Love is just a game, but one that everyone can play! Valentine's Day isn't just for romantic love; everyone can celebrate the special people in their lives. This tea party is perfect for families, friends, book clubs, and bridge groups. So if you love the thrill of the game, the camaraderie that comes with it, or the glory of victory, then gather your loved ones and play along. Game Play: Hummus and Tapenade Tiles Tic-Tac-Scones Puzzle Pot Pies Melon Marbles Domino Meringues Cinnamon Shortbread Stacks Checkerboard Cookies Guests get a choose-your-own-adventure style tea, using BINGO cards to indicate what they want in their personalized blend. Feeling lucky? Circle the *Go Wild* space and let your host blend a tea for you! Black tea with coconut, cinnamon, brown sugar and milk was a lucky draw; it was sweet, aromatic, and full of body, just the thing to keep a sporting mind sharp. What blend would make you yell, "Bingo!"? Maybe a white tea with hibiscus and honey? Green tea over ice? To not play is the only way to lose at this game. This tea party might be the one time you're allowed to play with your food before you eat it! Arrange your tiles to spell a high-scoring word, or challenge your neighbor to a game of tic-tac-toe with black pepper and red cheddar scones. If you don't get three in a row, maybe you'll get some Xs and Os instead. The shortbread stacks are just stable enough to pile a few on your plate, but try and steal a neighbor's and you might end up with crumbs! Everyone's a winner with these delectables, so there won't be any hard feelings by the end of the afternoon. So whether you're a lover or a fighter, a champion or an underdog, a quiz-whiz or a bad bluffer, there is room for you at this table. After all, it's all fun and games, even when love is involved.
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January 11th is National Hot Toddy Day! Hot Toddies are one of my favourite winter beverages, and it is no mistake that Hot Toddy Day falls right in the middle of National Hot Tea Month. A good tea, a little honey, a little lemon, and a good dose of whiskey come together to make a beverage that is hand-warming and heartwarming. It's perfect for those days when the weather is cold and dreary and the nights are dark and arrive early. There are as many iterations of a Hot Toddy as there are people drinking them. This is the one I make most often, having slowly tweaked the recipe to fit my personal tastes. I'm a sucker for anything with a rich, smokey flavour, so I use a mix of English Breakfast and Lapsang Souchong for my tea base. I recently started using an extra-smokey scotch as the tipple; this makes for a rather campfire-y toddy, which is not for everyone. The balance between the heavy tea, peaty scotch, sweet honey, and sour lemon is exactly my cup of tea, however. Hot Toddy BCTH Style makes 2 toddies 1 heaping teaspoon English Breakfast 1 heaping teaspoon Lapsang Souchong Juice of 1/2 a Lemon + garnish 4 oz Whiskey or Scotch Honey to taste Steep tea with 16oz of boiling water for 5-8 minutes. Pour scotch into pre-warmed glasses or mugs. Add tea. Squeeze juice into glass and finish with desired amount of honey. Serve hot with lemon garnish. Winter is just settling in, so there is still plenty of time to experiment with a toddy recipe of your own. Do you like rum instead of whiskey? Cloves studded into your lemons for an extra punch? Apple slices instead of citrus? Be sure to let me know how you like your toddies in the comments!
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