A trip to David's Tea

David's tea, a new tea shop on the scene.

Previous to my new discovery I've been familiar with both the Tea Emporium and Teaopia which have been gaining popularity as they spread out across the city promoting healthy and wide varieties of teas.

I've been a fan of both, as I love tea and it's always fun to try new varieties and blends, plus they have some amazing gift items for tea lovers, from mugs to tea pots and those beautiful cast iron traditional pots, even kettles... matcha stone bowls with matching bamboo whisks.

You almost always learn something new from a visit.

Here are a few things I picked up from David's tea.

Happy Kombucha, which they had samples of the first day I walked into their store.

It's fruity, exotic, tropical but very addictive, something about it just makes you keep coming back and while I drink a lot of tea and on a regular basis I've never felt so drawn to a "Fruity" tea as much as this one.

Good stuff!!

Today I returned with a new tea, movie night! It smells like caramel maple pop corn! Absolutely wonderful with notes of apple. Can't wait to brew up a batch.

Heirloom carrots

Root veggies are fantastic to roast, it brings out the sweetness and makes a perfect and healthy side dish.

Try seeking out some local heirloom variety carrots for an old fashioned twist, not only will it impress your guests and family by the gorgeous colours but they each have their own unique flavour.

To roast any veggie, first chop into desired shapes/sizes then toss with an oil (if using butter - a little oil is wise to sprinkle over to prevent burning)

For the harder varities chop them smaller, for anything softer like the average carrot chop them a little large - this way everything will cook evenly.

Also I like to chop things on the bias for a lot of cooking/roasting surface space.

Now season with salt, black pepper and go wild... paprika is delicious and adds some heat, brown sugar and cinnamon brings out further sweetness which would complement any savoury main dish, slivered garlic slices, even cumin (seeds or spice) adds a nice warmth for a winter dish.

Try your favourite herbs, thyme or rosemary. I think a little brightness from lemon complements just about anything, do a squeeze or lemon or lime could do it.

Now roast at 425 F tossing from time to time until it proves tender with a fork or knife test.

Enjoy and don't be shy to let me know how you enjoy prepping carrots!

Junk food

Rotisserie chicken

The Hamilton Beach double decker toaster oven with rotisserie makes awesome chicken!

Rotisserie chicken, a photo by Adventuress Heart on Flickr.