Monday, April 25, 2016

Lemon Ice Box Pie and My Fairy Garden


 Let's have tea and Ice Box Lemon Pie out in the garden today, shall we?  I'd show you my waterfall, but it's not working right now, so I'll show you my fairy garden instead!


 This darling bee teacup and saucer was a gift from my daughter at Christmas.  Isn't it bee-u-tiful?


 Isn't the saucer cute, too?


 This napkin coordinates so pretty with my setting, doesn't it?


 Come along to see my fairy garden that I made several years ago, that's in my galvanized tub.  I have four fairies for my four granddaughters and three gnomes for my three grandsons. With our recent hailstorm, two of my fairies got broken wings.  Yes, the hail was that big!


 I have a toadstool with a tea set, of course!  Playing in the fairy garden just brings out the little girl in me!


 Can you see the tire swing over my little river?


 This sweet little birdhouse is getting all rusty, because it's been out for several  years.

 Here's the garden gate with a chandelier hanging in the archway.

Now, after all that playing in the fairy garden let's have some pie!  This Lemon Ice Box Pie came from my friend, Jemma, @ At Home With Jemma.  It's very much like my Cherry Cheesecake (unbaked) recipe, found  here. For the crust on this pie, I used Biscoff cookies, ground up, because I had them in my pantry and had forgotten what recipe I had wanted them for!!  Does that ever happen to you?  I think you'll like this recipe, as it's creamy, cool and lemony, but not too.  Here's the recipe:



1- 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla
1 prepared graham cracker crust, store bought or homemade, found here (I used Biscoff cookies, but you could also use shortbread cookies)
whipped cream for garnish

Combine cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix on medium speed with a mixer until smooth.  Pour into  prepared crust.  Refrigerate overnight.  Garnish with whipped cream.

Here's a sample of hail that my son is holding that hammered down!  There were even larger ones than this.

 



I am sharing this with: 


 








 
Thank you for your visit!  xo

I was featured!

Monday, April 18, 2016

The Enchanting Rose's 8th Teacup Exchange


 Dear Stephanie, from The Enchanting Rose had her eighth teacup/mug exchange, and I must admit that this is something that I so look forward to.  I appreciate all the time, effort and creativity that Stephanie does to execute this event.  This time there were 167 ladies that participated.  Thank you so much Stephanie!  The lovely lady that gifted to me was Deb, from Garage Sale Gal, and look how she spoiled me! 


 Be still my heart...just look at this beautiful cottage teacup, by Colclough, made in England.  I'm pretending that I'm living in that sweet cottage with the thatched roof and strolling among the beautiful gardens.  Don't you just love the gold, whimsical adornment on the white parts of the design?


 Mmmmm which tea should I choose first???  I think the Raspberry Earl Grey for today's tea!


 Deb sent her favorite chocolates for me to try, too. 

 

 More goodies....yummy candles for a soft glow and delicious scent!  Isn't the handmade gift tag so creative?

 Yes,  Deb, thought of everything!  Included were wonderful tea note cards, and stickers.  It was a pleasure to mail one off to Deb for all her thoughtful gifts!
 

 Isn't this handmade tag so cute, too?  There's a sweet teapot charm tied to the handle.


 Now, please excuse me while I sip my tea, enjoy the lovely scent of the candle, and nibble on my chocolates!  Thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart, Deb, for our connection through a beautiful teacup.  I will think of  you whenever I use it!


I had the pleasure of gifting my friend, Judith, from Lavender Cottage and Gardening.  As a thank you from Judith, she sent me one of her lovely, handmade cards and a handmade bookmark.  Just look at the back of the envelope that she created!  Thank  you for your thoughtfulness, Judith, it was greatly appreciated.  I also had the pleasure of sending a teacup and package to Janice, who no longer blogs, but wanted to participate.  You can see pictures of all of those who participated, by visiting at  The Enchanting Rose's 8th Teacup/Mug Exchange .

 I am sharing this with these lovely parties:



Thank you for your visit!  xo


Monday, April 11, 2016

Watergate Salad

 It's warm enough to have tea and dessert out on my patio!  


 I'm using a trio set painted by my late Great Aunt Kitty.  Isn't it a pretty pattern?


 This darling lady vase was gifted to me from my dear daughter for my birthday.  Don't you love her rosy cheeks and freckles?  She also gave me the green bird feeder on my table, which I've since hung in a tree.

 My mom embroidered this pretty tablecloth, and it's probably over sixty years old.  I think it matches my trio set set so perfectly. 



I don't know why Watergate Salad is a "salad", because it really is more like a dessert.  A co-worker gave me this recipe long ago, and I recently took it to a potluck.  A bit of information was found at seriouseats.com on how the recipe was named.  It seems that Kraft Foods deputed the pistachio pudding mix in the 1970's and promoted a recipe called Pistachio Pineapple Delight.  However, a food editor at a Chicago newspaper reprinted the recipe, but renamed it "Watergate Salad," and the name stuck!   Here's the recipe, if you'd like to give it a try:

Watergate Salad

1-3 oz. pkg pistachio instant pudding mix
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple, not drained
1- 8 oz. container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix pudding mix into pineapple by stirring. Fold in whipped topping, and add marshmallows and nuts. Chill.

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:



Thank you for your visit!  xo


Monday, April 4, 2016

Chocolate Cherry Cake and a Cherry Teacup

 Today I'm having tea and cake in my bedroom.  I have to admit that in reality, I have breakfast and tea in bed every single morning.  My late beloved and I started this practice, after our kids all left home, and it's something that I continue to do. There's something so indulgent about breakfast in bed, even though I have to get up and make it! 


 This darling teacup is from my friend Deborah, that blogs at The Beautiful Matters.  When she visited Texas for a wedding, we  met and she gifted me with this teacup.  I just love the cherries on the front and the checkerboard design.    Thank you so much, Deborah.  She also gave me a gift bag with eight different Harney & Sons Organic teas.  Today I had the Assam Black Tea, which is described as "revitalizing".  It was the perfect complement to my Chocolate Cherry Cake, which is in honor of my cherry teacup. 

 

Deborah and I met in a French Cafe, that I wrote about here.



 I wish I could share a piece of cake with Deborah, and we could sit and chat some more!


The recipe for this cake came from an article in The Dallas Morning News from April 24, 1996.  This cake comes together very quickly, and it's really tasty.  Although I make many things from scratch, I am not a food snob (except for a certain brand of ketchup and also,  freshly grated nutmeg!!).  I never mind using a cake mix or some other prepared products.  I hope you give this recipe a try!



Chocolate Cherry Cake
  • Cake:
  • 1 Devil's Food cake mix
  • 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
  • 1 tsp. almond extract (may use vanilla)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ICING:
  • 1 c. white sugar
  • 5 tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 c. milk
  • 6 oz. chocolate chips

Baking Instructions

  • For cake:
  • Mix together by hand. Put into greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Do not mix too much. Batter will be thick. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Ice while warm.
  • For icing:
  • Combine sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan.  Cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook, stirring, 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. May put on cake right out of oven.
I am sharing this with these lovely parties:



I was featured!
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I was featured at Foodie Friday and Everything Else!
Thank you for your visit!  xo



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