It’s tea time!

Tea leaves

Winter is a great time to enjoy a warm drink. Since tea is so healthy, I’ve been trying to drink more of it. Here are a few interesting facts that you might not know about tea:

• There are four types of tea: green, black, white and oolong
• All four types come from the same plant, but are processed differently
• White tea is the least processed of the four
• Tea contains antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer
• Herbal “tea” is not made from the tea bush, but from other leaves, flowers and spices

Source: The Science of Good Food by Joachim and Schloss

What tea party would be complete without something sweet on the side?

Here’s my favorite recipe for banana bread:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 sour cream
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Grease a loaf pan and dust it with the sugar mixture.

In a medium bowl, mix the butter and the remaining sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Chop the bananas into small pieces and add the sour cream, the bananas and the nuts to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Bake the bread for approximately 60 minutes. Test the bread for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. Once the bread is done, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the loaf from the pan and invert it onto a plate.

Enjoy your tea party!

Banana bread

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