The Glass Slipper Tea Cottage

While at the beach last week, my husband and I finally got to celebrate our annual "Valentine's Tea" together! I had a magazine deadline on Valentine's Day itself this year, obligations the weekends before and after, and other commitments that meant there just wasn't time. So when we got the opportunity to go to the beach last week, we also made a side trip to the absolutely delightful Glasss Slipper Tea Cottage in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.!

I first learned of this wonderful tea room from blog reader and "tea friend" Sarah in Biloxi, Miss., who is a great fan of the Glass Slipper Tea Cottage. She had surprised me with a gift of the tea room's terrific cookbook last year, so it was on my "bucket list" of places to go next time I was within driving distance. Sarah even helped facilitate my last-minute reservations to this tea room, and based on the full house the day we went, March 14, we were very lucky to get in that day! I loved this charming cottage from the moment we pulled up, and I thought the rocking chair made a most clever welcome sign!

When we walked in, I immediately fell in love with this tea trolley loaded with teacups, and we were invited to select our own.

Alex asked me to choose one for him, so with a nod to his Scottish heritage I chose this Nova Scotia Tartan pattern from Adderley. He chose Earl Grey for his pot of tea.

And after lusting over my fellow tea bloggers' lovely St. Patrick's Day teawares, I chose this one for myself, marked Golden Crown E&R. I chose the apricot tea, and the teas were properly prepared and served in teapots with Thistledown cozies. (Which my husband referred to as "Down with Thistles," but I knew what he meant!)

There are hats available for those who wish to wear them, and everything about this tea room tells me owners Jim and Shirley Simpson and Shirley's sister, cook Carolyn Chandler, did their homework before they opened this tea room in 2010. I was happy to hear business is good, and the tea room started to get packed within minutes of our arrival. I was also pleased to learn, from selective eavesdropping, that so many of the visitors here are regulars!

There was so much great decor to enjoy, including these teapots. (Note how it's apparently two smaller shelves displayed together. I love that idea!)

Lacy linens and toile tablecloths gave me an "Oh, goody!" moment as soon as we sat down.

Now I had had only a light supper the night before and totally skipped breakfast the morning of our visit so I would be able to eat *all* of the full afternoon tea, which had been enthusiastically recommended by Sarah. By the time our quiche, soup and cheese straws arrived, I was famished! The delicious and light quiche greatly hit the spot, and I was thrilled to find the recipes for it, the yummy asparagus soup and the cheese straws are all in the cookbook Sarah gave me. (My husband, incidentally, went on and on about the quiche, how he'd never tasted one lighter. I will have to try to make it for him sometime!)

When our tea trays came out, I was overwhelmed at how many selections there were!

Our savories included stuffed mini-peppers (my husband actually asked for, and got, the recipe for these!), a turkey roll-up, chicken salad, a BLT, cucumber, cinnamon apple and also some sugared pecans. I was starting to get quite full ...

and here's the other side view of the savories.

You can see some of the sweets on my full tea tray shown in a photo above (a cherry tart with whipped cream, an almond cookie, a chocolate and coconut cookie), and in this photo you can also see the lemon bread, apricot torte (heavenly!) and shamrock sugar cookie. Famished or not, I'm afraid I simply didn't have room for all the sweets, so the tea room happily boxed them up for us to take home.

I did, however, save room to eat one of the light, fluffy and flower-shaped scones while at the tea room, simply so I could enjoy the lemon curd and cream served alongside them in the sweetest little glass bowls you've ever seen. I really can't praise this tea room highly enough, and Alex and I both said it was one of our best "Valentine's" teas ever! Shirley, Jim, Carolyn, and our server, Katie, seem to have the art of hospitality down to a very enjoyable science. (And I know it's not proper to talk about the price of something that was, for me, a gift, but I must say, are you as shocked as I was that this bounty was just $19.95 per person, pot of tea included?) My only criticism about this tea room? I wish it were closer to my home! Tomorrow, I'll show you what I picked up in the gift shop!

Tea Room Recipe #11 - Peach Tree Tea Room (Fredericksburg, Texas)

A banana bread recipe made with apricots? Why not!

I found this fun variation on a classic tea bread in "The Peach Tree Tea Room Cookbook" by Cynthia Collins Pedregon of Fredericksburg, Texas. While the tea room is still in business (go here for photos), I was saddened to learn that Cynthia herself passed away last year. Odd how I never even knew this dear lady, yet knowing she was a tea room owner, and reading her very family-oriented cookbook, makes me sad I never got to meet her! If you'd like to "meet" her in the pages of this cookbook, copies of it are easy to find online. The book was written in 1990, but by the time I got a copy it was a 2005 edition and in its ninth printing. And there were already some 59,500 copies in print, which tells me this is a mighty popular cookbook! And after reading it I can see why. It contains lots of Texas-style family favorites as well as classic tea room fare (quiches, tea breads), and I can see this is a cookbook I'll be reaching for often. This week, I made the Banana Apricot Nut Bread and thought it was a fun new way to enjoy banana bread!

