IN THE HEART OF WINTER - HAVE TEA!

I seem to be off to a start this year....breaking a saucer or I should say...chipping one.  It pays to have the "leaf" on the table secure. 

If you use your tea sets - you will break something sometime.  This is a fact of life.  I wear a lot of vintage jewelry.  Why keep it in the drawer when you can enjoy wearing it!  You will loose or break some if you wear it  - I have!

Let's talk about my tea table.  I purchased the lovely "fun" rose doily recently while antiquing in Denver.  I love this work of art made by some talented lady from time past.

In my future I see myself asking my husband to paint many of our pieces shabby chic white...such as this tea cart.

I did not bake this cheesecake but got it at the market.  Winter can be long and I am notorious for getting bored in the winter.  I think it seems like a great time to have a tea party and have some friends over.  

The name of this picture above on the wall

is "End of The Dinner Party":

MOLLY BROWN HOUSE

Recently, while out antiquing in Denver...we drove by the home of the former "Unsinkable Molly Brown" which is now a museum

and a tea room.

You can also have tea here on special occasions - so here is their website if you want to check it out!  The historic Brown Palace (hotel and restaurant) is also not far away!  Molly Brown often dined there.  You can also have Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace.  We have been there several times.

https://mollybrown.org/

A STACK OF GARDEN BOOKS

Now that winter is here, we have time to slow down and for me that means pulling out old books and magazines to glean some inspiration.

  I have gone through all the old January Victoria Magazines. I am looking 24/7 for garden tips and ideas and new recipes.  I found a book in my own library on English Gardens produced in l990 by Victoria's Secret (yes, who can believe it???)  The pictures are incredible - like a dream really.

The pictures in this book are dreamy!

I also have a recipe to share for "FIRESIDE COFFEE" from the 1987 addition of Southern Living Recipes:

 FIRESIDE COFFEE

2 Cups of non dairy coffee creamer, 1 1/2 cups of hot cocoa mix, 1 1/2 cups instant coffee granules, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.  Combine all and mix well.  Store in  airtight container - makes 6 1/2 cups     Spoon 2 Tbs and 1 Tsp in a mug - add 1 cup boiling water

Much inspiration can be gleaned from the books about the late gardener, Tasha Tudor

and yes I want foxgloves like this but I have

no goat to make the manure tea she is pouring

on these.

My favorite photo of Tasha is in the book above from 1994.  Tovah Martin wrote the text and said: "The secret garden will one day be dominated by the roses, no doubt.  But for now the foxgloves reign supreme, with a little help from frequent and generous applications of manure tea."

Happy dreaming!

WELCOME 2013 DINING FIRESIDE

Gather up your favorite china and set a tiny table by the fire.  While the snowflakes fall lightly outside, relax with a pot of hot cinnamon tea and a nice meal.  Refuse to hurry - winter is here!

We have several elements here for a lovely

fireside tea.  The first is a fire, the second is some delicious food and how about a

 bouquet to make things cheerful?

And of course, we need something

delicious to eat.

We are having some

Ham and Gruyere Quiche and a nice Raspberry

Pretzel Salad. 

As you can see we are still enjoying

some Holiday decorations on the

mantle.

I used my English Old Country Roses China for my Fireside Dining in my den!

The best part of it all is this:

Here are the recipes:

Raspberry Pretzel Salad:  This recipe came from the "Flavors For Fall" by Gooseberry Patch attributed to Kim Fox.

You will need:  2 cups crushed pretzels divided, 3/4 cup of melted butter, 1 cup plus 3 Tb sugar divided, 8 oz softened cream cheese, 8 oz of whipped cream (I added 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar to 1 cup whipping cream and beat them together) 3 oz pkg raspberry gelatin mix, 2 cups boiling water, 1 10 oz pkg of frozen raspberries thawed (recipe originally called for 2 of these but I only used 1)

For the base: Combine 1 3/4 cups of the pretzels, butter and sugar and press into the bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes and then cool. (I used 2 smaller dishes to make one to give away)

Blend cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and whipped cream together, spread over cooled crust.  Dissolve gelatin in 2 cups boiling water; stir in raspberries.  Refrigerate until partially set:  spread over cream cheese layer.  Refrigerate until firm and sprinkle with remaining pretzel crumbs before serving.

And some wonderful HAM AND GRUYERE QUICHE taken from the Menu's and Music Afternoon Tea Boxed Set.

You will need:  1 Tb olive oil, 1 small onion chopped, 1 cup of half and half, 2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, 6 ozs of chopped ham, 1 partially baked tart shell, 4 handfuls of baby chopped spinach, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper, 1 cup of shredded Gruyere Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (original recipe was 325 but I found that not high enough.
In a small skillet, heat the oil and saute onion till golden.  

In a bowl whisk half and half and eggs

In the shell:  layer ham, onion mix, spinach, spices and finish with the cheese and cream mixture.
Bake 25-45 minutes till set.  Cool before slicing.

2012 IN REVIEW

Please let me say that I have deleted 

many of the posts for 2012 and just saved

some food and garden ones.  I especially

wanted some of the garden ones because

this was the third year for my Colorado garden. 

 So let me start with the month of

JANUARY:

Fireside Tea For One

FEBRUARY:

Linzer Torte 

MARCH:

English Gingerbread

APRIL:

Anne of Green Gables Teatime

MAY:

Lemonade Cake

JUNE:

Tea In The Garden

JULY:

Most Loved Photo

AUGUST:

Birds Teapot For Tea In The Garden 

SEPTEMBER:

Scarecrow Tea In The Garden

OCTOBER:

Harvest Cake

NOVEMBER:

Dried Roses In The Kitchen

DECEMBER:

A Softer Buffet With Roses