Snowdrops and Afternoon Tea

Wintry weather is back. Cooler temperatures, less sun and a little rain. I’m actually relieved the warm spell did not last long. I was worried that the blueberry bushes in the backyard might bud too soon only to be frosted away. I few of my winter greens did bolt and had to be composted while some are still providing me with delicious leaves to eat.

We had quite the rainy day last Wednesday. It was windy all day and the rain just went in all directions. Even the snowdrops on the porch got a good drenching. It was a slow day at Farmers Fresh so I got done early and was home earlier than usual. It was nice to have a couple extra hours to do some experimenting in the kitchen at home. The cold and rainy weather inspired me to whip up a little cozy afternoon tea. I already had some chicken cooked and shredded from earlier and decided chicken salad would be lovely with tea.

My usual formula for chicken salad is chicken, a chewy grain of some sort(usually wild rice) a crunchy vegetable or fruit such as celery or grapes and toasted nuts, usually all dressed with a generous dollop of Duke’s mayonnaise and chutney. I was craving something a little less creamy and decided to make one with a lemon and oil dressing. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been on a “use up stuff in the pantry” mode so instead of the usual wild rice(which I was out off anyway), I opened up the packet of black barley I got on clearance from Williams-Sonoma a few months ago. This was my first time trying black barley. I cooked the barley according to packet directions.

I picked a few sprigs of parsley from the backyard to add to the salad and chopped up a pink lady apple that I had and toasted some pecans while the barley cooked. I started the salad by squeezing a whole lemon into the bowl and adding the apple chunks. I tossed this a little to let the apple soak up some of the lemon. Next in was the chicken, black barley, parsley and a generous sprinkling of black pepper and salt. I received a cute jar of salt from The Filling Station for Christmas, an interesting chipotle, cinnamon and cocoa flavored salt. I figured it would be quite good in the chicken salad.


The final dressing in the salad, a generous drizzle of Georgia olive oil. I’ve been quite pleased with the flavor of this oil. I’m hoping more olives get planted in Georgia and the oil becomes more readily available. I sprinkled the salad with toasted pecans before serving. I would mix the pecans into the whole salad if I was serving a crowd. They get soft in the salad after a few hours so I leave them off till I serve more helpings of the salad in a day or two.

It was such a cold and wet day, I was in the mood for a tea with bold flavors. I had a few tubs of organic Assam tea I got at Dekalb Farmers Market over a year ago and decided it was time to use it up. I combined it with some spices on hand to make my favorite “Chai” blend. I used cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and green peppercorns. Typically, chai also contains star anise. I usually leave it out since star anise reminds me of Chinese five spice powder. Traditionally, the chai mix is steeped in sweetened milk and strained. I have actually come to prefer unsweetened chai in the last few years, especially when eating I with something sweet.  I just put the mix in a teapot and brew it like a regular pot of tea and serve it with a splash of milk.

I dug some Star Provisions ciabatta bread out of the freezer and opened up a jar of homemade kiwi jam to put on some toast to add to my tea spread. For something sweet, a bar of Mast Brothers chocolate I’ve been saving for a special occasion.

A tangy chicken salad, artisan bread with homemade jam and a nibble of dark chocolate, all washed down with warm sips of chai. It was just a lovely afternoon indoors away from the wet and messy day. Little special meals enjoyed leisurely like this leave me recharged and inspired to face the world with more ease and patience.


I made a riff on the kale and roasted chickpeas I made last week yesterday. Russet potatoes cubed and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper tossed with shredded Tuscan Kale, in season right now and oh so delicious.  A simple dish good as a side or a snack anytime of the day. This dish came about because I had a few potatoes that were about to sprout.

I simply peel the potatoes where the eyes are, leaving some peel on. I then toss the potatoes with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper and roast them in a 400F oven. When the potatoes are done, the kale goes in the pan, toss it a little to wilt the kale, season with a little more salt and it’s done. The trick here is to start the potatoes in a pan big enough to accommodate the kale later.