Party time in Wisconsin!

What a whirlwind weekend it was! We got back just last night after flying out to Wisconsin Friday morning so we would be on hand to help celebrate the first birthday of sweet Michael, the adorable little boy born to my stepdaughter and her hubby just about one year ago. I realize I'm prejudiced and all, but isn't this a sweet face?

Here he is dressed up for his big party.

He does this cute little thing with his feet. Sweet!


Michael is really into Mickey Mouse, so there were Mickey decorations and balloons and cakes.

As you can see, he *really* enjoyed his little personal-sized cake and was no shy wallflower about digging into it. In fact, at one point after sticking his little hands in the cake and grabbing chunks for a while, he simply picked up the entire thing with both hands and basically shoved it into his face! I've seen babies attack cake before, but nothing like this--we must have laughed for 10 minutes solid!

And I assumed I would not have any tea-related tales to bring home, but I was (happily) wrong! I went with Michael's mom to pick up balloons from a local party supply store, and what did I come across but this adorable line of tea party paper goods. (The manufacturer's name is Paper Art, just in case some of you would like to search for these.)

While I do not in fact have a children's tea party in the works at the moment, I just knew I would regret it if I didn't buy a few of these things, especially teapot-shaped plates. Aren't these adorable?

But not as adorable as this little guy!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #42 - Almonds & Spiced Cream

Determined not to let my Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice bread go to waste, I decided I could get one more tea sandwich out of this loaf before it's time to move on. So this week, I decided to experiment with some cream cheese I had in the fridge.

I ended up mixing the cream cheese with some favorite fall spices, and then I topped the Pumpkin Spice bread with the spiced cream and sliced almonds.

Would the swirly bread cut out OK with my leaf-shaped cutters? Yes!

My husband especially liked the lightly sweet flavor of this cream cheese mixture, which we both agreed would also be good as a dip served with, say, vanilla wafers. Or gingersnaps. Here it is!

Spiced Cream

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Soften cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, then add sugar and spices. Combine well. Store in refrigerator. Yields 1 cup of spread.

Tea with Hemingway

Now tea is not quite the beverage I usually associate with Ernest Hemingway, who liked a more potent brew, as I recall. And yet I couldn't help picking up this 99-cent sample of Ernest Hemingway Highland Select Tea when I came across it at World Market.

This tea says it is "infused with the author's spirit and passion for life." Since I've just finished writing a book and am ready to begin a new one (a novel, this time), I thought it might be good to drink some tea "infused with the spirit" of Hemingway. (It's a good, brisk black tea, by the way.)

So far I haven't felt inspired to write a thing, but I do have a sudden urge to visit Key West!

Tea catalog season

I usually resent the early arrival of Christmas catalogs in my mailbox, but not when it's a tea catalog! The Bigelow Fall/Winter 2011 catalog arrived this week, and there's lots to tempt. Offerings include a cute beehive teapot and mug, new seasonal teas, some great holiday gift sets, and boxes of Coconut Water tea mixes I'd love to try. Say, have any of you read the Bigelow book, "My Mother Loved Tea"? I may just have to order that!

Another recent tea catalog that came in the mail was this Autumn 2011 Harney & Sons catalog. One reason I like this catalog so much is that it's very educational. I always *learn* something from the Harney catalog, like this tidbit: "Scholars believe that China Black teas first appeared at some point in the 1700s, in China's Wuyi Mountains, in northern Fujian province." Of course I won't pretend I read this only for the articles. Nope, you can rest assured I have already lusted over that Historic Royal Palaces teapot and teacup in the new Harney catalog!

I don't seem to receive as many tea catalogs as I once did. I just requested one from Stash Tea, and I guess I've been bumped off the Upton Tea mailing list since I haven't ordered in so long. Are there any other tea catalogs you're receiving that you can recommend?

Honestly, Honest Tea is good!

Now that cooler weather is here, I'm betting this is the last time you'll read about me drinking a bottled or iced tea for a while! But I was happy to see Honest Tea, a brand I've found at Whole Foods, has come to my local Publix store.

The variety I bought last week was this "just a tad sweet" Organic Half Tea and Half Lemonade, which I noticed because it was part of a special cardboard display sitting at the end of a grocery aisle.

Not all bottled teas are created alike, and I can tell you that I simply loved this one! The sweetness from the organic cane sugar combined with the tartness of the lemon juice made this a winning combination. I was also intrigued at the labeling of this tea as "just a tad sweet," because I think it's a sign we're paying more attention to our sugar consumption. I've started to notice family members and friends in restaurants ordering tea that's "half and half," meaning half sweet and half unsweet. As a tea lover I'm encouraged because I think it's a sign we're moving toward a more "pure tea" taste, and that's a good thing!

Hold it, hold it, hold it!

