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10 Best Taiwanese Foods That Make You Want Some Tea: #10 Mango Shaved Ice (by guest blogger Amy Hsiao)

This was what convinced my 3-year-old-toddler to join me this summer in 90 degree weather & (what feels like) 100% humidity Taiwan.  Yes, "this" being the Mango Shaved Ice pictured above.   When I was asked to share some of the best Taiwanese foods that make me want some tea, this classic Asian summer-must-have is what came to mind.  Along with a nice cup of refreshing iced or cold brewed Black Mango Tea.  Refreshing is the key here as the **excruciating** heat dissipates almost immediately with a bite of the shaved ice and a sip of iced tea, both exuding the sweet nectar fragrance of mango.  Before the days of air conditioning, this was air conditioning.    Buy Black Mango...

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The Better Kind of Sharing (by Guest Blogger Heidi Dixon Kwon)

“Sharing” has a different meaning now than it did years ago. It’s become a sort of cardboard box we stand on to declare what we think is important, funny, heartwarming — and too often recently, heartbreaking. To share and celebrate how it’s our own or a loved one’s birthday or anniversary or recent achievement. And while these are all great things, sometimes sharing becomes more of a one-way experience, a kind of shouting into the noise. Remember when sharing happens around a table, over a fire pit, around a lake with people ranging from those we love, those we are still learning to love to those we might have just met. When we are blanketed by the warmth of a fire or under a string of market lights as we...

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Gluten Free Tea Macaroons

I am not really a fan of sweets, but I really enjoy these gluten free Matcha or Herbal Chai tea macaroons made with our teas.  And my guests at my tea house over the years have loved them.  With tips from chef friends, I have created likely the easiest macaroon recipe out there that even non-bakers can make.  I hope you enjoy them. Donna     Ingredients (yields 16 macaroons): 1 cup of almonds 1.5 tsp Far Leaves Tea Matcha (Japanese green tea powder; available for purchase soon)  or 1.5 tsp Far Leaves Tea Herbal Chai (ground)  1 egg white 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2/3 cup sugar Preparation Steps: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line baking sheet with...

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Harnessing The Mundane (by Guest Blogger Heidi Dixon Kwon)

I am finding that mindfulness can take on various shapes in different seasons of life. At times, it can mean being truly present and having a keen awareness of those around me. At another, it can mean being conscious of how much trash I produce and what kinds of products I choose to buy — or not buy. It can mean being careful with my finances and learning to steward it well. Sometimes it’s all consuming, being aware of my place in this world, in the lives of those I touch, my role as a consumer and my role as a wife. In this particular season, mindfulness is being aware of my down time — my resting. The summer is beginning to awaken from her long slumber, and while many...

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Rice in Tea Broth (Ochazuke)

My staff at Far Leaves Tea who have lived in Japan taught me this amazingly simple, traditional and heartwarming dish that takes drinking tea to another level.  Tea as soup - why not?  It's perfect for when you want something light, healthy, but warm to the belly, such as for beakfast, snack, or when you are jetlagged.  :) Ingredients: One bowl of rice Seaweed (cut into small strips) Toasted brown rice Pickled plum 10 oz cup of Genmaicha  Preparation Steps: 1) Lay out the ingredients like below. 2) Add toasted rice, seaweed (or anything else you like, such as the popular smoked salmon) to bowl. 3) Pour Genmaicha into bowl. Enjoy!  

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