I devised my own experiment.

First, I went to my favorite local natural food store, Mama Jean’s, to purchase dried hyssop. Then, I sat back and waited for a summer cold or ragweed season, whichever came first. Heeeellllooo, August!

It hit. But not so fast. One of the doubts I had about the efficacy of hyssop wasn’t the herb, but the delivery mechanism. Was the relief in the hyssop or the hot the water? Aha! I’ve got you wondering now, too, don’t I?

I devised an experiment.

On morning one that I woke up with the terrible sore throat I drank two cups of plain hot filtered water. It was soothing to my throat…as long as I drank the heated water. As soon as I finished each cup, the soreness returned and didn’t go away. I immediately reached for an antihistamine and a throat lozenge.

Morning two, I woke up with the same sore throat as the day before. I drank two cups of hot filtered water steeped with 1 tsp dried hyssop. Again, my throat was soothed as long as I was drinking the tea but to my surprise, I admit, my throat remained itch and pain free for about two hours after I’d drained the second cup. Later in the morning I still took an antihistamine just because I’m a good hypochondriac, I mean preventative care specialist, but I didn’t reach for the lozenges all day.

The moral of the story is for real sickness you need real medicine, of course, but for a little scratchy itchy throat a nice cup of hot hyssop tea just might do the trick for you, too.

Glenna Anderson Muse

Since the last time I was there, they’ve added many new lines and items, particularly to the tea section, so I was more like a kid in the proverbial candy store. That would be candy from unrefined sugar, of course. At least a dozen new labels of commercially prepared teas sat next to a dozen or more new bulk loose leaves and dried florals. I was in heaven. I stood there taking deep breaths for probably a full minute before I realized I might not look quite so crazy-lady if I pretended to read labels while I sniffed. There was a woman near me, scooping out herbes de’Provence, who seemd quite nervous. She looked at me sidelong several times, me standing there sniffing the air with my orgasmic demeanor, and then she hurried out of the section. I want to believe I wasn’t acting like I had my freak all on, but I think I need to face reality. So the next time you’re out shopping and see the crazy lady in the tea section, be kind because it might be me.

David Rio teas pulled my attention away from all the other commercially packed products. I love the simplicity of the packaging, the tall slender cylinder caught my eye right before I noticed the name “Dragon Pearls”, which I’d never heard before. I was hooked and I knew I had to have it, even though the $22.49 price tag for 3.1 oz did make me hesitate with it in my hand for a few seconds.

My first experience with Dragon Pearls came by following the directions carefully. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into so I didn’t want to do it wrong and then wonder if I’d experienced the tea to the fullest. I even used a thermometer to make sure my water heated to a perfect 185 degrees as directed on the label before pouring it over the 4 pearls in the bottom of the cup, and I timed the steep to exactly three minutes. None of that would be amazing to most people but this is me and my themes in life usually come from the back of t-shirts. The applicable one in this case is “If all else fails, follow directions.” I did follow directions this time, and to my amazement, it worked.

I sat back and happily sipped for a few seconds, wondering why I was suddenly thinking about my summer childhood days at my grandmother’s house. I realized after half of a cup that the biggest reason I love green tea isn’t the taste itself or the antioxidant health benefits, it’s the emotional relaxation it brings to the surface. The taste of green tea reminds me of the smell of fresh cut grass down deep at the roots in a yard full of flowers, just like my grandmother’s yard when I was little. When I was a kid I was a Miss Priss in some ways but very much a Tom Boy in others. One of my Tom Boy inclinations was rolling around in the grass near the flower beds, closing my eyes, and smelling the dirt at the grass roots. That’s what green tea tastes like to me, and the David Rio was truly lovely.

After that first cup, the desire to make scones forced me into the kitchen. It’s hot - outside, inside - right now it seems hot just about everywhere, but after I drank that first cup of tea, I knew I wanted a real “tea time” more than I cared about turning on the stove and heating up the kitchen a bit. At Mama Jean’s, I’d also bought a scoop of lavender buds. Within 20 minutes I sat down to my second cup of tea with a hot lavender scone topped with real butter and ginger orange marmalade from France. I went all out, serving myself with my grandmother’s china and a cloth napkin. I may not be Meredith Baxter, but some days “I’m worth it”, even at $22.49 for 3.1 ounces.

Glenna Muse

Steven Raichlen???s The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques originally inspired this roasted cabbage recipe, one of my favorite summer grill recipes for friends.

Over several preparations of this dish, I have made a few changes to the recipe, and this go around, I also wanted something to replace the fat of the half stick of butter in the original that leaves my arteries screaming like Homer Simpson with night terrors. The butter is used a bit for taste, but mostly because it melts into a liquid steaming agent for the cabbage. As successful as some of my tea substitutions have been for juices lately, I decided to give teas a chance in the cabbage recipe. Earl Grey, chosen for its fruity components seemed both light enough and heavy enough to complement the cabbage without overpowering it and, delightfully, it proved to be another success.

