Tea With Friends

My (tea) cup runneth over - with paperwhites!

2012-01-27T07:00:00.006-05:00

A few days before Christmas, I decided I should try to grow some paperwhites. I bought one of the last boxes of bulbs at a Whole Foods in Atlanta, and when I got home I carefully planted them. Following package directions, I put them in growing medium and then placed them in the cool garage for two weeks. Here are some early results!

Just as promised, after two weeks some leaves appeared, and soon enough I had flowers!

They're temporarily in a large teacup planter on the dining table.

Strong roots appear to have developed, and I can't get over how easy these are to grow!

I've read these can be transplanted to the garden pretty easily, so when the blooms have run their course I'll give them a new home outdoors. If you have any advice in this area, please chime in!

"Secret Recipes of Famous TeaRooms"

2012-01-26T07:00:00.009-05:00

One of my more obscure tea-themed collections is old booklets pertaining to opening a tea room. This one, "Secret Recipes of Famous TeaRooms," was offered by the Lewis Tea Room Institute as a marketing brochure for their program.

One of its recipes that especially intrigued me was this one for the "Frozen Teapot Dainty." If you double-click on the image you should be able to read the whole page, and the part I liked best was where we're told "teapot-shaped molds for dainties may be ordered from any can factory or tinner." I seem to have misplaced the number for my local can factory or tinner, so if you would like to share yours that would be great! ;)

It's interesting to note that at one time, opening a tea room was one of the few occupations a "respectable" woman could aspire to, and here Mary Catherine Lewis seems to be encouraging readers to give this career some serious consideration. There's no date on this booklet, but I'm guessing it's from the 1920s or 1930s. And meanwhile, if you should ever run across a teapot-shaped tin ice cream mold, please let me know!

"Tea With Bea" from Bea's of Bloomsbury

2012-01-25T07:00:00.006-05:00

It was the sort of moment that makes me nervous. A friend and I were at lunch a few weeks after Christmas and she was apologizing for the lateness of my Christmas gift. I happen to *like* late gifts, because it helps extend the holiday season, but then my friend had me look down in the bag and I realized it contained a book. As I started to unwrap it, she said, "Promise me something before you open it." I said, "OK ... what?" "If you've already got it, you'll tell me." My heart sank as I agreed, because chances were good this would be a duplicate of one of my many tea books. So I was more than a little happy when I removed the tissue paper and found a book that existed only on my Amazon Wish List, "Tea with Bea."

Bea Vo, who was born in the D.C. area, graduated from Cornell, studied at Le Cordon Bleu and opened London's Bea's of Bloomsbury in 2008. Bea's has been noted for having one of the best afternoon teas in London. She writes that she was initially hesitant when asked to write a cookbook, figuring "all of the greats have already covered almost every single possible recipe and technique there is to think of that we currently use in our own kitchens." But then she realized "cookbooks aren't just textbooks—they are a reflection of a particular chef's point of view," and readers will be glad she decided to go ahead with the project.

Oh, my, do these recipes look terrific! They range from perfect little squares of Lavender Shortbread to Ultimate Afternoon Tea Scones, a decadent Frangipane Raspberry Cake, a sweet and tart Key Lime Pie and some fine looking Doughnut Muffins (a doughnut lover, she shares my love of Krispy Kreme!). She also offers tips on preparing "perfect tea" and "perfect coffee," and her tips on baking are both helpful and fun to read.

If you don't happen to have any more belated Christmas gifts on the way, I say just go ahead and gift this book to yourself!

Just cutting up!

2012-01-24T07:00:00.009-05:00

Sometimes, it's those items I use the most I have the hardest time replacing. But when my trusty old cutting board started looking a bit raggedy, I knew it was time to act. I just didn't know I would find a new one with teacups on it!

OK, so technically it's a tempered glass cheese server, but in a household of two people a small cutting board is just hunky dory. It has padded feet on back, too, which keep it from slipping around on the counter.

I just love this cute teacup design! It was also nice that this board was on clearance at a T.J. Maxx in Marietta for just $5 (and I had a gift certificate, too, so really it was free; it has occurred to me that if T.J Maxx would sell eggs, produce and milk I'd hardly ever have to visit another store!).

If you've got to spend some time in the kitchen chopping up the vegetables, I say, why not do it in style!

Kusmi Tea Sweet Love

2012-01-23T07:00:00.012-05:00

Kusmi Tea sent a press release offering to let me try their Sweet Love blend, and naturally I said yes, I'd love to try it! With Valentine's Day not too far away, I thought I'd better go ahead and review this tea now so those interested would have plenty of time to order.

Opening the box I expected great things, because I have had a good experience with the few Kusmi Tea blends I have tried in the past. A friend gave me a tin of their Spicy Chocolate Tea a year or so ago, and I rediscovered it recently and it is still terrific.

The bright pink box was packed with their nice muslin tea bags.

Cute graphic on the side, too, but the best thing of all was the wonderful peppery/spicy taste of this tea! Spice notes are what greet you when you open the box, and the blend contains black tea, liquorice root, guarana seed (which is a stimulant, and I'm definitely open to the boost in energy!), pink peppercorn and spices. Best of all, this tea is incredibly sweet tasting, and I observed that it really did keep me from wanting anything else sweet the night I first tried it. It is a wonderful dessert tea. If you're looking for a new blend to try ahead of the month of love, I can highly recommend this one! Go here to find out more about this tea and see Kusmi's other offerings.

Teatime Giveaway #3 - Teapot Stamp & Notepad

2012-01-21T07:00:00.010-05:00

The winner of the Week 2 gourmet teas giveaway is Judith of Lavender Cottage. Congratulations! And for this week's offering, I came across a couple of goodies in Michaels the other day that gently whispered "Teatime Giveaway" to me. First, there's a rubber stamp with a classy looking teapot design. This could be used for something as simple as stamping the back of an envelope containing a tea invitation or as elaborate as stamping repeated images onto scrapbooking paper or as part of a collage.

It's also the design featured on this pretty weekly calendar notepad. Don't you think you would enjoy recording the week's activities on pretty paper like this?

Both items can be yours if you leave an "Enter me" to this post anytime between now and Friday, Jan. 27, at noon EST. Good luck!

Halle Bros. Almond Rarebit

2012-01-20T07:00:00.010-05:00

The first time I ate the curiously-named Welsh Rarebit, pronounced like "rabbit," I was at the Pavilion Tea House in Greenwich, England. I had just enjoyed a terrific visit aboard the Cutty Sark, the famous tea clipper ship in dry dock, and I had stopped for a bite to eat. I wasn't quite sure what Welsh Rarebit actually was, but it sounded like the sort of thing one should have in England, so I did. And it was basically cheese and toast--good cheese and toast, but cheese and toast just the same.

Legend has it that the name is a corruption of the word "rabbit," which in England was the poor man's meat. The "meat" of the poor in Wales was said to be cheese, and thus the name Welsh Rarebit. This dish was one served at the Halle Bros. Tea Room in Cleveland, Ohio, and I decided to make it for supper one night. It's fast and easy comfort food with an interesting history, and a tea room connection to boot.

Halle's Almond Rarebit
Adapted from the booklet "Holiday Treats and Elegant Buffet Dishes"

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour (add another spoonful if needed to thicken)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
A drop or two of Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Melt butter in top of double boiler and using a whisk, stir in flour, mustard, salt and paprika. Stir in milk and cream slowly until smooth and thick. Add Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and cheese. Whisk until lumps disappear. Pour over toast. Sprinkle generously with almonds. Yields 6 servings.

Halle's and its tea room seem to be on my radar this winter, because I recently came across an old pewter looking teapot online which came from the Halle's Tea Room. Now while I have various china pieces from old department stores (like the Strawbridge & Clothier teacup I wrote about last week), I have only a few teawares that I'm sure were actually used in the store's tea room. This 5-1/2-inch-tall teapot is one such piece, and I know that because ...

...it is marked "The Halle Bros. Co. Tea Room" on the bottom. A fun find, and I'd love to think some customer had tea poured from it to enjoy with her Halle's Almond Rarebit! (Question: Would you try polishing this or leave it as is? Maybe I could try a spot on the back?)

E & J Bass silverplate sugar tongs

2012-01-19T07:00:00.017-05:00

Several years ago a friend needed sugar tongs so I gave her a vintage silverplate set I'd gotten at a tearoom (now closed) which had stocked lots of old ones. I still had a couple of new pair, and an old sterling silver pair, but I always knew I'd like to find some old silverplate ones again one day. I wasn't in any hurry, though, so I was quite pleased when I happened upon this pair for $6.95 at an antique mall the other day. Ladies at my tea parties always seem to enjoy using the sugar tongs, perhaps because this is an accoutrement we don't tend to use in everyday life.

Now first of all, I must say right up front I am *horrible* at photographing silver items, so bear with me today! But I wanted to show what I originally believed to be an antique finish on this design. I polished and polished—and I happen to love polishing silver—but still had blackness around the design. I thought perhaps it's supposed to be this way, but then I saw this same pair online (for $48), all nice and sparkly with no black. Back to the drawing board! (Or the polishing board, as it were.)

The other fun thing about finding old silver is that it sets me on a mystery hunt to find out about the maker. I'm always pleased to be able to see the hallmarks on silver, and this time I was searching for E & I B until I cleaned the tongs and found the letters are actually E & J B. My hopefully helpful hint: Sometimes I have trouble seeing the hallmarks even with my reading glasses and a magnifying glass, but if I take a photo and enlarge it on my computer, that always works! (And the spoon part isn't mildewed, by the way. That green color is a reflection of trees or grass since I was outdoors!) A little online surfing revealed the letters stand for the E & J Bass company in New York, which made sterling and silverplate pieces from 1890-1930. There are so many websites devoted to silver hallmarks these days that if you don't know whether something is American or British, or whether it's silverplate or sterling, by all means start typing what you *do* know about the piece into a search engine and you'll soon have plenty of helpful information!

"Vintage Tea Party" by Carolyn Caldicott

2012-01-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

Last week I received a review copy of a soon-to-be-released book I'd been itching to get my hands on, "Vintage Tea Party" by Carolyn Caldicott, who with Chris Caldicott once ran a café in London's Covent Garden. This book is even more lovely than I'd hoped it would be, picturing flea market stalls of chintz teawares, close-ups of freshly-made tea sandwiches and sweets, and thatched-roof cottages in the English countryside. And while the book is full of terrific eye candy for tea lovers, it's also quite an inspiring read. Giving advice on "Where To Find the Vintage Look," Caldicott says a collector of vintage teawares first should always check with family, who may have unused pieces they're willing to share. "Once you have exhausted the possibilities at home," she says, "it is time to hit the local charity shops, the final destination of many a spring clean, offering an endlessly changing supply of bric-a-brac, linen and cutlery."

A brief history of tea is a nice addition (and would make this book a great gift for those new to tea), but as always I learned something new myself. While I'd read about Anna, Duchess of Bedford and her legendary "sinking feeling" which led to the beginning of afternoon tea, Caldicott surprised me by tossing in a tidbit I've never read before. "Fortified by her tasty repast she soon decided to share the experience with her lady friends by sending out invitations for 'Tea and a walk in the fields.'" So the Duchess and friends were walkers! Nice to know!

Following a few pages on the basics of selecting and preparing a good cup of tea, the book offers recipes for jam, finger sandwiches, cakes, cookies, bite-sized sweets, and all manner of treats you'd love to make or eat. I especially like the recipes for High Tea, which the author notes is "a much more generous meal" and "traditionally served at the end of the working day." Welsh Rarebit and Crumpets are two of the recipes featured here, with other chapters spotlighting Tea in the Drawing Room, Tea in the Garden, Fireside Tea and Nursery Tea. With terrific photography by Chris Caldicott, this book is a must for those of us who favor all things vintage—and all things tea!

Herbal Essences with Citrus Blossom & Green Tea

2012-01-17T07:00:00.006-05:00

Last week's list of must-have grocery items included new shampoo and conditioner, and since the Herbal Essences brand was on sale I looked through the different choices to see if anything struck my fancy.

Naturally, I had to try the ones with Citrus Blossom & Green Tea!

Both products do indeed contain camellia sinensis leaf extract, so that was a plus. And the scent is just incredible, a strong (but pleasing) floral. While the shampoo and conditioner were not quite as thick as I like, for aromatherapy reasons alone I'm happy I gave these products a try. If you've tried them, I'd like to hear your review!

Some weekend scone-baking

2012-01-16T07:00:00.014-05:00

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time de-cluttering and organizing, from the pantry to the craft room. But before I began, I'd had a hankering to try a new scone recipe I saw in the February issue of Martha Stewart Living, so Saturday morning I baked up a batch!

Martha devotes her column this time to scones, which she says are one of America's three favorite breakfast breads, the other two being muffins and biscuits. She includes recipes for four varieties of scone, including Candied Orange and Golden Raisin Scones, Potato Scones, Rich Cream Scones and ...

... the ones I made, Apple and Oat Scones with Cinnamon and Nutmeg. (I don't have permission to share the recipe, but I've noticed Martha usually ends up putting many of hers online eventually.) She shares a technique for easily baking them in square shapes, but I have a square brownie pan which did the same thing fuss-free.

And now may I share a word about the pretty glass plate my scones are on? It was a gift! A few weeks back, I mentioned finding some square plates I'd been seeking. A few weeks later, I arrived home one evening and a surprise package was on my doorstop from reader Margie in California.

She had remembered how happy I was to finally locate some affordable square glass plates, and she thought this lovely handled plate she had would be a good blend. Indeed it is! I love the pretty etched design—and I especially love the thoughtfulness behind the gift.

Even the handle is elegant, and this was just the thing for turning some "Saturday scones" into something special!

Teatime Giveaway #2 - English Tea Shop Gourmet Tea Collection

2012-01-14T07:00:00.009-05:00

The winner of the week #1 giveaway is ... Kiffer! Congratulations! And for the Week #2 giveaway, we have a great gift set of teas from the English Tea Shop! Since it's still wrapped in plastic I can't show you the 96 teabags inside, but I have already devoured a similar set (of the Christmas teas) myself and very much enjoyed them.

The back of the box lists some of the goodies inside: White Tea, Earl Grey, Green Tea, Ginger Honey, Green Tea Pomegranate Cranberry (I'd like to know what the winner thinks of this last one in particular--sounds yum to me!).

