Teatime Giveaway #2 - English Tea Shop Gourmet Tea Collection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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!