The teapot ornament winner is ...

TeaGrandma! If you'll send me your mailing address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this headed your way. Congrats!

"Betty Blythe Style Me Vintage Tea Parties"

Do you remember when that movie "The Help" came out last year? Aside from the fact it was based on Kathryn Stockett's completely wonderful book, I also enjoyed watching the movie because of the fashions and decor. During one visually colorful scene, I remember thinking what fun it might be to host a dress-up tea party where everyone was asked to come in Sixties-era costume, such as shift-style sleeveless dresses and beehive hairdos with four-inch-wide scarves banded around them. I've even got a few teacups that are a little Sixties-looking, and they'd be great for such an event. But—who thinks of a tea party that way? The answer: Lulu Gwynne does, and her Betty Blythe tea rooms in the U.K. have been encouraging such dress-up tea parties since 2008. Gwynne shares the fun in the new book "Betty Blythe Style Me Vintage Tea Parties."

Gwynne's Betty Blythe vintage tea rooms—named for a Hollywood silent screen star—are said to specialize in "tea party experiences for children, hen parties, or indeed anyone wishing to indulge in a vintage experience." Featured in the book are ideas for a Victorian Tea Party (with the fruit tartlets shown here), Edwardian Breakfast, 1920's Speakeasy, 1930's Cocktail Party, 1940's Picnic and 1950's Street Party. Are you questioning the inclusion of the Speakeasy, as I did? Gwynne notes in that chapter that the party may incorporate "innocent little teacups and saucers for your cocktails—this was the traditional way to serve alcohol at a speakeasy back in the Roaring Twenties." Who knew! (Another fun piece of trivia: Al Capone is said to have opened the first soup kitchen!)

The book includes suggested recipes for each tea party theme. For the Victorian Tea, there's a gorgeous Victoria Sponge Cake. For the 1930's Cocktail Party there's a yummy looking Bergamot Teacup Crème Caramel, and the 1950's Street Party (shown here) has a recipe for Coronation Chicken Buns using the Coronation Chicken recipe from Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. Each chapter also includes suggestions for invitations, menu and venue, costumes and even entertainment. Even if you've never thought of hosting a costumed tea event before, I'll bet this delightful book will inspire you as it did me to try your hand at hosting a "vintage" style of tea party. And as they say at Betty Blythe, "The difference between try and triumph is a little umph!"

Tea Room Depression Glass Glasses

Well, it's a good thing I devote a little portion of my Christmas bonus each year to personal "mad money." And perhaps I should call it "glad money," because it certainly made me glad when I came across two very reasonably priced Tea Room Depression glass glasses the other day!

These had definitely been on my wish list for a while, but after I found a clear one for just $2 at an antique mall, I was extra cheap when cyber shopping for pink ones. Often, they've sold for $30 to $40 each. These? Just $7.99 each. Score!

And I'm always a little nervous when buying this Tea Room pattern online. That Art Deco design had so very many little points that could get nicked and chipped, but these glasses were just perfect. I'm still dreaming of the day I will have a tea party with four place settings consisting entirely of pink Tea Room Depression glass teawares. Maybe 2013 will be the year!

The Christmas cooking begins

Do you give food gifts at Christmas? I always seem to end up making treats for at least a handful of friends or family, and over the weekend I got started on this year's treats. One of my favorite recipes is the one for these simple Orange Balls. It's easy, it makes a heap of them, and best of all they're delicious!

I found this recipe tucked inside an old cookbook that had belonged to my grandmother, who had apparently cut the recipe out of the old Georgia Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin.

These refrigerated, bite-sized treats get texture from vanilla wafer crumbs and pecans. The citrus flavor from the frozen orange juice is a nice switch from the heavier sweets you often find at Christmas. And if you don't need to make these as Christmas treats, you might want to try them on a tea tray sometime.

Market Bulletin Orange Balls

1 (16-ounce) box + 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice (DO NOT THAW)
1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers, crushed in food processor
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine box of powdered sugar, butter, orange juice, vanilla wafers and pecans. Mixture will be very stiff. Roll into balls about the size of a large gumball and roll in reserved powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator. Yields about 5 dozen Orange Balls.

