DreaMint Candies

We have the individual candy molds used to make your own home made mints for a shower, birthday party, or specialty themed event. It's a very easy recipe and a very easy do-it-yourself candy. We also have the Lorann Oils to add as flavoring. With these molds, you can make fancy candies like a professional and most certainly impress your friends!

To make DreaMint Candies, cream 8 oz. of cream cheese and gradually add 2 lbs. of confectioner's sugar until well blended. You may use a heavy duty mixer to blend most of this, but the last 1/2 lb. or so of sugar will need to be mixed in by hand. Divide this mixture into 3 or 4 bowls. Add a few drops of flavoring oil and a few drops of food coloring (liquid or paste will do) until you have achieved the desired color and flavor. Flavor and color combinations might include: Peppermint mixed with green, lemon with yellow, strawberry or watermelon with pink.

Once the candy is fully blended, pinch a small piece of the mixture, roll it into a tiny ball, and then roll that ball in granulated sugar. Push the ball evenly into the candy mold. And then, immediately pop it out of the mold. Repeat this process until you have used all the candy. Store mints in a tightly covered container in the fridge, or freezer if you prefer.

These are candy shoes that I made for a themed event last summer. The roses and leaves are perfect for just about any party, and we have a nice assortment of other molds listed on our website. Follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the other molds that are available.
For a little variety, the candies can also be dipped in melted chocolate.

Premiere First Friday Dinner

There is an exciting new adventure added to our Calendar of Events this year. We have joined forces with Mountainside Supper Club, LLC where the culinary talents of Chefs Steve and Karen Dunlap will be showcased during First Friday Dinners at Sweet Remembrances. Last night was the first hosted dinner, and by all accounts, it was a popular success. The first course started with a hearty turnip puree topped with a nice variety of veggies with pretzel rolls and lime basil butter.

The salad for the evening featured local greens, apple schnitz, blue cheese crumbles and a cocoa vinaigrette.

There were three delicious entrée selections - Asian Style Beef Brisket with mashed potatoes and assorted veggies, Vegetable Wellington with a side of lightly sautéed veggies, and Chicken Woodsmen served atop noodles. Generous portions, beautiful presentation, and flavorful options, it was a real treat!

 Dessert was a decadent chocolate torte topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It was just the right portion to end the evening.

And the best part of the evening, we were able to sit down and let someone else do all the preparation, dinner service and cleanup! What a very special treat.

The next First Friday Dinner will be held on April 4th with seatings at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. It will be a totally different menu, but just as creative! BYOB, too. See you there!

Tea is a Herb!

Enjoying leisure time!

Perhaps it is while drinking tea that I most of all enjoy the sense of leisure.

~George Gissing, The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, 1903

Vintage Tea Tablecloth

This sweet little embroidery is on a small 36" square vintage tablecloth that a sister found during one of her yard sale excursions. All hand embroidered, the design depicting two elegantly dressed woman sipping tea, chatting, and enjoying some special moments is stitcted on one of the corners of the tablecloth.

The sweet little saying is embroidered all the way around the cloth, in between each of the large embroidery designs that are in the corners.

while this design is stitched on the other three corners,

Although difficult to discern, there is even steam coming from the tea cups!

Another Tea Time Treasure

Another family friend gifted this set of tea themed Pfaltzgraff tiles to me the other week. What a fun surprise! The original company is thought to have originated in York County, PA in the early 1800's. The soft blues and greens of these tiles, and the dimensional teapots are quite charming. The tile in the forefront is marked Pfaltzgraff, copyright USA (stamped and imprinted) while the tile with the green edging is stamped Pfaltzgraff, designed in the USA, Garden Trellis, Made in China.

 

Aren't they a fun addition to the evolving tea themed collection? Frequently guests to the tea room ask how I acquire all my treasures... between family and friends, the collection grows!

A special thank you to DK & RK.

 

Novelty Teapot

This sweet novelty teapot was gifted to me this past week. So colorful and cheerful, I am pulled to the little flowers that are sprouting from a window box above the door.

The marking stamped on the bottom states '2000 Collectors Series', and was produced for Houston Harvest Gift Products. It will certainly make a fun addition to the growing collection of novelty teapots that grace the shelves in the tea room.     Special thanks to JP.

