nature walks… pink bluffs at sunset… hand embroidered pillowcases… a walk downtown to dinner on the patio of a favorite pub… mushroom ravs… wedge salads… painted murals… a stroll on the cannon valley trail… vintage flour sacks turned table squares… vino… newly crocheted cabin blankets… and napping kitties. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Love, Melissa
I’m in a springtime kind of mood…even though it’s freezing outside and there’s STILL tons of snow on the ground. Tomorrow is the official first day of Spring, so I wanted to celebrate by cooking up something bright and refreshing for teatime. Meyer lemons are a sweet, delicate lemon that have the flavor of lemons and oranges combined. If you decide to use a different kind of lemon, just make sure you choose a good quality, thin skinned variety. 6 Meyer lemons 6 cups sugar 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract Using a very sharp knife, cut ends off lemons and slice them very thin. Remove all of the seeds, and cut each of the slices into 4 pieces. Put them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, or Dutch oven. Add...
A Week of Valentine’s Treats ~ Day FOUR Today I put together some Valentine’s gifts for my daughters Andrea and Grace. Little “girly” baskets with cute heart socks, candies, cookies, and THESE adorable “Spa Sundaes,” among other things. These little “sundaes” would be great party favors for a girlfriends’ spa day or tea lunch. Just buy pre-made bath bombs, or make your own bath salts by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to epsom salts (vanilla is nice for this project…you can call the salts “vanilla ice cream scented”). Mix thoroughly, scoop into snack size ziploc bags. Place salts or bath bomb in a dollar store tulip cup, place a bath poof on top, a little striped paper straw in the cup and a red heart...
A week of Valentine’s Treats ~ Day THREE! ~ A LOVE NOTES JAR! Today I made a jar of love notes for the hubby. I included coupons for hugs, kisses, back rubs, batches of cupcakes, movie dates, tea dates, lunch dates, candlelight dinners, morning walks, theater tickets, sunset viewings on the porch (with vino) and one romantic B&B weekend. I also included funny memories from the time we’ve been together, love quotes, and things that I love and appreciate about my guy. I sprinkled Raspberry Hershey’s “Hugs” in with the love notes, and I told Jeff that I’d replenish the chocolates a few times. He can pick a note from the jar once a week. This is a fun, romantic way to stay connected, and it’s and easy little...
For day TWO of our week of Valentine’s treats I thought I’d share something simple and sweet with you. Honey bear Valentines! I like this idea because it’s cute and practical, and a lovely little gift to give to the tea lovers in your life. These little honeys go together quickly…all you need are the honey bears, card stock, a hole punch, cute ribbon, stickers, and string. Make a tag that says “Bee Mine,” and tie that around the bear’s neck before giving him his handsome bowtie! Voila! you’re done. If you have a couple weeks before Valentine’s Day, you can make herb scented honey by simply putting a few sprigs of lavender, thyme or rosemary in each honey bear! or…a half of a vanilla bean in each is...
Hello friends! I’m busy working in my studio today…and putting together a “Tea for Two” gift! We gave tea gifts to all of our friends a few years ago, and it’s such a fun way to share the love of tea. You can buy everything new, or you can stash little antique shop/tag sale/ thrift store finds away all year and then have fun assembling vintage gift baskets for friends and family. Add homemade baked goodies, or whatever else you like! You can tailor this idea to work for one person, or a whole family. Add cocoa for the kids…and maybe a family movie… or for your single friends…maybe a bottle of lovely Lollia bubble bath and a romance novel. The possibilities are endless. This particular gift is in...
Happy Friday! I just got back from a lovely couple hours at my friend Clare’s quilting studio. We shared a bottle of THIS, enjoyed Bavarian pretzels, cheese, crackers and red pears for a happy hour treat. Now I’m back home, hanging out with my family, and looking forward to a weekend balanced with a good combination of work and play…. and tonight I’m continuing the knitting/crocheting jag I’ve been on for the past week. I love opening my craft armoire and finding my knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn this time of year so I can get started on homemade gifts to add to my Christmas gift baskets. This year I’m making my friends THESE CROCHETED COWL scarves. (Click on the link for free pattern and instructions.) This one...
~ tomato jam ~ This is a tomato jam recipe inspired by my favorite minimalist, Mark Bittman. The man is a genius. ‘Nuff said. I made a couple minor changes to the recipe. It’s amazing. How do you use tomato jam you may ask? Well, the beauty of this condiment is it’s versatility. It’s sweet, it’s savory, it can be used in place of ketchup or barbecue sauce! Slather some on a toasted garlic bagel with cream cheese, dip your french fries in it, spread it on a thick slice of sourdough bread and top with gooey soft boiled eggs, place a little dish of it next to a cheese and cracker tray, use it as a sandwich topping with ham or turkey and fried onions, use it as...
~ fairy cakes ~ “Flowers add romantic history to our food. They lend a charming, healthy, and unusual dimension to our tables. During Queen Victoria’s reign there was a Primrose Day. A fanciful recipe for fairy cups called for a peck of flowers pounded with ladyfingers, three pints of cream, sixteen eggs and a little rosewater, buttered and baked with sugar on top.” ~ from The Epicurean website This past winter my friend Karen Toocheck, the owner of the lovely Crystallized Flower Company out of Willoughby Ohio, asked me to collaborate with her and create a recipe for Fairy Cakes. We had to wait until blooming season, and in the middle of winter that can seem like forever….but finally the time has come! Karen sent me the original article...
~ rose butter tea sandwiches with scented sugar ~ Gracie and I enjoyed these fragrant, rosy sandwiches for our teatime today while watching a few episodes of Glee. It’s been raining cats and dogs today in the Mississippi river valley! The perfect kind of weather for snuggling under a quilt, turning on the fireplace, eating some spring veggie soup, and lighting candles all over the house. These sandwiches were the perfect light dessert with a cup of Darjeeling. You will want to make the rose sugar a week ahead of time, so prepare accordingly. makes 12 tea sandwiches for the rose butter: 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/8 teaspoon rosewater Mix well until light and fluffy. Cut 12 circles out of the centers of 12 slices of soft, white sandwich...
