Angela Webster McRae's Blog, page 22

Cherry-Date-Pecan Tea Bread

This weekend, I decided to use up some dates and dried cherries I had sitting around, and the result was this Cherry-Date-Pecan Tea Bread, which I really enjoyed! I took some to Sunday school for our class breakfast yesterday, and I popped the leftovers in the freezer to slice up for future teatimes.

One problem I've always had with dried fruit in a tea bread is that it sinks to the bottom. I've tried coating it with flour, but that didn't work either. Somehow, the liquid always ended up rinsing the flour off, and those bits of fruit sank like a lead balloon. This time, I added the dried fruit to my flour mixture, combined it all by hand until it was heavily coated, and only then did I pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. I was very happy with the way the fruit was distributed this time, and I much prefer the cherries and dates to plain old raisin bread! So here's the recipe.

Cherry-Date-Pecan Tea Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried fruit (I used a mix of dates and dried cherries)

1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

1 egg, well beaten


In large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, fruit, and pecans, combining well. In separate bowl, combine vanilla, butter, boiling water, and egg and mix well, making sure butter melts completely in the boiling water. Add liquid ingredients to the dry ones and stir just until combined. Pour into a 9 x 5 x 3-inch pan prepared with cooking spray (or use a parchment liner). Allow batter to stand for 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Some tea gifts to enjoy and to share!

The other night, I got home from dinner with a girlfriend and had a package from Hawaii waiting on my doorstep. The surprise comes courtesy of my tea-lover friend Lani F., and I am so excited about all of these carefully curated treats she assembled for me! There are several folders of fun info I'm still reading, and Lani saw one of my past posts about tea-themed puzzles and sent some printouts of puzzle suggestions as well as this bag with a small puzzle inside. It will be perfect to put together the next time my young neighbors come for tea.

And as soon as I saw these blueberry-flavored Royal Creem (yes, "creem") Crackers, I knew immediately that I would share them, too, with my little friends.  (Indeed, I'm aiming to be the coolest gray-haired lady in the neighborhood.)

But something I won't be sharing is these delightful little cookbooks of favorite recipes by Dear Abby! Did you know that she had ever published recipes? I don't guess I did, and I can't wait to cook something from them, and hopefully soon!

"Journey Through Scotland" in the new Victoria magazine

Many of you already subscribe to Tea Time, but if you don’t happen to subscribe to sister publication Victoria, I must tell you that the September/October 2024 issue, which arrived in my mailbox yesterday, is an absolute delight! “Journey Through Scotland” is the theme of this extra-thick double issue, and since I’ve started daydreaming about a trip to Scotland to see the old McRae family homeplace, Eilean Donan Castle, this magazine is one I will keep close at hand.


There’s a lovely piece on “Tea with Christopher Robin,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the appearance of Winnie-the-Pooh.


And another is titled “Tea & Tranquility,” which will have you longing to take tea at the Signet Library in Edinburgh.


This year’s Victoria writer in residence, Jennifer L. Scott, writes about “The Ceremony of British Afternoon Tea."


And these yummy-looking treats are pictured in a feature on Gleneagles, a retreat where I'd certainly love to take tea. And I haven’t even touched on all of the issue's historic castles, the tartans, the confections … It’s truly a feast for those who enjoy Scottish history!

From the vintage recipe files: Cherry Coconut Cookies

When I’m in the mood to bake a sweet treat, I like to pull a card out of one of my vintage metal recipe boxes and give it a try. This weekend, I wanted to make some small treats to have in the freezer just in case any young friends pop over for afternoon tea, so I decided to make these Cherry Coconut Cookies, and oh my, were they delicious! And hot out of the oven? That cherry taste is such an unexpected delight. But they’re good once they’ve cooled off too!
Cherry Coconut Cookies

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, well-beaten

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup (one 10-ounce jar) maraschino cherries, well-drained and finely chopped

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes


Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare cookie sheet with baking spray. In a large bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder, and salt and sift. In separate bowl, combine shortening and sugar, then add egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla and blend. Add to flour mixture and combine. Gently stir in the maraschino cherries. Using about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie, shape dough into balls and roll them in coconut. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately. Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

My friend Deberah shares how she made her tea…

Remember when I recently shared about the delicious tea made by my friend Deberah? Well, she has shared her technique, and here it is!

Deberah says: I found this information from a borrowed book, Homegrown Tea by Cassie Liversidge. I borrowed this book from my good friend Susan Mills, who shares information about her enjoyment growing herbs and making teas. 

From a Camellia sinensis plant, recipe to make Black tea:

Pluck the bud and the light green new leaves at the tips of branches. The best time to do this is early in the morning before the sun can heat and dry the leaves in the spring when the plant puts out new shoots.

 

Spread the leaves on a tray and allow them to dry for at least 20 hours. Leaves will wither until they are limp.

 

Roll the leaves between palms of your hands. I used a pair of surgical gloves. The book says to use a sushi mat, but since I don’t have one, it was an easy decision to use the gloves. I must admit I kind of liked the rolling, and it darkens the leaves and smells nice.

 

Spread the leaves on a baking tray and bake at 75 degrees for up to three hours. The leaves will turn brown and will be oxidized.

 

Store cooled tea in a glass container.

Teatime with children

I am pleased to report that the watermelon tea was a hit with my little neighbors who've been coming over for teatime. Here's the single photo I thought to take yesterday, just the leftovers on the tray I had carried outdoors to the tea garden and a few of the tiny glasses I use for cubes of fruit, which appear to make them quite happy.

So far, they've most seemed to enjoy using the small teaspoons for their tea, the honey dispenser, and the small dessert forks.