So for a chance to win this gift set, just leave an "Enter me" to this post anytime between now and Friday, Jan. 20 at noon. Good luck!

Strawbridge & Clothier teacup

2012-01-13T07:00:00.009-05:00

Naturally, after I finished writing "Dainty Dining" last year I came across even more memorabilia pertaining to America's old department store tea rooms. I recently located a dessert cookbook from Strawbridge & Clothier in Philadelphia, so expect to see a recipe or two out of that in the near future! Meanwhile, I've added to my department store teacup collection with this cup and saucer from the store.

I really liked the pretty handle on this teacup. It sort of reminds me of the bow-shaped handle on this department store's teacup.

Why were things so much prettier back then? Tiny roses, scallops, gilded edges. It's impossible to find new things with this much detail.

This set is marked Limoges, France, and I recently got a book on Limoges china so I can bone up on it. Meanwhile I'll enjoy sipping out of a teacup that recalls a bit of America's delightful retail history.

Thymes Green Tea Body Lotion

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I mentioned finding some tea-scented hand cream. This week, I am happy to report I've added to my winter cream and lotion stash a product that does indeed contain green tea, this Thymes Green Tea Body Lotion. I've seen it in at least two T.J. Maxx stores in the past week, sometimes with the matching body scrub and hand soap as well.

I liked this labeling ("Steeped in a Healthy Tradition"), because it made it pretty clear the manufacturer does indeed understand that tea is a useful ingredient in products.

And there's our magic ingredient, right above the price tag, "Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract." This lotion has a terrific light floral scent as well. I don't believe the Thymes company actually makes this product any more (it's not on their website), so the discount stores may be your best bet if you're looking for some. And the prices are much better there anyway!

January/February 2012 Machine Quilting magazine

2012-01-11T07:00:00.009-05:00

Sometimes, I go in search of a little inspiration. The other day I visited a local newsstand and decided to browse the needlework and craft magazines. On the back row of the bottom shelf, three letters peered out from behind an overlapping magazine, and the three laters said "Mac." As a devotee of Mac/Apple computer products, I wondered what Macs had to do with crafting magazines. I pulled out the magazine and saw it was not "Mac" anything but rather "Machine Quilting." But then I noticed the closeup from this fabulous tea-themed quilted wall hanging on the cover, and so the magazine went home with me. I don't even own an embroidery sewing machine, yet I got so much inspiration from this magazine! Go here to see the entire piece by artist Kate Themel. I think you'll find her work quite breathtaking!

Artistic works related to tea often inspire me, so I wanted to mention two more I found on friends' tea blogs in recent months, just in case you might have missed them. Over at Frivolitea's blog, check out her link to these papier maché teacups. Brilliant!

And since I recently visited in the area of Black Mountain, N.C., I was quite intrigued when Rosemary's Sampler showed a recent gift of this hand thrown, altered, barkware pottery teapot made there. Amazing! Have you found some tea-themed inspiration lately? If so, please share!

Flowers in winter

2012-01-10T07:00:00.006-05:00

A few weeks before Christmas, I was at an antique mall supposedly shopping for others when I spotted this lovely old pink teacup that was calling my name. It was just $10, but I was supposed to be shopping for others. So I made a deal with myself: This teacup was at one corner of the antique mall, and if I still wanted it when I got wayyyy over to the other corner of the antique mall, at the end of my journey, I could go back and get it. I did, and so I did.

When it's all gray and rainy outside in the wintertime, what could be nicer than enjoying flowers on a teacup?

It was in perfect shape, too, which was surprising for such an old (perhaps German) piece. I especially loved the detail on the saucer's border—and I must say I don't regret acquiring this one bit!

My Tea Room addition

2012-01-09T07:00:00.008-05:00

When my husband gives me eBay gift cards as presents, you can bet it doesn't take me long to decide what I want to buy, as for the past two years it's been pretty much the same thing: pink Tea Room pattern Depression glass. I'm usually too thrifty to buy very much of it myself, but when it's his money I'm spending, well that's another matter!

And so it is that I have added to my small collection these two Tea Room sherbet glasses. I'm so happy to kick off the year with a Tea Room addition, so to speak!

The other thing that surprised me about these pieces is what good condition they are in, with no nicks or chips at all. I've written before about how the feature that makes this Art Deco design so appealing—all those little angular stair-step ridges—is the same feature that makes this pattern hard to find in good condition. Unlike more rounded patterns, this one had a lot of sharp edges to get banged around through the years! One Depression glass expert has reported finding this pattern in factory boxes, unopened, and 25 percent of those pieces had flaws and weren't "mint." So finding two lovely pieces like these makes my New Year's Resolution about eating more fruit a lot more fun to keep!

Teatime Giveaway #1 - Royal Albert Cup & Saucer

2012-01-07T07:00:00.013-05:00

Here's the thing: I absolutely love having giveaways. I've even made it a goal in life to be a more giving person, and I can't think of a better way to practice that than by having giveaways every Saturday for a whole year! I've been thinking about this for quite a while, so I've already started stocking up on things to give away: teas, tea-themed stationery, tea towels, cosmetics with tea, some teawares, some old things, some new things ... you just never know what you might find being given away here each week, so I hope you'll visit each Saturday!

To kick things off, I'm giving away this vintage Royal Albert teacup and saucer in the Needle Point pattern. Perhaps some stitching tea drinker needs this teacup? Or perhaps you need a black teacup? Or one with roses? (And hey, if it's not your cup of you-know-what, you'll be one re-gift ahead for next Christmas!)

To enter, just leave an "Enter me" to this post anytime between now and Friday, Jan. 13, at noon EST. That's how we'll play each week, running the giveaway from Saturday to Friday each week. I'll post the name of each week's winner the following Saturday when the new giveaway is announced. Good luck, and I hope this year's Saturday series will *give* you as much pleasure as it does me!

Berkeley Square White Tea Hand Cream

2012-01-06T07:00:00.008-05:00

It was nearly five years ago I first became aware of the Berkeley Square line of tea-scented products. I saw them at a World Tea Expo, but alas, I couldn't find a U.S. source for the yummy scented cosmetics. I remembered the name and the graphics, though, just in case I ever ran across them again.

Then a few weeks ago, I was browsing the toiletries at a T.J. Maxx store when I came across what I believed was a familiar design and yes, it was Berkeley Square's hand cream! Hallelujah!

Reading the ingredients, I have to conclude the only tea in this hand cream is in the fragrance, but the fragrance is soooo good, that's just fine by me. I keep this hand cream at my bedside to help alleviate the dry skin I get only in the winter. It's such a delightful fragranc (a very light floral), so if you're in the market for new hand cream, you might want to seek out this one at your nearest T.J. Maxx!

Bond Street English Afternoon Tea

2012-01-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

Do you ever get in a tea-drinking rut? I do. Over Christmas, for instance, I drank lots of spiced-up, flavored teas, and while I thoroughly enjoyed them, the minute Christmas was over it seemed my palate wanted something simple, something different. I had saved this pretty new tin of tea, a Christmas gift from my friend Maureen, and then I remembered no, I am drinking the good stuff *first* this year!

This Bond Street English Afternoon Tea sounded like just the thing, and indeed its brisk, black taste was just what I was craving! No flavorings, no cinnamon or almond or orange—just good, black tea. I opened the tin and was greeted with a familiar woodsy scent that I knew meant this tea was fresh and would be tasty as well, and it was. And isn't the tin pretty? This side shows a vintage image of Fleet Street in London.

And this side shows the Bank of England and Royal Exchange circa 1900. It's a lovely tin, but best of all is that this English Tea Company tea is a delicious brew, and just what I needed as I step into this new year!

A new school fundraiser: Chai mix

2012-01-04T07:00:00.010-05:00

If you're like me, each fall you get hit up by a few of your friends' or neighbors' children selling everything from wrapping paper and cookie dough to candles, magazine subscriptions and more, all to raise funds for the local school. The little neighbor girls have sold my husband various cheesecakes and cookie doughs through the years, and he generally takes the hits here at home. At the office, our co-workers are always very low-key about the things their kids are selling, so I was actually quite *eager* to buy one of the items I saw in a catalog a few months ago, this Very Heavenly Vanilla Chai mix.

"Fireside Favorites" is a new name in tea to me, and I was curious to try this chai mix. If schools would sell more teas, I for one would be much more likely to be a returning customer! So how was the chai?

I am very happy to report it had a great chai flavor, much more rich and thick than I would have hoped for since you make it with water and not milk. This large (20-ounce) bag was $14 and makes 20 servings. That's significantly cheaper than buying 20 cups of chai at Starbucks—and hopefully it results in something nice for my young friend Grace's school as well!

Sending Santa packing

2012-01-03T07:00:00.009-05:00

The morning of New Year's Eve I finally starting taking down my Christmas tree, a task I'd been postponing simply because I so enjoyed my Santa mug tree this year! Several of you had asked how many mugs I had in this collection, and I said I'd count them when I packed them back up, and I did: 139.

It would have been 136 except that a generous reader in Tennessee, Carol, found these three mugs and sent them to me right before Christmas! And I am happy to tell you that these designs were totally new to me and not duplicates. The larger one is marked "Japan" on the bottom, which was quite helpful to know.

The mini Santa mugs are just delightful, and I've never seen this exact size (1-3/8 inches tall) and shape before. I love that they are marked 1960 and ...

... one still has the H H sticker which I believe identifies it as "Holt Howard," which made a lot of Santa mugs.

And perhaps best of all, Carol left this sticker on the back of one of the mugs as a tribute to my own thrifty style of collecting Santa mugs! They're all back in the garage now for another year, but I thought you might enjoy hearing the final count for 2011 as I look forward to adding more Santa mugs in 2012!

Tea & New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-02T07:00:00.006-05:00

Oh, how I love the gift of a new year! I'm both an optimist (usually) and a list maker (always), so the dawn of each new year finds me full of hopes and dreams and plans for the year ahead. All I need is a nice cup of tea and a few journals and calendars!

I'll bet I'm not the only one who's hanging up the new Collectible Teapot & Tea Calendar this year, am I? Do you always look to see what the photo is for your birth month? May gets a pink transferware teapot and pink roses this year, I was happy to see!

I have two "tea resolutions" this year: 1) Drink the good stuff first. You know the phrase "life is short, eat dessert first"? Well, I have been guilty of saving "the good tea" and drinking my lesser desired teas first. What ends up happening is that I forget about the good, fresh tea, so I'm not enjoying it as I should! That needs to change. 2) I am going to try keeping a list of all the different teas I try this year. Not each and every cup, mind you, because that would be ludicrous, but each time I receive a new sample or acquire a new box or tin of tea, I am going to note it in the lovely Dollar Tree journal (at left) I found last year. My coolest journal purchase of the year was the blue five-year "One Line a Day" Memory Book at right. Actually, it's more like "six lines a day" if you count them, but I love noting just a teeny snippet about what happens each day of the year. Have you made any resolutions, tea-related or otherwise? Please share!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #53 - Cornbread Madeleines with Black-eyed Pea Hummus & Hot Collard Dip

2011-12-31T07:00:00.036-05:00

Having grown up in the South, I am of course accustomed to eating traditional New Year's foods such as greens and black-eyed peas. Legend has it you're supposed to eat lots of greens to represent the "greenbacks" (dollars) you will see in the new year, and the peas represent the coins—so make sure you eat many more greens than peas! Ideally you should have some of both, so I have incorporated these foods into my final tea sandwiches of the year.

First, I made a small batch of cornbread mix that I spooned into my madeleine pan. Whatever cornbread recipe you have will be fine, just make sure there's enough milk added so the mixture isn't too stiff.

Then, I made my version of a recipe I found in Southern Living a few years ago for this Hot Collard Dip. I substituted collards for the turnip greens they used, and it is quite amusing to me to watch people who declare they *hate* greens scarf this down because they think they're eating spinach dip and not collards. If you add enough cheese and bacon to anything, it has to be good, I suppose!

And this isn't the first time I've made a tea sandwich with hummus this year, but it is the first time I've used a Black-eyed Pea Hummus. These "spreads" are both, obviously, designed to be dips, so if they don't find a place on your tea table, perhaps they are something you might want to try for a New Year's buffet. Here are the recipes.

Hot Collard Dip

5 bacon slices
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup apple juice
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen chopped collards, thawed
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into squares
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook bacon in a large pot oven over medium-high heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving a tablespoon or so of drippings in pot. Sauté onion and garlic in drippings for 3 to 4 minutes, then add apple juice and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring well. Add collards, cream cheese, sour cream, pepper flakes, salt and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring often, until cream cheese is melted and mixture is thoroughly heated. Garnish with crumbled bacon and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese before serving. You can also keep this in a crock pot on low if you'd like to keep it warm for a party!

Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon cumin seed
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)

Pour drained black-eyed peas into the food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil and process until well-blended. Add the cumin seed and tahini and process until combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process until it reaches desired consistency. Serve on tea sandwiches or with chips, pretzels, etc.

And finally, I wanted to say thank you for reading along this year and for your encouragement with this particular project! You friends are an adventurous bunch, I'll sure say that. Also, some readers have asked if I might consider publishing these recipes together in a printed form. I'm trying to find an affordable way to do that (without printing a full-fledged book), and I'll let you know once that's done. Meanwhile, please drop by next weekend to find out what my "Saturday tea project" for 2012 is going to be. It's something I've been eager to try for a while now, and I think you just may approve! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A look back at "The Year in Tea"

2011-12-30T07:00:00.016-05:00

I always love this week before New Year's because it's such a great time of reflection on the past year as well as looking forward to the new year ahead. Once again, I'm sorting my "tea memories" of the past year, and I thought I'd share a few highlights of The Year in Tea. January saw a rare number of snow days here in Georgia, enabling me to finish piecing the top of my Sweet Tea Quilt! (Sorry to say that's as far as I got. If January 2012 brings more snow days, perhaps I can finish the border!)

In February, my sweet husband continued his tradition of treating me to tea for Valentine's, this year at Tea Leaves and Thyme in Woodstock. My favorite way to celebrate!

March brought a fundraiser for the Carnegie Library in Newnan, and I got to enjoy a visit with my dear friend Joanie over tea!

