Discovering my associate picker

On Saturday, I drove over to Anniston, Alabama, to have lunch with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law as well as their middle child, Susan, and her oldest daughter, Sophie. I was delighted when Susan told a shopkeeper I was her "aunt-friend." I am her aunt by marriage, and since her uncle Alex is in Heaven now, I am delighted that the McRae side of the family likes to keep in touch as much as they do. So when I got word that Susan and Sophie were coming down from Connecticut for a visit, I was pleased, but I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Sophie wanted to know if she could go antiquing with me. You betcha!

Once I'd told her that I'm collecting red, white, and blue vintage items for a possible book with a patriotic theme, she was on it, pointing out things I hadn't even noticed. It was then that I realized I could actually use an associate. While she was spotting two busts for me, I found a box of these old calendar plates, which I'd seen before, but I had resisted paying $25 each for them, figuring I could find them cheaper. These were $5 each, and Sophia helped me select these two.

She spotted this "old" flag, but as we looked at it, we learned it was stiff and probably new but perhaps tea-stained because of the irregular coloring of the "white" stripes. Tea-stained? I could do that!

And along with my plates, I found a teacup in the Wedgwood Potpourri pattern, which had some dusky reds and blues. It was a fun Saturday, and I sure hope Sophie will volunteer to go antiquing with me again on her next visit to the South!

Twinings Mango & Pineapple Herbal Tea

I was scrolling through Amazon for teas the other day when I came across a mango-and-pineapple blend from Twinings that I’d never seen before, so I quickly decided to “add to cart.”

As soon as it arrived, I stopped what I was doing to go boil some water, and this tea is a real hit! It has a bright citrus taste that was much stronger than I was expecting, and I loved that. (My little neighbor guy loved it, too, although his sister pretty much sticks with mint-flavored teas.)

I’m not sure I’ve actually had a cup of hot tea in a while (it’s Georgia in the summertime, y’all), but I sure enjoyed this one. And because it’s iced tea season, after I prepared the hot tea, I plopped the tea bag into a glass of cold water and placed it in the fridge to enjoy a light iced tea taste later. I’m loving this tea!

Inspiration in "Flower" magazine

Always one of my favorite reads, the July/August 2025 issue of Flower magazine came in the mail recently, and I immediately fell in love with those beautiful metal roses on the cover.

When I turned to the feature inside, I found that this is actually on a carved metal garden gate in Scotland, and in my mind, that makes yet another reason I need to go to Scotland. (I'm also thinking of taking some of my fictional characters on a road trip, and Scotland may end up being their destination.)

As I turned the pages of the magazine, I realized that another reason I enjoy Flower so much is that it always features lovely table settings, like this one. The outdoors is always a beautiful setting because of the beauty of God's creation as well as easy access to plants and flowers, which seem particularly appropriate on this table.

Also in this issue, I enjoyed reading about an artist whose hand-painted glasses are gorgeous additions to the table. These have an Asian flair to them, and what a dreamy table it would be to have glassware and tea wares featuring those pretty blue hues.

And have you ever had Kiwi Cheesecake? I haven't, but I love the floral garnish, and the recipe sure sounds tempting. (Also: I need a wicker cake stand!)

Finally, here's an idea for accenting your lemonade (or iced tea!) with massive flower arrangements in pitchers. It may be too hot to try to grow any flowers right now here in Georgia, but I sure enjoy reading about them.

A quick run through Hobby Lobby …

Over the weekend, I was returning from a trip to see my dad when I decided I'd make a quick run through Hobby Lobby. The first thing I noticed was that the July Fourth items were sixty-six percent off. The second thing I noticed was that the new fall décor was thirty percent off.

So I grabbed some cute straws and cupcake papers for future patriotic entertaining. At that price, why not?