Teatime Giveaway #50 - Spode Teapot Ornament

The winner of the tea-themed stationery from last week is Nancy Carr, so congrats! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these goodies headed your way. And this week, since Christmas seems to be advancing much faster than I am this year, let's have a shortened time period for the giveaway. To be sure you get this Spode teapot ornament in time to hang on your tree, let's say these entries have to be in by noon EST on Wednesday, Dec. 19. That'll give me time to hurry up and get this in the mail to the winner!

And here's a close-up view in the plastic packaging. Want to win this ornament? Again, just be sure to enter between now and noon Wednesday. Good luck!

"Ten Tea Parties" by Joseph Cummins

Since the Boston Tea Party anniversary is coming up this Sunday (how quickly 239 years fly by!), I thought it was time to read a book I’ve had for a few months now, “Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot” by Joseph Cummins.

Cummins begins: “See if this story sounds familiar: During a severe financial recession, the government of the world’s most powerful country discovers that its largest corporation—let’s call it Corporation X—is rife with corruption, mired in debt, and facing financial collapse. And although the corporation’s directors probably are guilty of criminal behavior, the government won’t consider allowing the business to go down the tubes. It’s simply ‘too big to fail.’ Its finances are intertwined with those of the government and various financial institutions … If you think the only solution is a massive corporate bailout, you’re right—only the corporation in question is not Merrill Lynch circa 2008 but the East India Company in 1773.”

No matter where you stand on the issue of taxes today, I think all tea lovers who are also history lovers will enjoy this book. Now I knew, of course, about the Boston Tea Party. And thanks to some other tea histories I’ve read, I knew about the Edenton Tea Party in North Carolina, where some courageous women vowed they would no longer “conform to ye pernicious Custom of Drinking Tea.” I vaguely recalled hearing about a similar protest in Charleston, S.C., and all of these are covered along with other such “tea parties” in Philadelphia; New York; Chestertown, Md.; York, Maine; Annapolis, Md.; Wilmington, N.C.; and Greenwich, N.J.

These early patriots, it seems, were quite serious about not having taxable tea land in America, and I was surprised to learn some of the lengths they went to in order to impress upon officials the importance of "hearing the people” on this matter. Tons (literally) of tea was tossed overboard or sometimes burned in the public square. Some who tried to accept the tea in order to make a profit on it were tarred and feathered, and one man’s ship was run aground and set aflame so it would be in view of the bedroom window where his wife was in the midst of childbirth! This book definitely gave me a deeper appreciation of those early Americans who fought for our freedom, and I couldn't help wondering what they would think about our country today. "Ten Tea Parties" greatly educated me on those early "tea party" protests—and on a purely selfish note, it also made me immensely grateful our nation’s grudge against tea did not last forever!

Soho is so good

A new Harney & Sons tea I've been enjoying is this Soho blend featuring notes of chocolate, coconut and vanilla.

When I opened the tin, I was instantly smitten with the appearance of these pretty amaranth petals!

The first time I tried the tea, it was too bitter so I tried it again, steeping for a shorter amount of time. That was still too strong, if not quite as bitter, so next I tried steeping a smaller quantity of tea, just about 3/4 teaspoon, for just about 2 minutes or so. This time it was just right and I got the creamy, dessert-like taste I was seeking. It was a nice reminder not to give up on a tea but rather to experiment until, like Goldilocks, you get it jussssst right!

A teacup meant for me

Earlier this year I came across a photo of this teacup and decided I had to have one like it. Alas, it was $75 and I wasn't willing to pay that. So I trolled eBay for most of the year until I found one for a much more reasonable $14.99, and then I made the purchase.

Now can you guess why I just had to have this particular Royal Albert teacup? Was it the pretty chintz pattern or the nice swirly handle design?

No. I guess you could say it just had my name on it!

Christmas Tea Books

Christmas is a time of year when I enjoy re-reading old favorite books, including a few tea titles. "Christmas Teas of Comfort and Joy" (2008) is by Emilie Barnes with artwork by Susan Rios, and it's just a charming book with sentimental stories, beautiful Christmas paintings and quite a few recipes.

