With the cool temperatures rolling into the deep south, more of my co-workers are talking about snuggling up to a cup of hot tea and a sweet treat. One of my favorite treats to have with my earl grey this time of year is pumpkin scones. mmmMMmMmmm...... here is a lovely recipe for a copycat Starbucks pumpkin scone! My favorite (although now I cant eat thanks to some pesky food allergies ive recently been diagnosed with! --- but I'm working on an alternative recipe ;) )
​

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

FOR THE SPICED GLAZE

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, egg and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
4. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pill, roll the dough into a 10- by 7-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Using a large knife or a pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into 2 even pieces crosswise, making four rectangles. Then cut each each rectangle into two triangles, making 8 triangles.
5. Place scones onto prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. To make the glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk as needed; set aside. To make the spiced glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and milk. Whisk until smooth; set aside.
7. When the scones are done, cool for 10 minutes and spoon the glaze on each scone before drizzling with spiced glaze.
8. Allow glazes to set before serving.

Tea Time Magazine, one of my favorite publications, always has the loveliest and informative articles about tea! Here is one I really enjoyed reading! 

​http://www.teatimemagazine.com/teas-origins-japan/ 

SYes! You read that correctly. We have a tea plantation right here in the United States! I learned about the Charleston Tea Plantation through an adorable book I found in League City, Tx while visiting a family member over the summer. The book is called "Death by Darjeeling" by Laura Childs. When I saw it on the shelf at tis adorable store in the historic district (which, if you're in League City is basically a strip of 6-7 shops, including a tea shop I am dying to visit, but is always closed when I am there for some reason.... I'm rambling now...) 
ANYWHO.... Death by darjeeling is a novel about a spunky tea shop owner in Charleston, NC who gets sucked into her own investigation of a murder performed at one of her tea events in order to clear the name of one of her employees! She goes for a visit to the Charleston Tea Plantation! 

A good friend of mine was studying meteorology near Charleston, and was lovely enough to bring me a tin of their Governor Grey tea. 

Its a really lovely variation of Earl gray. A bit lighter on the bergamot. Be sure to not follow the instructions on the tin and only steep for 3 minutes, it gets bitter pretty quickly. A shorter brew lets you really enjoy the flavor of the tea. 
In case you are ever in Charleston, I recommend you visit the plantation. My friend says he highly recommends it! I know I will be planning a trip sometime soon... 

Check out their website!
​https://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/

Pretty much everyone knows by now that the safest gift to get me for any occasion is TEA! The last few years have been filled with wonderful gifts from my friends and family of tea and tea related paraphernalia. A recent gift I received from my dad was a Bentley's Tea Tea Chest. Now, I will say this --- ever since i discovered the wonder of loose leaf tea, I thought I would never go back to bag teas! Yuck, right? My daddy dearest however proved me wrong. There are still several brands out there that are just outstanding! One of these brands is definitely Bentley's Teas. I was a little skeptical to try these teas, and honestly let them sit in my tea pantry (... yes i have so many tea's they have their very own home) for far longer than I should have (a few months) until one day, I decided to take a trip, and was trying to travel light. So, I grabbed a few packets of Bentley's Earl Grey and English Breakfast. MAN was I rewarded! These tea's are spectacular. The english breakfast has a real fullness to it, its not weak like many other bagged teas. The Earl Grey, however was a real treat. It didn't taste anything like I had ever tasted before, I swear the satchel smelled something like fruity pebbles (which made me yearn for the days of yore) but the taste was also very robust. After using up all of the Earl Grey and English Breakfast - I ventured to try the Orange Spice next. Again, skeptical from the smell in the satchel, the smell of the "spice" was very noticeable...  but, the other two teas I had devoured were such a hit, I thought to myself why not! Again, a total masterpiece. The spiced and orange flavors were so well balanced. Really knocked my socks off. So, what do i do next? Reach for the Peach - Smash Hit of course. Seriously, recommend this brand. They have truly impressed me, and as it turns out, they've been around for a very long time. Owned by the Boston Tea company out of Boston, Mass. Their website gives a bit of history:
"The Boston Tea Company is a tea company based in Boston, which grew out of the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The founders of the company salvaged crates of teas that had been undamaged when thrown overboard." 
Here is a Link! - Check them out. Highly recommend.

I know i am immensely enjoying this season of Downton Abbey! Remember that episode in season three when Mrs. Crawley takes on the "fallen" maid Ethel as a cook and housekeeper and she was helped by Mrs. Patmore to prepare a luncheon for the Countess Cora? Well, Teatime Magazine has published a recipe for her Salmon Mousse. It sounds positively dreamy and would probably make a lovely addition at a spring tea party! 
Check out the recipe here! 

Thanks for checking out this blog entry! Have a very happy and safe halloween!

I am so excited about sharing this blog with all of you! I have just drafted a lovely list of entries to research for the next six months! My goal is to publish a new entry into this blog once a week covering a variety of tea related subjects! I would love to hear from you on any topics you are interested in! Thank you for visiting my blog and please explore the website!

Cheers,
Nathallie