Banana Apricot Nut Bread

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's white whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas (about three large)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)
1 cup minced dried apricots

Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat well. In separate bowl combine the flours, salt and soda. Stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the mashed bananas. Batter will be very thick. Stir in nuts and apricots. Pour into loaf pan prepared with cooking spray (I also line mine with parchment paper) and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Yields 1 loaf of bread.

Readying for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, and I still have no idea what I'll be cooking to celebrate the day this year. My usual Corned Beef and Cabbage? Perhaps. Irish Soda Bread? Possibly, but I've done that before, and I always like to try something new. What will you be preparing? As I ponder, I'll sip a brisk black tea (Irish Breakfast Tea is particularly lovely at this time of year) and reflect on St. Paddy's Days past.

This cute teacup-themed St. Patrick's Day card arrived in the mail last year from a new tea friend, Melissa in Delaware, and I treasure it! I have a couple of hatboxes where I keep the thoughtful cards and notes from blog readers who have written me over the years, and I dearly love them all, including this one. It came with some tea and a bookmark tucked inside, which really made this more "gift" than "card."

And the sentiment seemed appropriate to share with all of you as March 17 approaches! Since some of you don't get a chance to check blogs over the weekend, I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Teavivre's Organic Superfine Dragon Well Lung Jing Green Tea

Blame Linda. She's been featuring some fun green tea tastings on her blog lately, and I can't help thinking those pretty photos and tasty sounding samplings are what had me reaching to try the new sample of Dragon Well I received earlier this year.

This tea sample is from Teavivre, and I love the look of these large, flat leaves!

Since I don't always remember to show this, I wanted to mention that I again used my white porcelain cupping set from Elmwood Inn Fine Teas. I don't use a strainer or filter, but rather place the leaves and water inside the lidded cup, then after the steeping is done I tilt the lidded cup into the handleless cup, like this, and pour off the liquid.

The dry leaf had only a light woodsy scent, so I always like to stick my nose in the wet leaf to see if I pick up any other scents. This time, I got the impression of something very vegetal, such as steamed asparagus or spinach.

This was a terrifically smooth green tea, one of those which has what I call a buttery taste. That's the only way I know to describe the rich, thick, satisfying mouth-feel of this tea, something I certainly don't always get in a green tea. This one is delicious, and I'm happy to say that teas like this one have turned me into a real green tea lover!

"You Can Do Tea" by Sandy Lynam Clough

On a recent visit to Scott's Bookstore in Newnan, I happened to flip through a book I suddenly realized I didn't own but certainly needed to, "You Can Do Tea" by Sandy Lynam Clough (Harvest House, 2010). I've had a calendar with this artwork before, and I guess that's why this book looked so familiar until I actually opened it. She kicks things off by declaring that "tea is the most flexible way to share hospitality that you can imagine," a concept with which I wholeheartedly agree! The book would be perfect for someone wanting to host a first tea party, yet I found loads of "reminders" and inspiration that will be helpful to more experienced tea hostesses as well.

As always, it features the beautiful artwork by one of my all-time favorite tea artists, and it has suggestions for tea party themes, teatime menus and tea etiquette. In the chapter on menu planning, I love how she manages to describe a discovery I made a few years ago: making chicken salad is really an inexact science, and you can easily experiment by using a simple formula which is, basically, that chicken + a binder + something sweet + something crunchy + some herbs = chicken salad. The book includes the exact proportions, of course, and when I examined the formula I realized it perfectly describes pretty much every chicken salad I've ever made! Cookie and scone recipes are presented in like manner, and I found this quite helpful.

I really must do an inventory and see if there are other Sandy Lynam Clough books I *think* I've got (or read) when in fact I have not, because I would so hate to miss one. Her artwork hangs in my home, her note cards and stationery have entered and exited my mailbox lots of times over the years, and I am so grateful for this artist whose visions of teatime have made the world a lovelier place. And if, like me, you're eager for the next Sandy Lynam Clough book, go here to see what she's got coming out in July. I can't wait!

A super special Shelley Sugar and Creamer

Whenever I see the delicate Shelley china pieces on other tea blogs I get a little wistful to find a Shelley teacup or two myself, and it occurred to me recently that I do have a couple of especially meaningful Shelley pieces I've never shared with you. Some of my kindred spirits might enjoy hearing the story behind this set!

When I married a co-worker six years ago (we journalists tend to do that a lot!), a dear lady in our community we'd both gotten to know over the years showed up at the office one day with what she said was a small gift she wanted us to have. I remember it was in a pink bag, so I somehow sensed I would like it! Inside was this pretty cream pitcher and …

…the matching sugar bowl. Lovely, eh?

I knew immediately from the shape and light weight that these were Shelley, and I even liked the name of the pattern, Dainty Pink. But what I liked even more was the sweet note that accompanied this thoughtful gift. Our friend's mother-in-law had used this Shelley sugar and creamer at her bridge parties in Newnan for years and years, and I considered that story part of the gift!

