I was re-reading Pam Anderson's cookbook "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Loving Great" the other day for inspiration when I was once again struck by one of her strategies for staving off hunger.

Every afternoon around 4 o'clock, she treats herself to a cup of tea and a sweet treat, such as a couple of small cookies or a fruit bar, muffin or a piece of biscotti.

She swears this ritual refreshes and energizes her as she makes the final push to wrap up the day's work. And she says the 150 or so calories she spends at tea saves hundreds she might consume later in the day.

Tea time sends a clear message to her that she's not dieting. But she's also not knocking back rich scones or mall-sized cookies.

What really reinforced my desire to start an afternoon tea ritual for myself was the arrival last week of "The World in Your Teacup: Celebrating Tea Traditions, Near and Far" by Lisa Boalt Richardson, a certified tea specialist.

In this book, Richardson gives the history of tea in different countries as well as traditional recipes for those areas. In the section on Kenya, where tea is served between 4 and 6 p.m., she provides a recipe for Marmalade Bread that sounds, and looks, heavenly.

I plan to make this one day this week to serve alongside my Earl Grey tea at my desk. I think I'll bring a pretty china teacup and saucer and a small dessert plate from home to make it feel more like a mini-retreat.

Marmalade Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 (16-ounce) jar orange marmalade

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 cup light olive oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

After reserving 1/4 cup marmalade, combine remaining marmalade, egg, vanilla, juice, zest and oil in a separate bowl. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in nuts.

Spread batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake 1 hour.

Remove bread from pan and place on a baking sheet. Spread top of loaf with remaining marmalade and place it back in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove loaf from oven and allow it to cool.

Note: You may use smaller loaf pans to bake this bread. If you do, reduce baking time to 40 to 45 minutes.

Ginna Parsons is the Daily Journal's food/home/garden editor.