Autumn

Spices of Fall Tea

Happy First Day of Autumn!

I'm ready for spicy tea blends
and

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

How about you?

Vive la France!

 Tarte au Citron

It's Bastille Day...

the national holiday in France. 

I hope your day and night

includes some French treats!

Kitchen Secrets

No time to bake Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Tart in Paris Sweets...

no need to worry.

Just head down to your local Trader Joe's or gourmet grocer and pick up
a ready-made Lemon Tart. 

Garnish it with fresh fruits and voila...

you'll  have what the French call a Tarte au Citron!

Bon Appetit

and

Vive la France!

The French Art of Tea

French The`

It's Bastille Day this Thursday so ,oui,

I'm drinking French the` (tea) all week! 

It's no secret...

Mariage Freres is my favorite French tea purveyor. 

Mariage Freres was founded in 1854 in Paris and they are the oldest tea importer in France. 

L` Art Francais Du The`

(The French Art of Tea)

Today, Mariage Freres offers over 500 teas. 

With over 500 tea varieties, shopping for tea at Mariages Freres can be overwhelming.  That's why I rely on their book The French Art of Tea.

The French Art of Tea is a knowledgeable guide that navigates you through the world of Mariage Freres teas.  It's pages are filled with history and invaluable information for French tea aficionados.  My favorite part of the book are the teas themselves with their descriptions and blend names.

I  always use this book for making my "tea shopping list" whenever I visit Paris!

Mariage Freres
30 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg

My favorite place to shop for Mariage Freres tea is their original location

in the le Marias district of Paris. 

Here in the States, you can find a few of their blends

(in their famous brown caddies)

at Williams Sonoma stores. 

Since I live in Northern California, I normally replenish my stock at:

Market Hall Foods in Oakland , CA 

 The Pasta Shop in Berkeley, CA

Dean and Deluca in St. Helena, CA

All three California stores where I shop, have the best selection of Mariage Freres

that I've seen outside of Paris.  I must tell you though...

nothing beats the experience of shopping at Mariage Freres in Paris!

Vive' la France

and

Mariage Freres!

All American Muffins!

 Blackberry Muffins

We have an abundance of Farmers Market blackberries at our house so I whipped up some delicious Blackberry Muffins for our 4th of July breakfast today.

I love making muffins and they seem so "All-American" to me.  You really don't see American style muffins in Europe...unless you venture into a Starbucks!   

 Farmers Market Blackberries

My husband grew up in Oregon and loves blackberries. 

Growing up his mom would send him and his sisters down the road to pick blackberries.  She would then make yummy pies, cobblers and blackberry jam.

Today, I just send my husband to the Farmers Market for fresh California blackberries.  I normally make cobblers with them but decided to make blackberry muffins for the 4th of July holiday. 

All American Muffins!

I used Williams Sonoma Blackberry Muffins recipe. 

You need just 2 cups of fresh blackberries for this muffin recipe.  It has a delicious crumble topping with chopped pecans that gives these muffins a bit of coffee cake flair!  ( I added 1t. of cinnamon to the crumble topping and doubled the cinnamon in the muffin batter.)

You certainly could also enjoy these muffins in the afternoon with a cup of tea.  I think they would pair nicely with Twinings Lady Grey! 

Well, I still have plenty of blackberries left so...

 I think I'm making a blackberry cobbler for dessert tonight!

In the photos:  (Spode The Blue Room Collection "Woodman" 6" plate and Emma Bridgewater Black Toast & Marmalade French Bowl.)

Happy May Day!

It's May Day!

Look what's growing in my garden....

Liberty of London Flowers!

 My Fabric Flower Garden

I've been a bit crafty lately making fabric flower pins.  I upcycled one of my Liberty of London for Target scarves into flower pins to wear with my Liberty of London scarf to England in a few weeks.   I can't wait to wear them to tea or to a garden party!

There is inspiration and tutorials all over the Internet to get you inspired to make your own fabric flowers. 

I like to make mine with a brooch back that has a pin and an alligator clip

so I can wear them in my hair or on a pretty cardigan. 

Hand-made Liberty of London

Fabric Flower Pin

Enjoy May Day...

and don't forget to wear a flower in your hair!

Joyeux Noel!

Esprit De Noel Tea

As the French say.........

Joyeux Noel!!

 (Merry Christmas!)

Happy Bastille Day!

Tarte au Citron
I hope all my Francophile friends ate something French today in honor of Bastille Day.

I had a busy day so I picked up a Tarte au Citron from Trader Joes tonight. Once I plated it on a pretty Spode Toile cake plate it looked just like one from a Paris Patisserie!

I highly recommend this tarte if you're ever in a pinch and don't have time to bake.

Vive la France!

We've Come A Long Way, Baby!

My paternal Great-Grandmother Lisette

and my Grandma Margaret at her left side

Circa 1915

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you to all the Mothers and Grandmothers who have paved the way!

Happy May Day!

The May Pole Dance!

Happy May Day!

Dancing around the Maypole is an ancient rite of Spring. In Victorian times it was performed at women's colleges. In America it was celebrated at at elementary schools up to the late 1950's. My Mother remembers in grade school celebrating May Day. The sang "May Day, Play Day" and danced with ribbons around a tether ball pole!

