By Golly, Ollie!

  • Pain au Chocolat for the Mistresses of Versailles

    Pain au Chocolat for the Mistresses of Versailles

    1 comment on Pain au Chocolat for the Mistresses of Versailles

    Upon finishing the Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie, two thoughts crossed my mind:

    1. OMG THAT WAS SO GOOD!
    2. Crap! I forgot to write down the food that was mentioned throughout the novel for my fictional food post.

    Perhaps it was for the best because I think I recall reading about some jams or meats seared in other meat fats, neither of which I particularly wanted to experiment with. (Oh, also they ate a lot of asparagus in this book, which can be delicious, but doesn’t really make an enticing blog post).

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  • Cozying up with Books & Thai Chai Tea

    Cozying up with Books & Thai Chai Tea

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    I think I write about the weather on Books & Tea quite often. It seems strange to me that this frequent topic of awkward small talk earns so much press on my blog, but I cannot help it that weather fills me with both inspiration and nostalgia. I sense that it settles in most often during the changing of the seasons, which is perhaps why I’ve been on a posting frenzy lately. And while I am grateful that Michigan is in the full bloom of Springtime, what I appreciate most are the occasional days we’re experiencing right now that are reminiscent of our Autumn– days that are cool and overcast and even a little rainy. Wintertime is taxing, but I still wish Autumn were right around the corner (hot tea! cozy blankets! apple cider! Oreo cookies with orange filling! soup for dinner every night! colorful crunchy leaves!).

    Last weekend was one of those weekends that was chilly and rainy, and sadly I sensed it would be one of the last ones until October finally rolls around (although, when I first moved to Michigan back in 2005, I was greeted by frost on the grass and rooftop…on the 4th of July). Of course I took advantage of the weather by curling up in a chair with a blanket, a new book, and the most cozy blend of tea I could find in my cupboards– Thai Chai by Adagio Tea.

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  • The Book that Made Me Blush Even More | The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

    The Book that Made Me Blush Even More | The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

    2 comments on The Book that Made Me Blush Even More | The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

    How do you go about writing a review for a book that is about one of the most influential women of the 18th century? Wait…how do you go about writing an entire book about one of the most influential women of the 18th century? I am talking about Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, more commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, and Sally Christie has brought her to life in the second installment of her Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, the Rivals of Versailles. Readers, prepare yourself for more inappropriate innuendos!

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  • Biscuits and Gravy for the Ghoul Getters

    Biscuits and Gravy for the Ghoul Getters

    6 comments on Biscuits and Gravy for the Ghoul Getters

    The first time I ever tasted biscuits and gravy was at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store near Darien, Georgia (population: 1,700). I was about 13 years old, and I had been enjoying a family vacation with the company of my friend, Lauren. She was less than impressed by my family’s style of vacation; we dragged her through one historical-building-turned-museum after another and stuffed our faces with fudge. (What is it with tourist spots and fudge?) She just wanted to lay out by the warm, sandy water of the Gulf of Mexico that were used to, but all we had was a muddy stretch of the Atlantic. The next stop in our trip was St. Augustine, Florida (one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited), but we sought out breakfast before we hit the road.

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  • Hot and Cold for Coconut Tea

    Hot and Cold for Coconut Tea

    3 comments on Hot and Cold for Coconut Tea

    Actually, my feelings about Coconut Tea from Adagio Teas are lukewarm, which coincidentally is the temperature that I preferred this tea. It took experimenting with my entire 8 oz. sample bag of Coconut Tea in one day to figure that out though. It’s not that I dislike the tea, I just felt that Adagio has better flavored teas than this. Or, in other words, on a scale of Valentine’s Day Tea (which I didn’t like) and Lemon Soleil Tea or Caramel Tea (which I’m over the moon about), it falls somewhere in the middle.

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About the Blogger

My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.