monday =/= spanakopita

I don't know what made me think Spanakopita on a Monday night was a good idea, but last night before I went to sleep, I pulled the phyllo sheets and frozen spinach out of the freezer and let them sit in the fridge to "warm up" while I was at work today.

I'm still getting used to my new job and its different patterns, so I guess I just had no idea how busy a Monday could be until I was halfway through it.  It was a relatively stimulating kind of busy, the kind that involves you in enough projects and interactions that before you know it, it's nearly closing time.  Still thinking I was hot stuff, even though I nearly fell asleep at least three times on the short bus ride home, I pulled the thawed phyllo and spinach out of the fridge and put them on the counter while I opened up The Accidental Vegan to find the recipe.

After reading through the recipe twice, I took a long and meaningful look at my unfrozen prey... and put them back in the fridge.  The recipe is probably very simple, but it just had entirely too many steps and too many warnings for a Monday night.

Thinking fast and presenting myself with a mini-basket challenge, I surveyed the miserable, TimeToGoShopping contents of my fridge and freezer, then pulled out La Dolce Vegan, grateful that I picked up some potatoes to roast with the spanakopita I didn't make tonight and made Aloo Mattar for what I believe is the first time.  I was missing a tomato, but I couldn't see how it would make a big difference.

Savory, squishy potatoes with little sweet green peas, bursting with a sweet flavor made for a fun combination.  I can't see this becoming one of the "regular" curries I make from this book, but we'll certainly add it to the Perfect Portions series and I'm sure it will find its way onto our table again.

Speaking of things finding their way onto our table...

1. Chana Masala from Vegan Express, accompanied by a roasted green thing (probably asparagus, possibly broccoli) because I can't deal with the idea of just eating chickpeas and tomatoes for dinner.

2. Pasta Jambalaya, also from Vegan Express, because this is fun and we haven't had it in a while.

3. Pasta Twists with Cauliflower and Spinach, also from Vegan Express (can you tell I feel the need to make and eat dinner in a short amount of time?  Just because I'm getting home from work earlier doesn't mean I'm not starving after an active day...)  Anyway, I'm pretty sure we haven't had this before and I can't imagine why, since cauliflower and spinach are happy things.

4. Pasta Puttanesca, also from Vegan Express, because I absolutely can't recall the last time I made this.  Okay...now that we've got all the pasta covered...

5. Sloppy Joes from The Urban Vegan.  There are two reasons I chose this - first, it's so easy and so tasty and cooks up so fast.  Well, I guess that's kind of three reasons, but we'll say one because the second reason is that I am super stoked for Celebrate Vegan to arrive in bookstores and online retailers everywhere on October 18th!  So, I'm ramping up my palate for more tasty recipes from Dynise, in other words.

6. Granada Paella, also from The Urban Vegan to revisit an old favorite.  I was actually torn between this and the Tunisian Soup, but since it's just beginning to be soup weather and everything is still unpredictable, I decided to go with BurnMyFaceOff Paella instead of trying to serve Mister soup on some surprise 80-degree day...

Anyway, we may try again for the Spanakopita tomorrow, or it may wait until Thursday, but either way we'll  have a fun recap of that adventure in the near future!

stiiiilllll going...powered by smoothies & espresso

I'm not sure there are words strong enough to express my longing, yearning, pining even, for Friday.  Once I have safely made it to and through Friday, I have a glorious, much needed, and much deserved 3-day weekend.  I do mean 3 days, too - I'm not teaching on Saturday and I don't have to go back to Diet Land until Tuesday.  Nevertheless, powered by three things that are becoming steadfast favorites, I am powering on, pushing myself to endure every day that stands between me and Friday night.

What three things?

• Espresso (say what you want about Starbucks, but I will not apologize for my iced caramel americanos - they taste like iced heaven in a cup)
• More Italian food - old habits die hard, especially when I can't think of a terribly good reason to stop this addiction.
• Smoothies!  Tasty, frothy, drinkable nutrition!  If I got enough sleep at night, I could probably easily sub out a smoothie for my espresso.  But I don't get enough sleep.  I love you, Starbucks.

I really don't think anyone wants to read my Ode to Caffeine and besides, I am well aware that this is not a healthy way to go about life.  Like I said, I don't get enough sleep.  It's a long story.  I'm pretty sure any faithful readers are also growing quite weary of my pasta-worship, too, but let me just share for a moment before moving on to the "good stuff."

