Lemon Tea, very pretty!

There was a Lemon Tea and Program held recently at Sweet Remembrances featuring all types of lemon flavored herbs, fresh lemon zest and juice, and edible flowers from the springtime garden. The tea began with a Lemon Broccoli Blueberry Salad that had a lovely lemon juice and Greek yogurt dressing atop a salad laden with broccoli, red onion, blueberries, craisins, apple pieces, and sunflower seeds. 

A variety of sandwiches included a triangular Cucumber Sandwich with Lemon Herb Butter, Lemon Basil Chicken Salad Sandwich with green grapes, Sliced Turkey with Parsley, Lemon, and Shallot Mayonnaise, Lemon Chive Pepper Muffin with Roast Beef and peppery mustard/mayonnaise combo, and a Feta, Lemon & Mint Sandwich on pumpernickel bread with a sweet violet garnish and a sprig of lemon thyme.

The scone plate included a Lemon Currant Scone  served with Sweet Cream and Black Currant Preserves and a slice of Triple Lemon Tea Bread, fresh orange slices and a snippet of Grape Hyacinth blossom. The refreshing beverage was Lemon Herbal Tea from the Rosemary House blended with freshly squeezed lemons and sweetened with sugar. The Lemon Herbal tea is a combination of Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, and Lemon Grass. It is a light and pleasant mixture of dried herbs. It offered a refreshing addition to the lemon tea.

The dessert medley included Lemon Ginger Cake with a swirl of sweetly tart lemon frosting, Lemon Balm Blackberry Thumbprint cookie, and Lemon Verbena Cheesecake topped with Lemon Curd.

Following the tea, Susanna Reppert Brill of the Rosemary House presented a program on the different lemon-scented herbs and ways in which you can use them throughout your home, both in the kitchen, for the bath, and around the house. In this photo, the long slender green leaves is Lemon Verbena while the broader wider leaf is Lemon Balm. The petite fairy leaves are Lemon Thyme. These are perfect lemon scented herbs to add to your garden. In addition, consider Lemon Basil, Lemon Grass, and Scented Geraniums. The most fragrant lemon scented geranium is 'Mabel gray'.

 Freshen lemonade, iced tea, or any other iced drinks with fresh sprigs of lemon herbs. A pitcher of water with a large spring of lemon verbena adds such visual appeal and surprising light lemon flavor.

For the bath, steep a half cup of dried herbs in a cup of hot water. Strain, and add to bath water. In the summer, when you have an abundance of fresh herbs, use one cup of fresh herbs to one cup of water. Let it steep overnight, strain, and add to your bath water for a refreshing pick-me-up.

Happy Easter!

                                    Wishing you a joyous Easter with many blessings.

Bunny Cakes - a Family Tradition!

In our household, we celebrate each holiday with many of the same familiar treats associated with each festive gathering. We have an unspoken rule that you may add a new recipe or something different, but you may not take away a family favorite. At Easter, you will find bunny cakes to be one of the expected after dinner treats. Originally, we used to make a total of four bunnies for the family. Over the years, it has decreased to only two furry rabbits, some with coconut fur and others without. Herewith are a few bunny cakes from years past.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Afternoon Tea

St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in the tea room yesterday with shamrocks galore, a touch of Guinness in several of the recipes, and a wearin' of the green.

Once the Irish Breakfast tea was poured, the first course was served which included a Lemon and Blueberry Salad with Kerrygold Vintage Dubliner Cheddar Cheese accompanied with a scotch egg. The scotch egg recipe was from Judy Larkin of the Larkin Tea Company and can be found on her website. Although traditional scotch eggs are deep fried, we opted for the oven baked variety which is just as delicious!

The sandwiches included Top 'o the Morning Basil Pesto Chicken Salad on a Guinness Cheddar Biscuit, Happy St. Paddy's Day Corned Beef Spiral, Lad & Lassies Pistachio & Asparagus Rollup Three Leaf Clover with Cream & Mint Jelly, Good Luck! Good Cheer! Miniature Toasted Reuben, and Lucky Charm Relish This Tartlet using a zippy zucchini relish available at the Rosemary House. 

Warm from the oven scones featured a Luck o' The Irish Cream Scone made using Kerrygold Irish Butter, and a Wearin' of the Green Irish Soda Bread Scone accompanied by Grannies Sweet Cream and Apricot Preserves, Fresh Orange Slices and Kiwi.

A dessert trio included Leprechaun's Lucky Treacle Oatmeal Cookie (a Tea Time Magazine Recipe), Blarney Stone Caramel Cashew Shortbread, and an Old Irish Pub Chocolate Guinness Cake (a Taste of Home Recipe, made as miniature cupcakes instead of a 9" springform cake).  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you always have

walls for the winds, 

a roof for the rain, 

tea beside the fire, 

laughter to cheer you, 

those you love near you, 

and all your heart might desire.

 

Happy Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea!

Valentine's Day is always a special day in the tea room with lots of pink, red, and hearts galore. The tables were set with red paper hearts and a rosebud napkin graced the place setting. An assortment of pink teacups completed the scene. The menu and tea list also featured hearts to add to the festive day. Once the guests have made their tea selection and their first cup is poured, the first course is served. The salad featured Spring greens, fresh berries, sugar coated pecans, a dusting of Feta cheese and a glaze of poppyseed dressing.