Now some of you know I edit a magazine that is owned by a newspaper, a locally-owned newspaper which dates back to 1865. We have vintage pages from the paper framed and hanging all over our building. One day, I was waiting to see a co-worker and happened to study this one.

It was from September 7, 1934, and would you look at one of the "Society Items" right there?

It was so fun to see a printed account of one of the very parties where my teawares were once used!

The Stampin' Up Giveaway winner is ...

Bev S., so congrats! And if you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this great stash of goodies headed your way!

Meanwhile, for those who didn't win but are interested in locating some of the items shown in the giveaway, feel free to visit my friend Phyllis's Stampin' Up page here to learn more about these and other great products! Thanks again to Phyllis for making this great giveaway possible!

New scones and new snack sets

When my friend Teresa decided to get out of the catering business last year, she also decided to part with some of the pretty wares she had accumulated. To my surprise I was gifted with a lovely and unusual set of fruit-themed snack sets (also known as tea-and-toast sets or tennis sets). I love these handy little plates with their easily gripped edges and built-in indentations for the teacup.

Though I have quite a few of these sets, I'd never seen a set of these snack plates with fruits on them. Won't these come in handy?

Such pretty designs!

This one is just waiting for a certain plum recipe I'll be trying once plums are in season.

And strawberries ... oh my! Maybe I'll even plant a few strawberrries this spring!

This weekend, I decided to make up a new scone recipe used some pomegranate-flavored Craisins I came across at the grocery store. It just seemed right to make something fruity to serve on one of my new snack sets, so I used my favorite basic scone recipe with the addition of 1/2 cup of pomegranate Craisins and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. I love the combination of fruity and crunchy!

With a little dollop of grape preserves served on the side, I was ready for a fun new snack—and snack set!

Tea Room Recipe #10 - Wenham Tea House (Wenham, Mass.)

As soon as warmer weather comes I promise I'll stop featuring these hearty, comfort-food recipes from my old tea room cookbooks. But until that day comes, I must confess I've gone all Paula Deen on us again this week with another rich and delicious recipe, this one for Asparagus-Ham Casserole.

This recipe comes from my 1992 Wenham Tea House Cookbook from Wenham, Mass. Happily, this tea room is still in business! The tea room is owned by the Wenham Village Improvement Society, which according to the tea room's web site is "a philanthropic organization which turns profits back to the community through scholarships, summer programs, and other philanthropies." You can go here to read more about it.

Now I love-love-love asparagus, partly because it's such an elegant looking vegetable, and I love to "roll up" foods for casseroles and tea sandwiches, so this recipe was perfect for me—and so easy!

I was a little nervous about making the cream sauce with cheese, but I needn't have worried.

It baked up beautifully with a sauce as smooth as velvet!

Asparagus-Ham Casserole

1 pound asparagus, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste; I'm not much of a salter)
Pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated onion
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 thin slices of ham (I used Black Forest ham from the deli)
2 cups cooked rice

Cook asparagus until tender-crisp and keep warm. Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Add onion. Continue to whisk over low heat, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes. Slowly add milk in several additions, again whisking constantly until mixture is thick and smooth. Add cheese and whisk some more. Drain asparagus and sprinkle with lemon juice. Roll up asparagus in the ham slices (I used about three spears per roll-up). Spray an 8- or 9-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray and spoon in the rice. Add ham rolls, then top with sauce. The cookbook recommends broiling 6 inches from the heat source until golden brown. Broiling makes me nervous, however, so I just cooked mine at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. And. Man. Was. It. Good! Yields 6 servings. (Or more, if you have a little restraint!)

Feeling SPORTea?

A magazine advertisement offered a free sample of SPORTea, a new tea billed as "The Ultimate Daily Beverage!" Naturally, I went online and requested my free sample.

As often happens, I had forgotten about it by the time it arrived, and when I saw the word "SPORT" on the return address I *almost* threw it away until I remembered it was "SPORTea." Interestingly, the teabag was protected with bubble wrap, a first!

Also a first: I can't ever remember opening a teabag before that instantly made me sneeze, but this one did! I think it's because when I took a sniff I inhaled some of the fannings (yes, I've snorted tea now), and that wasn't a pleasant experience. But the smell was nice and lemony, so I was eager to taste this tea "with Green Tea, Vitamin C, Electrolytes & Siberian Eleuthero Root," according to the flyer that came with it. As I sipped I kept trying to remember what this reminded me of. It wasn't good, from a tea-drinking standpoint, but it was a familiar taste that wasn't dreadful, either. Then I remembered what it was: Theraflu! If you've ever tasted it with its remnants of something vaguely sourish in the cup, well, that's what SPORTea reminds me of. The sports-minded may find this worth a try, but I'll just stick with green tea as my go-to "healthy" tea for now. Have any of you tried SPORTea, and would you? I like the idea fine, I just didn't care for the taste!