April, of course, brought what was perhaps the highlight of the tea year for many of us, the Royal Wedding and a Royal Wedding Tea! I will never forget the fun of getting up at 4 a.m. to watch that magnificent wedding with friends!

May brought the full onset of the gardening season, which meant new herbs in my clay teapots.

June saw a visit to "Tea on Tuesdays" at the Veranda in Senoia with my friend Liz. I hope to return there in 2012!

July meant heading north to visit family in Wisconsin ... and a side excursion to the Door County Master Gardeners' display garden, where I enjoyed seeing the fairies in the garden at tea!

August found me flopping, yet again, in my attempt to make a Hess's Strawberry Pie—but it wasn't all bad, as that blog post was one of the best-received ones of the year!

September found me speaking at a library fundraiser tea at the Central Library in Newnan. A fun event!

October brought a trip to the mountains, where an antique mall turned up this unusual wide-brimmed teacup.

November was a biggie with the publication of my first book, "Dainty Dining," largely thanks to you dear tea friends who have encouraged my research and writing about all things related to tea!

And December brought a fun tea party with my sister and her friends. I can't look back on this (or any) year without thinking how God has thoroughly blessed me with my family, friends and so many fun opportunities in life. Now I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

Just in the (St.) Nick of time ... Candy Cane Lane

2011-12-29T07:00:00.009-05:00

'Twas the Friday before Christmas, and all through the house ... there was no Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane tea, because I hadn't seen any this season. At all. Anywhere. And I'd looked. I could order it online, but the shipping cost as much as the tea and I just didn't want it *that* badly. And then, in a surprise find on the very eve of Christmas Eve, I nabbed the very last box at a Whole Foods store in Atlanta! This super minty green tea has quite a following and can be hard to find, as I learned the past two years.

My pink glass teacup and saucer with the elegant scalloped details was a surprise gift from Darlene of The Tea Enthusiast's Scrapbook in honor of the publication of my book last month! What a lovely and thoughtful gift—and one I have used to sip away at that box of Candy Cane Lane tea.

My friend Deberah gave me a box of old-fashioned stick peppermint for Christmas, and I made a cup of the Candy Cane Lane tea extra peppermint-y with the addition of a stick. Are you a fan of Candy Cane Lane tea? If so, did you find any this year, and where? I'd love to know!

A practical use for old tea tins

2011-12-28T07:00:00.004-05:00

Do you save old tea tins? I used to, but then I had too many of them and began tossing them when I finished the tea inside.

Last Christmas, however, I was packing up fragile ornaments, wishing I had small tins to store each individual ornament in, when it dawned on me I should be saving my tea tins to use for Christmas ornament storage. Especially for the ornaments on my tea-themed tree, it seems quite fitting to use old tea tins as storage containers!

This glass teacup ornament fits inside with just enough room for some tissue or bubble wrap to cushion it. So if you've been throwing your tea tins away, you may wish to reconsider!

The mystery mug revealed ...

2011-12-27T07:00:00.005-05:00

So, did you know what this unusual piece was at the end of yesterday's post? I certainly did not.

I knew that it was pretty, though, and probably very old, since these old soft roses usually appear on pieces from the late 1800s or early 1900s.

And what do you suppose these holes were for?

Or this ornate but oddly placed spout?

A pretty handle, obviously designed as a ... handle. So, I did what I usually do and went online to search for a string of terms like "Victorian pitcher spout strainer handle." Before too long I had come across a photo of a similar piece, and lo and behold, this is an old scuttle style shaving mug! Can any of you friends picture your husband shaving with such a mug? I sure can't! It seems the bar of soap (presumably round) would go in the top, and as it was lathered up the soapy water would drip down below where it could be discarded after shaving. Then, that piece I call a "spout" was actually where they'd store the shaving brush. Who knew? Well, I'll bet *somebody* knew, perhaps some of you, but I did not, and neither did my completely horrified friend when I wrote her a thank-you note for a shaving mug! Actually, I had so much fun joking with her about it that the story surrounding this gift actually means more to me than the gift itself!

And besides, who says this can't be used for tea? A few Jasmine Dragon Pearls in the top, some hot water poured over, twice (since the water obviously won't stay there very long) ...

... and you have a lovely and most unique steeping device! I can also see this holding teaspoons or flowers. I don't think my sweet friend should feel too badly about giving me a shaving mug, do you?

Teawares for Christmas!

2011-12-26T07:00:00.014-05:00

I was pondering my habit of always blogging about "What Tea Stuff I Got for Christmas" each year, but then it dawned on me that I sure enjoy seeing everyone else's tea gifts, so I hope you won't mind hearing about mine! First, my mom drew my name in the family gift drawing this year, so she asked me to pick out my gift one day a few weeks ago when we were in a T.J. Maxx. There were quite a few choices, but I settled on a pattern of dishes I've admired for some time now, these Ralph Lauren Skyler salad/dessert plates and mugs. I decided these would be my new "wintertime" dishes, and I can also accessorize them at Christmas if I choose.

My husband is good about asking for "wish list items," and I saw this tea tasting set on sale on the Elmwood Inn Teas website, and he happily ordered it for me. Once I've figured out how to use it, I'll share a review!

My friend Beth and I got to meet up for our annual Christmas visit last week, and she gave me this lovely sugar and creamer from Staffordshire, England. This is a classic pattern to me, and though Beth worried perhaps I get tired of receiving gifts with roses on them, I assured her that is never going to be a problem!

She also gave me what is quite possibly the prettiest teaspoon I've ever owned, this porcelain piece topped by a dainty rosebud.

And while Christmas decorations are still up at my house (are you one of those who takes them down on Dec. 26? Not me!), I'm looking forward to pulling out the calm, soothing, winter whites in a few days. This Royal Doulton White Linen teacup and saucer from my friend Sandra will be perfect for wintertime sipping. I love the clean, simple, unadorned design. The very picture of elegance!

Though my mom got me to pick out the plaid and rose dishes, I was not at all surprised that my pile of Christmas gifts from her included a few other goodies, like some vintage pink glasses and plates. Thanks to this gift *and* a recent surprise gift of a pink Depression glass teacup from a reader of this blog (which I'll be showing soon), I now have enough pink teacups and plates to have a tea party for four!

My mother also gave me this great old silverplate pitcher. Iced tea, anyone? I can't wait to use this.

And last but not least, I wanted to show you a beautiful piece I received as a gift from a friend who wishes to remain anonymous! Neither she nor I knew what this was when I opened it, but with a bit of online searching I was able to figure it out. Do you know what this is? If not, stop by tomorrow and I'll tell you what I learned about this beautiful and intriguing piece of china. And if you got some tea goodies for Christmas this year, I'd love to hear about them!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FRIENDS!

2011-12-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Tea Sandwich Saturday #52 - Lobster & Sun-dried Tomato

2011-12-24T07:00:00.010-05:00

Christmas calls for foods a bit more festive than usual, so I got a bee in my bonnet to make something with lobster this week. I decided to make a simple spread, and then I used my Linzer cookie cutters to make sandwiches with Christmas cutouts. Neat and easy, just like I like 'em!

Before I chose to use lobster, I had mentioned to my friend Maureen (ParTea Lady) that I wanted to make a new Christmas tea sandwich recipe, for which I would obviously need a speck of something red. She offered the idea of sun-dried tomato. I LOVE the taste of sun-dried tomato and can't believe I haven't incorporated that into my sandwiches this year! Here, you can see the pretty red and green colors from celery and the chopped sun-dried tomato pieces. So here you go, an easy, last-minute recipe for Christmas tea sandwiches.

Lobster & Sun-dried Tomato

1 teaspoon sun-dried tomato pieces
1 celery rib, cut in large pieces
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 (6.5-ounce) can lobster meat
1-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2-3 drops red pepper sauce
Dash of chili powder
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Place first three ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse til combined. Remove to a small mixing bowl. Boil lobster meat for about five minutes, then strain and place in food processor, pulsing until light and fluffy in consistency. Add to mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and combine, adjusting seasonings as desired. Yields about 1/2 cup spread. (Expensive to make, but once a year I figure it's worth it!)

And finally, I'd like to point out that yes, today is Tea Sandwich Saturday #52 even though there is still one more Saturday in the year. I counted, and there are indeed 53 Saturdays this year. A minor point, but worth a mention in case like me you're wondering if the numbering got off one week!

Cookies for your cup

2011-12-23T07:00:00.008-05:00

The Christmas bakery at my house has now closed for the season, but before I pack things away I wanted to share some new cookie cutters that are especially appropriate for those of us who love cups and mugs. These cookie cutters create a little notch in your sugar cookie dough so that you can slip the cookie onto the rim of your teacup or mug. What a cute idea!

I found mine some weeks ago at a HomeGoods store. I could see there was a shooting star, a regular star and a Christmas tree, and I couldn't quite see the fourth cookie cutter because of the price sticker.

When I got home and removed the cookie cutters from the packaging, I *still* couldn't tell what the fourth one was. Can you? My husband's guess of "a Santa cap" makes the most sense, I guess, although I do think it also looks a bit like a hammer.

I love the English translation on the package, which seems a little off somehow but is still quite charming. I've seen these cookie cutters in other designs too, and I'm going to be on the lookout for some heart-shaped ones for Valentine's Day. It's never too early to start planning for holidays in the new year!

A box full of Christmas joy!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.006-05:00

One of the biggest surprises of blogging these past (almost) five years is that sometimes, I get a nice note or even a gift in the mail from a reader I've never actually met. More than once I have been the lucky recipient of a gift from Christine, who surprised me a few weeks ago by sending along some things I have been enjoying this Christmas and thought you might enjoy seeing, like this tea chest! Isn't it pretty?

I've never seen such a decorative tea chest, and I was also surprised when I looked inside and found she'd send along samples of some new (to me) teas! I especially enjoyed the Evolution Green Tea with Orange and Mint, which I had been longing to try, and the others were quite enjoyable as well.

As if all that weren't enough, Christine also included three packages of cute paper napkins that are absolutely perfect for tea lovers!

I'm going to save a few of these Christmas teacup napkins, because I can definitely see these being used in a decoupage project one day.

And flowers in teacups! How gorgeous!

The napkins I've been using this week are these whimsical snowmen with a tea mug in the foreground. Delightful—and what a lovely reminder of a thoughtful tea friend I met through this blog!

An afternoon at August Moon Tea Room

2011-12-21T07:00:00.009-05:00

This is my week to catch up with girlfriends before Christmas, and yesterday I had the fun experience of trying out a new (to me) tea room with my fellow tea blogger and friend Maureen, also known as ParTea Lady, of the Tea and Talk blog. Maureen had blogged about visiting August Moon in Barnesville back in March, and I told her I'd like to meet her there for tea one day, so that's what we did for our Christmas get-together this year!

This tea room does not want you to leave hungry, and wait until you hear all that we ate! First, there was a fruit cup with whipped cream served in a beautiful blue Tiara snack set.

Maureen had Earl Grey tea and I had the Peaches and Cream. It was just delicious--and had a very distinct peachy taste.

Even our water was attractive, served as it was in these pretty yellow Fostoria glasses. Later, I learned August Moon's owner, Maggie Cameron, is as wild about collecting glass and teawares as I am. More so, actually, since she has a fitting place to use all of hers!

There was much eye candy on the tables, from the crocheted topper to the paper lace placemats, teapot salt and pepper shakers, figurine, glass goblet of lemon curd and more!

Of course my favorite food moment is always the presentation of the three-tiered server. What would it feature?

The sandwiches, my favorite course, were chicken salad, ham and pickle rollup, cucumber, and a cute snowman shaped sandwich that I believe was some sort of sweetened cream, almond perhaps. I liked the variety of fillings, and the bread was cut *just so* and made such a pleasing presentation.

The lemon scones with lemon curd were just the treat I needed on a gray, rainy day. After I took this photo I discovered the scones were actually cut out in Christmas tree shapes. Alas, I munched mine before I realized I should have taken a photo of it from that angle. Oh well, next time!

For the sweets we had brownies, miniature bread puddings (my favorite) and cinnamon spice cupcakes. Alas, I forgot to photograph the sausage quiche and black-eyed pea soup that also came with our tea. I've rarely eaten so much at a tea room, and Maureen and I both had to-go boxes when we left.

Maureen and I dined in the very first room you see upon entering the tea room, and I had a great view of this giant photo of some women in period dress. Not sure if you can tell, but the woman at back is holding a basketball! One of the young men serving us (both were great, by the way) said the photo was obtained locally but they don't know the identity of the women. Wouldn't you love to know more!

OK, so my eyes are halfway closed. I'm among friends here, so I thought I'd go ahead and show you the two of us with the wonderful matron presiding over the tea room.

Isn't she charming?

Even the ladies room at this tea room is worth a visit, for the massive collection of hats, hatboxes and gloves are a sight to behold! I had a wonderful time catching up with a dear tea friend, and we're already planning a return trip to August Moon! If you'd like to go sometime, visit the tea room's website here.

Christmas in Warm Springs

2011-12-20T07:00:00.012-05:00

Have you ever been to Warm Springs, Georgia? I've been a number of times but hadn't visited the town recently and decided to go yesterday. If you're not from my neck of the woods, you might not know that Warm Springs is the home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House. FDR also brought fame to the town back in the 1920s when he visited the warm mineral springs for treatment of his polio related paralysis. Today, Warm Springs is home of the internationally-known Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. Warm Springs still sees lots of tourism today, and that's what brought my friend Byrdie and me there for our Christmas outing this year.

Here's Byrdie in front of one of the rows of shops on Broad Street. We enjoyed browsing in the stores, especially seeing all the different themed Christmas trees on display. One was trimmed with mainly Scottie dogs and red plaid ribbon, while another was decked out in blue-and-white Delftware looking ornaments with all-white ribbons, garlands and other trims. In one store we spotted a small Irish-themed tree, and it was there I found ...

... three new Kurt S. Adler ornaments for my tea-themed tree! I was thrilled! I removed the teacup and one of the teapots and was about to continue on when Byrdie pointed out that another teapot ornament had a bit of a different design. Can't believe I nearly missed that! But Byrdie is a retired elementary school teacher, and after 34 years with third and fourth graders, there is not much that passes her notice. We didn't actually meet until my schooling years were over, but we both agree I would not have gotten away with much in her classroom!

Around lunchtime we headed here, to Warm Springs' popular Bulloch House restaurant, for our lunch.

