Tea Room Recipe #50 - Ryan's Daughters Tea Room (Terre Haute, Indiana)

This week I needed to make more cookies for gift baskets for a few friends, so I turned to one of my tea room cookbooks and found a recipe that features a beloved ingredient: Hershey Bars!

The recipe for these Hershey Bar Cookies comes from the Ryan's Daughters Tea Room's "I Love to Cook Cookbook & More," a 2000 cookbook. I haven't found any information on the internet about whether this particular tea room is still in business, so if anyone knows, please leave a comment!

These super easy and delicious cookies are made in a jelly roll pan. (Mine is a Wilton jelly roll pan and measures 15.25 x 10.25 x .75 inches.) You mix the crust ingredients, bake, then after it's cooled a bit top with Hershey Bars and let them melt before adding nuts. Although the recipe calls for normal-sized candy bars, the giant Hershey Bars happened to be on sale at the grocery store so I substituted two large ones, broke them into pieces, and it worked out great! If you love the classic taste of good old-fashioned Hershey Bars, you will love these cookies!

Hershey Bar Cookies

Dough:

1 large egg yolk
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Topping:

8-10 Hershey Bars
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, combine all dough ingredients and mix until the crumbs begin to approach the size of peas and the mixture is moist and dough-like. Spread in a jelly roll pan prepared with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, just until edges are beginning to brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then place Hershey Bars on top and allow to spread. Once the chocolate is melted enough, it will be easy to spread with a knife to cover the cookie base, then sprinkle with nuts. (If the chocolate doesn't melt enough for easy spreading, put pan back in oven for just a minute or two.) Cut cookies while warm for ease in scoring later. I refrigerated my cookies to help the topping settle. I LOVE the taste of these cookies!

The Sencha Naturals giveaway winner is ...

... Amber S.! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these treats headed your way. Congrats!

Love & Toast Green Tea & Mint Lip Butter

At this time of year I can't seem to have enough lip balms on hand, and naturally when I see a new one with "green tea" in the name I'm hooked! I found this Love & Toast Green Tea & Mint Lip Butter at Whole Foods recently, and the $2.99 price was quite reasonable.

When I got home, I read the ingredients list and was surprised to find no "camellia sinensis" listed among the ingredients, so I'm assuming the "green tea" falls into the "natural flavor" category.

I really liked this "lip butter," especially since another lip balm I'd been using has one of those peppery ingredients that tingles the lips, and I really just want a moisturizing lip balm, nothing exotic. Have you tried any lip balms with green tea in them?

Amelia's fun American Girl teatime menu!

Amelia was happily sipping her Green Tea at the American Girl Bistro in Alpharetta on Tuesday! When the server had asked what beverage she wanted (the choices included "kid stuff" like lemonade and hot chocolate), Amelia replied "hot tea," which of course warmed my heart! "Hmmm, sophisticated choice," the server said with a smile. From the teabag selection on the table Amelia selected Bigelow's Green Tea, and I had Tazo's Passion Herbal Infusion. We each got our own little white teapot of hot water.

Our tea tray arrived very quickly!

On the bottom tier, we had fruit kabobs, strawberry yogurt and petite blueberry muffins.

Next, the tea sandwiches! Turkey on a small pretzel roll, a miniature pig-in-a-blanket and a cucumber sandwich.

Surprisingly, the miniature pig-in-a-blanket (hot dog in a puff pastry shell) was my favorite, although I think my girlfriends might get the vapors if I served them hot dogs at teatime!

Here Amelia shows her cucumber sandwich.

And the sweets (photobombed by Amelia) included a chocolate mousse flowerpot (Amelia really did think it was dirt at first!), mini cupcakes and candy cane cookies. We were both so full we couldn't eat everything. I thought the $12 per person charge for this tea (including the beverage) was very reasonable, and I'm frankly amazed they aren't into price-gouging, considering the popularity of the American Girl dolls. Yet another thing to admire about this store and restaurant!

Each girl also gets a craft to complete or take home. I tried to assemble this gift box for Julie but decided my sister will have the pleasure of finishing this up!