Earl Grey tea blend was created in the early 1800???s and named for Charles, the 2nd Earl Grey, of Britain. Conflicting stories and competing companies put the creators at either Twinings on the Strand or Jacksons of Piccadilly, both companies currently owned by the same corporation, Twinings. Legend has it that a Chinese nobleman sent the tea as a gift to the Earl after one of the Earl???s soldiers saved the life of the Chinese nobleman???s son. The story has never been confirmed and doubts have been raised over the years about its veracity but that???s part of the fun of legends. They don???t have to make sense; they???re meant to be romantic.

Earl Grey tea, a combination of Chinese, Indian, and Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) black teas, is flavored primarily by the peel of the bergamot orange, an Italian pear-shaped bitter citrus crossed between the pear lemon and the Seville orange.

4 Earl Grey teabags
?? cup boiling water
2 lb green cabbage
1/3 cup minced onion
4 strips thick cut bacon
?? tsp salt
?? tsp coarse ground black pepper

1. Steep teabags in the boiling water

2. Remove core from cabbage while leaving the head whole. Slice small chunk off bottom of cabbage if needed to make it sit flat. Place cabbage on 2-4 layers of aluminum foil big enough to fold over and enclose cabbage completely.

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over cabbage head opening.

4. Saut?? bacon crispy. Drain on paper towels and crumble when cooled.

5. Saute??? onion in small amount of bacon fat until translucent.

6. Add onion and bacon to cabbage head opening. Pour steeped tea over, after molding foil up around cabbage head so that tea doesn???t leak out.

7. Finish folding foil over cabbage head to create a seal. Roast on grill on medium approximately 1 ?? hours. Check by inserting a knife into top of cabbage. It should be tender but not mushy. Unwrap top of cabbage and grill for additional 5-10 minutes to brown.

8. To serve, cut into wedges. Serves 6.

Recipe can also be accomplished in the oven at 350 degrees for the same length of time and by the same instructions.

Personal note: For anyone who notices the dichotomy between my looking to replace the butterfat but still having no problem adding a handful of bacon, I only have one thing to say to you: “Hush.” I proudly live on the cusp of the south and in our state–of mind–bacon is really more of a condiment than actual animal fat or meat. There are red states, blue states, and pork fat states. I’d bet my last nickel that we fall squarely into that last category.

Glenna Anderson Muse

If I told you I???m not a huge chocolate fan, would you think less of me? All of my life, I have opted for anything creamy, buttery, and sugary when it came to dessert. I was a caramel kind of girl. Since caramel is sugar, butter, and cream, it makes sense. I never really thought chocolate was an earth-shattering flavor until the first time I had a chocolate cake called ???Creole Chocolate Cake??? at the Dairy Hollow House Inn in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Owned by a children???s and cookbook author, Crescent Dragonwagon, and her husband, Ned, in the Inn???s restaurant I became initiated into a love affair with chocolate at the late age of twenty-two.

What makes the difference? The Creole part does, which is the addition of coffee in the batter and the substitution of brown for white sugar. Does it really make that much of an impact? Oh, honey. Make this recipe and you???ll see for yourself. This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe ever. I???ve been using it for twenty years.

The Dairy Hollow House Cookbook, one of my favorite and most-used recipe books, is out of print by traditional publishers but can be found at Dragon Z Books.
Following is the recipe straight from the cookbook but you all know me now. Any recipe for me is more of a hint of a suggestion than a hardcore template so at the end of the article I???ll tell you what I change when I make this. Feel free to use the original, my version, or step off the high dive and make it your own.

Creole Chocolate Cake
By Crescent Dragonwagon in “The Dairy Hollow House Cookbook”

?? cup very hot brewed coffee
3 ?? ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
?? cup butter, cubed
?? cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups unbleached white flour, unsifted
?? tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup white sugar
1 ?? cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup buttermilk

1) Spray two 8-inch cake pans and dust with unsweetened cocoa. Set aside.
2) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
3) Pour hot coffee over chocolate and butter. Stir well until melted.
4) Add cooking oil and vanilla and mix until smooth. Set aside.
5) Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
6) In a large mixing bowl, cream eggs, sugars, and buttermilk.
7) Alternate additions of chocolate mixture with flour into the egg mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.
8) Transfer to prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until done. Do not over bake.

Creole Chocolate Icing (Ganache)

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sour cream
?? tsp vanilla

1) Melt chocolate over hot water.
2) When smooth stir in sour cream and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth. Let cool until of spreading consistency and frost cake.

Glenna???s Deviations:

For the cake:
1) I substitute espresso from my own machine for the coffee or sometimes I cheat and run through the Starbucks drive-thru.
2) I never use 1 tsp of vanilla in any recipe, it???s always 1 Tbsp. It???s not that you taste the vanilla itself, it???s that I like the way the extra flavoring enhances the other flavors. Also, I use only Madagascar vanilla which is slightly stronger and woodier in smell and taste than Mexican vanilla that makes up the biggest chunk of vanillas available on supermarket shelves. Think McCormick for Mexican vanilla. It???s a personal preference. I guess you don???t really need to know that I love Madagascar vanilla so much I frequently dab it behind my ears like Granny Clampett and hit the town.

