Spring is Here!

During my search for timely cherry blossom pictures for the blog, I chanced to find one of blooming pansies (My kids used to call pansies "Happy Faces".) It was taken during my Japan cherry blossom trip in 2006--along with images of cute tea houses, artful teapot displays and gardens of historical sites. Below are few more selections to celebrate DC's cherry blossom festival week with my readers.

Cherry and Camilla blossoms in Tokyo's Asakusa Park

street view from a Kyoto's temple pavilion



light meal with tea




elegant tearoom decoration on the wall

French Pastry at Teatime

A delightful paring for the smooth Darjeeling black tea could be any French pastry longingly perused by calorie-conscious women young or old.  The eye candy picture above frequently comes to me through my favorite blog feed: ParisBreakfast by Carol Gillott.  Her March 2nd entry is quite a guide for Paris tea salons.

Timing is right for me to mention the newly relesed documentary Kings of Pastry .  One can't help but respect the devotion of French chefs' dedication to their craft.

After viewing the movie with the cine club of Alliance Française of Frederick, I surely appreciate every bite of  beautiful pastry as a work of art!

New USDA Dietary Guidlines

Grilled Romaine drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and generous sprinkles of fresh Pamesan cheese

Thanks partly to this cold winter, my 2011 new year resolution has been kept well--no carry-out dinner (or more appropriately speaking: "carry-in dinner") so far!  However, I do have to talk myself out quite often in order to detour away from Chinese restaurants for my favorite stir-fired rice noodle or salt-pepper shrimps...

One way I deterred myself from falling is by stocking the refrigerator with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  And for TV snacks, I fill my pantry with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds (with shell) .  Nevertheless, my love of teas should take most of the credits for keeping me on tract of healthy eating.  A cup of warm oolong tea instead of ice cream, cake or pie would keep me happy and satisfied after the meal .  Even occassional crave for sweets comes along, a buttery caramel hard candy in between tea sips will be just the perfect dessert combination!

Here is the link for those who also like to start eating healthy.  It provides international websites of official nutrition recommendation, including the most recent (published Jan. 31st, 2011) USDA dietary guidlines.  The sage idea of  "eat everything in moderation" has been and will be my dietary motto.  No need to veer away almond crescent or Sopressata sausage--just have it in small portions.  Moreover, sipping teas throughout the day provides ample zero calorie fluid need for healthy living!