Now here's an item that's been on my wish list for quite some time: a vintage wire rack filled with teabag holders!

I found this set of four of these holders at an antique mall in Marietta on Saturday. The set was $11.95, which I thought was a fair price.

I've seen these before but not with this particular design, and not with the rack in this good a condition. Tell me, what's on *your* teatime wish list, something you've been waiting to come across? I'd love to know!

The "Dainty Dining" winners are ...

Brenda A. in Hilton Head, Darlene of The Tea Enthusiast's Scrapbook, Jenny (who has a gmail e-mail address), Lani in Hawaii and ccatk22. Congratulations to the winners, and if you'll send me your snail mail addresses via the e-mail button at right, I'll make sure these books are ready to ship out to you the minute they arrive! (And thanks so much to everyone for your kind comments, e-mails and orders! I am truly thrilled at the level of interest in my book!)

Some weekend finds

Saturday was a productive shopping day with my mom, and since I had a $10 T.J. Maxx gift certificate on me I was especially happy to find two pretty new tea towel designs. These were $5.99 each, so that means they only cost me $1.98. Not bad, huh!

Of course the teacups were my favorite, but I also liked ...

... this one with cutlery.

I am still quite drawn to the brown and blue color palette.

And for tea towels, these had some unusually frilly lace. Nice!

And this tea kettle design ...

... was on the two 99-cent bags I picked up while checking out (and yes, I was indeed at a T.J. Maxx and More, but these bags had the logo of sister store HomeGoods). Last Christmas, my friend Deberah taught me the thrifty idea of using these 99-cent reusable bags, which are simply everywhere these days, as gift bags! They're big, they're pretty, they cost much less than typical gift bags, and the recipients love getting a pretty bag they can use. The rest of you may have learned this trick long before I did, but at least I learned in time to start picking up these bags before I need to begin stuffing them with Christmas gifts and tissue!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #41 - Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches

Several years ago I helped with a church Christmas Tea where we served Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches. I've been thinking about them all week, so when I got to the grocery store I decided it was time to make some for this week's tea sandwich.

As I recall, we actually used raisin bread to make the sandwiches, and I was reaching for my usual loaf of Pepperidge Farm raisin bread when I saw this "limited edition" Pumpkin Spice flavor! Yum!

These are definitely more about "assembling" since there is no actual cooking involved, but here's what you need:

Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches

Apples (I used Granny Smith)
Lemon juice
Raisin bread (or other flavored bread)
Creamy peanut butter
Nuts (I used walnuts)

Cut the apple into thin slices and soak them briefly in lemon juice to prevent browning. Spread two slices of bread with peanut butter, then layer with the apples. Once sandwich is assembled, use a bread knife to cleanly slice off the crusts, then cut into triangles.

On two of the triangles, I spread one edge with a thin layer of peanut butter and dipped the edge into chopped walnuts. I can't think of an easier, better or more delicious fall tea sandwich!

Store-bought madeleines: a lesson learned

Several times over the past few years I've written about madeleines, those classic shell-shaped treats that go so wonderfully well with a cup of tea. I've enjoyed making them, because they were actually pretty easy once I found a good recipe, and I was intrigued when I saw a package of them at the grocery store the other day.

I passed by the display twice, but the third time I decided to give these Entenmann's Ultimate Madeleines a try. In a pinch, it might be nice to know I could purchase madeleines for teatime. I couldn't find a price on the shelf or on the package itself, but hey, surely these wouldn't be more than $3 to $4, right? Imagine my shock when I checked out and realized I had just paid $6.29 for this package of madeleines! Gulp! (Later, I noticed the price was digitally printed on the side of the plastic container itself, not on the paper labels. Now I'll know where to look next time.)

And I'm very sorry to report these "Petite Butter Cakes" taste like a very average piece of pound cake, and I also didn't like the fact some of them were stuck together, looking like these. There were 13 in the package, which means I paid 48 cents apiece for some very sub-standard madeleines. I have in fact liked many of the Entenmann's products I've tried over the years, but the madeleines I make are so much better than these. So I'm curious, what do you think? Do you swear by homemade madeleines or would you have given these a try?

A Christmas tea set to cross-stitch ... someday!

Christmas has been on my mind all this week because the magazine I work for is finishing our Christmas issue. I've been baking treats, digging out Christmas decorations, and humming "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." It also reminded me I meant to share a cross-stitch chart I recently found online from a U.K. firm, Celtic Rose Needlecraft (celticroseneedlecraft.com). Isn't this pretty? It doesn't say who the designer is, but it sure looks like Sandy Lynam Clough's work to me.

I have yet to take the first stab with a needle (I've had some other projects on the front burner!), but when I opened the chart I realized this will be quite an ambitious needlecraft project for me.