The restaurant was all pink and pretty, and I'd love to go back for brunch or lunch sometime. I'm sure Amelia would be glad to join me, and I'm keeping on her good side, because she recently asked my sister if she (Amelia) will be driving me to stores and coloring my hair for me when she's older. (These are things my sister and I do for our Aunt Jane.) If Amelia is going to be responsible for driving me to T.J. Maxx in my golden years, you can bet I'm going to help create all the good will I can right now!

Amelia & I visit the American Girl doll store!

Yesterday I got to take my 8-year-old niece, Amelia, to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Alpharetta. There she selected her Christmas gift, a new American Girl doll named Julie, and also got to enjoy tea!

I think that in a perfect world Amelia would have liked one of each, but the first doll she really oohed and aahed over was Julie, which surprised me since Julie is a doll whose story is set in the 1970s. Although *I* was drawn to Caroline and the other frilly-dressed dolls, I had told myself this was *Amelia's* doll and I was not going to impose my preference on her. (Although I did point out that Marie-Grace had a hoop skirt, sigh, but I let it go at that.) After about three full runs through the entire store, no small feat, it was back to Julie, and yes, she was the one Amelia wanted. "This is the best day of my life!" she said, which of course made me laugh!

As soon as we left the store Amelia wanted to take her doll out of the box, so we stopped for more photos. Amelia thinks people were simply smiling at her doll all day. I'm pretty sure they were smiling at her, too, since my sister, Rhonda, had dressed her in a cute red velvet and white fur Christmas dress, accessorized by sparkly silver shoes and jingle bells in her hair!

The store itself was much, much more than I had imagined, and I learned afterward that both Amelia and I had envisioned just a big square room with shelves of dolls. Instead, we found an amazing array of bright, colorful rooms displaying vignettes of all sorts of beautiful American Girl dolls and accessories. The sales staff was on-the-spot when needed, in the background when not needed, and tremendously helpful. Amelia wanted to take her actual doll out of the box to touch the hair before committing to her (the hair is obviously big with Amelia), and a nice saleswoman told us sure, she'd be glad to let us do that. I don't know if the American Girl doll store has high hiring standards for their employees or what, but every single person we encountered was cheerful and helpful. It was such a striking difference from what I usually see that it really made an impression on me!

We had a few hours to spend at the mall while waiting for teatime, which begins at 2 p.m., so we had a snack at Chick-fil-A, and then Amelia and Julie rode the merry go round. Also, you won't be surprised to hear that I found out online I could sign up for Northpoint Mall e-mails and then get a free $10 gift card from the mall office if I came by showing more than $75 in receipts for the day (easy to do at Christmas), so of course we took advantage of that. I let Amelia use the gift card to buy some accessories for Julie.

Soon, it was time for tea, and Amelia was very, very happy to learn they provided a special seat at the table for Julie, who even got her own little cup and saucer!

Here's Amelia expertly pouring water for her tea. And tomorrow I'll show you the unique (and fun) menu we enjoyed!

Some new samples from Sencha Naturals

Recently I received a most welcome gift in the mail, a wonderful assortment of products from the good folks at Sencha Naturals, including these delicious tea leaf-shaped mints! Some of them I had tried before, but a few of the flavors — Tropical Mango, Yuzu Ginger, Pink Dragonfruit — were new to me. Made with green tea, these mints were simply wonderful and exceedingly fruity. In fact, the minute I tasted one of the Tropical Mango mints, I actually said "Wow!" *out loud* because I wasn't expecting the flavor to be as mango-y as it was. I also love the Yuzu Ginger (it's sitting on my desk as I type), and the Pink Dragonfruit mints (my favorites) are in my coat pocket so I can sneak them during church when I get a tickle in my throat.

