Timeless Treasure Tea for Me

I believe the change in the weather has  brought out a  virus for me...  Just not up to snuff today and I should be at Bible Study but my head ache  just  wouldnt allow it... so  today  really seems like a  nice  cup of tea day for me... along with a lovely read or two.
  
Photos  from Pinterest
My book is Timeless Treasures by Emilie Barnes... such precious readings on  memories..  such a pastime   over a plate of  pumpkin bread and pear... and a warm cup of cinnamon apple tea!!  Just right for this  rather damp, cold day!

"Her plants... her books.. her writing desk..were all within her reach.. she could scarcely see an object in that room which had not an interesting remembrance connected to it. "
Jane Austen

Truly, for me, to glance about the room I see so many  treasures that came to me through my wonderful mother..

Her handsome rooster, one of which she loved to collect over the years.  Her maiden name being COX, she had a natural affinity toward them...  and the lacy cloth  upon which he proudly stands once graced mom's table!...  

The beautifully crafted turned bowl  given her by a close friend  was  something rom which  I could never part...

"For me, a walk through my house is almost like a visit with a group of old friends. Almost everything I encounter comes with a story attached". 

Emilie Barnes

When I look to my right I see one of my mother's  decorative wood items she and my dad were locally famous  for in the Mountain Craft Guild...I have so many of her treasures  scattered about in every room..  sweet reminders of my dear parents and their love for creating  lovely  items from the heart!

Beside that is the amazing gate leg table my grandfather made   when he started housekeeping  right after  WWI.   This is  probably my favorite treasure of all!  Haha, by the 1950's it had been painted and relegated to grandma's country dairy  farmhouse kitchen where  I remember so many family gatherings  huddled around it enjoying  meals  during summer stays..  It seated 10 kids easily...  when they sold the farm it was relegated to the  basement where we kids  ate all our Thanksgiving meals.. Looking  pretty badly when my mother  received it, she lovingly worked hard to bring it back to its former glory!  

Timeless Treasures
I love them because they are old
But they never get old to me..     
Each one is wrapped in a story. 
And tied with a memory.
...
It was love that made them heirlooms
And not just antiques you can see.
 And it's the unbroken bonds of love
 That are real timeless treasures to me!.
Sandy Clough

These pears  are just  ripe enough to taste  perfectly  tart with a  zing of sweetness for me

Mustn't allow the pumpkin bread to lose its warmth...  so tasty with a piping hot cup of tea! 

My cup is a collectible mug.. we purchased this one at Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast in Lititz, Pa.  which is exactly half way to our daughter's home in Ma!

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Im Planning a Tea Party

This time of year gets my mind to  thinking it is time for  a real tea party....with  friends and varied  tidbits...
  
  

with  a theme

  


special tea cups
  
  

  colorful flowers
  
  

the right color scheme
  

venue
  
So far  I have a guest list of my  dearest friends,  and I know it will be in August.
Now it is time for the real planning.. well, according to the weather, it will definitely be inside!!

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Share Your Cup 
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Tea for One and a Jes' Pie

This week while marketing  I happened across a selection of Ukrops baked items at our Kroger store and was delighted to find  a set of 4 miniature lemon chess pies...  our favorite!!  After  finding the recipe given below, I'd much rather find  them  homemade from a bakery any day.. for they are  quite   an affair to mix up and bake!
They were  exactly what I was  hungry for, and  a delight to  use in my  Teatime for One as I  whiled away an hour this morning  for my eleveneses.. a time set apart to  just    meditate on  life, blessings, and  happy times   on the way...
Yesterday  I found  this beautiful double begonia on the sale  rack for only $3.oo..I love the multi-colors...orange and yellow, so cheerful and  a delightful  backdrop

for my  lemony  confection to come!

I decided to use my husband's mum's  china( an old pattern made in the USA, Syracuse China, Portland pattern)  which I reserve for special occasions..funny to say of all the china patterns I have ever seen, I decided long ago this pattern touched my heart the most.  The tiny pink rosebuds are so delicate and  remind me of my own mother so much!!!

So to accent the red of the roses,  I had to  bring forth the fresh  beauty of the white  and red kissed 

nectarines, and strawberries.. 

My earl grey tea spike with lemon sweetened with a dash of turbinado sugar..yum!

I had not had  much full blown tea this summer, opting instead for herbals...  this tasted so full bodied and delish!!! 

The chess pie  was  so marvelous, I tried to  eat  the ever so tiniest bites to make it last  as long as possible... 

“I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between its leaves.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