The chart itself is printed across eight pages, and here are the first four. What was I thinking? Oh well, maybe I'll start on it before *next* Christmas rolls around. You know, next September. ;)

Republic of Tea's Brew Basket

Last week when I showed you the goodies that were in my gift bag from the Central Library, I had not yet used the new brew basket that was part of my gift. I'd seen these before, at Whole Foods, I believe, but I'd never actually picked one up.

If I had, I would have been just as surprised as I was when I freed this little guy from the package, because it's a fine mesh filter that's light as a feather! And my test of a good filter? How it handles rooibos.

I scooped some Vanilla Rooibos into the filter sitting in my teacup, added the boiling water, and I was mighty impressed with how well it strained the rooibos. I also LOVE how very easy this brew basket is to clean and, so far, keep clean. If you haven't yet tried this filter, you might want to put one on your wish list!

Want to win a year of free tea?

If you don't subscribe to the Bigelow Tea e-mail newsletter, you might not have heard about the Bigelow Tea Recipe Contest they are sponsoring, and it's a good one!

To enter, you submit an original recipe using any flavor(s) of Bigelow Tea, and you could win a year's supply of tea plus a personalized tea chest, shown here on my iPad. That sounds like a fun contest to me, and several possibilities immediately came to mind.

I'm thinking of using Constant Comment or Lemon Lift, so I decided I'd just drink the Green Tea as inspiration. I guess the closest I've come to a food competition is the office chili cook-off, which isn't quite the same thing. I know many of us like to cook, so surely one of us ought to win this contest! For more information on the contest, go here.

"Dainty Dining" coming this fall!

Today I am so happy to be able to announce that I've written my first book, "Dainty Dining: Vintage recipes, memories and memorabilia from America's department store tea rooms." Right now I'm busily proofing the final pages before they head to the printer, and I should have books in hand by mid-November. I can't wait! The book is 6 x 9 inches, and if you double-click on the image it should be nearly the right size.

Some of you won't be surprised at my subject since I've been researching department store tea rooms all year and occasionally published a blog post about one of them here, a preview of some of the things that will be in the book. It includes recipes, tales and memorabilia from 20 department store tea rooms/restaurants across the country, including Bullock's Wilshire in Los Angeles, Burdines in Miami, Denver Dry Goods in Denver, Filene's in Boston, Frederick & Nelson in Seattle, Gimbels in New York, Hess's in Allentown, Penn., Higbee Company in Cleveland, J.L. Hudson in Detroit, Innes Dry Goods in Wichita, F & R Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio, Macy's in New York, Maison Blanche in New Orleans, Marshall Field in Chicago, Miller & Rhoads in Richmond, Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Rich's in Atlanta, Wanamaker's in Philadelphia, Woodward & Lothrop in Washington, D.C. and Younker Brothers in Des Moines. The 1947 postcard above shows the "modern" Rich's Department Store in Atlanta, a beloved retail institution in my fair state.

And this postcard is from the tea room at Woodward & Lothrop in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year I learned that tea friend Belinda M.'s mother once worked at a branch of this store in the D.C. area.

And here is the chocolate fudge cake that was once served in that tea room, and it is simply divine!

So these are the sort of things that fill my book, and I can't wait until it gets here! Locally, I'll be doing book signings at Scott's Bookstore here in Newnan and at my friend's store, Cydney's Alley, in Senoia. You can order via the PayPal button at top right. You don't have to have a PayPal account yourself, but it allows you to securely enter your debit card or credit card information, which I never see. (I've been sending and receiving funds via PayPal myself for more than a decade, and it's my favorite way to pay for online purchases.)

But enough of the sales info! To kick things off, I'm giving away five free autographed copies of the book, and all you have to do to be entered is leave an "Enter me" comment to this post between now and next Monday, Oct. 10, at 7 a.m. EST. Good luck!

UPDATE: Giveaway has ended, but copies of the book are still available to order!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #40 - Creamy Egg Salad

Last weekend I was making a dessert that involved piping on some whipped cream, and it occurred to me that I really need to take a cake decorating class because I love piping and would like to learn fancier ways of doing it! Meanwhile, I was also craving some egg salad, and it struck me that piping egg salad into or on a tea sandwich might be fun.

But it would need to be a creamy egg salad, not a chunky egg salad, because chunks wouldn't squeeze through the piping tip on a pastry bag.

So I made up a super easy egg salad recipe that worked beautifully.

Creamy Egg Salad

4 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet relish

Combine all ingredients in food processor until very creamy and mixture resembles a dip or spread. Pipe onto or into sandwiches as desired. Yields about 3/4 cup spread.

I took this photo just after piping the egg salad onto the sandwiches. I placed them in the refrigerator and the piped egg salad held its shape quite well, so I would probably make these ahead of time and let them chill so the shape will "set" before serving.

REMINDER: Coming Monday is my announcement about a major project I've been working on. I hope you'll stop by to see what it is!