The Strainer Collection Grows

This beautiful silver tea strainer is the newest addition to my personal collection of unique and unusual tea strainers. It was purchased at Coffee and Tea Festival in Oaks, PA from the private collection of Miriam Novalle founder of the T Salon in New York City and gifted to me by my brother in law at Christmas. 

The beautiful cutout detail on the strainer is absolutely gorgeous. It has a small clasp on the inside of the strainer that helps to hold it closed once the tea leaves have been placed inside. This would be the perfect size for an individual cup or mug of tea.

Alas, the individual markings that are on the handle are too miniscule to decipher without jewelers glasses, but it would certainly be fun to investigate to learn a little more about this treasure.

Happy Birthday George Washington!

Today marks George Washington's birthday, and in honor of that celebration, earlier this month we welcomed Martha Dandridge Custis Washington as represented by first person historical interpreter Alisa Dupuy to the tea room for an Afternoon Tea and program. Martha is affectionately considered the First Lady of the United States. We learned about Martha's life as a young woman; she was taught to read and write and figure reasonable well, but also learned the important household responsibilities such as being a gracious hostess and how to set a proper table. She was able to make small talk, and loved to dance. Martha married George Washington two years after her first husband Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy plantation owner, died of scarlet fever. When she met George Washington, he was a young officer, handsome, well dressed, a foot taller, and rode well.

She knew they were a good match.

We enjoyed a delightful Sunday afternoon in celebration of President's Day. A special thank you to guest Ann M. for the photo collage she created. And a special thank you to Alisa for another interesting and informative presentation in costume.

Winter Storm Advisory - Schools Cancelled

It seems to have become the mantra this winter - snow storm upon snow storm, a polar vortex creating temperatures so cold that school is cancelled, ice storms, and freezing rain causing school delays that become cancellations. So far this winter, we have experienced it all with delays and cancellations becoming the norm. So what do you do on a day when there is no school because of the ice storm, and it also happens to be a day the tea room is prepared to serve afternoon tea, except 90% of the reservations have cancelled that morning because of the hazards caused by the icy conditions? Well, if you live next door to a tea room, and you have middle school friends that are within walking distance, and the temperatures have started to melt the ice, you invite your friends for Afternoon Tea courtesy of your aunt. That's just what happened this week. Angelica and a few middle school friends enjoyed sipping tea, sampling savories, giggling and chatting, with conversation ranging from classes and teachers to discussing names for horses, coupled with even more laughter. What better way to enjoy one more day off from school.

Showcase the Place - Thursday February 20th

Discover the businesses on Market Street in Mechanicsburg, all within steps of each other. This special event takes place this Thursday, Feb. 20th between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Susanna at The Rosemary House and Nancy at Sweet Remembrances are excited to participate in this premiere event. Shopkeepers will take you behind display windows to learn the shop's back stories: where goods originate, the how and the why of the shop's operations. Some will be offering little extras in their shops. Each business will Showcase the Place! Participating businesses include The Rosemary House (free gift here), Sweet Remembrances (order a pot of tea and scones here!), Teal Photography, Cache in the Attic, Altered Edge Couture, 2nd Floor Gallery, and Civil War and More. Stroll Market Street and learn a little more about the businesses that are established here. This special event is coordinated through the downtown Mechanicsburg partnership.

The Rosemary House is giving a package of Herbal Placemats to attendees.

Sweet Remembrances will offer an Individual Pot of Hot Tea and Two Scones with toppings or an Individual Pot of  Tea with 3 assorted desserts (carrot cake mini muffin, mint frosted brownie, shortbread cookie) for $5.00.

So, don't let the snow stop you! It's supposed to be 50 degrees on Thursday.... stop at The Rosemary House to pick up your free gift and browse the gift shop, visit with Susanna and pick up a copy of the new Calendar of Events for 2014, and then swing by Sweet Remembrances for either the Scone Special or the Dessert Delicacies, sip tea, visit with friends, say hello to Nancy and listen to the snow melt.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Recently I participated in a Valentine's Day card exchange and this is the beautiful assortment of cards and treasures that have been arriving for several weeks. Cards have travelled from Canada, France, and 10 of the 50 states. There were homemade cards, vintage cards, and Hallmark cards all in various shades of red, pink, and white. The tuck-ins ranged from recipes to bookmarks to tea samples, to Valentine stickers. This has been such fun! Hope your Valentine's Day is extra special!