Today, I’d like to introduce you to Madeline, my adorable niece. As my sister recently had another baby, I spent the lot of last week babysitting Princess Maddy, and doing my very best to cater to her every need (playing doctor, watching Elena of Avalor for the umpteenth time and painting rainbow fingernails!). And, of course, we set aside some time to have tea!Looking for some caffeine-free teas to enjoy with Maddy, I recently came across Adagios’ Fairy Tales Teas. These herbals come in 3 tempting flavors, from Cinderella to Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.Like a mini tea sommelier, Maddy first smelled the teas before we steeped them. All of the teas carried a pronounced heady scent, a distinct characteristic of these blends. I immediately noticed Maddy lingering on the sweet aroma of Snow White, so that was the tea we tried first. Kid or not, if you love flavored herbal teas, you will likely fancy one of these steeps too!

Sleeping Beauty is a blend of honeybush, apple pieces, chamomile flowers, rose hips, natural peach flavor, rose flavor, natural creme flavor, rose petals & marigold flowers. (Bonnie’s fav! Very floral.)

Snow White is a blend of green rooibos tea, apple pieces, hibiscus, cocoa nibs, dried cherries, natural wild cherry flavor, dried coconut & natural apple flavor. (Maddy’s fav! Very fruity.)

Cinderella is a blend of honeybush tea, apple pieces, rose hips, cinnamon bark, natural pumpkin spice flavor, marigold flowers & blue cornflowers. (Spicy, reminds me of fall.)
We certainly couldn’t enjoy the teas without some yummy bites, so I ended up making some afternoon tea munchies for us, including Speculoos PB&J Uncrustables, a kid-friendly riff on my recipe for Chive Egg Salad Uncrustables.
This is a simple recipe, but always a hit with the little ones. The key ingredient is crushed speculoos cookies that have been mixed in with the peanut butter. The cookie crumbs add a delicate crunch to the smooth peanut butter base. They also add a hint of spice, instantly transforming ordinary grade school lunch fare into party food!Speculoos PB&J Uncrustables can be made ahead, the night before you plan on serving them. Simply store the sandwich rounds into air-tight containers to keep the bread soft. For a fun touch, generously throw some rainbow sprinkles atop the sammies.

Children’s teas can be hit or miss, so I’m glad to have found a few that not only taste great but also set the mood for an enchanting tea time. Sweetie Maddy and I had a splendid time sampling these teas, and will be back to report on more!A special thanks to Adagio Teas for providing the steeps and Pink Porcelain Cups for this tasting. Please visit their site for more reviews on these Fairy Tales Teas. You may also want to check out their line of Story Time Teas, including a berry-flavored rooibos named Alice in Wonderland!

Speculoos PB&J Uncrustables

Makes about 10 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup speculoos cookie crumbs (that’s about 10 cookies, pulverized in a food processor)

1/4 cup jam

2 bananas, thickly sliced

1 loaf of bread (20 slices)

1 Tbsp cream cheese or butter, softened

sprinkles

Equipment:

mixing bowl

work surface

Tbsp measure

drinking glass

Directions:

1. Mix the peanut butter and cookie crumbs together.

2. To make a sandwich, spread a 1/2 Tbsp of cookie peanut butter on each of 2 slices of bread. Spread the PB in a circle, about 2″ in diameter, right in the center of each slice. Place a rounded teaspoon of jam in the center of the peanut butter, then place 4 slices of banana, side by side (in a single layer) atop the jam.

3. Place the other slice of bread (also spread with 1/2 Tbsp of cookie peanut butter), PB side down onto the sliced banana. Flip the entire sandwich over to center the filling between the slices of bread.

4. Use the drinking glass to cut out an “uncrustable” sandwich. If your bread is too dry, it will crack. If you notice this upon making your first sandwich, just cover the slices with a damp paper towel. A 10-second zip in the microwave will make them pliable again. For step-by-step instructions, please follow the directions on my Egg Salad Uncrustables post.

5. To decorate with sprinkles, apply a small smear of cream cheese or butter atop the center of each finished sandwich. Use this to attach a smattering of sprinkles.