Then I began to meander up and down the aisles of the new fall offerings, and since I love fall, these are always quite tempting. That's when I saw this pumpkin-shaped butter dish. I collect amber glassware for fall entertaining, and I saw this butter dish online and meant to immediately go get one. I'd forgotten all about it—am I the only one who exists in a constant state of information overload these days?—so when I saw it right there in front of me, it went in my cart. It looked too short and stout to actually hold a full stick of butter, but just as I thought, when you cut a stick of butter in half, the two halves fit inside the dish quite nicely. I think this piece is so cute that I'm trying to come up with a reason it could be used at teatime. To hold a small pile of tiny macarons, maybe? Some thick whipped cream? Small jars of jam? Feel free to share any inspiration you may have.

The other glassware I got was this set of four pink coupes. Champagne coupes began to show up in the food magazines a few years ago, and I wasn't willing to drop any significant money on them, but I've seen them used for elegantly serving cold soups and even desserts, and I knew I wanted some for teatime. Alas, the only one I came across was $9.99 at T. J. Maxx—and had a candle in it. Would I pay $40 for four of them? Maybe. But a) I never came across four at a time and b) I knew that getting the candles out would be messy. So I was quite delighted when I found this set of four coupes for fifty percent off, just $13 for the four glasses. So my "quick run" through Hobby Lobby took a little longer than planned, but considering the goodies I found, it was time well-spent!

Happy Independence Day!

 

More tea samples from afar

Since my friend Paige, a flight attendant, flies internationally, I've stopped asking her where my tea bags come from when she hands me a new package of them at church. I'm just grateful she's thoughtful enough to bag them up for me! It is so fun to see blends and brands I'm unfamiliar with in the US, and while there's lots of English Breakfast and chamomile, which I'm always happy to get, there are often other flavors as well.

These Ronnefeldt teas were a new name in tea to me. Yesterday, I needed an afternoon pick-me-up and tried the English Breakfast blend.

I found it quite brisk and satisfying, and later, I enjoyed a repeat cup with a bit of mint simple syrup. Yum! Do you use the tea bags provided by your hotel when you travel? I sure do. Loose tea and a teakettle aren't always at hand, so I'm glad a tea fix is so easily available today.

Strawberry Pound Cake

For this month’s column in The Coweta Shopper, I made an old-fashioned pound cake with strawberries, a recipe clipped from an old newspaper (twice!) and tucked into one of my vintage cookbooks. The recipe appears to have been published in two different newspapers, but it was the exact same recipe, so the cook must have really wanted to try it. Or perhaps they tried it, liked it, and wanted to make sure they kept it!

I’m not sure I can recall icing a pound cake before, but I sure loved the strawberry icing on this one, and it’s definitely ideal as an afternoon tea treat!

Strawberry Pound Cake


8 eggs, separated

2-3/4 cups sugar, divided use

1 pound butter

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped fine

1 teaspoon red food coloring


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg whites until foamy, add 6 tablespoons of the sugar, then beat until soft peaks form. Store in refrigerator while mixing cake.

Cream butter, add remaining sugar, and mix well. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and strawberries alternately, then add the food coloring. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake for 80-90 minutes or until done. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove cake and allow to cool completely on wire rack. When cooled, frost with icing.


Strawberry Icing


1 stick melted butter

1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients and mix with electric or rotary mixer, then frost top and sides of cake.

July/August 2025 Tea Time Magazine

You know what I miss? The Sears Wish Book. Baby Boomers like me will remember when that gloriously thick catalog landed in the family mailbox each fall, and every kid in America (no lie) immediately began circling items or dog-earing pages so Mom and Dad would know which presents the kids had their hearts set on for that Christmas. The closest thing I have to that these days may be Tea Time, because with every issue that lands in my mailbox, I have a new "Wish Book" full of things I'm wishing for.

This issue, I'm in love with the shape and design of this Hammersley & Co. Cornflower Blue teapot, which the magazine informs me retails for $359.95 at Replacements, Ltd. I'm not willing to spend that much on this teapot, so I will happily "wish" for one until it lands at a thrift store or antique mall for $25 one day. (Such things have happened to me before, so why not?)

