40th Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday, brownies

Welcome to...

40th, Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

Seldom can the heart be lonely,

If it seek a lonelier still;

Self-forgetting, seeking only

Emptier cups of love to fill.

Frances Havergal

Wasn't last week wonderful!  How generous you were, dear friends,  with sharing your tea treasures and comments. All much appreciated.  I did not feel lonely, nor my cup of love empty.  I am anticipating with great excitement  what my eyes may be delighted with, this week.  There is  always an invitation and  a welcoming place for everyone on Tuesday at the tea table.  Thank you for sharing with us.  We feel blessed.

Do you ever imagine people as teacups?  There are just as many shapes of people as there are shapes of teacups. Full-sized ones, petite ones, tall ones, all with their own unique character and appeal. The colours and rich designs are as varied as the complexity of the friends we have. The shape of their handle, the curve of the lip, each offering a different experience in which to embrace a warm cup of tea.  When taking a moment to contemplate  a relationship , I oft reflect and ponder  if perhaps a friend may require a spot of love in their cup, from me? What a difference it could make in that person's day, perhaps even in changing their path in  life, maybe eternally?  I believe that nuturing loving and caring relationships is our ultimate calling. 

I invite you to relax and settle yourself for a sweet treat with your tea.

By a sunny window

A touch of sweetness

Still mismatched crean and sugar

I have discovered that their mates are packed!

Who knows when I will have them together again?

Larger luncheon plate is a set of 6 from an aunt

The smaller plate is from a set of 4, found

in the local thrift store for $5.00

I love that they are diffent shapes

I used larger plate on the pedestal

to create a larger serving piece

Cream and sugar now on the table

I changed my mind.  Do you ever do that?

Please don't eat all of them.  I need a few to decorate.

See below.

Tea is served!

Luncheon Plate

Small plate

My inspiration for a dessert came from the one and only Martha Stewart,

                                Brownie Heart Cupcakes, I have included her recipe here.



My adaptation is a little quicker.

When using a mix, use the best.

I am grateful that three packages come in one box,

at Costco.

For Valetines' Day I add chopped candied ginger to the batter and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter

Ice and top with a heart-shaped ginger snap cookie if I can't find

 my teeny-weeny heart-shaped cutter.

Or pour batter into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter Pour into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter

~ I encourage you to stop by and savour another cup of tea while you enjoy her pretty vignettes.

The more the fun!

We don't want to miss a single teacup or teapot!

As always we cherish your comments and participation
in our Tuesday meme.

~You will be warmly welcomed if you choose to
become a follower!~

Welcome to,

Tuesday Tea Time In Blogland!

These are the links to the other oh-so-delightful tea parties and tabletop parties that I attend.

I invite you to drop in. Many thanks to those who faithfully host each week.

~ Hope to see you there!!

(Our own memes are marked with an asterisk*):

*~The 68th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'

~ Tuesday Teatime with Lady Katherine

~ Teatime Tuesday with Sandi

~ Teacup Tuesday with Martha

~ Teacup Tuesday with Terri

~ Tabletop Tuesday with Marti

~ A Return to Loveliness with Kathy

*~ The 40th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday', with Wanda Lee and Pam @


Other favorite places I may visit this week:

~Tablescape Thursday with Susan

~ Foodie Friday with Michael

~Show and Tell Fridays with Cindy

~Sunday Favorites with Chari

Cheers and hugs from Pam and Wanda Lee; ( Wanda Lee is the other half of our weekly blog tea party memes; 40th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday'/ 68th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'.., @ http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/ and also @ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/



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

T hank you for knocking on my door and stopping in for a visit. Do sit a spell and warm your toes by the fire and your fingers cupping your favorite tea. I hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends and had time to count your blessings.







THE LIGHTER SIDE

The New Year brings a renewed sense of starting fresh, for me. After a busy, bustling social season, with lots of friends and festivities the thought of getting back into routine feels reassuring to me, that there is a season for everything. I definitely enjoyed every sip and extravagant tasty morsel and don’t regret a one. Now its time to get on to the lighter side of life again, with an eye to sunny days when I might like to wear fewer layers and look a little lighter too.

Tea has wonderful healthy properties and there are so many ways to enjoy it, besides the comforting brew. I would like to share a dessert recipe with you that my guests have enjoyed. I don’t believe in denying oneself of dessert.