Byrdie and I stuffed ourselves silly with fried green tomatoes and other southern favorites. Any place that makes good fried green tomatoes has my blessing, but I was also happy their sweet tea was about as perfect a glass of the iced stuff as I've ever had. Delicious!

The Bulloch House is beautifully decorated for Christmas right now, and even Santa and the reindeer crew like to stop by, apparently. It was a delightful day spent with a dear friend — and my new teacup and teapot ornaments are wonderful mementos of the day!

Clearly, I needed some new plates ...

2011-12-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

When planning for my Christmas tea party the other weekend, I originally hoped to set the table using six small, square and etched clear glass plates paired with six vintage Christmas teacups. The only kinks in this plan were that A) I didn't actually own any small, square and etched clear glass plates and B) I had only four Christmas teacup and saucer sets. So some of my tea and toast sets were called into duty for the tea, but I put etched glass plates on the Wish List. I found some on eBay, but the ones I liked were about $10 each plus shipping.

Over the weekend, my mom and I visited an antique mall in Rome where lots of vendors had discounts boothwide. I was nearing the end of my tour of the mall when, on a bottom shelf, I thought I spied some glass plates. Were they square? Yes indeed!

I did my usual trick of running my finger around the edge while looking away,
in order to feel any chips or nicks. None!

I loved the design, which a sticker identified as "copper wheel engraving." (Is that accurate, glass expert friends? I looked up a few glassware sites online but they weren't very helpful.) All I know is, the set of 6 was $18, which was a deal, but then I saw a sign that said 25 percent off, so I got them all for $13.50, which made me quite happy.

My only problem is, I'm running out of storage space, so I'm going to have to get rid of some things. Look for a few giveaways in the new year! (But not the new plates. They're keepers!)

And one final note: For a recent tea tasting I wrote about, I showed a chintz teacup a couple of you asked about. It's the one on the left, and it's actually a new set I found at Marshalls last Christmas for $6.99. It's marked "Bella Lux, Gracie Bone China," and it's a bit oversized, which I like when enjoying cups of Christmas tea!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #51 - Oh, Christmas Tree!

2011-12-17T07:00:00.007-05:00

A few weeks back when I made Christmas wreath-shaped tea sandwiches, I was pondering how to decorate them when a helpful reader sent me an e-mail and suggested sliced olives. Now how did I miss that! Yes, olives are perfect to serve as "ornaments" on a tea sandwich because they're the right color and the two-tone palette is already there. So this week's tea sandwiches are simply to show you some ideas for "decorating the tree" on your tea table!

You could use any spread you might have, or plain cream cheese, but I used some of the leftover Olive-Walnut dip from the office party the other day. A few slices of olives and voila, a nice little tree!

If you want a more classic look, you can top your tree sandwich with another slice of bread and line up three slices of olive. (Shamelessly stolen from my sister, who did this with her egg salad tea sandwiches last weekend!)

And last but not least, I liked this idea I saw in the Christmas issue of Tea Time magazine: use cucumber slices to decorate your tree!

The Christmas teas tote giveaway winner is ...

2011-12-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

Ruth of the Antiques and Teacups blog! Congrats, and if you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these goodies headed your way!

Also, several of you asked about the tote, so I wanted you to know I got mine at the Carriage House, an antiques shop in Senoia. The tote is by Alice's Home and Cottage (alicescottage.com), whose totes, tea towels and other goodies I've been enjoying for the past few years.

The 2011 Office Christmas Luncheon

2011-12-16T07:00:00.016-05:00

My co-workers have luncheons together at numerous times throughout the year, but the Thanksgiving and Christmas luncheons are always the best. I actually missed this year's Thanksgiving luncheon because I was away at a workshop that day, but I was indeed there for yesterday's Christmas luncheon and thought I would report in. I made this Olive-Walnut Dip, and I'm pleased it got favorable reviews!

It's basically the Olive-Walnut spread I use for tea sandwiches, but I added sour cream to make it more of a dip consistency. The recipe: 3 (8-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, 3/4 cup chopped olives, 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 (16-ounce) carton sour cream. Mix well and you're done! (That makes a heap of dip, by the way. For a smaller gathering, I would probably make only a third of the recipe.)

It's always fun to see the long tables laden with ham and turkey, casseroles, crockpots full of hot vegetables and more.

There were other appetizers besides mine, and ...

... a nice assortment of salads too.

The dessert table, you won't be surprised to hear, is always a popular spot.

The Banana Pudding and Mandarin Orange Cake got great reviews!

And to wash it all down, we always, always have a nice big tea station.

But the real reason I *had* to share the luncheon with my tea friends this year is that I thought you might want to see what my co-worker and husband, Mr. Tea With Friends, brought to the table this year. It was inspired by a post on newspaper columnist Dave Barry's blog (he was writing about the worst nativity scenes ever). Pictures follow. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

Christmas Teas—and a small giveaway!

2011-12-15T07:00:00.008-05:00

At last Saturday's Christmas Tea, I served two Christmas blends I recently found at a World Market store. First was this Twinings Christmas Tea, a nice black tea flavored with cinnamon and cloves. The warmth and the scent almost make you think of cider, and it was very popular with the girls, who drank several pots of it! World Market had boxes featuring individually wrapped teabags.

I also served Republic of Tea's Holiday Spiced Plum Joy to the World Green Tea (what a long name!). This tin features their round tea bags, and I love that it is a green tea and also that it has such a rich, plum flavor, lightly accented by spices.

If you'd like to try a few samples of both these Christmas tea blends, just comment with an "Enter Me" by 7 a.m. EST *tomorrow* morning, Dec. 16! They'll be tucked into this tiny (6 inches or so) little tote bag featuring a Christmas teapot, and I may add a few samples of other teas as well. Good luck!

My Tea-themed Tree, 2011 Edition

2011-12-14T07:00:00.013-05:00

My little pink feather tree is holding just about all the tea pot/cup/kettle ornaments it can possibly hold, but I think this is a happy problem to have! (And let me just say up front it's kind of hard to take good photos indoors at night, but I did my best!)

My newest addition to the tree was this sweet poinsettia ornament that was a hostess gift from "the girls" on Saturday at tea, and my sister gave me the pretty pink Christmas cactus. I have faith that at least one of these items will still be with us next Christmas!

This floral teacup ornament was a recent gift from a tea-loving girlfriend and features a design I haven't seen on an ornament before. Lovely!

Earlier this year I wrote about my new tea friend Lani in Hawaii. This black lacquer ornament came from her and is such a unique addition to my tree!

And a tea friend clear across the country actually made this beautiful ornament herself. It is one of my all-time favorites because it was made just for me!

In fact, I pondered that several "Tea With Friends" friends are represented on this tree and table. I love that!

It's really become just a jumble of ornaments, but I don't care. I want them ALL on there!

I didn't just love this Hobby Lobby ornament when I first got it a while back, but it's grown on me for some reason.

I do, however, love my Wedgwood ornaments!

This Sandy Lynam Clough ornament is another favorite. This was a yard sale find from my mom.

And how can you have any collection of tea-themed ornaments without a nod to Mary Engelbreit? So yes, its cup runneth over, you might say, but I do so enjoy my little tea-themed Christmas tree!

Have a Santa mug of cheer!

2011-12-13T07:00:00.012-05:00

Decorating-wise, one of my biggest goals before Saturday's tea party was to get as many of my Santa mugs out and on display as I could.

The majority of them are used as ornaments on the tree.

Bonus: If you use an artificial tree and bend a couple of branches through the handle, you don't have to use hooks!

They sit on the mantel (along with a cute new Santa teapot that was a gift from Scott's Bookstore last week!), and also ...

... on the hearth.

With a little florist's wire you can wire them into a garland as well.

And the fun thing to me is that these pieces have been collected over quite a few years, mainly by my Santa-mug-vigilant mother and aunt. But I'm not very interested in the $5-$10 Santa mugs that pop up at this time of year. This is the typical price paid in my family, and the Santa mugs have the stickers and grease pencil marks to prove it!

Winner of the Christmas teas is ...

2011-12-12T09:44:00.001-05:00

Ms. Hennes! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these headed your way. Congrats! And if you didn't win, hang in there — I'll be offering another Christmas tea giveaway very soon!

Christmas Tea with My Sister & Friends!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.023-05:00

On Saturday, my very special guests for tea were my sweet sister Rhonda and some of her high school friends. Here are, from left, Rhonda, Anslea, Tina, Rachel and Angie. These "little girls" I once knew have grown up to become such beautiful (and fun!) young women.

And just because we rarely seem to have our picture made together, here are me and Rhonda. I was on Facebook one night back in October when I saw an interesting discussion develop. One of the girls told Rhonda wouldn't it be fun if they all came to *my* house for their annual Christmas party this year and if I hosted a tea for them! I grinned when I saw their comments, but of course I chimed in and told them I'd be glad to do it, because a) I love any excuse for a tea party! and b) I can't think of anything I wouldn't do for my sister if she wanted me to. (If you're blessed to have the kind of sister I do, you know just what I mean!)

Here are some photos of the table before we tucked into the food. I forgot to get closeups of the teapots, but that's OK because we had two Christmas teas that were new to me, and I'll tell you about them later this week because they were quite well received!

So what did we eat? Well, first of course were the scones, served with jam and whipped cream. I made two kinds, Currant Scones and White Chocolate & Almond Scones. I love using my Nordic Ware pan that makes 16 mini scones, because guests will try both flavors if I keep the scones small.

Rhonda insisted on helping make some of the sandwiches, and when I saw (and tasted) hers, I was glad. She made these cute Egg Salad Sandwiches in Christmas tree shapes with olive slices for ornaments. Pretty!

She also made her Chicken Salad Sandwiches using these soft, delicious brown rolls. I love Chicken Salad but it is always the most time-consuming thing to make, so I was lucky she volunteered for these!

I made the Olive-Walnut Spread Sandwiches (in wreath shapes) and Cucumber and Dill Sandwiches (in triangles).

On this tree-shaped tiered server you can see we also had the Ham Salad Sandwiches I wrote about here on Saturday. And for our sweets, on the bottom tier, we had Lemon Madeleines and this Cranberry Bread.

My mother contributed this Christmas green plate of her famous Divinity. It truly is some heavenly stuff!

I also decided we needed more chocolate so I served these Cappuccino Crinkle cookies. So easy, so delicious.

And last but not least, we had White Chocolate & Raspberry Mini-Trifles! I had been eager to try serving something in these little glasses like I've seen in Tea Time magazine. When Ross had a set of 8 (with matching teaspoons) on sell for just $5.49 recently, I took it as a sign. These really seemed to be a hit, and I liked the small size — especially after all the other yummy stuff on our menu. To make them, I simply layered grocery store pound cake, this white chocolate filling recipe and fresh raspberries. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and I so loved being able to enjoy a Christmas teatime with my sister and her sweet friends!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #50 - Sakowitz Ham Salad

2011-12-10T07:00:00.010-05:00

Earlier this week a co-worker mentioned having dined at the Sakowitz department store in Houston, Texas, a store I wasn't familiar with. Naturally I went online to see if any Sakowitz recipes are around, and I found this one, which I tweaked just a bit.

Also, by the time you read this post I will be getting ready for the Christmas tea I am hosting later today for my sister and some of her old high school classmates. I still think of them as "my little sister" and "the girls," even though they're 38-year-old wives and mothers now! And for their tea, I decided to use Pepperidge Farm Bread and my Linzer cookie cutters to add Christmas tree shapes to the bread for these ham sandwiches. You cut out a design in one color of bread and simply pop it into the other color of bread. Kind of like a puzzle. (A very easy puzzle.)

Or, you can leave the cutout out and let the Ham Salad peek through. Here's the ham salad as I made it.

Sakowitz Ham Salad

3 cups cooked ham, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or as needed)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and blend well. You may add more mayonnaise if needed.

A Christmas Tea Tasting

2011-12-09T07:00:00.010-05:00

I decided I should do a little research and try some of the same English Tea Shop Christmas tea flavors offered in yesterday's giveaway (which runs through Monday; enter here if you haven't already!). What a delightful tasting I had ahead of me! My teas are the same flavors as the ones in the giveaway, but those teas are green and black while these are all rooibos. If you're the winner, I'd love to hear how your tasting experience compares to mine!

English Tea Shop's Candy Cane tea may become a new favorite! It's that rich, buttery tasting peppermint that I seem to find only in Christmastime teas. I'm always surprised that this level of sweetness can be found in a sugarless tea. In addition to the rooibos and peppermint, this tea contains orange peel, cinnamon, chicory, strawberry leaves and vanilla pods with mint, and vanilla and coconut flavors. To me, it's just like a liquid version of good old-fashioned, melt-in-your-mouth stick peppermint candy. A truly sublime blend.

The Gingerbread Man tea was a bit of a surprise. First, I sniffed. It reminded me of the spiced cider I enjoyed at a friend's church Christmas dinner last weekend, an event I'm glad I enjoyed since I may not be invited back. (All I did was whisper to a tablemate that the wise man in the gold outfit bore a striking resemblance to the late Muammar Gaddafi. Now is it *my* fault the woman guffawed so loudly, drawing attention from several tables around us? I think not!) But I digress ... the apple cider notes I smelled in the tea were spot-on, as the ingredients are thus: "Rooibos, roasted barley, cinnamon pieces, ginger pieces and apple pieces with ginger, cinnamon and key lime flavours." Lovely!

The final tea I tasted had what I would describe as a "gentle mint" taste, and it contains rooibos, ginger, cinnamon, peppermint leaves, rose petals and mint flavor. It's the perfect combination for a blend called Silent Night! If you'd like to learn more about the teas, do as I did and visit ceylon-tea.com and check out the store locator. (Ingle's is my closest store, but in other parts of the country you may have more choices!)

Want to win some Christmas teas?

2011-12-08T07:00:00.005-05:00

When tea companies share with me, I love to share with you! I arrived home one afternoon this week to find a huge box had arrived straight from Sri Lanka. It was a very generous package of teas from the English Tea Shop, including quite a few Christmas teas!

I definitely want to give away one of the Christmas tea collections in time for one of you to enjoy them over the holidays, so let's start now with this gift set of Candy Cane, Ginger Bread Man and Silent Night teas.