Last night, I finally made Italian-Style Rice Casserole from Vegan Italiano because I finally bought peas.  In the course of preparing it, I realized I was woefully short of carrots, a fact that did not truly "hit home" until I started to prepare dinner tonight.

I love this risotto-like dish.  I love it because it's hearty and creamy and fully of veggie goodness (the peas nearly outnumber the rice!) with a few spikes of salty mixed in from the chopped kalamatas.  I love that even though it's supposed to be a baked dish, it comes together stovetop in approximately 30 minutes - I think that is at least partially owed to my use of the not-so-indigenous-to-Italy Jasmine rice.  After a ton of pasta dishes, I was happy to let go of my Italian fetish with a rice dish.  Or so I thought.

Tonight, I started to get everything together for Naked Burritos, and then remembered that I used the last four pitiful carrots for dinner last night, leaving me no carrots for the burritos.  Stop asking yourself what kind of sick person puts carrots in burritos and follow me back down the path to Il Belpaese.

So, I opened up my little gold book of magic and started to assemble ingredients and found myself lacking a fairly important one, so I looked at my menu for a quick-cooking one, as my stomach was trying to eat itself, and decided upon a recipe from Appetite for Reduction.  Broccoli Con Pasta, to be precise.  I made Dynise's version of this recipe not long ago, but I think I prefer Isa's.  It has a hot little kick from the red pepper flakes which can be at least partially dimmed by balsamic vinegar and wine, or left to simmer on your tongue and lips a bit.  It also does not involve trying to dissolve miso in hot oil with a flat whisk.  It also fits into that wonderful and welcome category of Perfect Portions/no leftovers.

With my continuing tribute to Italy out of the way, we can get to the real fun: Smoothies.  A few weeks ago, I posted about my smoothie virginity.  At least one daring and caring soul stepped forward to help me overcome my scarcity of smoothies: Kelly from Living on the Vedge.  She offered to meet up with me for a smoothie date, which we did on Saturday and it was delightful.  Prior to our meeting, though, I decided to dabble a bit - test the chunky, fruit-filled waters, if you will.

I began my Smoothie Odyssey on my way to work one morning.  I had an unintentionally light breakfast, leaving me quite ravenous by the time I got to the train station.  As luck would have it, there is a delightful little corner joint right where the Gallery meets Market East.  I have stopped a few times in the past for one of their abundant and varied fruit salads.  I noticed they had fresh-pressed juices, so I thought maybe I'd give one a try, but as I drew closer, I noticed a smoothie menu.  I shrugged a little to myself, then smiled at the waiting countergirl and ordered the Pink Lady: banana, strawberry, and carrot, blended with ice.

isn't she pretty?

I tried to reserve my judgment a little as I had nothing, really, to which I could compare my pretty pink smoothie, but it was darn good.  There was enough ice to give it texture, and I'm pretty sure they used a frozen banana, too, but it was totally drinkable as well.  I can't deny I was a little bit attracted to the color, especially since I thought the carrot would make it a little more orange...kind of like the Pineapple-Carrot Smoothie I got at Pure Fare on Saturday (the prettiest little Judgment Day there ever was!):

However, lest you believe that was all carrot turning it that amazing shade of orange, I think it was more the orange juice than anything else.  It was a tasty smoothie, profuse with citrus flavor between the OJ and the pineapple.  It was obvious there was carrot, though, as the blender did not completely pulverize it, resulting in the occasional chunk lodging itself in either the straw or my teeth.  Hot, I know - it's a good thing I wasn't trying to charm Kelly with my good looks and graceful smoothie consumption.  It was very thick but there was a certain comfort to be derived from drinking something that was clearly whole fruits and vegetables only moments before.  Kelly sipped on the Detoxifying Green Juice - she had been in a few days earlier and fell in love.  I think I am destined to return and try the Kale-Apple Smoothie and the green juice...and possibly one of the brownies I was assured is vegan!

Finally, when I got my hair touched up a few weeks ago for BIL's wedding, I stopped into Cups & Chairs to pay a long-overdue visit.  I had my detox tea for the first time since I finished Mister's this winter and could have kicked myself for forgetting how refreshing and addicting they are.  While I was waiting, I glanced up at the newly revamped drink menu and noticed something I hadn't seen in the past (probably because it wasn't there): a Matchanana Smoothie.

