Monday, February 27, 2012

The Perfect Day



It's cloudy and rainy today.
A very light rain.
The perfect day for a cup of tea and reading!



Ladies Tea


I have green tea in my Blue Willow teacup by Churchill.
I think my mother started this Blue Willow set when it was sold in the grocery store.
Remember those days?
Remember the days when you bought laundry detergent to get the glass bowl inside?
Or the tea towel?
Aging myself!!!




Ladies Tea



I have lots of books to pick from, 
but I decided to start my reading with the March 2012 Southern Living Magazine,
especially when I saw this article:
"The New Ladies Lunch":
with the pretty rose teacup.

"Inspired by the South's most beloved department store restaurants, we developed a classic lunch-with-the-girls menu, complete with tea sandwiches, chicken salad, and hold on to your napkin, honey -- 
the dessert cart."

What memories this article brought to mind!
It mentions the dining room of Dallas' flagship Neiman Marcus, 
that was built in the 1940's. I remember my grandmother and my aunt
taking me to lunch there. We had to dress to go downtown ... hat, gloves, the whole works.
I had the pimento cheese sandwich.
I can almost taste it! 

The article includes the recipe for Neiman Marcus Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
and I'm sharing it with you today.

Makes: about 2 1/2 dozen
Hands-on Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr, 40 min.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup (4 oz) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar-cheese
1 cup buttermilk
Parchment paper

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas and dough is crumbly: stir in cheese. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 to 4 times. Place dough in a bowl; cover and chill 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll dough to i-inch thickness, cut with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

4. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: Unbaked biscuits may be frozen up to 1 month. Bake frozen biscuits as directed for 26 to 28 minutes or until golden brown.

This article also includes recipes for Tomato-Basil Bisque, Tarragon Chicken Salad, Cranberry-Strawberry Salad; Tea Sandwiches like Ham Salad, Curried Shrimp, Cucumber and Strawberry,
Goat Cheese and Pecan, Orange and Cranberry, Egg Salad.
There's a recipe for Caramelized Onion Quiche and last,
the dessert cart that includes:
Banana Pudding Cheesecake, Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla-Buttermilk Tarts, Chocolate-Espresso Pots De Creme.
And, did I mention the photos are lovely?!!!
Well done Southern Living!


Wishing YOU well, a JOY filled week and a Wonderful cup of tea!


28 comments:

Sherry said...

Oh glorious!! What a delightful way to spend a rainy day! I love that tea cup and the article looks good (must look for the magazine here!).

I'm smiling remember the old days -- with products in laundry soap and beautiful bird cards and animals cards and little figurines that came in Red Rose tea! And dressing up to go downtown and have lunch in a special place. Where did those days go??? :)

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I knew Sherry must be from Canada as soon as I saw her reference to Red Rose tea and the little figurines! We collected those too. I'm even old enough to remember what preceded them in Red Rose tea -- little trading cards on birds and animals that you collected and pasted in special albums bought from Red Rose.

Donna Heber said...

Hi Snap,

Tea on a cloudy, rainy day is perfect. Your cheddar cheese biscuits look delightful! Happy tea day.

Johanna Gehrlein said...

Hi Snap,
lovely posting as always. I can feel the precious memories although I never attended the tearoom at Neiman Marcus. But I can imagine the sophisticated atmosphere and the delight to have tea with your grandmother. Alas we don't have this magazine, it sounds really tempting. Thank you for the delish recipe.
Best greetings, Johanna

Janet said...

Beautiful pictures, and after reading that list of recipes I'm starving! It's off to the kitchen for me...maybe a cup of tea and a cookie.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hello Snap,
A wonderful tea for a rainy day; love Blue Willow! Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories of tea with your grandmother and aunt. Delightful!

Blessings,
Sandi

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful Snap. You've reminded me of Famous Barr and the French Onion soup served at Pappa Fabarre's...I worked the May Co. store thirty years ago. Having lunch in the restaurant was wonderful.

Sonia said...

Today the sun went in and out..it was mostly hidden behind the clouds..guess that's why I wasn't too motivated to do much today except blog and drink tea! Love that you remember getting plates and bowls from laundry detergent...I can remember reaching down in the detergent for my grandma and mom to see what piece we got! What a fun little memory you have evoked! Enjoy your week!
Miss Bloomers

Maria Andrade said...

Hi Snap,
A classical Blue Willow cup is always a good choice for tea!
Yours is perfect and with the family memories associated it's even more perfect!
I'm glad you amused yourself while reading my post!
In fact Google Translator didn't do a good job this time, but I suspected it wouldn't... :)
Hugs

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Thanks for sharing the NM recipe!! It's so funny, because I posted about THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookies last week, which is a NM recipe, too!! xoxo

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Fun reading! Go ahead and age yourself anytime. (I remember every single thing you mentioned!)

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hi Snap
Yes, I remember buying dishes at the grocery store and going out with hats and gloves on.
Judith

Antiques And Teacups said...

What a wonderful cookbook! I remember going in to San Francisco for tea with hat and gloves in the 1950s as well. THAT era has past! A lovely teacup as well and a wonderful nostalgic post! Thanks for linking with Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
Ruth

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear Snap,
Thanks for sharing your memories with us, this post is adorable and it brings so good feelings to our hearts!
Léia and purrs from Luna

Ana Cristina Caldatto said...

delicia de receita!
bela xícara azul
interessante como sua mãe consegui xícara azul.
bons livros!
maravilha você compartilhar

Beth said...

Hi Snap, Your blue willow cup is beautiful and I love the photo where you've placed it on top of the stack of books. I enjoyed hearing about your trip to the Neiman Marcus tearoom too!
God bless, Beth

The Charm of Home said...

Snap,
I remember going downtown in the late 60's. It still had some of that vibe, although it was slipping away. How wonderful that article was in SL I spied that on the news stand the other day too.
Sherry

we three dogs and me said...

oh yes I do remember. Those were the good old days when women looked like women.
such cute dresses all dolled up to go shopping. I have the little animals from rose tea.I will become a follower but don't know how to post button.

CEO Lisa Anne - L.A said...

Hi Snap,
I love your Blue Willow teacup by Churchill and your Southern Living Magazine is the perfect read for a rainy day. Thanks for sharing such wonderful memories with your grandmother & aunt. Your Neiman Marcus Cheddar Cheese Biscuits sounds delicious!

Lisa

MomWaldsPlace said...

Sounds like your set for a long, long rainy day. Perfect.

Luanne said...

Nothing better than a hot cup of tea & a good book on a rainy day.

Maude Lynn said...

I must try that biscuit recipe!

highheeledlife said...

Snap such a lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon... tea, a good read and memories brought back to life!! Wishing you a beautiful and bless filled week..xo HHL

EllenaElizabeth said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I appreciate it. I also like the cheese biscuit recipe you posted. I made some similar at christmas time but added some cayenne pepper and sprinkled sesame seeds on top. They were yummo!

Terri said...

Hello Snap, lovely post! A good book and a beautiful tea cup make for perfect moments (with lovely tea inside as well!).
The book looks good. The tea cups are really pretty too.
Hugs,
Terri

Vicki said...

Hello, friend,
Blue Willow is always a classic! Love everything about it. And yes, I do remember the "good old days". I used to save my S and H Green Stamps and Gold Bond Stamps so I could go shopping for something for my home, remember those? I enjoyed my tea with you very much. Have a beautiful rest of the week~ Vicki

Barb said...

I could eat a pimento cheese sandwich and sip a bit of green tea right now, Snap! (However, I'm in long underwear so don't know if I fit the dress code.)

Rosa said...

Count me in!