Following the salad, an array of festive heart shaped sandwiches was served. They included Pimiento Cheese on Pumpernickel, Cheddar, Apple, and Green Apple Chicken salad with a little heart cutout, Sweet Red Pepper with Boursin Cheese, Strawberry Bread Heart with Mascarpone Cheese, Brie and Raspberry Tartlet, and Fruit Cornucopia on Raisin Bread.

The scone course always includes the Traditional English Cream Scone, cutout as a heart for this special tea served alongside a glazed Double Chocolate Scone with fresh fruit garnish and Sweet Cream and Raspberry Curd.

The trio of desserts included a Chocolate Almond Cheesecake, Pecan Tea Cake, and a White Chocolate Mousse filled Chocolate Cup. Yum!

 

Vintage Valentine candy boxes adorn the shelves in the tea room to add to the festivity. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

2020 - A Year in Review

In the beginning of the new year we celebrated with an employee appreciation Afternoon Tea at Emigs Mansion in York County. It was a lovely gathering of family and friends and a delicious variety of food. More details and photos are in this blog post.

Also in January, members of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association gathered at the Elden Street Tea Shop in Herndon, VA for one of their quarterly meeting.                                                                   

February featured our annual Valentine's Day teas. We held two this year, one on Valentine's Day and one on the Sunday of Valentine's Day week. Such fun with hearts galore!

In March, at one of our events for the year, we held a

Tea and Honey Pairing in Sweet Remembrances. Everything prepared for the tea featured honey and a tasting in different teas completed the evening.

A few excursions to local tea rooms were on the agenda while Angelica was home for spring break. Susanna, Nancy, and Angelica enjoyed a special outing to Olivia's Tea Room in Camp Hill, in March. While an adventure to Oxford Hall Tea Cafe in New Cumberland included Afternoon Tea and a tea leaf reading session.

Our annual St. Patrick's Day tea was featured in March. Festive, green, and with the luck of the Irish, we celebrated one last tea in Sweet Remembrances, and just like that, restaurants were shut down to indoor dining with Covid on the rise. We had no way of knowing what the rest of the year would look like.

Kids in the Kitchen became a routine. With a college student home and a high schooler too, quarantine provided an opportunity for the kids to learn a few cooking skills. From making lentil joes for dinner to spiced nuts just because and dipping chocolate covered Easter eggs, there was always something going on to keep us all entertained and nourished. Angelica even tried her hand at scone making. With Easter on the horizon, the kids made bunny cakes, and Susanna made lemonade!

Typically our Easter celebration includes family from NY and another sister from Jim Thorpe. This year, with travel restrictions, we were our small family unit of five, but we had all the traditions expected with a delicious Easter morning breakfast to a ham and potato dinner.

May included a Mother's Day Afternoon Tea 'to go'. With the lockdown extending longer than expected, plan B for Mother's Day included Afternoon Tea 'to go'. It was all hands on deck for help preparing a complete Afternoon Tea. It was an adventure, but a lot of Mother's and their families enjoyed a special treat in the safe confines of their own homes. 

June included an Afternoon Tea special for members of the Penn Cumberland Garden Club. Garden tours were coordinated throughout the summer, and the tour held at The Rosemary House offered the opportunity to order an Afternoon Tea Garden Party. Members were able to enjoy the tea in the garden, socially distanced of course, or take their boxed tea home to enjoy.

The local church hosted garden tours in July. It was an opportunity to get out of the house, enjoy nature and fresh air, and gather ideas for decorating the garden.

August featured A Sampling of Spanish Tapas with outdoor dining or indoor dining as an option. With limited seating indoors, we were thankful to have the garden patio to provide additional seating. Angelica presented a program on Spain, bouncing back and forth between the indoor seating and the outdoor dining. It was a lovely and extra special event.

More Afternoon Tea events for the family. First up, a Magical Tea at TranquilaTea Tea room in Waynesboro in early August was a special birthday celebration.

While a journey in the other direction took the family to Elizabethtown for another August birthday tea at Manchester Teas and Tarts.

In late August the family took the university student back to Penn State for their covid semester. The students made it thru the semester, mostly hibernating in their dorm rooms and attending zoom classes.

And in September, the youngest started his senior year of high school, Class of '21. A maroon and steel cake was enjoyed after the first day of school. Our senior was on the winning football team, making the start of the school year pretty exciting.

October included decorating the gardens, and hosting two annual Halloween teas. A journey to Penn State to celebrate Angelica's 21st birthday on a crisp fall day was also on the agenda for October.

We welcomed Debbie Harman of Thyme with Debbie for a fall program in October, Cooking with Herbs of the Mediterranean Region. It was a demonstration that included tasting a nice variety of fresh herbs. Debbie will be returning to the tea room for several classes in 2021, Flat Breads and Spreads in March, Grain Bowls in May. Watch our Calendar of Events for updates for these fabulous classes.

In November we hosted our quadrennial Presidential tea event. This event is held every four years, with all the pomp and circumstance befitting a presidential event. We were pleased to welcome Executive Chef John Moeller, author of Dining at the White House. Chef Moeller served at the pleasure of three presidents, Bush, Clinton, and Bush. He shared many interesting stories of his experiences at the White House.

Early December saw a few traditional holiday themed events in the tea room, but another abrupt shutdown mid-December caused us to move to Plan B and offer a final 'to go' tea for the year since supplies had already been purchased for a weekend of tea parties. The culinary Santa crew offered inspiration for the dessert menu. Here's to 2021! May it be all that you hope for!