Today marks the first day of its use in my home, and other than a few scrapes, nicks, and other blemishes, it didn't leak any water and brought its liquid contents to a boil rather quickly, yet to my disappointment, when it got all steamed up it didn't whistle or shout. To be perfectly honest, I don't explicitly recall if my mother's little copper kettle whistled, but the fact that I anticipated the cheery sound might mean that a flicker of subconscious memory fueled the expectation. Then again, perhaps I hold the assump-tion that all tea kettles whistle when 212 degrees is reached. Oh well, its still as cute as a button, and it reminds me of my mother.
The Sound of Music is one of my favorite things...and just like the song goes, bright copper kettles and...uh, well, warm woolen mittens would make my skin break out in hives, which is not one of my favorite things. Would warm oven mittens be an acceptable substitute? Anyway, my husband's aunt Helen gave this little beauty to me on Thanksgiving day, and I am truly thankful for the gift. I assure you that the monetary value of this fairly common piece of tea ware pales in comparison to its nostalgic value, because this bright copper kettle is very similar to one my mother owned many years ago. Today marks the first day of its use in my home, and other than a few scrapes, nicks, and other blemishes, it didn't leak any water and brought its liquid contents to a boil rather quickly, yet to my disappointment, when it got all steamed up it didn't whistle or shout. To be perfectly honest, I don't explicitly recall if my mother's little copper kettle whistled, but the fact that I anticipated the cheery sound might mean that a flicker of subconscious memory fueled the expectation. Then again, perhaps I hold the assump-tion that all tea kettles whistle when 212 degrees is reached. Oh well, its still as cute as a button, and it reminds me of my mother. On this bright chilly morning in SoCal, I was in the mood for a spicy tea, and so I pulled this little ruby red gem out of my tea drawer. This lovely tea is a gift from a good friend of mine who visited England a while ago, and I have savored it over the years. I know - I know, it may have lost some of its flavor since I first opened it, but it still smells and tastes great to me. Despite the infusion recommendation on the label, I only steep it for a minute or so, since over steeped black tea is considered to be rather bitter to my sensitive palate. And yes, I realize that it is called "Noel a' Paris" (Christmas in Paris), so even though I no longer celebrate this pagan holyday, it's not my fault this lovely tea was given this unwelcome moniker. I was simply in the mood for a spicy tea, and since it was the debut of my newly acquired nostalgic tea kettle, the special occasion called for a special tea, and despite the name, Noel a Paris perfectly fit the bill. I like this little contraption, it steeps loose leaf tea and then neatly dispenses into the mug below when you place it on top. The only pain is getting the sopping wet leaves out of the steeping contraption. And to further celebrate this special occasion, I whipped up some brownie chocolate chip scones, which just so happen to be my children's favorite scone, as well as my mother's. Tre' bien, no? As for me, well, I have yet to discover a scone flavor that I don't like. So from this day forward, thanks to the thoughtfulness of Aunt Helen, I now own a small piece of shiny copper that holds a great deal of wonderful memories, and I hope it will be the catalyst of many future memories. Other articles you make like:
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Hello!Welcome to my blog, dear reader. My name is Heather, and I am a full time housewife and mom living in Whittier Ca. with my wonderful husband of 26 years, and our two sons. I welcome you and hope you enjoy reading what is on my mind. Subscribe to
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