The other fun item in the box was a folder containing some samples of their new Green Tea + C Effervescent Drink Mix. While I usually avoid tea products that make health claims, I felt quite comfortable trying this drink mix since I have been enjoying Sencha Naturals' products for years. I tried the Original flavor, and it reminded me of what you'd get if you mixed matcha powder and Alka Seltzer. I happen to like Alka Seltzer, so I liked this drink! (I forgot to take a picture of it, but it's bright olive green, just like matcha.) And while I can't say this is entirely why, I can say that two days after I drank this, I stopped taking the allergy tablets I've been popping like M&M's all fall. So my experience was good. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

Because a couple of the mint flavors were ones I have already sampled (Moroccan Mint and Bombay Chai), I figured I should give them away! So I'm going to send these extra samples of mints and one of the Green Tea + C packets for one of you to try. Just kindly leave an "Enter me" comment between now and 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13. (U.S. entries only, please.) And if you'd like to go ahead and check out Sencha Naturals' offerings for yourself, click here. I've also seen their products in tea shops and at World Market stores, in case you want to be on the lookout for them!

A new tea-themed Christmas tree

Last year my teapot and teacup ornaments outgrew the little pink Christmas tree I had been using, so this year I found a bigger tabletop tree, in teal, at Garden Ridge. When my niece Amelia and nephew Matthew were over the night before Thanksgiving, they helped me get started by placing most of the ornaments on the tree!

In the days since, I've been adding a few more that were stored in various boxes of Christmas goodies. It really is like opening new presents each year, because I forget what all I've got, like this glass teapot ornament from my friend Mrs. Earlene, who retired as a bookseller earlier this year and closed her beloved downtown Newnan bookstore. I think of her each year when I hang this ornament.

I also rediscovered another old favorite, this cream and pink teapot ornament from my friend Susan. Apparently I had stored the "winter white" ornaments in a separate box one year, so they got separated from the others and have been AWOL for the past few Christmases. It's nice to have them back where they belong!

It was fun to add the new ornaments I picked up this year, like this red glass teapot from Target …

… and this Wedgwood teacup from Marshalls.

When decorating this little tree each year, I always enjoy reminiscing about the "tea friends" who have blessed me with ornaments, including this favorite, a bejeweled piece from Marilyn.

Lani gave me this fun Madame Alexander doll ornament carrying a teapot.

And last year, Janet surprised me with this handmade teapot ornament!

Earlier this fall, Mary Jane gifted me with a beautiful teapot ornament that is absolutely the most meaningful one I have ever, ever received. Why?

Here's what she wrote on the back, so you can see why I was so moved when I received it. What a precious, precious gift!

And finally, since I "introduced" you all more formally to my Aunt Jane a few weeks back, I thought you might enjoy knowing that she gave me this pink glass teacup off of her very own little tree a few years ago, just because she thought I would enjoy it. Isn't it nice to have so many sweet memories to associate with Christmas ornaments?

Tea Room Recipe #49 - The Thalhimers Richmond Room (Richmond, Virginia)

At this time of year I'm all about cooking comfort foods. Something rich, creamy and hot sounded good for a sweet treat one day, so I decided to make a Rice Pudding recipe I came across in a book about one of the old department stores I so love to research!

"Our Snow Bear Scrapbook: Memories and Recipes from Thalhimers" was written by Elizabeth Thalhimer (now Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt) and illustrated by her mother, Sallie Thalhimer. Smartt is also the author of the fine book "Finding Thalhimers" (2010). Ever since I started researching department store tea rooms a few years ago, I've developed a great interest in the history of the founders of this country's fine old (and largely gone) department stores. Only a handful of them ever actually had a book devoted to their history, and I must say that "Finding Thalhimers" was a delight to read. Smartt, the great-great-great-granddaughter of the founder, felt compelled to explore her family history through the history of the store, which was in business from 1842 to 1992. After I read her book, I was thrilled to come across this earlier book, published in 2000, of recipes from Thalhimers! The book's title refers to Snow Bear, the popular Christmas character at Thalhimers, and features a number of recipes once served in the store's tea room, the Richmond Room.

The book has plenty of recipes I plan to try, but this delicious Rice Pudding was so fast and easy, with ingredients likely to always be on hand, that I'm sure I'll be making it again and again!

Rice Pudding

1/2 cup uncooked regular rice
3 eggs, well-beaten
1-1/3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions, then combine with remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 9 x 9-inch pan prepared with cooking spray and bake for 40-45 minutes. According to the book, this dish was "a delight for kids and grown-ups alike in the Richmond Room."

The winner of the Christmas cards is ...