Lemon Chess Pie  using King Arthur Flour AT A GLANCE PREP25 mins. to 35 mins.BAKE45 mins. to 50 mins.TOTAL1 hrs 10 mins. to 2 hrs 10 mins.YIELD9" pie, 8 to 12 servings Chess pie? No one seems certain where the name for this simple pie comes from. A simple combination of eggs, sugar, and butter, with the tiniest bit of flour or cornmeal for thickening, chess pies appeared in print as early as the late 19th century. Some food historians say "chess" is a takeoff on "cheese," as in English cheese pies, as in American cheesecake — whose filing is of a consistency similar to chess pie. Others say chess refers to the chest in which pies used to be kept; due to the high degree of sugar, chess pies didn't need to be refrigerated (though in these days of heightened awareness of food safety, we do recommend refrigeration). One final theory holds that chess refers to the simplicity of the pie itself. "What kind of pie is that?" "Jes' pie." Chess pie. Whatever its provenance, this pie is perfect for those of you who love lemon, but don't like the somewhat "gluey" texture (or mile-high meringue) of a classic lemon meringue pie. This humble pie has no meringue to hide beneath; it's just lemon at its simple best. Crust 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached all-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour Blend 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder, optional, for tenderness and flavor 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1/4 cup cold butter 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water Filling 6 tablespoons butter, melted 1 2/3 cups sugar 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice; the juice from about 3 lemons 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 5 large eggs, whisked briefly to combine Directions To make the crust: Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, reserving a few tablespoons of the flour. Work in the shortening until it's well combined with the dry ingredients. Place the reserved flour on your work surface, and coat the butter with the flour. Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to flatten the butter to about 1/4" thick. Break the flour-coated butter into 1" pieces, and mix it into the dough, just until it's evenly distributed; some of it will break into smaller pieces. Sprinkle the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the water over the dough while tossing with a fork. Just as soon as the dough becomes cohesive (i.e., you can squeeze it into a ball easily), stop mixing; there should still be visible pieces of fat in the dough. Add up to 2 additional tablespoons water, if necessary, to make the dough come together. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water and the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll out. Flour your work surface and roll the dough into a 12" x 9" (approximately) rectangle. If it isn't holding together well, sprinkle it lightly with a couple of teaspoons of water. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter), then fold it into thirds the opposite way, to form a rough square. Wrap it well and refrigerate again. When you're "ready to roll," remove the dough from the fridge. Dough made with a combination of butter and shortening should rest for about 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling; dough made with all butter will need a 15-minute rest. Roll the dough to a 12" to 13" circle, and settle it gently into a 9" pie pan; the pan shouldn't be over 1 1/2" deep. Flute or crimp the edge of the crust as desired. Place the crust in the refrigerator (no need to cover it) while you make the filling. To make the filling: Stir together the melted butter and sugar, then mix in the remaining filling ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell. Bake the pie on the bottom shelf of a preheated 375°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center is set. The top should be golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool before cutting and serving. Yield: one 9" pie, 8 to 10 servings. Tips from our bakers What's with all of the different ingredients? Shouldn't pie crust be just fat, flour, salt, and water? Not necessarily. Our latest favorite pie crust recipe uses a combination of butter (for flavor) and vegetable shortening (for flakiness); an unbleached flour of about 10.5% protein (such as our Perfect Pastry Blend); buttermilk powder (for tenderness) and baking powder (for extra flakiness); salt; and vinegar (again, for tenderness) and water. Please feel free to substitute your own favorite single pie crust recipe. Note the unusual method for putting the crust together; it's designed to promote flakiness. Again, use your own favorite method if you're so inclined.

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Our Jane Austen Tea was a Huge Success!!!

Today was the day...  I had been planning  my Jane Austen Tea party  for a couple of weeks and today it finally came to fruition!

(Each place card had this lovely welcome )

Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting,
Favourite chairs anticipating,
No matter what I have to do,
My friends there’s always time for you.

 I had  created  some table  decorations  whose inspiration came from pinterest..  the Jane Austen theme and menu was inspired by  the December issue of Tea Time magazine.. And  my  very special friends and prayer pals  got together this morning to  enjoy the pleasures of tea, and fellowship...  It was  marvelous! 

First of all, I created these bookmarks   and  got them laminated at Staples  for each place setting~

This photo  graced the table 

As well  as, Mr. Darcy, who was also present! 

There, as well, you can see the place card with a delightful poem   decorated with blue transfer ware which I understand was  Jane's favorite. 

    I took this photo to send to our  sista'  who  has  recently moved to Utah...  We had never had a gathering without her....  We miss you, Colleen!!!

 These darling  silhouettes  are found on pinterest, too!

There were 5 of us in attendance... and  life's  complications  had kept us from  getting together for a few months.. Today was  just awesome...  the sharing,  the  edifying and prayer  was  amazing!

 One of the  items  suggested in the magazine was chocolate  meringues...  with a recipe...  they are nothing more than Mallomars so I just  bought a package  and  called it done!!!  No way was I going to make them!!!

I was  rather dismayed all week because our local grocers  didn't carry the cinnamon chips anymore  for my Cinnamon scones...  but I finally found them yesterday  at a smaller  market in town....  They were  delish slathered in Devonshire Cream!

My favorite item was  this platter of Mini Victoria Sponge cakes with raspberry preserves and  raspberry creme in the middle... YUM!  and the  cake  could be baked the day before which was a great help this morning getting it all together!!!

These Egg  and Cress canapes were super easy to  put together..  toast rounds,  a schmear of Dijon and mayo mixture. .. a slice of egg and  a garnish of Italian parsley!!!  They were a huge hit!!!The  Cress was  way to pricey and I had to purchase a  truckload of it so  a .99 package of parsley  did the trick!!! I was so pleased to locate the super thin sliced  Pepperidge Farm bread!

source  Tea Time

All in all it was a glorious morning with great friends and they all  went away feeling greatly  loved, appreciated and  with happy tummies!!!

For this tea I used Barry's Scottish  blend!

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