Teatime on a rainy afternoon -

On the way to Sligo, Ireland on a rainy afternoon - June 2019.

Photo from the bus window.

Beautiful music for teatime from the piano of  Brian Cain 

It was raining here in Raleigh on a recent afternoon - not a drenching rain
 such as often experienced in Ireland last year - but wet enough to
 stay indoors, bring out a favorite mug (Emma Bridgewater's "Happiness is a 
Cup of Tea & A New Magazine & A Bar of Chocolate"), and enjoy a nice
 calming herbal infusion of camomile tea. 

I didn't have a bar of chocolate but I enjoyed small, but perfect for dipping, 
Italian Crunchy Figs & Almonds biscotti - Fatti a Mano (meaning handmade). 
I found a pretty bag of these in that always interesting imported foods section 
of my local HomeGoods store at Christmas - a favorite place to search for
 delicious items not carried in regular grocery stores.
Do you ever check there for food items?
TJMaxx has a similar but smaller section.

I've baked 'handmade' biscotti, but not recently. A bit time
consuming but always fun and I must make some again soon.

Some of my more interesting tea bags I have to admit I've picked up from

mostly European hotels and airport lounges. . . . . and many when on

 board ships!  

Those overseas locations, always have such an interesting array of 

teabags - which makes me think they still love their tea more than coffee,

 which usually seems first choice for a hot drink here in the USA.

Not certain where this particular teabag traveled home from - but

it was really good and so alluring when I opened the "Hand-Stitched

Silken Tea Pillow"  which expanded when the hot water was poured

and the camomile buds opened.

Where do you purchase your tea bags or loose tea?

I buy a lot when visiting home in England - two of my favorites being the

 Empress Grey and Pure Origin Ceylon available from Marks & Spencer.  

Quite honestly, despite being English, my knowledge of tea is minute!

I never liked or drank tea growing up. It was basically strong loose black

 tea brewed in my mother's teapot, and I really only started enjoying

different teas, black, green and herbal, perhaps 25 years ago. 

I'm dedicating this 'tea post' to my fabulous Portland, Oregon friend

Marilyn at Delights of the Heart

We met many years ago through our blogs, and some years back

 (in 2013 - wow how time flies!) Bob and I were able to meet Marilyn and

 her charming husband Jim in Portland. 

Being an extremely knowledgeable tea expert Marilyn introduced me to

 exciting new teas . . . . I just know you will love her relaxing teatime posts, 

both indoors, outside in her garden and greenhouse, in the countryside, 

 at the beach, and especially at the stunning Lan Su Chinese Garden in

Portland where she took us one afternoon.

  Marilyn's beautifully written words, and the thought-provoking poetry she

shares, make for perfect reading with your own cup of tea, so do stop by

 her great blog if you haven't done so before.

"A nice cup of tea and a slice of cake please" ~~~~~~~~

The latest new cake recipe I've tried out is a true keeper. 

I love a cake with a dense crumb - one which ages well, even gets
 better with age. . . . . . .  if you don't gobble it up too quickly. 

Like most Brits, I absolutely love coarse cut English or Scotch

 marmalade, especially those made from Seville oranges which are 
slightly bitter. Thick, not runny, with real chunks of peel, and much less
 sugar than American-made marmalade.

Table runner from SuzAnna's Antiques 

Marmalade Tea Cake

1 1/2 sticks/175g soft butter

3/4 cup/175g granulated sugar 

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups/170g all-purpose white flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup/90g dried raisins

Zest from one orange

2 Tblsps orange juice

2 Tblsps Cointreau liqueur 

1/4 cup/75g thick cut marmalade

Icing ~

Powdered confectioner's sugar

Fresh orange or lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350F - butter and line bottom of an 81/2 X 41/2 loaf pan with parchment.

Finely grate zest from the orange and set aside, then squeeze juice from orange.

Place raisins in small saucepan, add orange juice and Cointreau. Warm mixture over low heat then stir in zest and marmalade, set aside to cool.

In mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light, about 5 mins.

Scrape down bowl and add eggs one at a time on medium low, mix in vanilla extract and scrape bowl again. 

To aerate, sieve flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl then add to batter in mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add raisin mixture and beat slowly for a few seconds until mixed in. Remove bowl and scrape down with a spatula and complete mixing by hand until fruit is incorporated, but do not overbeat.

Place batter into prepared pan smoothing the top. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown and tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 mins. on a rack, invert to remove from pan and place on rack to finish cooling.

To ice - in a small bowl, combine about 1 cup of powdered sugar and a small pinch of salt with enough fresh squeezed orange or lemon juice, and stir until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cake when cooled. 

My vintage marmalade crocks - I need to find more!

Entertaining with Earl Grey. . . . . . . .

He's delicious in a pretty china cup balanced on a matching saucer. . . . . . that 

very well known Earl Grey.  Being one of the most well known teas in the West, 

his delicious citrus flavor infused with a dash of aromatic orange bergamot, delivers 

an uplifting tea with a unique floral aroma.

But, Earl Grey can also flavor other tasty morsels, such as this fruited teacake.

It's such fun to make a cake with a nice strong cup of tea thrown in.

I no longer make the huge traditional English Christmas cake - a rich, dark fruited

monster weighing several pounds, and baked in early November to enable

the addition of several 'feeds' of rum or brandy over the weeks 'til Christmas. 

For the past few years this small teacake with raisins, sultanas and chopped 

walnuts has worked well. I still add a layer of almond paste and soft 

icing made with fresh lemon juice, just like the real thing! 

Teatime today - a slice of cake with a cup of tea - celebrating 'the Earl' on a Winter afternoon.

Do you have a favorite tea you enjoy sipping?

Measure, roll, chop, stir, bake, eat . . . .

What's missing from this Autumn afternoon

tea break? Something homemade to nibble on perhaps.

This was my grandmother's china. It's delicate and

really not for outdoor use, but now and then I just

enjoy making a cuppa in that exquisite little teapot.

The memories of my maternal grandma come flooding back. 

I loved her dearly.

I spent a lot of time with her. 

She cared for me until I was four and started school 

because my mother had to work. . .but I only had her 

until I was eleven. When she died, her leaving 

left a huge emptiness in my life.

I do enjoy baking something for teatime or dessert, 

especially if company is expected. Yes, I know, there are

nice pastries at bakeries, even some grocery stores, but

I always feel a sense of well-being when I've taken time

to bake something from scratch, don't you?

Blueberry muffins. . . 

. . . a blackberry galette. . .

. . . or a nice slice of cake.

Will you be baking over the weekend?

Now the days are cooler heating up the kitchen

is no longer a problem. 

My oven will be baking a blackberry and apple

crumble. . . .and those butternut squash!