April
Chocolate Mint Tea
Chocolate goes well with tea, not just coffee. You can brew up this recipe is a jiffy, using instant hot chocolate powder and bags of mint tea.
Ingredients:
6 mint tea bags
6 cups milk
6 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
In a saucepan, heat milk with tea bags until almost boiling. Steep for five minutes and remove tea bags. Stir in the hot chocolate mix and mix well using a whisk. Pour into mugs.
Serves 6
Chai Tea Cupcakes
This decadent and delicately spiced cupcake recipe makes a perfect tea party pastry and will impress your guests with a fun presentation idea. Thank you to my dear friend Debbie for sharing this recipe with me.
Chai Tea Cupcakes with Chai Mousse
1/2 cup liquid chai concentrate (available in the tea section of your local grocery)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup uncooked quick oatmeal, not instant
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 350̊F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Combine the dry ingredients (oatmeal through sugar) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Add chai, applesauce, vinegar, extracts, and coconut. Mix well, and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Best served warm, cut into rounds and top with Chai Mousse (see recipe below).
Chai Mousse
1/2 cup liquid chai concentrate
1 ounce (small box) of sugar or fat-free instant pudding, vanilla or cheesecake flavored
8 ounces fat-free whipped topping, well thawed
Pour chai concentrate into 4 cup or larger measuring cup. Add pudding mix and stir with spoon until thick and lump free, about 1 minute. Fold in whipped topping until evenly combined.
Place in refrigerator and allow to firm. Use as a topping.
Serving Scones at your tea party will impress your guests. They are time consuming, but fun to make. Scones can be cut into any shape you desire. Use a drinking glass to make circles, or cut into squares or wedges with a knife. Dip the edges of the cutter in flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Do not pat the edges of the scone down; instead leave the cuts as sharp as possible to allow the scones to rise in layers. This really makes a difference, so resist patting down those edges.
This recipe was given to me by a co-worker. She did not remember where she found this recipe. However, this is the best Scone recipe I have tried. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have.
Orange Poppy Seed Scones
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 large eggs, divided
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, poppy seeds, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until particles are the size of small peas. In a medium bowl, beat (1) one egg lightly with orange juice. Add to flour mixture; stir just until mixed.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently. Pat or roll out the dough into a circle 1/2-inch thick. Using a lightly greased and floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut into rounds, cutting close together to generate as few scraps as possible.Dip cutter into flour as often as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Push scraps of dough together so that edges join; firmly pinch edges with fingertips to make a partial seal. Pat this remaining dough to 1/2-inch thick; continue to cut 3-inch rounds. Space 1-inch apart onto prepared baking sheet.
NOTE: When making scones, work the dough quickly and do not over mix.
In a small bowl, combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk; brush onto top of scones.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve either at room temperature or warm.
Tips: When the scones are cool, wrap airtight and hold at room temperature for up to one day or freeze to store longer. To reheat, unwrap scones (thaw wrapped, if frozen) and place onto a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees oven 8 to 10 minutes or until warm.
Yields 12 to 14 scones.
Where to begin? So far this year, Julie has dealt with ice storms, power outages, order theft(s), and serious illness(es), but she has kept on zooming as our business continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
Julie’s family is becoming a major and much-needed part of the Roses and Teacups team, which is what we always hoped for.
Nancy has dealt with a broken foot (good job, Girl!) illness(es), minor surgery, and her new life without parents.
It’s been a time of discovering exciting new products and vendors, sadly watching others go out of business, and all the while working through the necessary changes brought on by growth.
It certainly isn’t the economy, so we’re giving the credit to God, and rejoicing that we can continue to sell items for our artisans and cottage vendors!
We’ve added a wonderful swirling ribbon to our logo thanks to Jennifer at Pear Street Studios, javascript drop-down menus, numerous new pages and expanded old ones.
Our newsletter list is now at 2100, we are shipping to over 25 countries, we receive a steady 1000-1400 visitors daily, and well, I do believe we are succeeding as we continue on in our 4th year of business!
We have expanded our capabilities in the weddings and events departments. Our growing variety of discount teaware is proving invaluable to party planners in this economy, along with our huge assortment of personalized favors.
We continue to expand our one-of-a-kind gift department, as well, with our exclusive offerings of Whimsical Bliss Studios ceramics and Nannette Stewart Originals beaded purses.
The best part, of course, is getting to know so many women from all over the world and having the fun of assisting them as they plan for special occasions in their lives.
We are also thrilled that we can continue in reaching beyond with our our Broken to Beautiful program, our support of Renee McLean’s missionary work, and our participation in fundraising for the American Cancer Society.
Thank you to all of you who touch our lives in this partnership that has become such a huge part of who we are!
New Year Tea Party
What a wonderful way to start off a new year than to have your official New Year Tea Party. Let the men watch their football, but you can enjoy the company of your family and friends that are not so interested in football to a tea party. Enjoy the following recipes.
Pineapple, Sweet pepper and Mint sandwiches
8 ounces cream cheese softened at room temp.
1/4 cup well drained crushed pineapple,
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon fresh pineapple or canned well drained.
Fresh mint or spearmint.
Mix all ingredients well
Makes 1 cup.
Orange Marmalade Cream Cheese Sandwiches
8 ounces cream cheese softened
2 tablespoons of orange marmalade (sweet)
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts.
Mix well
Makes 1 cup.
Cheese and Banana Sandwiches
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup cream, if needed to blend
2 bananas
Mash the bananas and mix with the cream cheese. Add the cream and spread on slices of bread.
