From Giada's Recipe Box

D o come in and cosy up in the chair by the fireplace.  I have a pretty pot of tea steeping for you and a sweet treat to share.  I will enjoy a relaxing chat with you before we visit with Silken Purse  for Wednesday Tea for Me and Thee.


 I was the hostess for a meeting at my home yesterday.  Nothing like company coming to spur me on to catch up on neglected chores. I had just a few minutes (14 minutes) to whip something up and pop it in the oven (Bake for 12 minutes).  
 It was just enough to eliminate that peck-ish feeling around tea time. 

Cinnamon Twists & Cardamom-Honey Dipping Sauce

Recipe & Picture courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Cinnamon Twists

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 (9 by 10-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry,

thawed and cut into 20 (1 by 4-inch) pieces

    I cut mine in half again

1 egg, beaten

Sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom


Directions


For the cinnamon twists:


Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a shallow bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sesame seeds, cardamom, and brown sugar. Twist 2 pieces of dough together to form a rope-shape. Pinch the ends together to seal. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and roll gently in the cinnamon mixture until coated. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool on a wire rack.

For the sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom until smooth. Pour into a small dipping bowl.(taste to see if you would like it sweeter)

Arrange the pastries on a platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

NOTE: The puff pastry that is available to me had to be rolled out
            Allow 2 hours for puff pastry to thaw

Tuesday Tea for Two for Comfort

TUESDAY TEA FOR TWO FOR COMFORT

M y first “Thank You”, is to Silken Purse, http://www.plumedpen.blogspot.com/ who nominated my blog for Kreativ Blogger Award. My schedule has been such that I have not been able to acknowledge this gracious honour or reciprocate. Hopefully, I will be able to make amends in the next few days. How encouraged I am to be included in this creatively gifted sisterhood. I am always cheered and inspired when I immerse myself in this new world. (I am taking baby steps in my techno learning, so I appreciate your patience, more than you know!)

T hank you,for dropping by for tea on this grey autumn day. It is a perfect day for a cup of comfort. I find these days have an affect on my attitude towards the challenging events of my everyday life. That is when I turn to my books for comforting thoughts, inspiring photos and tummy warming recipes, some of which I prepare.

I will share a new recipe with you for a wonderful comfort food:


Grandmother’s Favorite Oatmeal Cookies. from The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno

Makes 24 LARGE cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 2/3 cups unsalted olive-oil based margarine, or
2 cups margarine and 2/3 cups applesauce (lighter choice)
2 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 TBSP honey
1 TBSP vanilla
1 ½ tsp sea salt
8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
8 oz dark raisins (optional)
8 oz coarsely chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350’. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the margarine and sugar in a very large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs, honey, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. Use a large wooden spatula or your hands to work in the flour and oats until well combined. Add raisins and walnuts if desired and mix until evenly distributed. Shape dough into large, 3 inch balls and flatten into five or six inch flat cookies on baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes or until as brown as you desire. Cool on wire racks. Make cookies smaller if you like. I use a small ice cream scoop to measure batter.

Tuesday Tea for Two to Share

Tuesday Tea for Two to Share

W elcome to my cozy corner. It is a blustery and very cool day. With each gust of wind a few more leaves swirl, curtsey, and bow to the ground. A reminder that the summer has past and the winds of change are blowing. But the sun is shining so brightly, I am determined to focus on the wonder of the c o l o u r s before me. It is a great day for a steaming cup of tea. I think a cup of chai will be perfect as I sit by the fireplace.

I have been feeling the burden of half completed projects and miscellaneous things to-do. I have been carrying this list around in my head for several days. Other things have taken priority but now is the time to write a list and complete each task one by one. I love the feeling when I put a check mark beside an item on my list! I feel such …..satisfaction.

O f course, having my cup of tea really is a priority. A short respite from the chaos of daily events is good for the soul. So today I will share my cup of tea with you and a couple of dear people that I would like to voice my appreciation to, with a note of thanks.

W hile I put the kettle on to boil I will find the appropriate cards and my address book, that I store in a unique place. I have re-purposed a set of luggage that belonged to my dear Aunt. Stacking the luggage has created a small table for a favorite lamp and inside the makeup case I store all things necessary to compose a note, write a letter and decorate the envelope. (More creative ideas are in an earlier blog) The easier it is to organize myself the more apt I am to succeed in this task.

