A Mid Winter's Tea

Today another arctic blast is ushering a  really cold snap.  so  I sat by my fire doing my weekly Bible Study in Isaiah!
I thought that a lovely thing to do  would be to celebrate this mid-winter time with a  bit of tea and  a tasty!!!

{{Just as an aside I found  the  wonderful  tribute  from Sibelius , Findandia to  enjoy  while to  enjoy this post...   I remember  when Amanda and Joshau used to playnthis  when they  were in the Youth Symphony!It is  the next post following  this one}}

I recently  purchased my  cups and saucers  online   depicting Finlandia...  which makes me think  icy cold  and  lovely wintry views.. So I  originally set my tea on the dining table that is  set with a wintry mood!!


I had switched out the red transfer ware for the blue!

And I brewed  some spicy Red Roobios tea  to warm me up!!!

Yesterday at the bakery I couldn't pass up the beautiful macarons!!!

I could barely keeps hubs  snitchy fingers off of his German Chocolate one!!!

I was looking forward to the beautiful lavender one!   So   delectable.. I love that   very fragile crunch and then the chewy goodness inside!!!

Earlier in the week I had reset  the  sideboard  with a tribute 
to my grandmother  who loved  blue.

Last night I redid the mantel  for a Mid Winter's    salute!!  My handsome fox couple will usher in a valentine theme  soon!!

So I moved my  tea to the parlor so I could enjoy the fireside  while I  supped my tea and  enjoyed my sweet!!!

Pink Saturday

Friends Sharing Tea 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup 

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.

Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party
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Home Sweet Home
Grace at Home

My Very First Mad Tea Party

There is a place, like no  place on earth.

A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger!

Some say, to survive it,  you need to be as mad as a hatter.  

Which luckily, I am!

~Alice in Wonderland

Whoooooo's excited about  the Mad  Tea Party  over at Fanciful Twist!!!!

  Well, the party has already started so you're going to be late!!!!!

Follow me...  we can still make it to Schotzy's  woodland cottage... 

You know it is all about celebrating the 150th Anniversary  of  Lewis Carroll's marvelous book!

  But  at Schotzy's party it is all about fun, music, and   tea. Listen, I can hear the music now!!!

The fairies  have assembled..

 Miranda 's   all tuned up!!

Ahh,  we are  so fortunate today, King Frederick Frog  will   take charge and keep  everyone in line!! 

The Twitterings  welcome  one and all!

Ahem!   If you will  all pass right through here please...  we shall  find our  way to the  glen of merriment!
Step carefully here, please...

Right along through here, I  think,.. um...   I hope...
 

No need to pause for a rest... plenty of time for that  soon enough!

Oh, dear,   excuse me, madame,    Oh, please,  I  do  beg your pardon,,,    ahem,,,  now I  do believe,   ...  umm,   yes,   I think......  ah,   at last,  yes,     but if you please, just  one more  left turn through here and we're there!

And  I do believe  we  can see   our way clear  now...

The alarming clock  announces....

  

And so  ....( Drum roll, please) I present  darjeeling...  for my  darlings!

And the tea is ready!!!

The fairies sing an ode to  the cup!

  (Fanfare)

White rabbit makes  a huge announcement!

YOU  have been chosen  the Queen of the  Party!  The Fairy Queen will  crown you!

 Never  fear, Darling,   the Queen of Hearts is vacationing in Boca!

So be a dear,  would you mind  pouring the  tea for us?

  What!!!!!!!!!!!

What mischief is this!

Someone has quite  forgotten his manners: he must have left them in his nasty little  burrow  along the garden path....

AwK!  If I may divert your attention.uh,...uh, uh, uh     my dears,,   we shall now   move right through the glass  .. to our tea!

The fairies and the 

 woodland creatures   serenade  the   partiers...  
The Twitterings    declare, "It's  a huge success!"  

 and wish everyone who  visits   a  very  Mad Day!

Hope you  enjoyed  our first  Mad  Tea.. now I'm off to visit  some other parties!  Come on,,, let's go together!

Today is also, Pink Saturday!

  BTW.... As I ran across this wonderful post  I am adding it here to share with mothers do  not   think  they should  teach children about fairies...   I love this   prinicple of  teaching!

I   still believe in the possibility of them.... and my mind loves to imagine them  among the flowers  and  making friends with the woodland creatures.  If C.S. Lewis and Tolkien can have fairies,,,  then    so can we!

Also joining  

A Return to Loveliness

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

Who's That Hiding in the Daffodils

Who's that hiding  in the daffodils?

The reds and hearts are all packed away and  the    bunnies are making their  return.. for spring is only 24 days away,,, and  even though  the  ground is white,     you've got to know that they are ready for spring,  and so am I!

 The  soft greens of  spring  are so soothing to my  eye and    warms the room  with  the delicate  fragrance of   the  pre-eminent vernal pleasures  to come!

The splash of yellow   puts a smile of each face  in anticipation of a sun drenched  mornings   just around the  corner...

A delightfully intimate   tea  for  my love and I  to just  enjoy a  morning break and  linger over our Earl Grey  and discuss  the momentous  events  that are upcoming  with  the changes in the weather  as  spring  makes its happy appearance!

 Today I'm sharing  with   

Make it Pretty

A Return to Loveliness

Home Sweet Home

Thursday Favorite Things

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday