Spiced Apple-Pecan Muffins

I had a Granny Smith apple left over from another recipe, along with a few pecans that needed to be used. And then I realized I haven't "cooked with tea" lately, so that meant it was time to experiment. I used my Nordic Ware pan with the cavities in the shape of maple leaves. The result was this muffin recipe which contains two whole tea bags of Pumpkin Spice tea. I was a little concerned that I might be putting too much tea in the mix, but the end result was just delicious—and a real hit with my husband!

Spiced Apple-Pecan Muffins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Bigelow Pumpkin Spice tea bags
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, diced and chopped fine in food processor
1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, add flours, soda, baking powder, salt and dry contents of the two teabags. Combine well.

In large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar and apple, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and egg. Beat by hand until well blended. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Fold in pecans.

Fill leaf-shaped cavities of baking pan 1/2 full and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched. Yields 18 muffins. (Note: These cavities are smaller than those of regular muffin pans, so this recipe should yield about 12 regular muffins.)

Teatime Giveaway #41 – Two Leaves and a Bud Tea

The winner of the tea mug and napkins from last week is Ginger, so congrats! I'll get these items headed your way ASAP. And this week, the folks at Two Leaves and a Bud have generously offered to donate some of their tea to not one but TWO lucky winners!

Here's what was inside the generous gift box I just received from them. I've already enjoyed some African Sunset Red Tea (a citrusy rooibos with lemongrass and lemon peel), Alpine Berry Herbal Tea (a great berry flavor that's not too tart) and Mountain High Chai Black Tea (a classic chai, perfect for a cool October morning). Want to win some of their tea for yourself? Just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, Oct. 19, and if you're one of the two winners you'll get to choose a box of tea sachets from Two Leaves and a Bud in the flavor of your choice. Good luck!

More teapots from Mary and Michaels

Let me just say this: No, I am not on the Michaels payroll, although clearly I ought to be so I could at least get the employee discount. But when I ran by for some ribbon the other day to finish up a baby blanket I was making, I checked those lovely $1.50 bins and found several new Mary Engelbreit tea-themed goodies, including the notepad I had heard existed but had not actually seen. There weren't very many of them, though.

And you know what else they had? Emery boards. With teapots. You want some, don't you?

As a major, major lover of cheap pens, I was also thrilled to find a Mary Engelbreit pen with a teapot on it. I predict these tea-themed items will disappear pretty quickly, so if you're in a Michaels soon, you may want to look for these!

Dilmah's Italian Almond Tea

Last year, I came across some Dilmah Peppermint and English Toffee tea that I bought simply out of curiosity. Could a combination of peppermint and toffee possibly work? To my surprise, I didn't just like it, I loved it! So when I came across some Italian Almond Tea from the same purveyor, I just had a feeling it would be good.

A nice whiff of almond was evident from the moment I opened the foil pouch and removed one of the tea sachets.

You know how companies started listing "dessert teas" some years ago? Well, this is one of those teas that is so rich and tasty it could absolutely substitute for dessert–which is not to say that a bite of chocolate or pumpkin muffin alongside it wouldn't be welcome. And at just $3.99 a box at T.J. Maxx, this tea won't break the bank either. If you like the taste and scent of almonds, I definitely recommend you try to get your hands on a box of this tea!

Lessons in Tea Room glassware

Usually, if I share photos of some new Tea Room Depression glass I've found, it's because I've just acquired a great piece in perfect shape. This week, alas, I had the misfortune of buying some glass on eBay that wasn't quite as advertised.

The seller had said these two sherbets were chip and crack-free, but alas, they are not. This chip was evident the minute I opened the box.

And there were a couple of tiny cracks like this, too. I wouldn't have bought the pieces had I known this, and to her credit, the seller (whom I sent photos of the damage) apologized profusely. I was offered a full refund of all payment and shipping costs involved in any return, or she offered to refund half of what I paid. Because it's so difficult to find this glassware at all, and because even the experts have warned that perfect Tea Room pieces are hard to find, I opted to keep the two sherbets at the adjusted price.

I also thought it might be useful to share with you some well-known design flaws in Tea Room glass that are actually *not* considered damage by collectors. Bubbles, for instance, are common in this pattern, and what I thought was a chip at the bottom point is not. I've never seen so many bubbles in a piece!

And these string-like inclusions in the glass could be mistaken for scratches, but they are actually what the experts call "straw marks" or "cooling marks," caused as the hot glass cools.

The other reason I kept these pieces was that they are low-footed sherbets (left), and I have two of the flared sherbets (right) and wanted to compare them. I wouldn't use these latest pieces as individual serving pieces with guests, but I might use them for, say, holding candles or other accessories on the table. Have you ever bought an imperfect piece of glass or china? Why or why not?

Thinking of Christmas and gifts

I know, I know, some of you want to slap me for rushing right into the Christmas season when we haven't even reached Halloween, for Pete's sake, but I have my reasons. 1) The magazine I edit is wrapping up some food photos for the Christmas issue today, so I've got Christmas greenery, candy canes and holiday treats on the brain, bigtime. 2) When it comes to Christmas and tea goodies, I feel it is my civic duty to let you know about things as soon as I find them. Like this new Polish pottery teapot ornament I found at Tuesday Morning in Fayetteville over the weekend. (Note to local readers: There is now a Tuesday Morning next to the JoAnn store, in the former World Market space.)

It's a far cry from the bone china I love, and yet something about this pretty blue Polish pottery has long appealed to me. I was amused to learn my ornament (a $6.99 find) is fine for the microwave, dishwasher and oven!

I learned from Lady B's Time for Tea blog last week that I needed to look for some tea-themed Christmas goodies in the bins at Michaels, which is where I found this journal and notecards. Lady B's actually found the notecards and a matching notepad (which I didn't find), and they are offering a giveaway here.

Also at Michaels, there were lots of ribbons on clearance, and I loaded up on some glittery aqua blue and brown ones. I got a vision of a tree decorated with all blue and brown ornaments, and with blue and brown wrapped gifts beneath it, to match the new brown furniture I'm hoping to find and have in place before our families show up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. After I decided I will have blue and brown ribbon on my gifts to match the new furniture, I went to Hallmark for some bronze looking paper but settled on the gold rolls here. These giant giftwrap rolls, by the way, are on sale right now, and you can get the second one for $1 after buying one at regular price.

Also at Hallmark: A sale on these cute gift add-on embellishments, which clearly I had to have. Regularly $2.49 each, they were 2 for $3 on Saturday. I particularly liked the simple design of the Friendship Tea teacup one at left, and I'm going to see if I can't use this design for a quilt or other craft. And that's all the Christmas and gift news I'll force upon you today! Fa la la la la …

A Taste of Fall

The flavors of fall have been calling my name, so over the weekend I did a little cooking with some leftover pumpkin from a muffin recipe I tried two weeks ago. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand to make that particular recipe again, so what I improvised was this Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe.

I was inspired, too, by some discoveries at Publix: Dickinson's Apple Butter and Bigelow's Pumpkin Spice Tea, both of which I greatly enjoyed! I knew Dickinson's as maker of the Lemon Curd and Lime Curd I have often purchased, but I didn't know they made Apple Butter. And the Bigelow tea had a nice rich taste, almost a buttery taste, with just enough spice to make this a fine fall tea. I must say, the hot tea was the perfect accompaniment to this rich, hot muffin, which was good alone but seemed decadent when I topped each bite with a bit of the apple butter. If you're in a muffin mood as well, here's the recipe!

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, add flours, soda, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Combine well.

In large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar and pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, oil and egg. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Spoon batter into prepared cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched. Serve hot with apple butter. Yields 12 muffins.

Teatime Giveaway #40 - Ikea mug & napkins

The winner of the teacup ribbons from last week is Marie, who reported she had been unable to find them at her Michaels, so congrats! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these ribbon rolls headed your way. And for this week, well, you know the old Willie Nelson song "You Were Always On My Mind"? Well, you tea friends are always on my mind, like when I was shopping at Ikea last week.