Also in this issue, Bruce Richardson has a nice piece on Sir Thomas Lipton, whom I always enjoy reading about.

And despite all the yummy sandwich fillings offered in this issue, these Chocolate-Walnut Brownies are what I'm most eager to bake. These are made with bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder, so they sound especially decadent and are my recipe "wish" in this issue. Do you remember the Wish Book?

A new friend and her sweet treats!

 

A few weeks ago, I went to my neighbors’ home Bible study, where I met some lovely new friends including Nikki, shown here, and her husband, Jason. She shared what is quite possibly some of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten, and it turned out she has started her own bakery, Almond Branch Bakery, so I had to visit her when I learned she would be at the Sharpsburg Market over the weekend.

I thought her treats were so elegantly displayed, and I bought a mini loaf of some divine chocolate chip banana bread, part of which served as my breakfast as I was headed out to an estate sale.

 

And the treat I bought to take home? A half loaf of her Jalapeño Cheddar artisan sourdough. Y’all, this is so good! Nikki is intentionally growing her business slowly and mostly by word of mouth, but based on the list of her offerings I came home with (including gluten-free offerings), I plan to be ordering from her for a while to come, especially for tea parties where I hope to show off her fancy breads. If you’re local and see Almond Branch Bakery set up anywhere, be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

Mint & Simple Syrup

The other day, I met my friend Amy for lunch, and she arrived bearing a lovely and most unexpected gift: a bunch of fresh mint and lavender from her garden!

It was arranged so prettily that I commented on the "bouquet," and Amy confessed that she once worked in a florist, so perhaps that's where she learned to style things so well. I naturally told her I would be going home and enjoying them in my tea, just plopping a bit of each into a glass, and that was quite delicious.

But after several days, I realized I haven't made a simple syrup for iced tea in years, so since summer has officially arrived, that's what I did. You simply pour a cup of water and a cup of sugar into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then stir until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. I also added a handful of the fresh mint and let the mixture cool before straining out the leaves. Served with some plain old black tea, this makes a wonderfully minty addition to your summertime sipping!

And remember that covered cream pitcher I bought for $1 at a garage sale last month? It's such an elegant way to store the simple syrup, and I'm so happy whenever I spot it in my fridge. I don't usually sweeten my tea, but once a summer? I think it's definitely worth the splurge!

Summer 2025 Flea Market Décor magazine

I was at the grocery store recently and came across the new issue of Flea Market Décor. This is a magazine I have bought off and on through the years, and this pretty garden setting with a pink tablecloth and green chairs and glass water pitcher and teacups on the table was right up my alley. And did you note the chandelier, which appears to be hanging from either a tree or the sky? It features clear glass teacups, so that was pretty cool too.

Teacups feature in many of the photos. I like the juxtaposition of this feminine ruffled tablecloth and teacups with the rustic tables and old watering cans. Charming!

Here, I was impressed by the pairing of strawberry-themed pieces and Jadeite. Perfect!

Finally, I was inspired by this pairing of white wares and Old Glory. I don't have a lot of red, white, and blue décor, and it didn't really dawn on me to fill in with plain white pieces. So I got lots of ideas from this issue of Flea Market Décor, and I think some of you would enjoy it as well.

Snore & Peace Tea

My friend Paige, the flight attendant, came home the other day with another fun new tea for me, this one called Snore & Peace from Clipper Teas. She found it when she ran inside a grocery store in Amsterdam and thought I would enjoy the tea because of its name.

Although I've heard of Clipper Teas before, I rarely come across them at T. J. Maxx or in shops, so I was delighted to receive this box of tea bags as a gift!

And the tea was great! Although I sometimes like chamomile tea in the evening, it can have a slightly bitter aftertaste, but the lemon balm and lavender made this blend mellow out quite a bit, and I've been enjoying it at bedtime. What a lovely treat, and I'm especially honored that a friend thought of me while grocery shopping in the Netherlands. 

