Tea For Two

Legend has it that the discovery of tea was made thousands of years ago by Confucius when he was in his garden one day and a tea leaf blew into his cup of hot water. Over the centuries since then, tea has played a special part in the lives of people all over the world, refreshing their everyday lives and enhancing special occasions.

In this tote we have gathered the essentials for afternoon tea with a close friend: Your favorite tea, homemade cookies, and chocolate truffles. Packaged up together with matching labels and tags, this bag makes a touching gift for showers, parties, or just as an excuse to get in touch with old friends.

Herbal Tea Recipe

Purchase dried herbs or gather them fresh from the garden in the summertime. Tie the herbs in bundles and hang them upside-down in a cool, dark, dry place until the leaves have thoroughly dried. This can take from two days to a month, depending on the weather. When thoroughly dry, lay out a large square of newspaper, and over it, rub the herbs to get the leaves and buds off the stems. Discard the stems, pour the crumbled leaves into a clean bowl. Fill tea bags with the herbs, using a hot iron or stapler to seal the ends of the tea bags and attach a string. Tie a personalized hang tag to the end.

Recommended herbs for teas:
• Peppermint
• Chamomile flowers
• Lemon verbena, lemon balm, lemongrass
• Borage
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Raspberry Leaf

I used resealable tea bags from sunburstbottle.com. Herbs can be found at your local health food store or online at mothernature.com.

Once you’ve made your own tea blend, package 6-8 teabags together in a cellophane bag and seal with a matching label.

English Toffee Shortbread Cookies
These cookies are crumbly with a nutty crunch and a hint of buttery toffee. Perfect to serve with tea.

Ingredients:
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 oz (1/2 c.) almonds
• 2 oz (1/2 c.) English toffee
• Sugar for cookie tops

Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, and brown sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and mix until it resembles a fine meal. Add the almonds and toffee and process until finely ground. Roll out between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/4″ thick and cut into decorative shapes with a cookie cutter or pastry roller.

Pour sugar on a plate, press cookies in the sugar on one side only. Bake cookies sugar-side up on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until slightly browned.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Once your cookies are thoroughly cooled, package them up in cellophane bags and a personalized labels.