A cup of tea, is a fragrant plant(s) steeping in boiling water or it is the beginning of a connection with one who yearns for a relationship with you. Take the time and settle down with your cup of tea and write a note to some one who needs to know you care for them. Or chat on the phone to some one far away. You both will be glad you did.

T he deepest urge in every human heart is to be in relationship with someone who absolutely delights in us.
~ Larry Crabb, Psychologis

L et some one know that you delight in them as the heavenly Father delights in you. Tea is a time for sharing. It is good for the soul. Let’s invite someone else to our tea party!

"Count Your Blessings One By One"

M y dear friend, Silken Purse, has encouraged me to resume my blogging. I love to read her blog. She composes with an artistic flair and passion that you get a glimpse of her beautiful spirit and her designs are truly whimsical and romantic. So I will take inspiration from her creativity and passion and commit some time to writing at least once a week.


T his week I have decided to combine two themes from http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/ -"Tuesday Tea for Two" and from http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/ - "Thankful Thursdays". With Thanksgiving only a few days away it only seems appropriate to be thinking about what I am thankful for. Life is full of wonderful things and may I say, small miracles if you look for them. I invite you to join in the fun!

I am thankful for:

1. God’s unending grace in my life
2. Opportunities that challenge me to give my utmost
3. The smell of fragrant tea steeping
4. The warmth my hands feel holding a cup of tea on a cool autumn day
5. Friends that share a cup of tea with me, and warm my heart
6. I am thankful for the many friendships as unique as my teacups and always room for more
7. I am thankful for the many colours of each season that Nature brings
8. I am thankful for my family, with their big hearts and all of their wonderful quirks
9. I am thankful for the good health we are blessed with
10. I am thankful for each new day, so that I may see and experience God’s blessings as I try to walk with Him.

M y creative contribution is my centre piece for the dining room table. My life has been overflowing with projects of late, but I always can find the time to set the table according to the season. My friends are curious, when they come for tea to see what I have come up with next. I love to draw my inspiration from events that happen is my life.

W e were at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and the bridesmaids’ bouquets of autumnal flowers were edged with feathers. Very unique but understated and elegant. I loved the look! So when I arranged my silk flowers in a cream pitcher I added 3 feathers for interest and dimension.

T ake a moment to "count your blessings one by one". You'll feel the richer in spirit for it.

THE DOOR BELL RANG

The door bell rang. They came. They are here. My heart started to pound as I felt the colour in my cheeks fade as my hand trembled. I cautiously reached for the door handle and opened the door to find my friends, smiling, in anticipation of an evening of socializing .

Have you ever regretted inviting friends over for an evening of conversation? I used to.
Only too happy to extend the invite, but as the hour grew near I felt totally unprepared and unsure of what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t want to live my life in solitare and my husband the ultimate extrovert won’t allow it. There must be a better way!

There are many books and magazines written about entertaining. I love to read as many as I have time for. Some are wordy, others ambiguous, others quite distinct in their directions and most have great photography ( my favorite part) But I don’t resonate with all of their suggestions. I have tried many different approaches to entertaining and experience has taught me that I have a comfort level that doesn’t quite match anything I have read in print or watched on television. Yet I do receive complements from friends from time to time even though I didn’t go “by the book”. My friends don’t seem to care or maybe unaware of “the rules” .

My mother had an idea of what entertaining should be. The Queen of England might as well be coming! Every corner of the house must be clean. I never did see anyone on their hands and knees looking under my bed for dust bunnies or produce a white glove to glide over the top of the china cabinet before sitting down to a four course meal. My mom was a great woman, homemaker and cook in her own right. But, no doubt a product of the 50’s Stepford Wife model. But it had its down side. Something that I would carry into my adult life, that did not serve me well, or my friends for that matter.

As my approach to life has developed over the years, lessons that have been learnt the hard way, most of the time. I have come to appreciate that each of us is wonderfully made and unique. That simple, yet profound philosophy, has coloured how I now approach the art of entertaining.

I think the cornerstone to being a wonderful hostess is to be true to yourself. Let your own personality shine through and be content, even take pride in your one-of-a-kind style. The litmus test is at the end of the evening. How do your guests feel? How do you feel? Everyone should feel relaxed. If the hostess is stressed, her guests will feel it.

So what is a girl to do? K-I-S-S! Keep it stylish and simple. How’s that you say. I try to add a touch of my style to the things I do and to keep things simple or uncomplicated.
It’s now an adventure because I follow my instincts, my free spirit, like a butterfly who lands on the flowers she chooses. Always adding a good measure of fun. You are welcome to follow me along the way.