I correctly assumed it was matcha and bananas, as well as some plain soymilk and ice.  I headed over to Salon Sugar with my detox tea, but returned the following morning for a Matchanana to sip on my way to work.  By the time I made it to the train station, I'd sipped through half of it.  It was okay, but a little strange - first of all, it was way more soymilk than anything else.  Since she used a fresh banana, it didn't really stand out the way the texture of a frozen banana would have.  The matcha added a unique grassy-green flavor, but overall, it was not outstanding.  It was kind of like green milk.  Which doesn't sound that good.  It wasn't bad, but I won't get it again.

I wanted to try a Starbucks (anyone surprised?) Vivanno Smoothie, but the whole focal point is a blend of fiber and whey protein they add to promote energy and satiety.  Considering whey is a milk protein, that kind of went out the window.  I have my smoothie-eyes open wider now, so if I find anything exceptional, I'll report back, but for now, I'm going to sign off and dream of kale-apple smoothies and maybe treat myself to another smoothie from the corner place at Market East tomorrow...if there's time and space after my SBUX run ;)

broke the streak

After three days of Italian meals, I finally pulled my tastebuds [temporarily] away from Europe and convinced myself to make one of the Asian-influenced meals I've been putting off for a week.  I made Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-fry from Vegan on the Cheap and as always, it was delicious.

I will admit, I was having a little bit of trouble deciding between that and the other "leftover" recipe which shared the Asian theme.  Both required broccoli, and the two heads I had sitting in the crisper for a week were certainly the impetus to make one of these meals.  On the one hand, I had a red bell pepper that had been languishing in the crisper drawer just as long as the broccoli, and while peppers are slightly heartier than fragile broccoli blooms, I didn't want it to get all shrively and ugly.  On the other hand, I wanted to use my new toy and I knew I wouldn't have the patience to wait an hour for it to do its magic on a weeknight.

For my birthday (yes, the one in January that I didn't see my parents to celebrate until February...again), my dear mother got me something I've wanted for a while - Tofu Xpress.

I had kind of hoped it would speed up the pressing process a little more than it does, but I had to admit it was pretty cool how quickly the reservoir fills with water after you screw the compressor in place.  After an hour of pressing, there wasn't going to be too much more water squeezed out of my tofu and I was quite pleased with its texture.  It also seemed to get crispy on the outside a little faster, though that could have been my imagination.

I can see this little tool coming in quite handy in my culinary future, especially if I can teach Mister how to use it (which shouldn't be hard - you literally just put the block of tofu in the box and screw the top on) so the tofu can begin pressing while I'm on my way home from work.  However, this week we have a completely tofu-less menu.  I did decide to try to tire myself out of this incessant desire for Italian food, so everything on our menu this week (except the leftover Asian dish) caters to that flavor profile.

1. Rice Noodle Bowl with Broccoli and Bell Pepper from Vegetarian Times magazine.

2. Fusilli with Lentil Sauce from Vegan Italiano.  I hope no one's surprised this was the first book I grabbed when preparing the new menu...

3. Penne with Cannellini Beans and Escarole, also from Vegan Italiano.  I've almost made a bunch of recipes that list escarole among the ingredients, mainly because I've never tried this particular leafy green, but then I never end up doing so because I can never find escarole.  It's kind of like my Bok Choy Curse, but to my great delight, when I got to Whole Foods, there were a few heads of escarole hunkered down in their bin just waiting for me to discover them and take one home.

4. Italian-Style Rice Casserole, also from Vegan Italiano.  Don't worry!  I haven't lost my head - I have very little intention of actually baking this.  Since the recipe starts out simmering stovetop for half the cooktime, I'll probably just finish it stovetop, too, out of sheer laziness and the desire to eat dinner before midnight.

5. Pasta e Fagioli from Veganomicon, served with roasted asparagus.  I saw a recipe for Paste e Fagioli in Vegan Italiano, but decided to go with what I know.  I have a dozen recipes for this bean and pasta dish and this one reigns as chief (at the moment).  I didn't feel like discovering a new recipe - if it ain't broke, you know what they say.