May Pole Cake & Cupcakes
Martha Stewart

Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with an adorable May Day cake! This would be pretty easy to replicate (with a wooden dowel and ribbons) if you just happen to be going to a May Day Garden Party!

No matter how you chose to celebrate May Day...be sure to wear a flower in your hair and do a little dance!

Joyeuses Paques

Chocoloate bunnies!

(Vintage French postcard)

Chics rule!

(Vintage French postcard)

Joyeuses Paques

(Happy Easter)

I adore vintage French postcards

and chocolate bunnies,too!

Enjoy your Easter holiday!

Bonne Annee!

Vintage French Postcard

Bonne Annee

(Happy New Year)

It's a New Year!

Live life to the fullest!

Stop and smell the roses!

Wear French perfume!

Drink French tea!

Buy that French scarf or handbag!

and plan that trip to Paris!

Merry Christmas & Joyeux Noel!

Vintage French Girls Magazine

"Lisette"

Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noel!

(Yes, I will be hitting the after Christmas sales tomorrow!)

Walkers' Nonsuch Toffee

Walkers' Original Creamy Toffee

Don't you love Christmas candy treats?

Looking back one of my favorite Christmas memories was going to Christmas Eve at my Grandma Margaret's (1910-1988) house and having her Christmas candy treats. I only recall her making candy at Christmas time so it was always special. I wish now I had helped her make it so I could have kept her Christmas candy tradition going.

I do have a little Christmas candy tradition of my own with English toffee. We discovered real English toffee travelling to England. Some years I make my own toffee for Christmas from a Martha Stewart recipe. Other years (like this year) I buy packaged English toffee.

Walkers Toffee

(complete with it's own hammer!)

One of my favorite English brands is Walkers' Nonsuch Toffee. They have been making delicious toffee in a little shop in Stoke-on-Trent for over 100 years. It is still a family run business, too!

My nephews love breaking the toffee with the little hammer that comes in the Toffee Break gift pack! The Toffee Break pack features four toffee flavors: original creamy, Brazil nut, famous treacle and fruit and nut. We love them all!

Walkers' Toffee Break Gift Pack

If you are like me this year and don't have time to make Christmas candy, give Walkers Toffee a try. It is available online at most British food companies. I have found it before at Cost Plus World Market and this year at Home Goods.

Christmas Tree Traditions!

Our Little Spode Christmas Tree

Did you know that decorating and "lighting" up a Christmas tree is an old German tradition?

German Christmas traditions became popular in England during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Queen Victoria was almost entirely German descent and was raised with German Christmas traditions. It is her husband though, Prince Albert who is credited with popularizing decorating Christmas trees in England, a tradition he brought from his native German homeland.

In my family growing up, it was always a big outing going to the Christmas tree lot to pick out our tree. Our trees varied through the years but our decorations never did. My Mom saved every ornament my sister and I ever made. Our Christmas trees were always decorated with home-made ornaments, family vintage ornaments, garland and candy canes.

I love Christmas ornaments. I started collecting them way back in high school. I have many different types from country to tea-theme Victorian ones. I used to love decorating different theme trees with them. It's hard to confess but this year the ornaments are still in boxes and I put up a pre-decorated Spode Tree from FTD.

Pre-decorated trees do seem a bit commercial, I know. I really do feel like I am cheating especially since I am a designer putting up a pre-decorated tree. It does however bring convenience and a spirit of Christmas to our little home for my husband and me.

Anthropologie's Christmas Tree

So if you are looking for a designer-inspired creative Christmas tree don't come looking at our house this year. Maybe next year?

For a real head stopper tree though, check out Anthropolgie's idea of a Christmas tree. At least, there are some designers out there still getting creative!

Anthopologie

Walkers Miniature Mincemeat Tarts

Mincemeat Tarts

Perfect for a Holiday Tea Party!

I love British Christmas traditions. For years, I have saved traditional English recipes for Christmastime baking and teatime. One of my favorite magazines to pick up during the holiday season is the BBC's Good Food December issue.

Living in sunny California it is hard to think about Christmas baking when it is warm and sunny outside. When our weather does turn cold it is often, too, late to turn out proper English treats. Most traditional English recipes like fruitcake, puddings and mincemeat need proper time to age. "Stir Up Sunday" was a few weeks ago which is the traditional day to start your Christmas puddings. Of course, I missed it!

Last month my knitting friend Ruth in Oklahoma told me that she was making mincemeat for pies for the holiday season. She has her Grandmother's handed-down recipe and makes mincemeat every year with her Mother. I love that. Inspired by Ruth's baking, I recently purchased Walkers Miniature Mincemeat tarts for the holidays. 

Walkers Luxury Miniature Mincemeat Tarts

So if you're like me and would like a taste of an English Christmas but ran out of time to bake, check out the wonderful range of packaged goodies from Walkers. If you are a fan of Scottish shortbread...you are sure to recognize their packaging!

Walkers Mincemeat Tarts are baked in a village in the Scottish Highlands. Their mincemeat recipe is a combination of apples, currants, sultanas, candied citrus peels & spices...and they really taste homemade!

Happy Holidays!