Frances X! And I suspect Frances X. is actually Frances L., so either way please let me know by sending your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right. Congrats!

Sipping my way down Candy Cane Lane

When December arrives each year, it's time to put away the pumpkin-flavored teas and sip a cup of Christmas cheer, and my favorite is easily the Candy Cane Lane green tea by Celestial Seasonings.

When my friend Phyllis wrote about this tea on her blog recently, I headed to the pantry to make sure I still had some. Yep. Three unopened boxes from last year, so I'm good for a while! I think this tea has almost a cult following among its fans, and it's so very, very minty, I can see why any peppermint tea fans (and decaffeinated tea fans) simply must have some each year.

My newest Christmas teawares this year are mugs and tea and toast sets, so for sipping some Candy Cane Lane I reached for this chintz design holly and berry teacup I found at Marshalls three years ago.

And since I've been asked before what the pattern is, I though I'd share this photo in case you really like this Christmas chintz teacup and want to look for one yourself!

Vintage Christmas tea and toast sets

In May of 2012, I was on my way home from a delightful meet-up with some tea friends in Asheville, N.C. when I stopped by the Lavonia Antique Mall. There I found a vintage Christmas sugar and creamer set for just $5. Recently, I came across that same set on eBay for $1,500 (!), which set me to thinking about other pieces that might be available. To my delight, I have now acquired four tea and toast sets in this iridescent pattern featuring red berries and holly leaves!

I collect tea and toast sets anyway, but I didn't have any in a Christmas pattern. These sets have no markings on them, but based on others I've seen they were apparently made by Ucagco in Japan. I've seen individual footed teacups and saucers (very reasonable) as well as dessert plates, assorted serving dishes and a pedestal plate. (There are also plenty of sugar and creamer sets like mine for under $10.)

I used to think I didn't care for iridescent teawares, but now I've learned it totally depends on the pattern (and my mood).

This is such a classic pattern, and I never tire of seeing holly and berry *anything* at Christmas.

Now, I'm just quite sure there must be a matching teapot out there, so maybe by next Christmas I can add that to the collection. And a final note to collectors who may have happened upon this post: I'd be quite willing to sell my sugar and creamer for the bargain price of just $1,000, so please feel free to ask. (Ha!)

"The Petit Four Cookbook" by Brooks Coulson Nguyen

Only once in my life have I ever attempted to make petits fours. It was about 20 years ago. The little squares were Pepto Bismol pink, had icing the consistency of wet sand and concrete, and nearly shattered the table when my girlfriends tried to stick a form in them at tea. Suffice it to say, I have not attempted homemade petits fours again, but there's a new book that just might make me willing to give them another try. It's "The Petit Four Cookbook" by Brooks Coulson Nguyen, and I've been diligently studying over the lovely little review copy I recently received!

Nguyen owns the petit four bakery Dragonfly Cakes in Sausalito, Calif. The name petit four means "little oven" in French, and Nguyen says "the cakes were first made during the eighteenth century when French bakers would put them in the oven after baking bread, while the oven was cooling from a high temperature. The rise in popularity of tea in Paris in the late 1800s increased the popularity of petits fours." She says that today, the increasing popularity of tea and teatime has increased America's love for petits fours and other bite-size teatime treats. Technically, the type of petits fours she makes are Petits Fours Glacé, which are iced or decorated and then coated with icing. Just seeing one sliced here makes me want to go eat one!

Making petits fours is time-consuming, Nguyen says, and she recommends making them over two days. She suggests baking the cake and cutting out decorations the first day, then cutting, coating and decorating the cakes on the following day. I was happy to see that you're never advised to slice cake into more than two layers before assembly, and in fact a couple of recipes call for baking cakes in shallow pans so that you don't have to slice them at all before assembly. Now I'm not taking on any new projects this Christmas season, but I do think that mastering the art of making petits fours just may make it onto my "To Do" list in the coming year. If this appeals to you too, you'll find recipes for all sorts of fun flavors of petits fours (Lemon Curd, Gingerbread, Salted Carmel, Pumpkin Cake) in this charming book—and there's even a chapter titled "Tea Time" to enjoy!