Side Effects

 I like to think of them as side effects of whatever book I'm working on.  I write about things that fascinate me or I become  fascinated by things I am writing about.  Either way, they bleed into my regular life.

 Rose tea gets a lot of attention in SCONED TO DEATH.  I had tasted it a long time ago and I loved everything about it.  The pink blossoms were a lovely contrast to the curled  black tea leaves.  I scent or roses was strong enough to note, but wasn't overpowering.  The taste was the same.  I could taste the roses, but also the tea.   

I bought it the first time at the Huntington gardens Christmas sale.  It was a lovely event for members held in December.  We always got there late in the afternoon when it was already beginning to get dark.  There was champagne and hot cider to sip while you made a quick trip through the gardens and then went through the holiday sale.  They sold tins of tea that had rose blossoms I assumed came from gardens, mixed with  tea leaves.  The ingredients were simple--rose petals and black tea.  It was the first time I had ever seen rose tea. I was instantly entranced and bought a tin of it.  

So when Annie Sara  makes a tea room in the old school house, I decided to have her serve rose tea.  I also decided to have the blend made by Liv Stein using roses from her garden.  The tin from the Huntington is long gone and all that writing about rose tea made me want  some. 

The Huntington doesn't even sell the tea I bought in the past anymore.  They sell something made by a big tea company that has rose petals and black tea, along with natural and artificial flavoring.  The artificial flavoring was like a big stop sign to me.  It just seemed wrong.  I checked online and found  rose tea without artificial flavoring.  It is even nicer than the tea I bought from the Huntington that had tiny bits of rose petals.  This one has actual tiny rose buds and bigger pieces of petals.  It has a wonderful fragrance and flavor.  I drink a lot of tea and it has become part of my regular repertoire.

 The tea room serves finger sandwiches.  Writing about them, made me anxious to try different kinds of filling.  I thought back to watercress sandwiches I used to make.  I had read an article that said something magic happened to the the leaves and stalks when they were put on buttered bread.  The writer also mentioned how her kids liked the sandwiches.  Once I tried them, I was hooked.  My son liked them too.  

Time passed and I forgot about watercress until recently when I read that it is the number one best vegetable.  I wanted to add it to Annie Sara's sandwich fillings and en;joy some myself.  There was only one problem.  No store seems to carry watercress anymore.  It seems the only option is to grow my own. Annie Sara had better luck since I could write a better outcome for her.

Writing this made me hungry and I think I'll go make myself a cream cheese and cucumber sandwich.  It will have to due until some watercress shows up.