Well I knew these images would come in handy

It’s raining. Again. And because it seems that I have somehow managed to “add new post” only when the weather is shtako, what better way than to think back on how beautiful this past Mother’s Day was? We had sun, 70°F temps, Black Angus burgers and lots of veggies on the grill. That Marston’s Oyster Stout more than hit the spot, and for once it felt like summer was a-comin’!

April and May may have come up short on substantial posts but we’ve got a few things up our sleeves for June. I look forward to adding a bit more life to these pages with a visit to Lake Orta, a trip to Provence, and (cross my fingers) an interview with a very talented owner of a new pastry shop/cafe in central Lecco. Until those events transpire (or don’t, due to the weather), here’s a photo taken 2 weeks ago when we were driving through lush vineyards surrounding the church in Cortaccia.

Cortaccia sulla strada del vino, Bolzano

Pukka teas and Biscottea shortbread

I hope this blogging-only-when-the-weather-is-bad won’t become a regular habit but with a 50/50 outcome for the past couple of weeks, I spent every single one of those “good days” where I haven’t been for months: outdoors under the sun without freezing my limbs. Today, as it is, is another rainy one that calls for a cup of what is currently my favorite brand of tea in a bag: Pukka.

There’s a limited selection where I bought these (Il Sole e la Terra in Curno), but I went with the award winners to give them a try. My favorite blend is after dinner (fennel, chicory and cardamom) although I also like it for a mid-morning break with a cinnamon roll. For a zen moment, three fennel is very mild and I’ve also drunk this before bedtime. That leaves night time (oat flower, lavender, lime flower), which, I have to say, was almost medicine-y? At first I thought it was just me and after having had to will myself for the first few cups, I added a splash of milk and that turned things around for the better. It’s like how cream, eggs and sugar tempers the lavender flavor in creme brulee and shortbread.

Tea justifies the indulgence for delicate cookies and these Biscottea shortbread take it a step further with natural tea flavors. While the box of cookies I got were baked in Scotland, I have a feeling that this american product has already earned plenty of fans stateside. Not overly sweet, with a crisp texture/crumb, the individually packed shortbread are an ideal size for tea-time whenever the mood hits. The blueberry & white tea shown below has a nice berry flavor but nothing hinting of white tea. Too bad I was only able to find this as a mark down item from some holiday promotion early this year.