Tuesday, February 25, 2020

And tomorrow we fast

Fat Tuesday. Fastnacht Day. Today. A tradition carries on. This PA Dutch tradition features these yummy deep fried mashed potato donuts bathed in sugar, confectioner's or granulated and savored on the day before Lent. The women would use up all the lard, butter, sugar, potatoes and goodness in their cupboards before fasting begins. And we are so lucky to have special friends that prepare (and deliver) a bag full of these crispy flavorful morsels to our door each year! Matt is happy to share his recipe. I'm happy to sit and savor these guiltfree donuts along with a smooth oolong tea. Fastnacht is  German for 'night before the fast'. And tomorrow we fast.

Fastnachts
2-1/2 c. mashed potatoes
1 c. milk
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. baking powder
5 c. flour
Mix all ingredients together, adding the flour slowly at the end. Divide dough in half. Roll out 1/2 inch thick and cut into triangular shapes. Deep fry in hot oil, turning once, until done. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Monday, February 24, 2020

Like an old friend

This tea cup was recently gifted to me by a customer in the tea room. It is a beautiful Royal Albert bone china teacup from England. The marking on the bottom says 'Cotswold' which is a region in England with rolling hills and meadows, one that we visited several years ago. Tea rooms abound, and we tried very hard to visit them all. This sweet gift reminds me of that trip.









On the same day I received this cup, another customer shared a lovely quote found in an old magazine, author unknown. It says, "Like an old friend always there for you when you need her, the teacup is more than a vessel to hold your tea. It is a vessel to take you to a calmer state of mind - and, depending on its age or origin, to a faraway land or distant era."

This tea cup definitely took me to a faraway land! Thank you to both Brenda and Julia for their thoughtfulness.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

A Valentine's Day Celebration!


Decked out in red from top to bottom, hearts galore, and a cleverly creative one-of-a-kind Valentine's Day box of chocolates hat, we love our guests! What a way to celebrate all that is love! 
Our first Valentine's Day celebration was held this past Sunday and it featured a complete Afternoon Tea starting with a colorful Tomato Basil Soup topped with a heart shaped crouton. The sandwiches featured hearts in many forms as shown above. The scone course followed the sandwiches and then we served the desserts shown below. Love is in the air!

Monday, February 10, 2020

Book Folding


Altered books, or book folding, is a perfect way to re-purpose an old book. A talented friend gifted me with this tea time book folded treasure and introduced me to this art form. This was a 'new to me' craft, but upon googling book folding, there are some very elaborate designs to create. There is an abundance of tutorials on you-tube, and a variety of patterns that you can purchase to create your own folded art sculpture. Check out Etsy for inexpensive patterns. Before beginning your project, you will need a hardcover book that fits the requirements for the end product. You want to make sure you have enough pages in the book to complete the design! Each page has specific folds to create your masterpiece. 





Check out Gail True's website here for a peek into the many other designs she has crafted.
Special thanks to Gail for thinking of me and sharing her talent! 
Love having this work of art on display in the tea room.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Miss Mouse and Miss Rabbit Take Tea

Have you spotted the newest piece of artwork in the tea room? Having been hidden in the bottom of a drawer for entirely too long, this charming colorful watercolor was recently framed and now hangs in the tea room. The creative and talented artist that designed this garden party is Teresa Harper, a long time friend of Bertha Reppert.


The artwork was commissioned to be used as a label for the "Triple Mint Tea" blend that is sold at The Rosemary House. Of course field mice and soft gray rabbits would indulge in a mint tea, tucked among the grasses on a summer day. The Triple Mint Tea offers a nice relaxing herbal blend of garden variety mints.