A nice hour long tea yesterday. I originally had it planned for 1pm, but the Holocaust Remembrance Zoom was at that time and I said to my Lyft driver as she took me to A Taste of Britain in Wayne, PA, “Maybe, I’ll wait closer to dinner and I won’t have to worry about cooking.” She loved that idea.
The six GF chicken salad and turkey sandwiches were filling, and I made a dairy free dandelion and spinach soup. Plus the tea. A Taste of Britain is lovely and that tea party warmed the cockles of my heart.
Wesley and Curly Kim joined me. We toasted Prince Philip and discussed the life he lived. We also toasted DMX and discussed his musical legacy. We happily ate our sandwiches, drank our lemon Rooibos teas, and we all agreed: we were too stuffed for gluten-free desserts.
Tea is what the doctors ordered! I’m still sore from Saturday’s first dose of the COVID vaccine and the lemon Rooibos helped.
When I ordered the Oolong tea, I was going to have it with an earlier tea. Since I decided on a later tea, I bought the decaf lemon Rooibos. I have the Orange Brule Oolong tea for tomorrow morning. I still had the desserts left and half of the treats were a joy to finish later, with decaf herbal tea, while I participated in a Zoom self-care meeting with Tribe12. The other half I’ll enjoy tonight after dinner.
I still have the dandelion soup I made. The last time I made this soup was in May 2011. It tasted much better this time, since I used half spinach and an immersion blender. Immersion blenders work much nicer. My aunt and uncle are also beekeepers and I used the honey they gave us. Delicious!
Creamy Dandelion Soup
2 tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large bunch of dandelion greens
, discarded through the stem
1/4 tsp salt
6-7 turns of the pepper grinder
4 cups water
1 cup light coconut cream (you can use regular cream, I’m also lactose intolerant and always substitute dairy for non-dairy)
1/3 cup honey
1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add the chopped dandelion greens and stir until they wilt. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, and water.
3. Bring contents of pot to a boil, then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Cover and cook until the greens are tender, about ten minutes.
4. When the soup is finished cooking, transfer to a blender. Carefully blend until soup is pureed. Add cream and honey and blend briefly to combine. Adjust seasonings, if needed.
Dandelion greens are quite bitter. If that isn’t your preferred flavour profile, you can replace half of the greens with baby spinach for a milder soup.
As seen in Grid, April 2011.
The Happiness Box Project 
Hi, Jessica Marie!
A tea party (not the political kind) sounds like loads of fun, dear friend, and the assortment of foods served at A Taste of Britain look, as the British lie to say “scrummy.” I’ve never visited Wayne, PA, but have heard of it. It was nice of you, Wesley and Curly Kim to reminisce about Prince Philip as you dined, and also to remember the recently departed rap artist DMX .
Good for you for getting started on the COVID vaccine! I read that too many vaccination.appointments are going unfilled. Mrs. Shady occasionally uses dandelion in her cooking. I will share with her your recipe for Creamy Dandelion Soup. The pics make my mouth water.
Have a wonderful week, dear friend JM!
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