Afternoon Tea – The Taste Of Perfection

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was surprised to find this “tea” book at my local Marshalls store.  It is part of the “Love Food” series of books by Paragon Publishing.

The forward begins “Teatime is a quintessentially British ritual that perfectly mirrors the story of Britain’s quirky class system.  Afternoon tea – served between four and five o’clock – had nothing to do with hunger and everything to do with status and leisure.”

The book is divided into four sections including Sandwiches & Snacks, Scones & Teacakes, Little & Large Cakes and Pastries &
Fancy Desserts.

The Blue Cheese & Walnut Tartlets, featuring a walnut pie dough sound interesting.

Being such a scone lover, I know I’ll be trying the Cherry & Golden Raisin Scones (pictured above) and the Orange & Banana Scones recipes.

Maybe one day I’ll be ambitious enough to try making homemade Vanilla Macaroons.

For those of us who like teatime treats that aren’t overly sweet, these Madeleines look perfect.

There are several other recipes in this book that I’d like to try – Lemon Drizzle Cake, Gingerbread Cupcakes, Mini Florentines, Cream Palmiers, and more. 

I’d recommend this book for any tea library, even if you can’t find one at the bargain price I paid ($3.99).

Kandula Tea Company

On a recent trip to Marshalls, I found some great tea items, including an afternoon tea book and a box of Kandula tea.  I’m always happy to discover a brand of tea that I haven’t tried. 

This English Breakfast blend is a nice change from my usual morning cuppa.  The tea is grown and cultivated in Sri Lanka and is a blend of FBOP (flowery broken orange pekoe).  It is a deliciously brisk black tea.

It was nice to read that this company is committed to fair treatment for the plantation workers and their families.  The Kandula Tea Company also supports Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage.

Their box design is great.  “An elephant with its trunk raised in the air is meant to be a symbol of good fortune…” They have used a distinctive blue and white pattern on the top and bottom of the box.

You can find lots of great products using the above print and also the pink elephant motif on their website here.

There are several blends that I’d love to try, including the Ebony Chai.  I think this is the first spiced chai I’ve seen that contains rose petals along with the more usual ingredients.

Ayubowan

Saying “Ayubowan” is the “Sri Lankan” way of greeting a person.
It is like saying “Hello”, but in addition, “Ayubowan” has a much wider meaning, that is wishing “May you live longer and be healthy”.

There are many wonderful photos, recipes and lots of health information on the company website and blog.  Enjoy! 

A Beautiful Beach Wedding

Finally have the photographer’s photos of our daughters beach wedding in Panama City, FL.  She brought two discs for me to copy to our computer.  I can’t wait to have some prints made to tote around with me and show everyone.

The wedding day weather was perfect, with lots of sun and blue skies.  This was our first beach wedding.  It was fun walking barefoot to our seats through the warm, white sand.  And what better backdrop to the ceremony than the gentle waves of the gulf.

It was quite an experience with so many people who wanted to watch the bride from their beach chairs, condo balconies and even from the water.

There was thunderous applause from the spectators at the traditional “you may now kiss your bride” moment.  It all added to the excitement.

The groom’s Mom did a great job on the bouquets and the table centerpieces for the reception.

The maid of honor and bridesmaids all looked so pretty.

Their dresses were the same color, but each had it’s own unique style.  The bride’s dress was gorgeous with a pretty shoulder detail, ruching, a delicate layered skirt and ribbon lacing in the back.

Hubby and I are so happy for them and pray that they will have a long, happy marriage blessed with love, commitment, patience and compassion.  

 

Everyday Teapot

The Polish pottery teapot that I use every day is cracked (surprisingly not leaking) and getting close to retirement.  Even though I have dozens of teapots in my collection, it is easier to have a utilitarian pot ready and waiting on a kitchen counter.

I like to use favorites from my collection for guests and special occasions, but since they are on display for long periods, these pots need to have a thorough washing before use.  This just isn’t practical for the several times during the day when a pot of tea is called for.  

This is the cute teapot that I saw at my local TJ Maxx store recently.  What do you think?  It also comes in black, which might be a wiser choice to camouflage all those black tea stains.

Read this my dears, and you will see
how to make a nice cup of tea
take teapot to kettle, not t’other way round
and when you hear that whistling sound
pour a little in the pot
just make it nice and hot.
Pour that out and put in the tea,
loose or in bags, your choice, you see.
One bag for each two cups will do
with one extra bag to make a fine brew.
Steep 3-5 minutes then pour a cup.
Then sit right down and drink it up!

-Afternoon Teas by Patricia Winchester

Potato Chip Cookies

Here’s a teatime treat that I’ve never come across before.  I found this recipe for Potato Chip Cookies in the July 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

“Crunchy, chewy, buttery, salty and sweet” sounded good to me.  I found that I didn’t have light brown sugar, so I used dark instead.  My version didn’t contain pecans either, since my grandson doesn’t like nuts.

The dough was easy to work with and in no time I had the two inch balls ready to bake.  I would use two cookie sheets next time since overcrowding caused them to bake up square and needed the extra step of separating the cookies.

I liked the taste of the soft cakelike cookie and the contrast of the crunchy, salty potato chip bits.

So next time you’re looking for something a little different to enjoy with your afternoon cuppa, give these easy to bake cookies a try. 

If you don’t have a copy of Martha Stewart Living magazine, you can always choose one of the many potato chip cookie recipes on line.  Emeril Lagasse’s recipe with chocolate dip really appealed to me too.

I had no idea that this type of cookie was so popular, did you?