Poetry In A Pot Of Tea: shortbread

Showing posts with label shortbread. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

A Journal, a Pen and A Cup Of Tea

With a few fairies keeping me company, I took a break from trimming and watering in the backyard to catch up on my gardening journal. My tea today was a fragrant black loose leaf which was a gift from my sweet friend Patty in Texas. Here is a closer look at the dry and steeped tea. There are lovely pink rose petals in this tea~

I jotted some notes on seedlings, established plants, the condition of the new fairy gardens, as well as a list of the wild birds that frequent our feeders. If you look closely you'll notice that I did a little sketching too~

Prune ye my vines and fig trees,
With care my flowers tend,
But keep the pathway open
Your home is at the end.

Robert Frost

Our neighbors gave us a box of shortbread dipped in dark chocolate. It paired beautifully with my cup of tea!

I used my Dansk Nine Patch cup and saucer with the charming quilted design in blue.

A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.

Victor Hugo

This set has decorative black 'stitching' on the cup and saucer.

It's amazing how a short break and a cup of tea can energize you - especially when you have the opportunity to contemplate the flowers.

There's the same sweet clover smell in the breeze,

And the June sun warm,

Tangles his wings of fire in the trees,

Setting, as then, over Fernside Farm.

H.W. Longfellow

Ahh, happy teatime!

If I could put my woods in song

And tell what's there enjoyed,

All men would to my garden throng,

And leave the cities void.

R.W. Emerson

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

You Suit Me to a Tea!

Last week I could not post anything on my blog and never did figure out what was wrong. So, until I get help from Blogger, I am using a new browser and posting this belatedly~

I decided to make shortbread cookies for our February 14 teatime. My daughter showed me a photo of cookies that looked like teabags and I couldn't wait to try making some! Use any basic shortbread recipe. I used one from my Winnie The Pooh Teatime Cookbook~

After I rolled out the dough, I used a piece of parchment cut in the shape of a teabag, as a pattern. I used a knife to cut out the cookies, then my daughter made a small hole at the top of each with a drinking straw. Into the oven they went~

When they were cool, I melted chocolate and brushed it onto the bottom half of the shortbread teabags. I think when I make them again, I will dip the bottoms in chocolate and see if the surface comes out smoother. Next, I stamped small squares of card stock with cute images and tied them to the cookies. (I used an empty clear teabag wrapper and slipped one of my shortbread cookies into it for the photo).

I put together a light snack when my daughter got home from school, and the three of us- Daddy included- exchanged our Valentine cards. Not every teatime needs to be a formal meal.

We decided to sample some shortbread along with fresh apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon~

Our cups were filled with Kusmi Troika tea served from our cozy covered Bodum pot. I thought the plump red strawberries on the cozy made it a lovely addition to the table.

Notice the variety of sweeteners I arranged on a plate? There are sugar cubes, honey drops, and natural turbinado to choose from.

The pink napkins are a keepsake from a special dinner served to us at the hospital when my daughter was born...the hospital brought a candlelit table into my room with dinner on it for my husband and me the evening after I gave birth. It was our first dinner as parents!
I brought a beautiful Camellia blossom in from the back yard and floated it in a small pudding dish.

We used our footed monogram cups for the occasion. We bought these sweet cups at Anthropologie.

There were heart shaped boxes on the table, as well as a framed picture and festive red and white glittery balls~

If you have never tried a sprinkle of cinnamon on fresh apple slices give it a try...it is yummy.

We used blue and white luncheon plates that have a variety of teapots pictured on them. I like the combo of red, white, blue and black~

Here is the mark on the back of the dishes~

I used a place card holder to display a Valentine image I printed, then punched with a circle punch~

I received a wonderful package in the mail that really added joy to my week. This came from a new friend who resides in the Netherlands, and she sent tea. What a treat! She also sent 6"x6" paper pads, baby roses, and a hand-made card.

I also got a package from a beloved friend who does monthly scrapbook exchanges with me...isn't this gorgeous? It was filled with love~

I bet you can spot the festive sparkly balls she included in the packaging...these are what I sprinkled on the tea table :)

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Raxacoricofallapatorian Tea!

It all started with a mug. The moment I laid eyes on it I knew I was taking it home!

In fact, I knew I was taking two home with me so Miss R (our tea drinking soon-to-be college girl) could share a pot with me. Look what is written on the front....Where there is Tea there is Hope. Is that not perfect?! ha ha~ It certainly is for me, as I feel this way! And on top of the humorous quote was the fact that it is TARDIS blue.

For those who have not watched Doctor Who on BBC, the TARDIS is the time machine the Doctor and his companion travel inside. The original series began in 1963. My family and I really like the series filmed from 2005-2009. There is an episode that aired in December 2005 where the Doctor regenerates, his appearance changes, and he becomes the 10th Doctor. In that episode he is sleeping for a good part of the show as his body finishes the process of regeneration. Stay with me here, I know this is sci-fi geekery, but if you got to know the Doctor you'd see why I get a kick from this next part! So, some big bad aliens invade London! The Doctor's companion, Rose, along with the Tardis, is brought onboard the Sycorax ship. In the nick of time, the Doctor awakens after inhaling tea vapors from a thermos that had spilled near him and saves the day!!

He later said, "Tea! That's all I needed! Good Cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tanin, just the thing for healing the synapsis." ~ I knew he was my kind of guy!~ lol

With the perfect quote and color of these cups I figured my daughter and I would have a Doctor Who themed tea time. I have a fresh tin of matcha so we decided to make green tea shortbread in honor of the green aliens from Raxacoricofallapatorias called the Slitheen.

~Green Tea (Slitheen) Shortbread~

Sift 2 cups all purpose flour and 2 tablespoons powdered green tea together. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, cream 2 sticks unsalted room temperature butter.

Stir flour mixture lightly into butter. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, stir. Do not overmix.

Chill for 30 minutes~

Roll on floured surface to 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters of your choice. We used stars for our sci-fi teatime!

Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 15-18 minutes at 325 degrees. Rotate cookie sheet halfway through baking time.

These are not too sweet and have a light as air texture....mmmm! My daughter drizzled a few of them with a basic vanilla icing. Then we set the kitchen table for tea.

Fans of the Doctor will recognize a couple of the additions to our table setting~ there is a British cracker (from the same episode I mentioned above) as well as the Tardis key on a chain! A tiny Dalek also found a place near the tea tin. Guess he felt comfortable there, both being made of metal and all!

~ ha ha~ Notice the Thermos? We decided on a full bodied English Breakfast from Grace Rare Teas called Winey Keemun. It is a fabulous tea any time of day.