It's even wrapped with a pretty English Tea Shop ribbon, which will make this perfect for gift-giving if you decide to share it with a friend. (But I don't blame you if you want to keep it for yourself!) Just leave an "Enter me" comment between now and 7 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 12, and I'll be sure and mail this to the winner ASAP! Good luck!

"Dainty Dining" signing at Scott's Bookstore!

2011-12-07T07:00:00.017-05:00

Since most of you don't live in my town, I wanted to share photos from my Book Signing for "Dainty Dining" at Scott's Bookstore yesterday! It was quite exciting, because Scott's is my town's beloved (and highly-respected) independent bookstore. Over the years I have interviewed many authors here, ranging from southern writers such as Celestine Sibley, Lee May and Lee Smith to a few others you might know like Anne Rivers Siddons and Nora Roberts. And now, it was my turn!

I am very blessed to be able to call owner Earlene Scott a friend. Among the many kindnesses she has shown me, I can't begin to count the number of tea books she has introduced me to and ordered for me over the years!

You may recognize the bright pink book on the store's front table!

When I got to the store a few minutes early to get ready for the book signing, my longtime tea friend Sandra was there!

Another friend who showed up to support me is my "Cake Lady" friend Susan. She is also the only friend I can say I've visited two of the department stores in the book with: Macy's in New York and Marshall Field in Chicago!

There was a surprise appearance from Ruth, a former co-worker and also a former housemate! When I first moved to Newnan, we both lived in an old Victorian house and my upstairs apartment was over her downstairs apartment. Good memories!

These are my dear friends Mike, at left, and her granddaughter Kate, whom I've known since she was a baby. Their families have taught me much about what true hospitality should look like!

My friend Bonnie, who works at Scott's, did a great job of keeping me focused while I signed books for those who came in as well as those who had pre-ordered over the phone. It was interesting to me that so many people had obviously given thought to the words that would appear in books purchased as Christmas gifts for sisters, friends, mothers. I *love* knowing my books are going to such great new homes! And here I look kind of dorky (I'm probaby saying something smartalecky to Bonnie), but I wanted you to see the outfit I chose for the occasion, another Quacker Factory eBay find with teacups and teapots on it. Got some nice compliments on that!

And the two people who encouraged me on this book the most, my husband Alex and my book designer friend Deberah, I forgot to get a photo with! (Alex actually took most of these photos.) At least this photo shows Deberah on my right. She really functions as half of my brain sometimes when I'm working on projects. I sat right there and told a woman that no, I don't have any stores from California in my book when Deberah said, "Yes you do, remember? Bullocks?" Oh yeah! Sheesh. What would I do without my friends?

And speaking of friends, I was greatly honored that a professional writer friend, Cathy Lee Phillips, carved time out of what I know is her insane December schedule to attend my book signing. Cathy writes, speaks and sings full time, and since she travels all over the country, I won't be surprised if some of you have met up with her before, perhaps at a Women of Faith conference. Cathy has been a wonderful mentor to me in this first effort of writing a book, and she also approved my decision to get cute new shoes for the book signing!

Despite the rainy afternoon, I had a wonderful time and actually found it quite incredible that people would come out to buy my book, have me autograph it, and of all things, thank ME for writing it. I didn't expect that to be so humbling, but I left with a heart full of gratitude for my book- and tea-loving friends, old and new!

My "Cup of Christmas Tea"-pot

2011-12-06T07:00:00.010-05:00

Have you ever left something at a store and thought, "Sheesh, why didn't I buy that when I had the chance?" That's what I thought when I left this "Cup of Christmas Tea" teapot at a local antique mall over the summer. Actually, there were two of them, and they were very reasonably priced, but it was summer, for heaven's sake, and I didn't feel like buying a Christmas teapot in the summer.

So, I went back after Thanksgiving. There were no longer two, but there was one, and so I got it. And for $8, I thought this was quite the bargain!

This is the backstamp, which tells me this teapot is nearly 20 years old. It will no doubt be part of the decor at the Christmas tea party I'm hosting this weekend. The very day I bought the teapot, at another antique mall I actually found the matching cup and saucer set, but it was $21 and I decided I'd wait for a better price. Have you read the book "A Cup of Christmas Tea" which inspired this lovely line of teawares?

Hello, Santa Baby!

2011-12-05T07:00:00.013-05:00

This weekend it was time to pull out the Santa mugs from storage and let the jolly old elf help get a little Christmas spirit underway! I do drink out of some of my Santa mugs (tea, not cocoa), but I also use them as ornaments on the tree, as table decor, etc.

My husband asked how many I have now, and I had to confess I just didn't feel like bothering to count them this time. I had more than 100 (or was it 150?) last year and there are even more of them this year, largely thanks to my mother and my aunt, who find them for me at thrift stores. One of the most unique mugs was this one mom found, a mug which proves the old adage that behind every good man there's a good woman ...

And here she is, Mrs. Claus herself.

Here you can see the sides of the couple. This mug, like most of mine, is unmarked. This looks like the sort of thing someone made in ceramics class a few decades ago.

Another of the past year's additions is this perky fella. I like the pink of his nose and cheeks!

This one I found at a local antique mall. I wanted him because he's marked Omnibus, Fitz and Floyd, 1995, and the dated pieces help me learn what Santa mugs have looked like through the years.

This one, another mom find, is a creamer.

This unopened package of miniature ceramic Santa mugs is my latest find and came from a local antique store. I was amused that the package suggests using these for "sweets, nuts, cigarettes." Yes, nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like a nice Christmas display of cigarettes, huh?

This is a larger mug and is marked Royal Norfolk, which sounds British, but I'm thinking it's probably made in China. Later this week I'll try to remember to show you where some of these mugs ended up as I'm preparing for the weekend's Christmas Tea. Do you like Santa mugs or have memories of drinking from them as a child? Whether you do or not, I highly recommend using these fun pieces as teawares sometime this month!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #49 - Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread

2011-12-03T07:00:00.013-05:00

This time next Saturday I will be getting ready for a very special Christmas Tea I am hosting, so I've already started thinking about what special shapes of tea sandwiches I can make. This week, I experimented with a Christmas wreath shaped cookie cutter. I used the cutter to slice the bread into the wreath shape, then I used a smaller circle-shaped cutter to cut out the inside of the wreath. The two green ones are covered with a spinach spread (all I could think of for a green filling). The top right sandwich is cranberry cream, and the bottom left one is Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread.

The easy Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread was a simple way to use up small amounts of some cheeses I already had on hand. Into the food processor went 4 ounces (one-half block) of cream cheese, 2 ounces of Swiss cheese, 2 tablespoons of gorgonzola cheese and a tablespoon of pimientos. I processed it all for several minutes until it was a nice, creamy consistency. The gorgonzola definitely makes this a strong tasting spread, which I like, but I might use a milder third cheese depending on what else I'm serving at teatime. My theory is that cream cheese mixed with any other two cheeses in the world can only be good!

And let me be quick to add that I'm still experimenting with these shaped sandwiches! Green bread would be ideal for the wreaths, but the last time I saw some was in a grocery store near Green Bay, Wisconsin a few weeks ago, and I don't have time to fly up there before the tea party!

Halle's Cranberry Bread

2011-12-02T07:00:00.005-05:00

My fascination with department store tea room history has turned into a full-fledged obsession, so I was particularly delighted when I recently came across an entire booklet of holiday recipes from the old tea room at Halle Brothers Co. in Cleveland, Ohio! Apparently there was a historical exhibit about Halle's back in 1999, and this booklet was produced then. In addition to comments from former patrons about the old tea room, it also features lots of great recipes, and the first one I tried was this fabulous Cranberry Bread. And here's a fun bit of trivia for you: Which Oscar-winning actress from Cleveland, Ohio (one of the great beauties in modern Hollywood) was named after the store? The answer is at the bottom of today's post!

And now, here's the recipe as I made it.

Halle's Cranberry Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Juice and zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup fresh cranberries, cut in halves

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate large bowl, combine juice, orange zest, shortening, boiling water and egg. Add dry ingredients to the liquid ones and blend just until combined. Add pecans and cranberries and mix well. Pour into 9 x 5 x 3-inch pan prepared with cooking spray. Allow batter to stand for 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. This is an incredibly moist tea bread that is great served hot or cold. With the crunch of the pecans, the tartness from the fresh cranberries and the citrus flavor from the orange zest—let's just say I have a new favorite Christmas tea bread!

Trivia answer: Halle Berry, of course! It's a good thing her parents didn't name her after another department store in town, because "Higbee Berry" just wouldn't have looked right on her Oscar!

A new "Dainty Dining" giveaway!

2011-12-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

If you'd like to win a copy of my book "Dainty Dining," Rosemary's Sampler is having a giveaway and my friend Nancy said it was OK to post a link here. So go here to enter!

Royal Albert Poinsettia Tray

2011-12-01T07:00:00.006-05:00

I love it when I find *just* the thing I've been looking for!

Recently I headed to the antique stores in search of some sort of flat serving tray that would hold a whole loaf of tea bread. That meant it needed to be rectangular, and it couldn't have compartments, and all I could think of was that *maybe* I'd find something in clear glass or ruby red since the antique stores have all their Christmas decor out now. I was delighted to happen upon this Poinsettia design tray from Royal Albert! Perfect!

I've since learned there are Poinsettia teacups and other pieces in this pattern, but the tray is just what I was looking for!

And at $10, I thought the price was right too. If you'll stop by tomorrow, I'll tell you about the delicious new recipe that made its home on this tray!

It's a wrap!

2011-11-30T07:00:00.005-05:00

Last year it was Mary Engelbreit's teapot design gift wrap that I found on rolls and used to wrap most of my Christmas gifts. This year, it's this cute cup/mug design paper I found at Hallmark. Question here: Has your town lost its Hallmark store in the past year? Mine has. Two of them, actually. I knew one of them had closed, but a month or so ago I drove to the big "lifestyle center" in town, a vibrant shopping area, and the Hallmark store I'd frequented there for years was gone, just like that!

So I traveled to neighboring Fayetteville for my annual purchase of Hallmark Christmas ornaments for all the children in our family. While I was there, I found this gift wrap. The annual Selection of the Gift Wrap is always a big deal for me, because I want lots of one paper that I will like to look at under the tree for all of December. It's like artwork or a nice throw pillow: I have to be able to live with it!

And happily, it was on sale. It's regularly $4.99 a 45-square-foot roll, but you could buy a roll and get a second roll for 99 cents. So if you'd like some of this gift wrap for your tea-themed (and other) Christmas gifts, you might want to visit a Hallmark store—if you are lucky enough to still have one!

A china tea mug—from China!

2011-11-29T07:00:00.007-05:00

A few Sundays ago at church, my friend Judy handed me a small gift bag and said, "Here. It's nothing, really. It looks like it came from the dollar store, but it really did come from China." Judy had recently returned from a trip to China, so I was curious to see what was in the bag, and it was this delightful tea mug!

Frankly, if I am going to get a souvenir from China, I'd like it to LOOK like it came from China, and this does! I especially liked that it came with an infuser and a lid.

I decided some oolong would be a fitting tea to make in my new mug, and it was. Don't you love watching the tea leaves unfurl in the hot water?

The leaves were actually pretty large and only a little of the tea fannings landed in my cup, so I was quite pleased with the way this new tea mug works. And somehow, knowing a friend was thinking of me with the gift of this mug even makes the tea a little sweeter!

The Holiday Chai winner is ...

2011-11-28T09:42:00.001-05:00

Loretta J.! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this off to you. Congratulations!

Teatime toys

2011-11-28T07:00:00.005-05:00

If we're going to shop for toys anyway, I say why not look for some that promote teatime! Whether you have little girls on your shopping list of family and friends, or perhaps you're simply buying something for a local toy drive, looking for tea-themed toys can certainly make you feel like a kid again! Here are a few I've found so far this year. First, this little tin set from Marshalls reminds me of the old-fashioned ones that once were so popular.

This Disney Fairies Tea Party Activity Set came from Family Dollar and, I must confess, I was tempted to keep it for myself! I actually think I might enjoy coloring my own teapot and decorating it with stickers. But then a little girl would probably enjoy it more, right?

And finally, this set came from Walmart, and I thought the matching pink and lavender spoons made it a winner. Have you bought any teatime toy sets this year?

Tea Sandwich Saturday #48 - Thanksgiving Leftovers

2011-11-26T07:00:00.007-05:00

My husband walked in the kitchen just as I was finishing up this week's tea sandwiches. "Those look almost like turkeys!" he said brightly. "Almost?" I said. "ALMOST?" Being the smart man he is, he immediately changed his tune. "I mean, they look JUST like turkeys! Exactly like turkeys!" Indeed.

Actually, I do realize my artistry here could use a little finessing, but I absolutely *love* sandwiches made of Thanksgiving leftovers and didn't see why they couldn't be adapted for teatime.

I first discovered the turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce sandwich several years ago at a Boots drugstore in London, of all places. I couldn't imagine why you'd want to pile all that between two slices of bread, but out of curiosity I got one of the sandwiches and loved it! The only problem is, only once a year do you have all the proper ingredients. Fortunately for me, my sweet sister, who hosted us for Thanksgiving on Thursday, let me take home some of her (wonderful!) leftovers so I could try to make tea sandwiches.

The "leftovers" tea sandwich was made with white bread, and for the other two I used the Pepperidge Farm cranberry swirl bread with cranberry sauce on one, almond slices on the other. I tried to completely outline one whole slice of bread with almonds, but it ended up looking like a lopsided heart so I ditched that idea. So if you haven't eaten up your Thanksgiving leftovers just yet, give the "leftovers" sandwich a try. You just might be surprised!

A Black Friday Tea Giveaway!

2011-11-25T07:00:00.007-05:00

Much as I love to shop, I don't do Black Friday. No thank you, no siree, not for me. (Except, on some years, antique malls. Those are generally sane and safe places to visit the day after Thanksgiving.) So instead I'll be at home today breaking out some of the holiday teas the Stash Tea people recently sent me. It didn't seem right to tuck into them until after Thanksgiving, so today I thought I'd tell you about Wintermint, which I'm keeping, and Holiday Chai, which I'm giving away to one of you!

The Wintermint loose tea is a new one to me, and it is delightful! Pretty too, as I hope you can see here. This blend contains spearmint, orange peel, cinnamon, parsley seed, sarsaparilla and natural flavors of wintergreen and peppermint. It's just as minty as I'd hoped, and I was also happy to find I can steep the tea twice (at least) and still have plenty of flavor.

The Holiday Chai is a blend I've had and enjoyed before, so I thought I'd share it with one of you! This 50 gram bag is a blend of black teas, cassia, ginger, clove and natural flavors of gingerbread, Jamaican rum and nutmeg. If you'd like to win, just leave an "Enter me" between now and 7 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 28, and you may be the winner. Good luck!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, FRIENDS!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

A tea & quilting surprise gift!

2011-11-23T07:00:00.007-05:00

So last week I was to have a tea-and-quilting themed week without even realizing it! Monday: the quilt guild meeting and quilting inspiration galore. Tuesday: a visit to a new quilt shop and the discovery of a cute teacup pattern. Wednesday: I arrived home and found this great bonanza of goodies had arrived in the day's mail!

My tea friend Phyllis had e-mailed that she was sending me a gift to celebrate the publication of my book. Now, really, Phyllis has done so many nice things for me over the past few months I ought to be sending her a gift, but still, I was delighted to find her package had arrived and could hardly wait to open it. Inside were these beautiful quilt design teawares from Sandy Lynam Clough! I'm a great fan of Sandy Clough's tea-themed artwork, and some years ago she had a business where her designs were sold at home parties. The business didn't last very long, and these pieces are no longer available except (rarely) on the secondary market. Turns out, Phyllis had been a tea lady for this line and she wanted me to have these pieces from her collection! W-O-W. Just wow. How perfect that quilt design teawares including this delightful teacup had come my way!

And the teapot, too! I was so tickled I rearranged a coffee table in the living room so these will be out on display. They read "Being loved makes you special," and indeed I felt special for receiving such incredibly generous gifts!

And now I have a confession to make: I am bad about not digging through to the bottom of a gift box, so it wasn't until I got ready to trash the big mailing box that I realized hmmm, there's something heavy beneath those packing peanuts. When I reached in and found the box with the matching plate, it was like getting my gift all over again! Needless to say, the quilting bug has bitten me bigtime and I intend to spend much of the holiday weekend stitching. I don't guess I have to tell you what I'll be sipping from, do I? (And again, thank you so much, Phyllis!)

More tea & quilting goodies

2011-11-22T07:00:00.012-05:00

Really, it's hard to believe all the great goodies that were in my gift basket from the Common Threads Quilt Guild last week (see yesterday's post for the first half). This pretty artisan soap slice is resting on the basket's liner, which was a gorgeous design featuring lots of names of tea splashed with colorful teawares. I'm not sure how I'm going to use this fabric, but I definitely want it used in some project where it will be spotlighted!

Also hanging over the basket edge was this vintage lace dresser scarf. I am going to use it under my pink feather tree with all the teapot and teacup ornaments this Christmas!

There was also a lavender-filled sachet made from an old cross-stitched quilt. What a charming idea!

I don't know who made these great needlecases, but I was awfully happy to receive them—and in my favorite color!

I also like this fun and funky pincushion and will put it to good use with my winter needlework. I really do adore handmade gifts and treasure them for the time and care that go into them!

One other benefit of attending the quilt guild meeting is that I ran into an old friend from our previous quilting store in Newnan, who alerted me to the fact there is a new quilt store, Sewn With Love, here in town. How had I not known about this? I made a beeline there on my lunch hour the very next day! I found a particular quilting magazine I'd been looking for and a couple of fat quarters, but my favorite find was in a basket of donated (but unused) quilt patterns the store sells for $1 each to raise money for the humane society. Can you believe *this* great pattern was in there? Tea and quilting were definitely on the brain, and little did I know that one more very special tea-and-quilting nudge was headed my way ...

Tea & Quilts: A theme begins

2011-11-21T07:00:00.021-05:00

In my day job as a magazine editor, I am sometimes called upon to attend local functions, usually to judge some sort of contest or perhaps give a speech. Last Monday, I was delighted to be asked to attend an event where I would just show up, have fun, do one tiny thing, and I didn't have to prepare any remarks at all! This beautiful quilt is the annual Opportunity Quilt raffled off by the Common Threads Quilt Guild to support their many charitable efforts, and I was asked to draw the winner's name. How fun is that!

When first asked several weeks ago about drawing the winning name, I had to assure the guild I had not, in fact, purchased a raffle ticket myself. After seeing a photo of the quilt, I was sorry to say I had not, but at least I would have fun on the night the quilt winner's name was drawn.

It looked pretty on the website where I first saw it, but "live" it was even more impressive. Here's another closeup of the design.

Isn't this feathery quilting beautiful? It was just a gorgeous, gorgeous quilt with vibrant fabrics and lovely stitching.

And again, all I did was draw the name, and the club president presented me with this amazing gift basket of goodies. Let me assure you, never has a woman received so much for doing so little!

There was so much in the basket I'll have to show you over two days, but I have to mention my favorite thing was, of course, this beatiful Portmeirion "Pomona" pattern teapot featuring an apple design. While I do have Portmeirion teapot Christmas ornaments, I have never actually owned a full-size Portmeirion teapot. I love the unique design on the teapot lid, and I also am drawn to the pretty V-shape of the spout. (Is there a name for that, teapot experts?)

Of course chocolate is always a welcome treat, and these chocolates introduced me to a maker I'd not heard of before, Chocolate South. Aren't they pretty?

I've always wanted to sample some of these elegant-looking chocolates to see if they taste as good as they look. The answer: Yes!

And guess what the flavors were? Green Tea with Mint (the green ones) and Georgia Peach Tea (with the hearts)! Both varieties were so rich and creamy and fresh tasting, and I enjoyed them very much with my evening cup of tea!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #47 - Cranberry Pecan

2011-11-19T07:00:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago when I wrote about finding that Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread, a reader named Marie noted that they also have Cranberry Swirl Bread near the holidays, so I've been on the lookout and the bread has arrived at my local Publix.

To go on it, I decided to make an easy spread that would make a nice sweet type of tea sandwich suitable for serving at a Christmas tea party I'm planning. This recipe really couldn't be any simpler: cream cheese, dried cranberries, pecans. (And Swirl Bread.) That's it.

I made triangle-shaped tea sandwiches, but this bread is so pretty (and tasty!), I think it would look nice in any shape you decided to use. The spread ends up being a soft pink shade, and you can clearly see pieces of the cranberries and pecans, which I think play nicely against the Swirl design of the cranberry bread.

Cranberry Pecan Spread

1 (8-ounce) block of cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixture has a light, whipped texture. Yields 1 cup of spread.

The tea giveaway winner is ...

2011-11-18T10:40:00.001-05:00

Drum roll please ... Kiffer! And since I have your address already, I will get this posted to you ASAP! Congratulations!

Denver Dry Goods & the Dolls Tea Party

2011-11-18T07:00:00.014-05:00

In my research of department store tea rooms, one of the lovely tidbits I learned was that some stores sponsored an annual tea party for children (presumably little girls) and their dolls. One of my recent online finds was this set of two tiny teacups and saucers, mementos of the Dolls Tea Party at Denver Dry Goods in Denver, Colorado.

Each teacup is about 1-1/4 inches high, and the saucer is 3-1/2 inches in diameter.

The backstamps of the teacups reveal these were made by Noritake in Japan. The top of the saucer says "In Remembrance of ..."

... and the rest of it says "The Dolls Tea Party, November 1927, Denver Dry Goods Company." I also have another set which came from a Dolls Tea Party at Emery, Bird, Thayer in Kansas City, and it is shown here.

Wouldn't it be great if these were still treats for little girls (and, ahem, some big girls too) today? Now that's what I would call a Happy Meal!

A new teacup ornament to love

2011-11-17T07:00:00.004-05:00

Friends, I have found slim pickings on the teacup and teapot ornament front this year. The few designs I saw at HomeGoods last month I already have. I've checked T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, Walmart, Target, Hallmark, Michaels, Hobby Lobby—all my usual haunts and they've turned up nothing but one silver ornament I found at JoAnn. Kohl's, I am happy to report, has a new glass ornament that should make some of us very happy!

I've seen designs similar to this one that say "coffee" or "java" or something like that, but this one isn't labeled and theoretically *could* be tea, if we had tea with decorative milk or cream and perhaps a little cinnamon added.

And they're on sale at Kohl's right now for half off, so the price is right. (And if you've seen some new ones yourself, I'd sure love to know!)

Laughing with Reese Witherspoon

2011-11-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

I'm laughing with Reese Witherspoon, I say, not at Reese Witherspoon! Because after enjoying her In Bloom fragrance for Avon, I've discovered yet another tea-inspired fragrance of hers, Laugh Often.

Laugh Often was recently on sale in the Avon catalog for just $10, so I had to try it. The box describes it as "fun and joyful ... a spontaneous burst of bright mandarin wrapped in green and white tea leaves and playful pink peony." And indeed it is a fun fragrance! It's just as floral as it sounds, and it has a lighter scent than In Bloom, so now I'm alternating between the two. If you're like me and already Christmas shopping, this might be a good suggestion for the tea lover on your list—or yourself!

The Brown Onion Tea Canister

2011-11-15T07:00:00.012-05:00

So I was innocently looking through the goodies at my friend Liz's gift shop the other day when I spotted a vintage tea canister. It was part of a set, but happily each piece was for sale individually. "Why didn't you TELL me you had a vintage tea canister?" I said. (Sheesh, haven't I trained her better than that?) But then she said this piece actually belonged to Bebe, the woman who helps her at the store, so she hadn't actually displayed this herself. So I had to give her a pass on that, and besides, I was too happy to have found a new piece in some nice fall colors.

The lid was interesting, and I couldn't quite figure out what it was supposed to be. Some fruit, maybe? Hmmm.

I got home with the new tea canister and discovered that, whaddayaknow, those coasters I bought a few weeks ago match the tea canister. Cool!

The brown leaf design is clearly the same one. Sure wish I knew what it was called ...

But what I had not noticed at the store was that unlike my coasters, the tea canister has a sticker on bottom! It says Original Arnart Creations in Japan and the piece itself is stamped "Braun Onion" which means "Brown Onion." I found a description from an Etsy seller who sold some similar pieces: "Made by Original Arnart Creations in Japan with a distinctive middle Eastern hourglass shape and decorative tops, uniquely decorated in a vine, gingko leaf and mum design accented with terra cotta stripes. The lids have a dimensional leafy onion as a handle." Mystery solved!

Time for a tea giveaway!

2011-11-14T07:00:00.009-05:00

Let's kick off the week with a tea giveaway, shall we? The winner will receive everything shown here!

First, you'll receive some of the new teas the Lipton folks were kind enough to share recently, including Vanilla Caramel Truffle Black Tea (which I've tried and love), and two that are new to me, Blueberry & Pomegranate White Tea, and in the new Green Tea Superfruit line, the Acai, Dragonfruit and Melon flavor.

From Stash Tea, you'll receive a fresh new bag of their loose tea in the Christmas Eve flavor, a blend I've enjoyed at Christmas many times before.

You'll also get some of the Teatulia teas from the sampler I recently received.

And finally, there's the Martha Stewart Tea mug from her Dish of the Day line. If you want to win, just leave an "Enter Me" comment to this post anytime between now and 7 a.m. EST Friday, Nov. 18, and I'll choose the winner later that day. (U.S. residents only, please.) Good luck!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #46 - Chicken Salad with Dill

2011-11-12T07:00:00.011-05:00

When it comes to chicken salad I agree with my friend Linda, who says she is on a mission to try all the chicken salads she can in her quest to find the best one. I agree! This year I've tried quite a few chicken salad recipes including one that featured pecans and black olives, one with sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing, one with almonds and sweet pickle relish, and more recently, I was having lunch in Alabama when I had a dill-flavored chicken salad that was quite tasty.

Now here's a question for you: What consistency of chicken do you prefer in your chicken salad? I've had it (and made it) with huge chunks of chicken, with finely diced chicken and with chicken highly processed in the food processor. I guess the finely diced chicken would be my favorite, but I'm open to them all.

I used the finely processed chicken in this dish because I wanted a very spreadable chicken salad. I also added chopped almonds to give it a little crunch. This recipe has a mild dill flavor because I didn't want to go overboard on the dill. This recipe got it just right for me—but feel free to add more dill if you're the adventurous sort!

Chicken Salad with Dill

2 large boneless chicken breasts, fully cooked (about 1-3/4 cups chopped)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons nuts, optional

Cut chicken into chunks and place in bowl of food processor. Pulse until all chicken is chopped and of a very fine, light consistency. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, dill, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
Add chopped chicken and combine well. If desired, add nuts (I used chopped almonds). This chicken salad is good served hot or cold! Yields about 2 cups.

The dishes of "Dainty Dining"

2011-11-11T07:00:00.023-05:00

The big news for me this week is that my book "Dainty Dining" arrived about a week early, so on Wednesday I was able to send out pre-orders, giveaway-winner copies and some review copies, which has been quite exciting! I'll bet some of you will receive your books today or tomorrow, and I'm so eager to hear what you think. And to keep the focus on tea here at Tea With Friends, I have launched a new and separate blog just for "Dainty Dining," at daintydining.blogspot.com. I'll be posting there at least once a week, usually on Fridays, and IF the post pertains to tea, teawares or tea rooms, I'll post it here as well, as I'm doing today. I wanted a way to write about my experiences with the book for those who may be interested, but I don't want the book to eat up all the airtime here!

This week, I thought my fellow "dish detectives" might enjoy hearing the stories behind some of the restaurant ware and china that appear in "Dainty Dining." My sentimental favorite would have to be this Syracuse China oval plate, which is pictured in the chapter on the Higbee Company. I got interested in restaurant ware earlier this year and came across this plate for a few dollars at an antique mall in north Georgia. When it came time to photograph the Higbee Cinnamon Muffins I made for the book, this is the plate I decided to use.

Later, after the photo of the muffins was taken, I finally managed to locate a copy of the out-of-print book "The Silver Grille," which was the name of the tea room at the Higbee department store. I was reading along in the book when I turned a page and there was a photo of this very pattern of restaurant ware, distinctive because its design matches that of a border in the tea room. Quite unknowingly, I had managed to pair the Higbee muffins with Higbee department store china!

