Would You Care for a Spot of Tea?

Tea. It's not something that I've really ever been too jazzed by, but when in London, do as the Londoners do: tea time every afternoon.

My first teatime of my recent trip was at a local Primrose Hill cafe. Now, I'm not the kind of girl that can do the straight up stuff yet, so I enjoyed my tea with cream and sugar. Mmmmmm.

Little did I know that this experience was just the prelude to the mother of all tea experiences.

St. James's Restaurant at the famed Fortnum & Mason (aka The Queen's Grocer) is the absolute mecca for the perfect high tea experience. (Who am I kidding? F&M is a mecca for all things food period.) This amazing mercantile has been in Piccadilly London since 1707, and has every kind of tea, biscuit, cookie, jam and chocolate you could ever imagine. And so much more.

Our "high tea" reservations began with a toast and glass of rose bubbly - cheers!

Soon after, a three-tier tray of tea sandwiches, scones and pastries arrived...

which we slathered with sweet, juicy homemade jam, marmalade and clotted cream.

After perusing a multi-page book of tea varieties, we finally settled on two distinct F&M blends: Royal Blend and Regent's Blend. Hints of spice and herb and citrus flavors permeated the air the moment the hot water hit the leaves (yes, leaves; this is real tea, not instant).

Aren't I fancy?

As if the food weren't enough, just take a gander at the atmosphere...classical music being played on a shiny black grand piano; large, lush, fragrant floral arrangements displayed around the restaurant; and soft, plush chairs and couches covered in rich, luscious fabrics.

At any moment, I fully expected Ms. Jane Austen herself to walk in and join us.

Arugu-what?

Arugula. It's kind of an odd little green, isn't it? I mean, you always hear chefs talk about it's "peppery" hints. How the heck can a leafy thing taste like pepper? I mean, I've always thought arugula was just one of those "fancy" greens that celebrity chefs use to make a dish more enticing.

Oops, sorry. That's parsley.

The last time I was in San Francisco, I picked up the most amazing cookbook:

It's organized by season and by vegetable and fruit within that. So, if it's October and I want to know how to cook a sweet potato (and where it came from, what it's best served with and what time of year it's best), I can just flip open this magic book and there's a delicious recipe. That's what I did with arugula.

This is what I made:

Whole wheat penne drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and mixed with some chopped garlic, cherry tomatoes, wilted arugula and freshly shaven parmigiano-reggiano.

Fresh.

Easy.

Fast.

Oh-so-delicious.

(Folks, there's no recipe, just cook the pasta and toss the ingredients. You cannot screw it up.)

Will You Be My Valentine?

I'm a snob, I admit it. When it comes to Valentine's Day, I do hail my decorating abilities as something sort of magical. My Valentine's box (you know, the one your elementary teachers had you bring for the class party) was always the envy of my classmates. Adorned with metallic red hearts, pink and red rose stickers, lacy white doilies and enough glitter to overwhelm even Tinkerbell, I was not messing around. No ma'am.

Making this box each year with my grandmother is one of my favorite childhood memories. She always had a magical selection of stickers and ribbon and sparkly things. (And I'm certain the National Gallery of Art would have been interested in displaying at least one of my masterpieces.)

Even though I'm older and no longer make shoeboxes to hold my "love notes," I still love Valentine's Day. Some people wear black if they don't have a sweetheart or walk around brooding because Cupid hasn't shared his arrow with them, but I think this day is the perfect day to celebrate everyone I love - whether they are furry, four-legged, related or not!

So, this magnificent creation is for you...

(Well, ok, it's really for me, but I'll enjoy it for you!)

Yum.

I love me. I mean you.