That book is actually excerpted from Barnes' 1999 book, "The Twelve Teas of Christmas," which features artwork by beloved tea artist Sandy Lynam Clough. I don't mind having two versions of this book, because the art is so different it seems like two different books! Every tea lover needs at least one of these titles, though, because it's a great Christmas cookbook and has many terrific ideas for themed Christmas teas.

The sentimental favorite for any tea lover, though, is "A Cup of Christmas Tea" (1982) by Tom Hegg. I can't believe it's been 30 years since this book came out, and it is one that definitely ages well and will inspire you whenever you read it! There's another Hegg book,"A Memory of Christmas Tea," which came out in 1999, and clearly I need to add it to my collection as well.

Finally, "A Christmas Wish" by Dee Appel and with artwork by Gay Talbott Boassy (2001) is a tiny little book with lovely artwork of teacups and a sweet message about taking time out during the busy season to have a cup of tea, something I'll bet most of us have no trouble doing! Are there any other Christmas tea titles you've read? Or any Christmas books that are must-reads each year? Please share!

Ambrosia Tea Bread

This weekend I pondered, if you added orange zest and pineapple and coconut to a tea bread recipe, could you call it Ambrosia Tea Bread? I decided yes, and the result was a very moist, fruity cake, quite unlike the dreaded fruitcake that's often the subject of jokes at this time of year! This one is so rich and filling, one half a small slice makes a nice treat with your afternoon tea.

Ambrosia Tea Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 large orange
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained of all juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside. In separate bowl, whisk egg for several minutes until frothy. Add milk and vanilla and combine. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients along with orange zest, coconut and pineapple, and mix just until combined. Pour into a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan prepared with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper. Bake 75 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire rack and let finish cooling. Wrap well and refrigerate unused bread. Yields 1 loaf.

Teatime Giveaway #49 - Tea-themed Christmas stationery

The winner of the baking goodies from last week is Babe O., so congrats! If you'll send along your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these items headed your way. And for this week's giveaway, I'm offering some of the Mary Engelbreit tea-themed stationery items from Michaels. There's a journal, notepad and pen, all featuring a cute little Christmas mouse and a teapot!

And that's not all, as Joy of Joyfully Yours on Etsy has generously donated two of her beautiful, individually-wrapped greeting cards for the winner as well! So if you want a chance to win all these stationery goodies, just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, Dec. 14. Good luck!

Holiday Cheer teas from Adagio

Adagio Teas is another of the tea vendors that had the good sense to encourage Cyber Monday shopping with free shipping. None of that "with $75 order" stuff, thankfully, so I decided to, quite literally, send myself some Holiday Cheer.

The only holiday tea I've bought this year is the Candy Cane Lane from Celestial Seasonings, so I decided to revisit a sampler I tried and vaguely remember enjoying before, only this time I decided to go with the teabags. For some reason I've been on a teabag kick lately. (Maybe it's because I'm getting over the flu and teabags just make sipping tea so very easy!) At just $14, I think this is a terrifically priced gift set as well.

And although I do love my Candy Cane Lane green tea, I vote this Candy Cane Tea with black tea and peppermint a real winner. The scent is divine, and I enjoy seeing the real pieces of peppermint in the tea bags.

The cranberry is a mild black tea with a light berry taste and scent.

And my favorite of the teas I've tried so far is this Candy Apple Tea with real apple pieces in the teabags. You know the scent that hits you when you go in a candle store in the fall, that mix of spices and berries and cinnamon? That's the impression I got when I first sniffed this tin of tea, and the complex blend was just very filling and rich, leaving me the impression I'd just had a nice liquid dessert. The other flavors in this sampler are Chestnut, Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread. Have you tried any new holiday teas lately?

A great tea gift idea for next year!

Tea friend Janet in Texas surprised me with a gift in the mail earlier this week, and one element in particular I found so completely brilliant, I asked (and received) her permission to share it here!