For the Ganache Icing:
1) There???s only one substitution (other than the vanilla rule of thumb but I???ve already told you about that) and it brings a smile to your lips when your tongue hits the frosting. I substitute ?? cup of Kahlua for ?? cup of the sour cream. ???Nuff said. Enjoy.

Glenna Anderson Muse

Let???s get something straight from the beginning. I???m not very good at following directions. I color outside the lines. I walk ???in??? the ???out??? door. I never read the instructions when putting together anything that came in a box. Yes, Mom, apparently subconsciously I do believe the rules were made for everyone but me.

Why the rant?

Knowing that about me personally now, it should come as no surprise to you that on the following Celestial Seasoning beverage recipes I did everything exactly like they told me to???except for everything I did differently. Not only am I not good at following directions, I???m also not very good at remembering to take the grocery list to the store. I???m great at writing it, lousy at putting it in my purse. So because of that flaw in my character I???ve posted both versions of the recipes I made for my husband and I last night: theirs and mine. Let???s call them B.C. and A.D..: By Celestial Seasonings directions and After Deviations by Glenna.

The Zingertini is excellent. I really can???t say enough good things about this cocktail. The spices in the zinger tea give a satiety that lingers on the tongue and makes you feel almost like you???ve eaten a dessert rather than having had a beverage. It???s almost a tease, a cajole, and a whisper of fragrance all that the same time. I don???t think I can drink a regular raspberry martini again without remembering the Zingertini.

That leads me to my confession. This is the recipe I didn???t follow directions on and it was still fantastic. Following is the original Celestial Seasonings recipe from their web site www.celestialseasonings.com

Zinger??tini

1 Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger tea bag
3 ounces premium vodka
1 ounce orange liqueur
Ice
Slice of orange or tangerine

Steep one Tangerine Orange Zinger tea bag for 5 minutes in vodka. After steeping, remove tea bag and squeeze. In shaker, add ice, tea/vodka mixture, and orange liqueur, shake well. Pour into martini glass. Garnish with an orange or tangerine slice. Serve cold.

For me, here???s the rub. I forgot to pick up the Tangerine Orange Zinger tea bags at the grocery store but I really wanted a martini before dinner so I faked it with what I had stashed in the liquor cabinet and came up with an excellent martini in spite of myself.

Glenna???s Raspberry Zinger??tini

1 Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea bag
3 ounces premium vodka
1 ounce raspberry liqueur
Ice
Slice of Orange

Steep one Raspberry Zinger tea bag for 5 minutes in vodka. After steeping, remove tea bag and squeeze. In shaker, add ice, tea/vodka mixture, and raspberry liqueur, shake well. Pour into martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice. Serve cold.

The nice thing about the sangria recipe is that it???s designed to be non-alcoholic but you can easily add your favorite red wine if you like. I put it together both ways and found them equally enjoyable while my husband preferred the non-alcoholic version. That might or might not have been caused by the wine I used. The only bottle of red I had in the house was a hostess gift from months ago from an ex-friend with, there is no polite way to say it, extremely bad taste in general and specifically horrendous taste in wine. Let???s not discuss the fact that I was still able to enjoy it in the sangria, albeit after the snob in me disposed of the bottle and label in the bottom of the trashcan.

Sangria historically is a Spanish red wine punch using any rich red wine as the base and complimented with fruit juices. Recipes veer off into a thousand directions from those humble beginnings with the addition of brandy, cognac, spiced rum, or by using white, blush, or sparkling wines as the base.

For the Celestial Seasonings recipe, their Wild Berry Zinger tea builds a pleasing foundation.

Zinger?? Sangria

5 Wild Berry Zinger?? tea bags
2 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp. honey
2 cups cold water
2 cups apple juice
2 cups sliced fresh fruit (your choice of kiwi, oranges, strawberries, pineapples or peaches)

Pour boiling water over tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and squeeze tea bags. Add honey, stir, and then add apple juice, additional water, and sliced fruit. Serve over ice.

For a wine-based version, substitute your choice of red wine for part of the water and juice:

Glenna???s Zinger?? Sangria

5 Wild Berry Zinger?? tea bags
2 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp. honey
1 cup cold water
2 cups red wine
1 cup apple juice
2 cups sliced fresh fruit (your choice of kiwi, oranges, strawberries, pineapples or peaches)

Pour boiling water over tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and squeeze tea bags. Add honey, stir, and then add wine, apple juice, additional water, and sliced fruit. Serve over ice.

To me, the best part of using tea as the base of this sangria is that your palate gets all of the flavor without having to fight the sweet from the juice. It???s refreshing and summery without being cloying.

Ahhhh, Celestial Seasonings, you definitely had me at martini and sangria.