You can use any type of bread with these recipes. Just remove the crust with a sharp knife.
And that’s why your order may be delayed or your email is late in being answered. Julie is in a 39-degree house, huddling in one room with a fireplace, without power, doing her best with a generator. Yikes!
We want your savory tea party recipes! All contest information can be found here:
http://roses-and-teacups.com/menu-tea-party-food.php
Russian Tea Biscuits
Oh boy! I had some of these last week at a friend’s house…and never mind how many!
She was kind enough to share this family recipe, credited to her grandmother-in-law, Sarah Brooks.
3/4 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, make a well in the center.
Mix oil, juice and vanilla together, then work into dry mixture.
Add the eggs one at a time, working into dough.
Divide dough into 6 pieces and refrigerate overnight.
Roll out on sugar - about pie crust thick.
Spread with softened butter.
Spread on raspberry preserves, sprinkle with chopped pecans (or other nuts), raisins, coconut, and cinnamon sugar.
Roll up, cut into 1-inch pieces and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 for 18 mins.
Spread with beaten egg white; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Keep away from Nancy!
NOVEMBER
The holidays is my favorite time of the year to try new recipes. Why not expand your tea recipes and host a holiday tea for your family and friends. We have given you some wonderful recipes to put together your holiday tea. Why not try this new recipe that My Country Kitchen just discovered.
Don’t forget to be thankful for all things in your life during this holiday season. My Country Kitchen is grateful to Roses n’ Teacups for this opportunity to share recipes with you.
Blessings,
Betty Lynch
Almond Biscuits
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup finely chopped almonds
5 ounces almonds
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Combine the flour, eggs, margarine, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and chopped almonds to form a smooth dough. Stir in the whole almonds.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts and roll each portion out into a cylindrical log shape. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place refrigerated rolls of dough onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool then slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Put cookies onto greased baking sheet and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. The cookies are very crisp when done.
Well, the truth of the matter is that I couldn’t face my first Christmas as an orphan without seeing my sister, and she couldn’t come to Illinois, so off I went to Oregon.
Did I mention that I love trains? Forget about taking shoes off in an airport security line, I love to snuggle into an Amtrak sleeper car and listen to the clickety clack while I peek out the window at the U.S. of A.
So… expecting a relaxing 2-day ride on the Amtrak Empire Builder, I boarded on Sunday afternoon, December 14th, ready for fun.
The sleeper car attendant, Dan, was A Plus, Number One, Grade A the Best. (He told me to disguise his name if I had anything bad to say, but I don’t!) Wait till you read what happened on my way home, Dan!
Have you ever traveled across North Dakota in winter when it’s 30 to 50 BELOW zero? Well, I hadn’t, and the train didn’t seem to want to! First of all, it looked like Siberia outside! I kept thinking, they could film Dr. Zhivago here and no one would know the difference!
Things kept going wrong with ol’ Bessie the train, and we got further and further behind schedule.
THEN, a freight train derailed in Montana spilling grain here, there and everywhere and completely blocking the way for both eastbound and westbound trains.
We actually had to take a bus from the westbound train, around the mess, to the eastbound train. The eastbound passengers did the reverse.
That was an adventure I could have done without, because the bus was freezing cold. The thing that made it bearable was the silly joking between Mike (a first time train rider… poor guy) and me. Hey, Mike! How is your new life in Portland going?? Did you ever warm up?
We got onto our “new” train and continued west, but a storm was brewing, and I don’t mean snow.
By the time we got to Spokane, WA, we were so far behind schedule that the Amtrak powers that be decided to stop right there and try to save time by dumping us BACK on to busses for the rest of our trip!! NOT fun! More jokes with Mike, thank goodness, and some great scenery during the final hour to Portland kept me from becoming a very unpleasant soul.
Did I mention that Dan was great? He was, and he did his very best to make things as pleasant as he possibly could for me, Mike and our other sleeping car companion, Bob.
OK… I had a great 2 days with my sister and brother in law. We watched childhood home movies to cry to and silly comedy movies to laugh to. We ate chex mix, worked side by side, and hugged a lot.
Friday it was time to head home. Ha! When I got to the Portland station, I found out that due to more freezing weather and more freight car derailments (hey, guys, slow down!) my train would be about 8 hours late. whooo hoooo
Sooooo I settled into the waiting room with my laptop and coffee. To make a long story short and a short trip long, I was due home on Sunday at 3 in the afternoon, but actually arrived on Monday at 9 in the morning. No busses, though, so for me I was thrilled to get extra train time….
Now it’s Tuesday night. Julie and I have finished our Christmas orders… I HOPE… and I’m just about to start looking at cookie recipe books. Our tree is up, the laundry is going, it’s snowing outside, and that’s all folks. All aboard!!
Tuna Salad sandwiches are great tea party sandwiches. You can make the Tuna Salad before your party and let it sit in your refrigerator for up to 24 hours in advance. This lets the flavors marry together. The salad is also great to put in a bowl and serve with your favorite crackers.
This recipe is a family favorite. I hope you will enjoy the recipe, too.
My Country Kitchen’s Ultimate Tuna Salad Sandwiches
2 to 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise (or your desired amount)
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onions
3 heaping tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely minced celery
1/4 teaspoon season salt
2 hard boiled egg, minced
2 (6 ounce) can light chunk tuna in water, drained
1 cup chopped red delicious apple
1 tablespoon minced cilantro or parsley
6 slices reduced-calorie whole wheat bread, toasted
6 lettuce leaves
6 thinly sliced tomatoes
Combine all ingredients, serve on toasted bread of choice, or on a plate of mixed greens.