Sweet (tea) memories and Father's Day

In my family, any holiday gathering, at any time of year, is going to involve a pitcher of sweet tea, and this weekend’s Father’s Day celebration was no exception.

It’s especially meaningful to me because sweet tea is something I always associate with Daddy. He went to work on the assembly line at Ford Motor Co. in Hapeville, Ga., at a young age and retired there 30 or so years later as a supervisor. Every night, he would pack a lunch for the next day’s commute to work, and that always included a big thermos of sweet tea along with whatever sandwiches and chips he ate. At 86, he golfs several times a week and still plants a big garden, raises chickens, and continues to bake delicious birthday cakes for my sister, me, and the rest of the family! 

Rhonda had barbecue and brisket, baked beans and cole slaw, and I contributed carrot salad, chips, and …

The Pioneer Woman’s Strawberry Poke Cake (super easy and quite moist; the recipe is here if you’re interested).

I enjoyed celebrating the dads in the family, particularly my own, and the other fun thing was that I got to play with my brother-in-law’s newest addition to his man cave, a Ms. Pac-Man game!

Some fun new teas I'm sipping

When my tea friend Susan sent me some goodies for my birthday last month, she included some delightful new teas, and I have been slowly sipping my way through them. She found these charmingly packaged Tea Party Collection teas at Aldi, and I shared them with my little tea friends from the neighborhood, who were as delighted as I knew they would be! I liked the fruity flavors of the ones I tried—Raspberry Cookie and Lemon Macaroon—and they liked theirs too!

I was even more intrigued by these yaupon teas she sent, many of them thoughtfully labeled by hand! (I'm so impressed when anyone takes the time to handwrite anything anymore. The gift of time means more and more to me with each passing year!) The yaupon tea I tried last night was the Dark Blend from Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. in Florida, and I enjoyed its slightly earthy flavor so much!

Once I emailed to tell her my package had arrived, Susan thoughtfully replied with a photo of the beautiful packaging from the ASI Mindful Mint American Yaupon Tea, from the Yaupon Tea Company based in Savannah. According to their website, "Yaupon is a tree that grows native in the southeastern United States. The native tribes of the area made a stimulating tea from the Yaupon leaves, as it was revered as traditional medicine. Yaupon is the only caffeine source native to North America. Yaupon contains anti-oxidants comparable to blueberries, has chlorogenic acid, polyphenols and flavonoids. Yaupon also contains theobromine, the alkaloid found in dark chocolate. Yaupon’s taste ranges from a smooth black tea to a light green tea." Have you tried yaupon tea before? It's been years since I'd come across any, so I was super happy that Susan was kind enough to share these with me!

A straw poll

I would like to have a word with you all about straws, if you please. Now, I love the stainless steel Lilly Pulitzer tumbler I purchased a few months ago, and as a result of having it, I'm sipping more water and iced tea, but it needed a straw, and the only reusable straw I had on hand was a red-and-white-striped Christmas one, and the mismatched straw-and-tumbler ensemble bugged me so much that I headed to T. J. Maxx in search of other straws. Good night, I had no idea there were so many straws to choose from these days: stainless steel, hard plastic, glass, and they also come with cutesy stoppers, rubber and plastic sippers, cleaning brushes, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ultimately, I dropped a whopping $2.99 and came home with these, mainly because I thought the tips of them would be a close match to the color of my tumbler, and indeed, they were.

However, sipping through rubber just felt weird! I think I was expecting the cold hard plastic that I had been sipping from before, but these were the only matching straws I had, so I gave one a whirl, and I’m used to it now. It's held up nicely for several weeks, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Since I rarely used straws before, I can't exactly say I'm saving the planet by using these, but I do believe that I'm drinking more water, and that's a plus. So here's my question. Do any of you have reusable straws? What are your thoughts on them?