organic powdered sugar, I felt like my hand was going to fall off...muscles I don't normally use were crying out for some ointment to be rubbed on them (or at least some cake crumbs).

Now a sifter that was easy to use, easy to clean and easy to store = that would make me happy in the kitchen.

I saw this Scoop & Sift by Cuisipro and thought I'd give it a shot. After all, it WAS billed as a "single-hand flour sifter" with a "handle angled for ergonomic comfort requiring minimal effort" and some days ~ well, let's just say I'm all about minimal effort.

Cake baking time. This sifter's front screen has a wide surface area, which I found ideal for getting the job of sifting done quickly, making my muscles very happy.

Because the single-hand trigger mechanism was easy to use, I was able to keep one hand free to measure and mix ingredients while I was sifting.

After my sifting chores were finished, I tapped the flour out completely and wiped it gently with a paper towel. The tag did say "dishwasher safe ~ top shelf" so as soon as I get a dishwasher (but that's another story).

Storage was a cinch. A twist tie and a large plastic bag and I stored the sifter near my cake flour for frequent use.  

And, just for the record, I still hate to sift ~ but it's a small price to pay for tender cakes and frostings, lovingly made.


Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author, and culinary instructor.
She can be reached through her website http://www.bevshaffer.com/about.