Knowing that some of you probably don't have an Ikea nearby, I thought I'd offer up this tea-ish Ikea mug to this week's giveaway winner.

And a pack of paper napkins. Use them for teatime or, if you're fond of the graphics, use them in decoupage or other crafts. To win these Ikea goodies, just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, Oct. 12. Good luck!

Teavana's Cranberry Singapore Sling Rooibos

Well, don't I feel like a doofus. I was by a Teavana store last week and had to pop in and see if there was anything new that smelled good. Indeed yes, there were lots of new flavors, but the one I came home with was this divinely-scented Cranberry Singapore Sling Rooibos. Funny name, eh? When I got home I visited Teavana's web site, and there I learned this tea is named after a famous Southeast Asian cocktail. Now how was this poor Baptist child supposed to know a thing like that? Ah, well.

Teavana actually had a heap of new flavors, and I almost got the Caramel Almond Amaretti herbal tea, but it was beat out by the amazing scent of the cranberry rooibos. According to Teavana, "This tantalizing taste of tart, sweet, and creamy flavors is a nod to the past, created by combining tart cranberry and cherry with sweet pineapple and orange, finished with Madagascar vanilla."

Cranberry Singapore Sling Rooibos, it must be said, is one of the best-smelling teas I've ever brought into my house. If you are a fan of the old Luden's Wild Cherry cough drops, as I am, you will remember the divine cherry scent that greeted you every time you opened the box. Well, this tea's scent is pleasantly reminiscent of that one, and sometimes I just walk by and open the bag and sniff away. If this weren't $7.80 for two ounces, I'd buy up a bowl of it and use it as potpourri. The taste, I am pleased to report, lives up to the scent, and I am sipping through this stuff like mad. If you're near a Teavana, you might want to sniff out some, or another new fall blend, for yourself!

A trip to Ikea

A couple of thoughtful readers had alerted me to some tea-themed goodies at Ikea. Since I was going right by one in Atlanta last week, I of course stopped by in search of said goodies and here they are!

First, and my favorite find, is this mug that every tea lover needs. Just $1.99, and worth every penny, don't you think?

Ikea is known for being cheap but also for having great graphics, and the detail on these paper napkins was just delightful. (So was the price: $1.49.)

Now I call this tray "plastic," but Ikea calls it "laminated cardboard." Whatever you call it, this 13-inch tray ($6.99) is a great addition to my craft room. I've been trying to resurrect my tatting skills lately, and this is perfect for gathering up the balls of thread, tatting shuttles and small scissors this needlework requires. Atlanta has had an Ikea for several years now, and though I don't go often, I do enjoy visiting the store when I get a chance. Do you have an Ikea nearby? (And thanks again for those helpful shopping alerts, tea friends!)

Tea room ladies of yesteryear

When I started collecting old department store tea room memorabilia a few years ago, I came across several postcards showing interiors of the Bullocks Wilshire tea room in Los Angeles, Calif. But like all my other department store tea room postcards, they never showed any people in them — until now. I was just beside myself when I came upon this undated, unused postcard the other day — check out those gals and the waitresses!

Here's a close-up, a bit pixelated, but hopefully you can tell a little more about what the customers were wearing. Interestingly, when I enlarged this image it looked more like artwork than a photograph. And although it's the same size and even has the same font on the front as my other Bullocks postcards, there is a blank back. There's not even a dividing line or the word "Postcard." Nada.

On the other hand there is another recent addition to the collection, this postcard from Bullocks which was indeed postally used in 1924. In this shot, I enjoyed seeing the chair covers and all the potted palms.

The card written to Miss Gussie something of Gloversville, New York on Aug. 28th, 1924 reads, "Dear Cousins: Mommie and the children were here visiting last week. Had a nice visit with them. The weather has been lovely this summer, not a bit hot. I wouldn't go back East to stay. Best Love to you all. Mother sends love." And I can't quite make out that signature, I'm afraid. (Can you?) At any rate, I loved getting some new glimpses of what a tea room looked like back before most of us reading this blog were even born!