First, if you're like me, I'd want to know precisely what all was in the gift, not just one part, so here you go: A wonderful new Christmas CD (great music to listen to on my commute) and, to my delight, a handmade tea ornament! That went straight on the tea-themed tree. It's lightweight, too, so that was nice since my tree is a bit heavy this year!

But here's the especially brilliant part I wanted to share. Janet came up with the idea of sending me teas for "The 12 Days of Christmas."

(This bag also contained some Green Tea Candies, a nice switch from the cough drops I've been munching lately!)

And here are the teas! Now isn't this a great idea, to collect enough varieties of teabags to send a tea-loving friend her own "12 Days of Christmas" gift teas next year? Janet said she'd actually thought of doing 25 as a sort of Advent calendar, but I personally know I would never be thinking *that* far ahead. But 12, I might could handle! And in case you like this idea too, I'm so pleased she allowed me to share it here.

The Garden Club Christmas Party

Several times this year I've written about the new Crossroads Garden Club I was privileged to join in early 2012. We may be new but our "little" club has been growing every month, and on Monday night we all gathered for our first annual Christmas Party. Because we talk about food so much here in blog land, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the foods we brought to share. Not too shabby for a not-quite-one-year-old club, eh!

Are you tempted yet? My contribution, at lower right, was the same Olive-Walnut Dip I made several times last year, adapted from a recipe for a favorite tea sandwich spread. If you need a quick and easy dip, and I did, just mix 2 (8-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chopped olives. Decorate with sliced olives on top. Keep your mouth shut about how easy this is and everyone will think you knocked yourself out. Seriously.

But the item on the table that captured my attention immediately was my friend (and the garden club president) Deberah's Caramel Apple Spice Cake. Oh, mercy, it is divine! (And no, I don't have the recipe. Yet!)

Just as good: Her Carmelitas, these thick, decadently rich bar cookies that tasted like you'd managed to bake caramel ice cream topping into them. Along with cakes, doughnuts and other sweet treats, we hardly knew where to begin.

Before tucking into all the sweets, most of us sampled lots of savories, like this spinach quiche and hot artichoke dip.

Deberah (who must have cooked all weekend) also made this Hot Pimiento Cheese Dip. Great idea, and something different!

Our secretary/treasurer, Wilma, brought a great cheese ball. Love cheese balls, always!

Garden club member Charlotte, whom I already knew to be a great cook, made yummy and pretty cheese straws. And I don't know who made the puffed pastry treats with basil, I believe, at back, but they were excellent, and I think they'd be quite at home on a tea tray serving as one of the sandwiches/savories.

Mini-quiches are just always a good idea, aren't they? For the tea table or the buffet table, they always play well with others.

Fruit for the healthy eaters is always nice to see. (Yes, I ate some fruit, don't think I didn't!)

And I got rather amused at how many times I heard these grown-ups say, "You know, kids just love these Rice Krispie treats." And then I'd see folks return for another, and another. Funny! But you don't need an excuse with me, I like 'em too!

This little goodie (maker unknown) was some sort of cream cheese and ham spread sandwiched between two pecan halves or rolled in pecans. So much flavor in such a cute little package!

Charlotte also made these chocolate treats she found on the Internet called Martha Washingtons.

Charlotte said you'll see them made with different kinds of nuts, but she chose walnuts. They taste just like an Almond Joy, the classic candy bar, but my question is … why are they called Martha Washingtons? Charlotte doesn't know, and all the web recipes for them don't seem to know, except for one person who posted that Martha was said to be a good cook so maybe she liked these. If anyone knows the answer, I'd love to hear it!

The beverage station featured these lovely Christmas cups!

And, to save the best for last, I thought you'd like to see just who is a member of our garden club, which includes both men and women. Recognize the white-bearded man in the red shirt? Yes, indeed, Santa Claus is a member of our club! (Around these parts this sweet couple is known as Santa Paul and Wendy Claus, and they bring cheer to lots of local boys and girls.) Just to be on the safe side, as I left the party I said, "Santa, I want a new teacup for Christmas." (No, I don't have anything in mind, I'm just hedging my bets.) "A teacup?" he asked. I nodded. "I think I can handle that!" he said, and with a nod of his nose he bid us all a good night!