Appearing in the background of a photo in the book is this Lenox teacup from Seattle's Frederick & Nelson department store. While I don't have any reason to believe this set was used in the store's tea room, I do think it's a pretty shade of shell pink, and I enjoy knowing it came from Frederick & Nelson!

This Limoges plate with a band of pink roses is from Gimbel Brothers. Was it the Gimbels in New York, or perhaps the one in Milwaukee? I have no way of knowing and simply like it as a piece associated with the Gimbels name. I have a few more "dish stories" to share, but I'll save those for another day. If you have any china or restaurant ware that came from a department store or its tea room, I'd love to hear about it!

Lipton Green Teas with Superfruits

2011-11-10T07:00:00.010-05:00

What a tea-filled fall this is turning out to be! Lipton recently offered to send me samples of some of their new teas, and this wonderful box of goodies soon arrived at my house. (Yes, I know, I should share. We will be having a tea giveaway on this blog in the near future, I promise!)

The teas I was most looking forward to sampling were from the new line of Green Teas with Superfruits. According to Lipton, these teas are "naturally flavored using juice solids and concentrates from superfruits and other fruits as well. Superfruits provide drinkers a nutrient and antioxidant rich beverage in combination with the delicate, clean taste and subtle aroma of green tea."

The Passionfruit and Coconut flavor is the first one I wanted to try, and it is indeed quite a juicy tasting tea. The passionfruit is the primary taste I find in this tea, and it's surprising just how juicelike this green tea is. In fact, I shared some with a co-worker who doesn't usually like green tea and she loved it! I also like that this tea is packaged in individual packets, making it perfect for transporting to and sipping at the office. Now I can't wait to try some other new flavors!

The Tea & Coffee Christmas Cookie Project

2011-11-09T07:00:00.004-05:00

I do love to give lots of food gifts at Christmas, but last year I waited too late and just didn't have it in me to conduct a marathon cookie-baking session at the last minute. And so I vowed to do something different this year. One of my favorite, most relaxing times to try a new recipe is on Sunday afternoons after church. Why not start in November and bake and freeze a batch of cookies each week? I thought. So that's what I'm trying this year!

This week's chai tea cookie was inspired by a feature on tea-and-coffee infused cookies in a Better Homes and Gardens Christmas cookie magazine from 2009, which some of you probably own. Their cookies were crescent-shaped, but I wanted mine to be plain round ones.

The Butter Frosting is a great complement to the spicy chai flavor of the cookie, and if you look closely you can see bits of chai tea in the cookie. I love the whole "Tea and Coffee" cookie theme, and making one batch of them a week until time for gift-giving is easy and not very time consuming at all. Week One: Done!

The Hand Warmer Mug

2011-11-08T07:00:00.008-05:00

Several of the magazines I picked up in North Carolina a few weeks ago contained ads for some interesting pottery pieces known as Hand Warmer Mugs. Now you'd think a Georgia girl wouldn't get that cold, but I like it to be above 80 degrees at all times so late fall and the entire winter are pretty difficult for me. For that reason, I knew this pretty Hand Warmer Mug would be a good investment, and it was!

Even though I ordered my mug from North Carolina, I learned this particular line of pottery is made in Oregon. The color I ordered is called Ocean Tide, and you can go here to see the entire line, which is just beautiful. I'm thinking of ordering a second mug to use at the office, and I'm also thinking this mug would make a good Christmas gift for a few friends who aren't really the "bone china teacup" type of tea drinker.

I think it's neat that this mug comes in right-handed and left-handed versions. By the way, my left hand took this photo of my right hand holding my mug! It really *does* keep your hand warm ("hands," if you wrap the other one around it too). Any cold-natured kindred spirits out there? Today I raise my mug to you!

An update of the fall teawares

2011-11-07T07:00:00.013-05:00

The fall redecorating bug has come to visit, so over the weekend I took some things down, switched some things around, and remembered that I enjoy seasonal decorating because it's like going shopping in your own store where everything is free! Although the Sandy Lynam Clough picture hanging on this wall has a mauve mat (I got this in the late eighties or early nineties) and had been hanging in my pink-hued craft room, I wanted to see if it could have a new home in the dining room. I decided yes.

It was also time (past time) to put away some teapots with pink roses on them and focus on some new fall colors. Now fall colors aren't my favorites, so I had to try to soften the color palette a bit. Is it OK to display a teapot in a basket? There was no one around to tell me not to, so I did. Besides, I felt really thrifty using the basket I bought for 10 cents at a yard sale last year! You can't see the bottom of it, but it's got these pretty ball-shaped things woven into the basket and is a really sturdy piece.

This small teapot is one I found at an antique mall a few years ago, and I love the teacup on the lid.

I also switched out some teapots on this piece I've often seen referred to as a muffin stand. Some of my knowledgeable tea friends tell me this is also called a curate's stand or butler's stand.

My favorite teapot on here is this Tea for Two teapot.

And I'm not entirely happy with this table decor (and I did iron the cloth, by the way, even if it doesn't look like it!), but I really wanted to use this vintage tablecloth. Unfortunately, my Thanksgiving dishes (His Majesty by Johnson Brothers) look too busy on here, so I removed them while I think about what to do.

My mom gave me the decorative Thanksgiving plate in the foreground. I may take it out and display it upright somewhere else.

And I still love these gaudy little turkey planters I found last year!

They're almost as bright as the teawares on this tablecloth. Again, not at all my usual color palette, but for this month I can enjoy doing something a little different. Have you decorated for fall or Thanksgiving at your house?

Tea Sandwich Saturday #45 - Cashew Curry Tea Sandwiches

2011-11-05T07:00:00.006-04:00

This week's recipe is inspired by one I found in a tea cookbook a decade or so ago. I've since lost the recipe, but I remember the main ingredients were cream cheese, curry (a little too much, as I recall!) and cashews.

I think it's unfortunate that so many people today have nut allergies, and my condolences if you are one of them! I absolutely love nuts, from peanuts and cashews and almonds to hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts and Brazil nuts. There's nuttin' a nut won't make better, in my opinion. So here's the recipe I made for Cashew Curry Spread, which I believe is a lighter version of the one I made years ago. (But if you have a tea cookbook with that old recipe in it, please share!)

Cashew Curry Spread

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese
1/4 cup cashew nuts (reserve a few whole ones for garnish)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Add all ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse until combined into a nice thick paste. Yields 1 cup of spread, enough for about 24 small tea sandwiches.

Lots of interest in Pinterest!

2011-11-04T07:00:00.010-04:00

It was only a month or two ago that I first heard the word "Pinterest." I was visiting the site of a blogger who mentioned having discovered Pinterest, and when I learned this was a "virtual pinboard" for helping you keep up with all the pretty things you find on the web, I knew I wanted to play too! I went to the website here, requested an invitation to join, and less than 24 hours later I was in. You can do it too, if you're interested!

Why have a virtual pinboard? I don't know about you, but I often seem to have about a gazillion bookmarks on my computer(s) for the things I see and intend to go back and revisit, but I rarely do. With Pinterest, you can "pin" all these great ideas to your Pinterest board and have them all nice and tidy, right there in one spot where you can find them when you need them. So far, most of my Pinterest boards are tea, garden and craft related.

Frankly, this concept is one I had to get in there and do instead of just reading about it. And if you're curious about what's on my own Pinterest board (which is still quite new), feel free to click the red Pinterest button at top right of this post. I'll no doubt be following some of YOUR Pinterest boards too!

Tasting Teatulia teas

2011-11-03T07:00:00.011-04:00

Recently I was offered the opportunity to sample some Teatulia teas, and of course I said yes, send 'em on! They arrived in this cylinder-shaped cardboard container, which was certainly fun to come across in my mailbox. I wouldn't have thought of mailing tea in one of these, but I will now!

Today I thought I'd report on the first three of the teas I tried. First, the Tulsi Infusion was a black tea that featured a nice woodsy scent. I was amazed that the instructions said to steep it for only 1-2 minutes, but the result was a very rich, earthy tasting tea which was very strong and yet not astringent. It was a nice combination, and since this was a plain black tea blend I was surprised I enjoyed it so very much!

This Earl of Bengal tea was an Earl Grey blend. Again, steep for only 1-2 minutes? Could that possibly be long enough? Yes, it was, and it was a nice brisk Earl Grey with very little astringency.

Finally, the Lemongrass flavor appealed to me just because it was so pretty sitting there in its little pouch! The refreshing citrus taste was nice too, and this herbal tea would make a great pre-bedtime drink since it's naturally caffeine-free. Teatulia teas are grown in Northern Bangladesh, and the Teatulia website tells about the interesting social programs sponsored by the company. I was impressed with both Teatulia and its teas! Have any of you tried Teatulia teas? If so, which flavors do you recommend?

A tea gift from Iraq!

2011-11-02T07:00:00.014-04:00

On Monday, I had a wonderful surprise on several fronts! First, my friends Bob and Ashly came by with their four boys—Jackson, Jefferson, Harrison and Hamilton—to trick-or-treat at the office. I was in their wedding years ago, and Ashly is one of my closest friends and also one of the only two women I know who can be relied on for power shopping. But more important, Bob has just finished his second tour of duty in Iraq and has arrived safely home! If that's not something to be thankful for this month, I don't know what is! Because Bob was away when Son #4 was born, I had the happy opportunity of being present for that sweet child's birth.

Anyway, imagine how touched I was when Bob said he wanted to thank *me* for my support with a gift he picked up while abroad. It was this charming lunchbox containing Al-Otuor Earl Grey Tea! Bob started to apologize for it not being "very Victorian or anything," and I said, "Are you kidding? This is even better because this is something I've never had before!" He said, "See Ashly, I told you she'd like it." Indeed I do!

And inside are not just a few packets of tea but two great big ole packages of loose leaf tea!

I was very carefully opening the top of the bag so it wouldn't explode on me (haven't we all done THAT before), and I laughed when I looked inside. Another bag! Smart!

The black tea had a nice fresh bergamot scent, and the flavor is terrific, one I'd rank right up there with Twinings Earl Grey. I brewed one heaping teaspoonful and let it steep for just a few minutes, and the tea was perfect! Bold but not too bold, and no astringency at all. This will be my go-to tea for a while (one bag for home, one for the office). Every time I drink it I'll think of my thoughtful soldier friend—and how grateful I am he's back in the U.S. of A.!

My Wide-Brimmed Teacup

2011-11-01T07:00:00.012-04:00

On the way home from the mountains, we stopped by a few antique malls in Dillard, Ga., where I came across what I am now calling my Wide-Brimmed Teacup. The flared shape of the teacup is what caught my attention, and the pink roses, of course!

I thought I'd seen just about every shape of teacup imaginable, but I was intrigued by this one's shape, which seemed sort of like a cup-shaped flower curling outward. When it's upside down, you really notice how flared this is.

I also like the pretty handle. And the price was right ($14, which was definitely one of the cheapest sets I came across).

You know what did not occur to me until I prepared my first cup of tea in this? There is a very good reason the walls of a teacup should be straight. It's because when you walk with a flared cup of tea in your hands, you will slosh said tea and threaten to send it flying into the air! Fortunately, I quickly realized my mistake, poured out a little of the tea (a pity), and realized I can't fill this teacup all the way if I intend to walk very far with it! I'm getting around the hazard, and I'd probably have bought this teacup anyway because it's so pretty (and I like tea-related trip souvenirs), but I did want to report on this danger I had not foreseen!

I think I'll go have another sip from my new (if slightly underfilled) teacup!

A trip to the mountains

2011-10-31T07:00:00.013-04:00

To celebrate the fact we both completed some major deadlines at work last week, the DH and I decided to reward ourselves with a last-minute trip to the mountains. They say it's past "peak leaf season" in the mountains, and perhaps so, but I still thought it was quite beautiful in the area around Highlands and Franklin, N.C. and Tallulah Falls, Ga. I think I took this photo near Highlands, but don't hold me to that!

Sometimes, I see so much beauty in nature it makes me think God was really showing off when He designed, say, these mountains, or the oceans. (Or the creek behind my house, or the petals on a rose, or the star-shaped pieces of moss, but I digress!)

We have only yellow, green and gold leaves on our trees at home right now, so I think we're both drawn to the pretty red ones when we're away.

In Highlands, where we stopped for lunch and a little shopping, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation offers a lovely welcome to visitors, including the historic part of the church ...

... and this newer addition.

Along the fence in front of the church, there is the most interesting plant. Is this a flowering vine, or the remainders of one?

I had to touch, and it's just as soft and fuzzy as it looks! I'd sure love to know what this is. (Ginger? Lynn? Or any other North Carolina readers who can enlighten me?)

My biggest shopping request was for some fudge (I found some Pumpkin Walnut, and it did not disappoint), but I also found a culinary shop with a ton of cute cookie cutters. Since I have a few more tea sandwiches to think about before the year ends, I got these three. I especially like the raggedy branches on the Christmas tree. I'm not sure if this will cut bread well, though, but if not I'll use it to make sugar cookies.

I also found this Bija Cranberry and Rooibos tea. Now, while I haven't *tried* every brand of tea, I sure seem to have at least *heard* of most of them, but I'd never heard the name Bija at all that I can recall. When I looked online, I saw that these teas are sold at a lot of health food stores (including some in my town) and spas.

I liked the graphics on the teabag packets.

And I'm happy to report the taste is great! Cranberry and rooibos is a great idea for a blend, and this tea is incredibly sweet and fully satisfied my sweet tooth. If you'll come by tomorrow, I'll tell you a bit about the teacup this tea is in, my final souvenir from the trip. It's a shape of teacup I've never had before, and it is, well, kinda dangerous, actually!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #44 - Pear & Gorgonzola

2011-10-29T07:00:00.006-04:00

This week I wanted to try a pear and cheese pairing of some sort, and what I ended up making was so easy it's almost a stretch to even call it a recipe! I simply creamed butter and Gorgonzola cheese, then spread it onto slices of bread and topped it with super-thin slices of a Bartlett pear that I got by using a vegetable peeler!

I used white bread to make open-faced sandwiches, topping them with a few crumbles of the cheese as a garnish.

I used that Very Thin Pepperidge Farm whole wheat bread to make stacked sandwiches, which I then cut into rectangular fingers. I love the salty bite of the Gorgonzola paired with the light sweetness of the pear.