"The Vintage Tea Party Book" by Angel Adoree

If memory serves, never before have I come across a tea party book by an orange-haired British lass whose tea bread recipes are accompanied by instructions for applying false eyelashes, but hey, there's a first time for everything! I actually saw "The Vintage Tea Party Book" by Angel Adoree on Amazon a while back, but the cover reminded me of another tea book I own and I didn't give it too much thought, especially since I hadn't seen it reviewed anywhere. In Anthropologie at Lenox Mall last week, however, I came upon this most intriguing hardback and had an entirely different reaction to the book. "It's gorgeous!" said the friend who was with me. And it is.

First, please note the cover features an oval cutout, but open the book and you'll see artwork of the flame-haired author pouring tea for her friends. A few pages over, there's an actual photograph from which the artwork was created. It made me smile, and the edgy photos make it clear this is not your grandma's tea book!

But — and this is an important but — there is quite enough of the traditional in this book to make it worth the while of us old fogeys: treats like these pretty heart-shaped cucumber sandwiches.

There's also a yummy-sounding recipe for Plum and Honey Tea Bread I aim to try.

And there are quite a few recipes for beverages, such as blended teas as well as other hot drinks, including the ones served here in vintage wares.

Angel (whose real name is, ahem, Angela) sounds like she must be a lot of fun. According to the book she owns a business called The Vintage Patisserie, and I love her passion for all things vintage. She bought her first tea set at age 12 at a "boot fair," and she says her favorite pastime is thrifting. My kinda tea lover! I could say this book is "whimsical," but "wacky" would probably be a better word. (And I mean that as a compliment, of course!) It tells you how to make cardboard and fabric butterfly decorations, how to create a forties hairstyle, and how to make a Green Tea and Pear Cocktail. The book also has a copyable stencil of Queen Elizabeth (Angel is rightly proud of her British heritage) and recipes for Sugared Fruits, Rose Petal Sandwiches and Earl Grey Truffle Hearts, among many others. It's a book that's given me lots of new tea party inspiration, but best of all it just makes me smile!

A fruitful shopping trip

Over the weekend, my mom and I hit multiple HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores in the Marietta area. After a bit of a shopping drought in recent months, I was pleased that I actually found some treasures this time.

First, this plastic tray from HomeGoods will actually fulfill a need. Last week, as I was packing up glassware to use for serving my refreshments at the garden club meeting, I pondered the fact that I have very few trays, plates and platters that aren't china or glass. Sure, I like the fancy stuff best, but there are times when you *need* a little plastic in life. When I saw this nice-sized (13 x 17-1/2-inch) plastic tray for $7.99, I knew it was going home with me.

What I actually fretted over was this $3.99 ceramic teapot sachet holder from T.J. Maxx. I don't have much room for cutesy doodads anymore, even pleasantly-scented White Tea & Bamboo ones, but ... something about this spoke to me. It said, "I want to be in the garden next spring." How, I do not know. But I do know I've had far more regrets about the tea things I let slip away than the things I've brought home, so I got the teapot. I'll enjoy the fragrance now, and I've got a few months to figure out whether or not a plant could indeed sprout up through the holes in the teapot!

My biggest shopping success, though, was in nabbing six of these $4.99 dinner plates from HomeGoods. After deciding two years ago to begin acquiring the Johnson Brothers His Majesty dishes for Thanksgiving, would you believe they have discontinued the pattern? I went online and found I can still pretty easily order a plate or two at a time on eBay, but with the shipping costs that's far more expensive than my original plates were. So, necessity being the mother of invention, I have decided I will simply mix-and-match brown turkey plates. And I must say, when I got home with these new Royal Stafford plates from England, I found I actually like them better than the His Majesty plates.

I think it's the soft coloring of the fruits and flowers of the border that make me like these best. I can see fall-toned napkins and amber colored glassware tying both designs together quite nicely, can't you?

And finally, my mom is always thinking about my Christmastime collection of Santa Claus mugs, and her thrift store visits have resulted in three new ones. Not a bad haul for a single Saturday!