Tea Time at Home

It’s the first weekend of the new year and it is unusual for this time of the year to be near 70 degrees! All of the 21 years of my life living in New York and I have never seen such weather in the beginning of January where we can practically go out with your spring clothes. I just hope the ice age is not coming…yeah, it’s the anxious/pessimistic side of me speaking here. Sorry.

Anyways, I had lunch and I wanted tea but I wanted a twist with it so, I just made an all butter shortbread (how can that go wrong) and a green tea drink.

I’m not going to tell you if that tea drink has any booze or alcohol. I’ll let you guess. All I will divulge is that it has green tea. Those of you who know me, you know if it’s a virgin drink or not.

I like how the light hits the martini glass…

The shortbread cookie is truly unadulterated butter. How can you go wrong with an all butter cookie? It’s rich, crisp yet deceitfully light in texture. It’s hard to stop eating them!
Here’s the recipe to this cookie.

Shortbread cookie (from Martha Stewart)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 300º with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 18 minutes. (Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.)