One day, Adelaide was very carefully holding the lid on the teapot while she poured herself some more tea (and if I should ever chip a teapot in service to entertaining children, so be it!), and it occurred to me that I should get one of those little drip catchers that holds the lid on, so I'll be purchasing one of those soon. I also want to introduce the kiddos to my little "lemon bird" that squeezes lemon into the tea. They've already used a tea strainer but didn't seem particularly impressed by that. I haven't entertained very young children in years, so what am I forgetting? Any suggestions on gadgets or tea wares to make tea even more fun for little ones? I'm enjoying our teatimes even more than they are!

Some thoughts on silver … and going for the gold

This weekend, I did some silver polishing, and for a timely reason. I was cleaning out one of Alex's old desks the other day and came across three silver forks engraved "Liddell." The McRae family tree includes some Liddells, and a family history I've read says this was Mrs. Liddell's wedding silver. A cousin passed these along several years ago, but alas, there were only the three forks, and I sure wished I had a fourth, because four could be used for a small tea party, right? But I kept staring at the pretty design and thinking, "Where have I seen this before?"

Then I remembered: Not long after we were married, Alex handed me a pillowcase, I believe it was, in which he'd wrapped a few silver pieces that belonged to his late mother. He said he thought I might like them, and indeed I did (and do). So now, I have four forks from his forebears—three of the seven-inch forks engraved "Liddell" and one 7-3/8-inch fork engraved "McRae." They're made of coin silver, which isn't quite as pure as sterling, but they all cleaned up beautifully with my beloved Wright's Silver Cream.

I also polished a large silver serving spoon Alex presented me with, and it, too, came via his mother. It's engraved "Mary Irvin," and I learned from a family history book that she passed away in 1861.

Another piece I've started polishing (so much that I actually ran out of silver cream!) was Alex's baby cup! I'm thinking of having a silversmith repair it by getting out the dents and dings, but first, I wanted to make sure it can be polished. 

I've still got work to do, but I think this is a vast improvement.

And after staring at that "Liddell" engraving handed down by my husband's family members, who came from Scotland, it dawned on me that "Liddell" was a name I'd heard before, and you may have already made the connection about Eric Liddell, the "Flying Scotsman," who won a gold medal for the 400-meter race in the Paris Olympics of 1924. I've found no evidence that "our" Liddells have a direct connection to the famous runner, but I still like sharing a name with someone who honored the Lord by refusing to run on the Sabbath yet went on to win the gold. And if I had ever seen Chariots of Fire, the 1981 movie about Eric Liddell, I'd certainly forgotten it, so I watched it twice this weekend. Highly recommend! 

"Flea Market in Style" magazine returns

Y'all know I love to get my hands on any new "flea market" type magazines. Well, last September, I came across Flea Market in Style, which I just loved, so I was delighted to see a new issue of that publication on the racks at Publix this week. And with teapots and tea wares on the cover!

I found several decorating ideas I plan to use in the coming months, and one repurposing idea that hadn't occurred to me? They decoupaged an old coffeepot and mugs using paper napkin designs. Now, I've got an old enamelware teapot or two around here, not to mention plenty of patterns of paper napkins, so I want to try this.

And another fun idea is using old candlesticks for displaying flowers. Wouldn't these be lovely on a tea table? Or a Christmas table? I found a lot of inspiration in this magazine, and I believe many of you would enjoy it, too, perhaps for some pleasant weekend reading.

Luzianne Tea's Watermelon & Honey Green Tea

The other week, my sweet neighbor had some lovely mulch left over from his family's landscaping project and offered to clear a path and spread it in my overgrown "tea garden," which had pretty much become a jungle over the past few years. The transformation was amazing, and I was thrilled. The first thing I did was put my little pink patio set inside the tea garden, and when the neighbor children—who are seven, five, and two—asked if we could have a tea party there, well, you won't be surprised that I whipped out a teapot, cut up some fruit, and we had tea! If I get permission from their parents, I may share some photos sometime, but because the five-year-old loves to eat watermelon and drink green tea with honey, it dawned on me that he might like this Luzianne Watermelon & Honey Tea I'd seen a while back!

Although they've approved of all the teas I've served so far, next time we have tea, I'm thinking of offering the kiddos a teapot of hot water and letting them select their own tea bag, and I want to have plenty of choices for them.

And what did this tea taste like when I tried it? Well, it really does have that lovely watermelon taste with a hint of honey, but this lifelong southern girl is having a bit of an issue with the idea of "hot" watermelon! Still, I think my little neighbors may enjoy it, so … we'll see!

Ezra's first birthday party!

My great-nephew, Ezra, turned one last week, and on Saturday, the family gathered at my sister's house in Tallapoosa for a big Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party with lots of family and friends! The birthday boy handled all the hoopla quite well and enjoyed opening presents and digging into his "smash cake."

He loves his Mickey Mouse cartoons, so Mickey was prominently featured in the food and decor, including the cake made by one of his grandmothers.

My niece Madison (who is expecting a little boy of her own this fall) ordered these cute and tasty sugar cookies from a local bakery.

She also cut out fruit into Mickey Mouse shapes, and while this wasn't technically a tea, I instantly had my mind opened to some new possibilities for teatime! As long as the design is as simple as the iconic Mickey Mouse shape, I can't imagine why we couldn't have fruit slices cut into teapot and teacup shapes.

Ezra's mom, my niece Cari, shows the chocolate cake that Daddy made for the grown-ups.

And I made some easy cupcakes with Oreos to represent the mouse ears. It was a fun day of celebrating a sweet little boy who has brought much joy to our family in the short time he's been with us!