Pear & Gorgonzola Tea Sandwiches

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 heaping tablespoons Gorgonzola

Blend well and you're done! This small amount yielded enough spread for seven tea sandwiches, and yes, I ate one that didn't quite make it on the plate! If you used an entire stick of butter and a 4-ounce container of Gorgonzola, you should have plenty for a tea party.

New uses for old tart tins

2011-10-28T07:00:00.013-04:00

Suddenly, I'm seeing tart tins everywhere I turn. I saw some stored neatly in a glass jar in a magazine not long ago, and I decided that would be a tidy way of storing mine—and reminding me to use them! In the past, I've used them to bake teatime treats such as these Raspberry Financiers and also to cut out tea sandwiches.

In the 2011 Christmas with Southern Living book, they are stacked in the shape of a Christmas tree and used to decorate a tea tray.

In Christmas Ideas magazine, they're used as ornaments.

I still want to save mine for actual cooking and baking, but I do like these clever ideas!

Maple & Chai Tea Muffins

2011-10-27T07:00:00.013-04:00

The other day I was marveling that here a month before Thanksgiving, the fall decor is already marked down everywhere I go. I was admiring a pan that bakes muffins in the shape of maple leaves when I suddenly remembered, "Hey! I have that pan!" I got it on clearance at Walmart for something like $3 late last fall. So, maple muffins I would have!

As you can see here, the bottoms are what actually look like maple leaves, and the tops (at left) look like regular muffins. I looked online for muffin recipes made with maple syrup, tweaked and added a few things, and here's my resulting muffin recipe. I really love the flavor of maple syrup, and you can definitely taste it in these muffins. Feel free to use "fall spices" if you don't have any chai teabags on hand, but chai tea is my new lazy substitute for them!

Maple & Chai Tea Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teabags of chai tea (about two teaspoons)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds (or other nuts)
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients just until blended. Pour into muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Yield: About 14 muffins from this pan, which has slightly smaller cavities than a regular muffin pan.

I highly recommend this Nordic Ware pan, by the way, and my only regret is that I didn't think to buy two!

Tea Forté Mojito Marmalade

2011-10-26T07:00:00.015-04:00

Several times in recent months I have been tempted to try this Mojito Marmalade herbal tea from Tea Forté. When I stopped by Fresh Market this week and it was on sale ($8.99 on sale for $6.99), I took that as a sign it was indeed time to take some of this tea home with me!

Now this is a very shallow reason for trying a tea, but ... I liked the tin and think it could be useful for either Christmas packaging or a future art project!

This tea contains organic honeybush, organic spearmint leaves, organic orange peel, organic rooibos, organic sunflower petals and natural flavors. The sachets are said to be eco-friendly and biodegradable. And I would add, "pretty."

I had hoped this tea would indeed taste very orange-y, and it did not disappoint. The taste is citrusy, but not too much so, and it was just the thing for a quiet fall afternoon of reading a new novel.

Nice!

Cutest cupcake wrappers ever!

2011-10-25T07:00:00.009-04:00

One more shopping report and then I'll move on to another topic, OK? But when I found these *gorgeous* miniature cupcake wrappers at a Marietta T.J. Maxx on Saturday (just $2.99 for 25), I knew I had to tell you about them! I found only one package in this design, but I will definitely be looking for more when I visit other T.J. Maxx stores in the weeks ahead.

The package says you can bake these on a flat oven tray and no muffin pan is needed. Aren't they pretty? At first I thought I would save these until next Valentine's Day, or spring, but then I realized there are indeed some red and green colors in this design, so these just may wind up in some Christmas treats this year!

You can see from the rim on the bottom that these would indeed stand on a pan without wobbling over like normal, thin paper cupcake cups. I've called these "miniature" size, but really they're about 1-3/4 inches tall and 2-1/4 inches in diameter, which makes them more of a "medium" size. Smaller than a regular cupcake, bigger than a mini-cupcake, prettier than both!

And on a final shopping-related note, I wanted to mention that JoAnn had these silver ornaments for 40 percent off when I was in there Saturday! Also, HomeGoods had the Spode and Portmeirion teapot and teacup ornaments out in case some of you are looking for them. Happy shopping!

The Tovolo Teago Mobile Tea Press

2011-10-24T07:00:00.012-04:00

While at T.J. Maxx over the weekend, I came across a new style of tea infuser that was so intriguing I knew I had to get it. The packaging actually made it look more complicated than it is, but I do believe this infuser is going to prove quite useful.

"Enjoy loose leaf tea anytime, anywhere," it said. Upon closer inspection, I realized the plastic cover, at lower right in the packaging, is what makes this tea press "mobile." (It's BPA free, by the way.)

Here's what it looks like out of the package.

The tea press boasts of "small, fine holes," and indeed they worked just great.

Here's the infuser basket filled with a teaspoon of Harney's Cranberry Autumn tea. (I never tire of that blend!)

Here's an aerial view, looking down into the infuser basket.

Now it's steeping in the teacup. Note the green plunger at top has been extended to give the tea leaves room to expand. (My husband says this looks like a syringe. Well, yes, it does!)

Here's a closer view of the steeping.

When the tea has finished steeping, you press down on the plunger and voila, a cup of tea. Here, I've placed the infuser cover on.

This is going to be handy for travel, and I also think this will be great for when I want just one cup of tea but am not quite ready to dispose of the leaves just yet. All in all, a fun find for $7.99!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #43 - Dill & Crab Salad

2011-10-22T07:00:00.011-04:00

Isn't it funny how our taste buds can shift gears at a moment's notice? My fixation with pumpkin flavors has gone bye-bye, and this week I wanted something savory and decided to look for a new seafood salad recipe.

One of the great things I've learned during this year of tea sandwich experimentation is that it's perfectly OK to look up recipes on the internet or in magazines and then add and subtract ingredients at will. Once I noticed that the basic ingredients in many seafood salads are imitation crabmeat and mayonnaise, I realized that endless variations can be made. I liked the sound of dill, so that's what I focused on in this recipe.

Dill and Crab Salad

8 ounces imitation crabmeat
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh onion
Dash of white pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until mixture reaches desired consistency. Tastes great served on sourdough bread! Yields 1 cup.

Christmas baking & decorating ideas

2011-10-21T07:00:00.011-04:00

It's time to begin thinking about the Thanksgiving and Christmas baking we want to do, so today I thought I'd share a few mini-reviews of some of the new reads I've come across this fall. First, the 2011 Christmas with Southern Living book arrived and I just love it! The two things I most want to make are the Caramel-Pear Cake and the Baby Bananas Foster Cheesecakes. I absolutely *love* the idea of the bite-size Bananas Foster desserts—each just big enough to hold the glazed banana slice on top—and in fact these would make a great treat for a tea tray! The office Thanksgiving luncheon is just around the corner, and I'm thinking either the cake or these mini cheesecakes will be my contribution.

Christmas Cookies is a special issue from Better Homes and Gardens. As you might expect it's a winner, even though it's a bit pricey at $9.99. There are lots of pretty decorated sugar cookies, and there are also some lovely rolled, shaped and two-tone cookies. There's a great feature on thumbprint cookies and how to make variations using one simple basic dough. That's an idea I particularly like because it's such a time saver! I talked to some of my friends at work and was happy to learn they think an office-wide Cookie Exchange is a good idea. I'm going to start organizing it now!

Christmas Ideas is another Better Homes and Gardens special issue, and this one is just $5.99. I quit automatically buying these Christmas titles every year because some of the issues were starting to look alike to me, but this one had enough new ideas that I knew I wanted it. The blue-and-brown color combo is still popular, and so is the natural look with burlap and greenery. An article on "Tiny Tanenbaums" shows tiny evergreens planted in small bowls, and it struck me that teacups would work well for this idea too. There's also a cute packaging idea using paper doilies painted in bright, fun colors. That could be useful for those of us who have paper doilies left over from the year's tea parties! I know I'll be picking up more Christmas books and magazines in the weeks ahead. Do you have any to recommend?

Seeing a teacup in a new light

2011-10-20T07:00:00.006-04:00

Four years ago, a friend of mine went to the Czech Republic and brought me back a beautiful boxed set of two pink and gold teacups and saucers. I came across them, still boxed, the other day and wondered why on earth I haven't been using them. I used to save my "best" pieces for special occasions, but in recent years I've come to realize that each new day is special occasion enough—and worth celebrating!

For the first time, I believe, I noticed the lovely gold design sitting there at the bottom of the teacup. Must be hard to paint or decorate the interior of a teacup, wouldn't you think?

I've been drinking lots of black tea and spiced tea since the weather turned cool, but with this newly-rediscovered teacup I decided to have some green tea. The taste was so lightly refreshing and satisfying, and I also enjoy how the tea's pale color allowed me to continue to enjoy the beauty of this teacup. Sometimes, I think I just need to slow down long enough to pay attention to the simple pleasures in life!

"A Tea Reader" by Katrina Ávila Munichiello

2011-10-19T07:00:00.012-04:00

Recently I was reading my friend Steph's tea blog when I came across two pieces of delicious news: 1) There was a new tea book out, called "A Tea Reader," described as "an anthology of readings for tea lovers" and 2) she had an essay in it! Naturally, I called my local bookstore and had them order the book so it would arrive as soon as it was released.

Now I have to be honest and tell you this: I am not a huge fan of anthologies. My favorite books are non-fiction, but I normally like them to be on one narrow topic by one author. I anticipated (correctly!) that I would enjoy the book's essay by Steph(anie), because her style of writing is what attracted me to her blog. The great surprise with "A Tea Reader," though, is that I have thoroughly enjoyed so very many of these essays and, in fact, found myself wishing this book had been my idea! My hat is definitely off to Katrina Ávila Munichiello for beautifully pulling together such a rich and entertaining group of essays. I can't imagine how much reading must have been required in order for her to write this book!

Interestingly, as I was reading the book I thought about how much I was enjoying the essays from the past. As I sat down to write this mini-review of the book, however, it was the modern-day essayists I found myself recalling, and how much I enjoyed their stories. Which ones?

-- Surely you can guess which essay is my favorite! It's about a young woman who moves to a new town and finds her heart longing to make connections with other women. (Ironically enough, that writer has since moved on to another new town ... where one suspects she will again succeed at making new friends and new tea connections. You can read about one of her latest tea adventures here.)

-- I was very touched to read about the woman whose father was undergoing chemotherapy and they shared simple mugs of grocery-store tea at the doctor's office.

-- The former owner of a New Orleans café writes about heading to Magazine Street post-Katrina to see what became of the café, and then discusses plans for his tea business of the future. I loved learning that his very first two tea customers had been a Bourbon Street dancer and a Catholic priest. Only in New Orleans!

-- I also enjoyed reading about an art student who enjoyed the Japanese tea ceremony at the home of her professor. In fact, after reading some of the stories in this book I found myself quite interested in hosting a Tea Ceremony that is pointedly *not* a tea party!

-- The book also includes a good number of essays from "tea celebrities," names you would recognize. These were fun, and I think you will enjoy being surprised just as I was.

I could, but won't, go on. Mostly I just wanted to say that if you're like me and have been anthology-averse, "A Tea Reader" is the book that will make you change your mind. Now that I've read it, I look forward to re-reading it!

A tea gift from afar!

2011-10-18T07:00:00.013-04:00

The most wonderful surprise package was waiting in my mailbox when I got home from my trip this weekend, and inside was all this!

Jenn in Massachusetts tells me these lovely items jumped into her basket at Michaels the other day just begging to be sent south, and I am not about to argue with her! Aren't these teacup notecards pretty? How absolutely perfect for fall thank-you notes!

There was also this small notebook, which I will enjoy using for note-taking this fall. I am just a tad obsessive about writing down ideas and keep two to three different mini-notebooks in my purse at all times for particular writing projects. I can never have too many of these!

This magnetic notepad will be great to hang on my refrigerator this fall and is most welcome since the notepads currently on the fridge are looking a little tired.

Last but not least, this great weekly planner and shopping list is magnetic as well and I can think of quite a few uses for it. I'm so glad Jenn thought of me when she saw all these goodies, because I have been haunting my local Michaels but as of a week ago had not found anything tea-ish, much less these great goodies. Perhaps they've made it to your neck of the woods? If so, you might want to pay Michaels a visit! (And thanks again, Jenn!)

Party time in Wisconsin!

2011-10-17T07:00:00.019-04:00

What a whirlwind weekend it was! We got back just last night after flying out to Wisconsin Friday morning so we would be on hand to help celebrate the first birthday of sweet Michael, the adorable little boy born to my stepdaughter and her hubby just about one year ago. I realize I'm prejudiced and all, but isn't this a sweet face?

Here he is dressed up for his big party.

He does this cute little thing with his feet. Sweet!

Michael is really into Mickey Mouse, so there were Mickey decorations and balloons and cakes.

As you can see, he *really* enjoyed his little personal-sized cake and was no shy wallflower about digging into it. In fact, at one point after sticking his little hands in the cake and grabbing chunks for a while, he simply picked up the entire thing with both hands and basically shoved it into his face! I've seen babies attack cake before, but nothing like this--we must have laughed for 10 minutes solid!

And I assumed I would not have any tea-related tales to bring home, but I was (happily) wrong! I went with Michael's mom to pick up balloons from a local party supply store, and what did I come across but this adorable line of tea party paper goods. (The manufacturer's name is Paper Art, just in case some of you would like to search for these.)

While I do not in fact have a children's tea party in the works at the moment, I just knew I would regret it if I didn't buy a few of these things, especially teapot-shaped plates. Aren't these adorable?

But not as adorable as this little guy!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #42 - Almonds & Spiced Cream

2011-10-15T07:00:00.008-04:00

Determined not to let my Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice bread go to waste, I decided I could get one more tea sandwich out of this loaf before it's time to move on. So this week, I decided to experiment with some cream cheese I had in the fridge.

I ended up mixing the cream cheese with some favorite fall spices, and then I topped the Pumpkin Spice bread with the spiced cream and sliced almonds.

Would the swirly bread cut out OK with my leaf-shaped cutters? Yes!

My husband especially liked the lightly sweet flavor of this cream cheese mixture, which we both agreed would also be good as a dip served with, say, vanilla wafers. Or gingersnaps. Here it is!

Spiced Cream

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Soften cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, then add sugar and spices. Combine well. Store in refrigerator. Yields 1 cup of spread.