6. Chickpea Piccata from Appetite for Reduction.  Again, I saw a recipe for Piccata in either Veganomicon or  Vegan Italiano, but remembered how phenomenal this recipe is, plus I already know I can serve this Piccata over mashed potatoes, and it's been a little while since I've mashed up some potatoes for my mister.

I should get to bed soon so I can start the new work week rested and rejuvenated by another fabulous weekend.  Unfortunately, I slept late today and my body has very little desire to return to unconsciousness just yet.  Fortunately, that means I'll probably bake cookies and may even craft my "bonus post."

the last supper

I hope that wasn't sacrilegious.  The finality of tonight's dinner was just weighing on me a bit and that seemed an appropriate title.  I do apologize if I offended anyone.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about tofu.  I finally made the Punjabi Peppers and Tofu from La Dolce Vegan.  I didn't have much choice, since it was the only dinner I had ingredients left for, but please don't get the impression this was a last resort!  If you look back over the last two posts, you'll see I actually thought of my poor tofu, getting lonelier in the fridge with each passing night, but I had to be careful in my planning, lest I have to take dirty tupperware to my new home.

By the way, my evil scheming came out perfectly - last night's dinner made exactly enough leftovers for me to have lunch at work today and tomorrow, and tonight's dinner is part of our Perfect Portions Series.

It has a lot of other nice qualities, but the lack of leftovers thing is what got it in to the Final Five.

I really love the way the spices work their way into the little nooks and crannies of the tofu, infusing those little cubes with a flavor that is out of this world.  I could very happily eat just the tofu, but then I would be missing out on the phenomenal combination of green and red bell peppers with tomatoes and spices.  The whole dish is terrific - the only weak link is the brown rice, but I didn't feel like replenishing my rice collection when we're only two days from moving.

The plan for dinner tomorrow is Blackbird - we'll share the hand-cut fries and I don't know what Mister's getting, but I am looking forward to trying the Roasted Eggplant Grinder.  I hope to provide some kind of follow-up review (click here for the first one), but I also intend to spend some time tomorrow night packing up my kitchen .   It felt so weird putting away the pots and pans and dishes after I washed them, knowing that I was really preparing them for packing, kind of like a funeral home beautician (except not quite as morbid since I'll be "resurrecting" them in a few days at the new place...wow.  I think I just bought a first-class ticket to Hell on the Blasphemy Train).

Well, before I seal my eternal damnation, how about a cute picture of a sleeping kitty?

Mister decided to move the cat into his new home completely, so now we have his blanket shoved in the TV stand with his pillows just outside so he knows where they are.  Although my first reaction was that this was totally ridiculous since we're moving in a couple of days and will have to uproot him all over again anyway, but then I saw how very much more peaceful my poor little bug was.  He looks so happy and cozy...against my better judgment, I may let him keep that spot when we move...at least it will be something he recognizes, which might prevent him from destroying the door jambs on the very first night we live there, like he did 6 years ago when we moved here.  He'll be joining me on the Train...

sundays are good for productivity

I didn't have the most restful Sabbath and that will probably result in a less than rested Monday, but boy, did I get a lot done!

After a slow, cozy half-hour long warm-up, I pulled myself out of bed and made oatmeal with mixed berries while I watched snippets of people alternately nailing and obliterating the National Anthem.  The last clip was Christina Aguilera many years ago at a basketball game...a little prophetic?  Anyway, after a satisfying breakfast, I made myself get going...going food shopping, going over to the new place to take pictures and measurements, going through the last shelves of books, going to the used book store to trade them for credit, going home and continuing my aggressive packing while cooking dinner and doing laundry.

Yes, I am a domestic goddess, in case you were wondering.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to the thrift store, but I can always continue my packing-purging at night and have Mister deliver the unwanteds the following day.  I'm about to run out of boxes, so I'm glad the ice has melted off the sidewalks, enabling me to walk home while carrying multiple new boxes to fill.  This is not going to be a restful week.  To quote an old friend, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

I'm thinking of reserving the photos I took of the new place until we're moved in so I can do a Before & After post of my awesome new home...but maybe I'll give just a little sneak preview:

the kitchen (obviously)
not much counter or cabinet space, but I have plans

little living room; exposed brick against hardwood
and yes, the fireplace works

Mister provides a little perspective

Hello!