RED TEA PANNA COTTA

This is a creamy dessert that is satisfying without being at all heavy. I use pink depression glass teacups as my moulds.

¼ CUP berry-flavoured red tea, cooled  (for gelatin mixture
 3 1/2 TSP gelatin powder


3 1/2 CUPS 18% cream


3/4 TSP icing sugar


1/3 CUP berry-flavoured red tea, cooled  (for cream mixture)


Marinate ½ PINT raspberries in


¼ CUP berry-flavoured red tea, cooled


2 TSP sugar



Place ¼ CUP berry-flavoured red tea, cooled, in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin powder. Let stand for 5 minutes.



Heat the cream, icing sugar and remaining red tea in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until warm. Stir ¼ Cup of warm mixture into the softened gelatin, then add back into the saucepan. Gently warm the mixture for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 

Lightly oil eight ½ cup moulds. Pour mixture into moulds and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.



Dissolve sugar in remaining red tea and marinate washed and dried raspberries.


Top each mould or teacup with a few berries and syrup and a sprig of fresh mint, if you have on hand.


Note: Tea should be well steeped for full flavour, but not bitter.

Serving a simple dessert in an unconventional way adds to the ambience of an evening.

T his is one way I “KISS,” my hostessing. Keeping It Simple and Stylish, your unique style of course.

D o give it a try and let me know how you made it, Keeping It Simple and Stylish.

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!

These last few days have been c-c-cold! I know winter is suppose to be cold but the Artic air of the last week has brought rosey cheeks to even the palest faces and fingers without mitts sting like the fire you wish to be near!

As I slowly push my feet out from the bedcovers and search the floor for a cozy slipper, (hopefully two), I can think of only one thing....hot coffee! With my robe wrapped aound me like a sultan's turban I take flight to the kitchen and start that life-awakening brew. Once that has been started I think about breakfast. Cold cereal, well it leaves me feeling cold. So porridge it must be!

There have been times in my life when the instant, one minute porridge has served a purpose. But this morning I will take the extra few minutes to make if from scratch. My version has been named, "Sunday Morning Porridge".

When I was a young woman working the night shift as a nurse my Aunt Nelda would invite me over in the morning when I finished the last of my seven nights. She had just retired from a long successful career of nursing herself . We had a connection that comes from shared experiences, not needing many words. The quietness of the morning being savoured as much as the special porridge.

She always made me porridge. Her creation was ever so smooth, dotted with plump raisins and kissed with cinnamon. I was too tired to watch her method as she lovingly stirred the pot. I just enjoyed the results in those early twilight moments of the new day and her companionship.

As time went on I stopped working as a nurse and she moved into a retirement home and so the early breakfasts together ended, as both of our lives took new directions. But I will always remember those mornings, just the two of us in the newness of the day with fond memories.

After my aunt passed on, I was recounting this cherished memory to my mom and she was the one who told me the origin of the special recipe. On the farm during those cold days of the Depression, porridge was the main stay for breakfast. It was filling and it was easily accessible. You could fill the tummies of 10 childen effectively and cheaply. But on Sunday morning my grandmother would make the porridge with fresh milk from their cows, add a few raisins and a pinch of cinnamom. Slowly stirring the pot and serving it with a bit of brown sugar or molasses.

I was glad to hear the story and my mom's memory of the ingrediants. My mom wasn't as taken with porridge as my aunt and actually had never made it herself. But now I had something to start with and over the years I have created something almost as tastey as my Aunt's 'Sunday Morning Porridge'.

Most of the time I follow recipes but since this one has been created by estimating I will simply pass on the formula I use:

SUNDAY MORNING PORRIDGE

Follow the directions on the package of your favorite oatmeal, large flake or Scottish steel cut oats, same amount. Replace the water with a combination of milk (I like 2%) and water, remembering the more milk you use the more liquid you will need. I think half 2% and half water is a good place to start. Raisins and cinnamon to taste. Place ingredients in a double boiler and cook stirring occasionally, until you have desired texture and raisins are plump. I like using the double boiler because I am too impatient and often would boil the porridge over.

Top with brown sugar, or maple syrup, or your favoite topping.

A tip from Scotland: you can make your porridge in the evening and reheat in microwave or top of stove in the morning.

Now with a warm bowl of (comfort) porridge in your stomach you can put on your winter gear and brave the winds of change.