I'm looking forward to filling up all that empty space (which I don't anticipate should be a problem, considering we're moving because we need more space) and creating a lovely little home for my lovely little family.  Grocery shopping was a bit of a mixed bag this weekend because I decided to continue cooking through Thursday, so I still needed almost a complete week's worth of groceries.  On the other hand, I wanted to be cautious not to get any more than we need for this week only.  I kept the menu short, sweet, and relatively comfortable:

1. Punjabi Peppers and Tofu from La Dolce Vegan because a) I had some leftover tofu in the fridge and b) there are [almost] never leftovers (another goal in menu planning).  Oh, and c) because I love this recipe so much.

2. Blessed Broccoli and Tofu Stirfry, also from La Dolce Vegan.  That was dinner tonight.

I have a lot of trouble accepting recipes that are written without garlic.  Unless I can see a really good reason for its absence (for example, if we're talking about almond bundt cake), I feel compelled to add it at my own discretion.  So....at my discretion, I sauteed the tofu in olive and sesame oil with 4 cloves of pressed garlic and it was divine.  I did stir the broccoli and carrots in, but it seems they sat on top of the tofu and steamed more than anything else.  I served the stirfry on brown rice cooked in broth and the whole combination tasted fantastic.  I've mentioned before that something I enjoy in Sarah's recipes, specifically from La Dolce Vegan is that like me, she is just cooking for herself and her husband, so the portions are almost always perfect.  No leftovers here, either.

3. Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon, to be served with mashed potatoes...if I stop at Whole Foods or Superfresh on the way home one night and pick up the potatoes I forgot.  Although, Mister and I developed a pretty severe hankering for french fries tonight, so maybe I'll just pick up a pack of frozen fries...

4. Pasta e Fagioli, also from Veganomicon.  I think Pasta e Fagioli is the Italian answer to beans-n-rice.  I'm pretty sure every vegan cookbook in existence, as well as every blog that provides recipes, has at least one recipe for each.  I'm not sure I've ever made this one, so I'll let you know if anyone succeeds in usurping the #1 spot from Dynise.

5. Farfalle with White Beans and Cabbage from Vegan on the Cheap.  In the spirit of not having a bunch of half-used boxes of pasta, I'm subbing Rotini Primavera, since it comes in a 12 oz box.

Well, it's late and there are still dishes to do, so I'm signing off.

Vegan on the Bottom Dollar

Have you ever "bet your bottom dollar" on anything (like the sun coming out tomorrow)?  I have and it was quite an experience, but everything came out alright in the end.  Like I've mentioned, Mister and I are still in the adjustment period of having less income and so far our pattern looks a little like this:  the first week after my paycheck, we are aware that there is less money after bills, but not paying close attention, so we still let little discretionary purchases like Starbucks (me) or pizza (Mister) slide.  The second week, which we are presently embarking upon, I check our bank account after receiving my warning email from the bank (what a great tool - I have set up an email reminder to hit me whenever our balance drops below an acceptable amount) and inform Mister exactly how little money we have.

As a result of this Adjustment Period, this week's menu is also sourced completely from Vegan on the Cheap, but this time I was even more strategic in my selections.  Before I sat down, I surveyed the freezer and cupboards to see what we already have to work with since money is not on that list.  Then, as I went through the book, I did my best to find the recipes that involved the most items I already have on hand, therefore, the least number of items I have to buy.  I kept thinking of that question in the Epic VeganMoFo survey about having only $20 to spend on groceries, because it would be amazing if I could pull that off.  I don't think it's going to happen, but considering I usually spend between $60-80 a week on our groceries, I'll be happy to stay beneath $30.

1. Black Bean Soup with Kale and Rice - see, this is how good at being thrifty I'm becoming: ordinarily, I buy a bunch of kale and put it all into whatever recipe I bought it for without bothering to measure.  When I made our Caldo Verde last night, I actually did measure out the 6 cups of chopped kale and found that I had 3-4 stems leftover.  Well, it just so happens, this soup calls for 3 cups of kale and I figure if what I have left isn't 3 cups, it'll be damn close.

2. Better Bean Burgers - yes, I know I made these last week, but a) they're super cheap; b) I still have the other half of those sandwich thins left, so why not?; and c) Mister wished they were flatter, wider, and crunchier, so I'll use that as an excuse.  Heck, we used to have frozen commercial veggie burgers and frozen french fries on at least a weekly basis, so unless Mister has become completely spoiled in the last couple of years, I don't think he'll complain.  Especially when he's perfectly happy to eat pizza for lunch every single day.

3. Baked Ziti - this is one dish my mom has always made really well, so it's kind of like comfort food for me, which I anticipate a possible need for this week (yes, folks, this is the week all hell starts to break loose at work).  I've reserved a bottle of Beaujolais for the occasion and Italy isn't that far from France.  Anyway, this also looks like something I could easily prepare the night before and then ask Mister to stuff it in the oven while I'm on my way home.  It might almost feel like he cooked!

4. Mexican Rice and Bean Bake - the first and last time I made this was a catastrophic failure, as is usually the case with any kind of casserole that involves rice and/or something tomato-based.  I have a plan, though, and this recipe still sounds too good to give up on without a fight, so let's see how Round Two turns out.

5. Pasta e Fagioli - don't get me wrong, there is a huge place in my heart specifically reserved for Dynise's recipe, but this one sounds fun, too, and I only need to buy two things for it.  Also, while I'm still trying to figure out why Dynise thinks her recipe makes a soup, there is little doubt that this recipe makes a chunky soup that you still need a spoon to eat.

I can't believe VeganMoFo is almost over!  I have so thoroughly enjoyed chronicling every single day/night and I hope you've all enjoyed reading.  My full intention lies in continuing to post every day, but I'll be honest - December is going to be rough and I've never been a fan of those Here's-A-Picture-and-a-Few-Pithy-Words posts, so I might skip a night here and there.  I took advantage of the time off I've had these past days (through tomorrow!) to catch up on some of my own reading and found some new great blogs to follow as well - check out my blog roll on the left <--- to see what I'm reading.

So....did you want to see a picture?

Here was dinner just a-sizzlin' away in my saute pan.  Isn't it beautiful?  When I saw how bright and attractive the browned tofu, green pepper, carrots, and chives looked, I wanted to take a picture before slathering them with pineapple sauce.

Tonight's dinner was Tropic of Tempeh Tofu from Vegan on the Cheap and it was kind of absurd. It is so cold in Philadelphia tonight.  The low is supposed to sink below the freezing mark, probably for the first time this season.  When I returned from teaching this evening, after the sun had set, I walked about halfway through this great underground path that lets me out of the belly of the city through a urine-soaked stairway.  I hold my breath the whole way up those stairs, but at least I was warm for half my walk!  The second half was just about enough to freeze me to the bone...I just kind of stopped moving once I was safely inside the apartment and took about five minutes to actually remove my gloves, coat, and scarf.

So, of course, I was kicking myself about 2 blocks from home for making the stupid soup dinner last night.  My options were a tropical tofu skillet supper or pizza.  I have nothing against pizza and I'm sure Mister would be happy, but I wanted to use my green pepper before it started getting shrivelly and gross and the tomatoes look like they still have a day left in 'em, so we'll have the Tuscan Pizza tomorrow. 

Anyway, it was very good and can go into my file of Perfect Portions for Me and Mister.  I enjoy having certain dishes I can make with the knowledge that there will be no leftovers.  Whether it's because we're going away or because we already have a fridge stocked with leftovers I'll be taking to work for lunch, sometimes you just don't want to put anything back in the fridge.  We each had two bowls with rice and the tofu-n-veggies - we were content but not "fat" with food; it was just enough and not too much.  The flavor was pleasant and every now and then, a bit of ginger or allspice would catch you by surprise.  I might increase the tamari to 3 Tbsp in the future for a slightly more savory flavor, but if I forget to do that, the sauce won't suffer.

I can't recommend Vegan on the Cheap enough, honestly.  I bought it because I'm familiar with Robin Robertson and have enjoyed her other recipes, but it won my heart by saving my bank account a couple of times now.  Even if it called for a bunch of expensive ingredients you can only get in specialty shops, though, I would still love it because there are a bunch of quality and unique recipes in here.  It is an all-around great cookbook, so if you still write a letter to Santa, you might want to put this one down.

I want to bid you a good evening with this one last moment of zen:

Last week at Essene, they were giving away free samples of Traditional Medicinals tea.  I grabbed an Everyday Lemon Detox ('tis the season!) and as my throat was a bit scratchy upon my return from teaching, I thought tonight was the night to give it a try.  The little hang-tag warmed my heart...