A Cozy Halloween Evening

There is magic in the night when pumpkins glow by moonlight.

Halloween has always been a fun night in our home. When my sister and I were younger, it would include wearing the most perfect costume we'd picked out weeks before and then going around the neighborhood with friends to get the best treats...and maybe a few tricks for each other along the way. 

I vividly remember Halloween nights, and the magic they brought to my childhood. I'm so thankful that we weren't deprived of wonder, magic and fun in our childhood...and in turn, that has carried over to our adulthood. How much richer I am because of them and my mom, too, for she always created (and still does!) the most magical, wondrous holidays. I remember one Halloween in particular because she'd made a yummy dinner...something autumnish, no doubt...but my sister and I didn't eat but just a bite or two because we were out of our minds with excitement to just get out the door and get some candy! 

There was another year when we went to visit my aunt and uncle to show off our costumes. (We were always proud of our outfits.) He and my mom took us around his gigantic neighborhood and boy did we rack up...I'll never forget their faces when they saw how full and heavy our bags were.  

Now that my sister and I are older, and until we have wee ones of our own, our Halloween nights aren't as dressed up. But that doesn't mean that we don't desire to have a bit of fun and magic in the night! Typically Halloween in our home consists of a yummy homecooked dinner, always something cozy and autumnish, and a seasonal dessert as well. Then we spend the evening and night watching favorite Halloween movies or episodes of shows we love. We may play a game or two...and we always, always carve a pumpkin. Usually, that gets done a day or two in advance...but on Halloween, we light a candle and make it glow...blissfully magical.

Every year the menu changes because that's just how we roll. We like trying new recipes and making each year unique. In the past, we've had chicken pot pie, chili, soup, or roasted chicken. Our desserts vary as well. We've had different cupcakes for various Halloweens and homemade candy with pretzels is always a fun and easy treat...and hard to resist, too!

Finally, we always, always, always must make Barmbrack. (RECIPE HERE.) It's a traditional Irish Halloween bread that we began making about four or five years ago...and now we cannot have Halloween without it. It would be a sin! I make it the day before and we nibble on it all week long. It's something we all look forward to all year because it's only made for October 31. 

I wanted to share an easy, but delicious recipe for roasted chicken. 

Apple Herb Roasted Chicken

You'll need a whole chicken that's been washed and patted dry. Place it in a baking dish and place a quartered apple, two celery stalks that have been quartered and about five baby carrots in the inside of the chicken. Tie the legs up and tuck the wings under. Brush the outside with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Then generously sprinkle Herbs de Provence all over the chicken. Don't be lazy...give it a good sprinkle!

Then bake at 350*F for about 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer shows it's cooked through.  

Immediately upon removing from the oven, brush the outside with 1/4 cup apple jelly that's been melted just a bit. 

Serve and enjoy!

We enjoyed this chicken with cornbread stuffing and homemade chicken gravy and green beans with thyme and slivered almonds.

Our centerpieces are always quite simple, but I always love them. For this cozy Halloween evening, I've laid out a tea towel with a ceramic pumpkin we've had for years and a few little candles. I also grabbed a mini pumpkin from the produce section at the grocery store and included it as well.

As Sally Clarkson says, "food always tastes better by candlelight." 

I'd have to agree.

And it makes the meal special and memorable.

And finally, for dessert, I made some cinnamon sugar baked donuts...and we enjoyed them with coffee.    

Thanks for coming by, dear readers! I hope you have a magical and fun Halloween...

♥

A Lovely Afternoon Tea for One {Plus a Recipe for Simple Scones}

Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. 

Seize common occasions and make them great. 

-Orisen Swett Marden

Some days, or evenings, it's just nice to pause and savour a bit. Picking out the most beautiful teacup or mug from the cupboard. Setting the kettle to boil and listening for the rumble of the water as it heats up. Popping a bag of fragrant, relaxing tea into the bottom of your cup and watching it transform the water as you pour it in. Smelling the sweet or spicy or earthy or minty aroma...adding cream or sugar or honey if you like. Choosing a little sweet treat to accompany your cup of liquid gold. Placing it on a pretty plate or adding an extra touch of something to make it special. Sitting down in the comfiest chair in the house, propping your feet up, cozying up under a blanket if need be. Listening to calming music, or watching an episode of your favorite show, or reading a chapter or two in a book, or soaking up the sun and admiring the beauty of creation, or just savouring a bit of silence.

 We all need moments like this from time to time...definitely more often than we perhaps give ourselves. These moments are the ones that fill us up and bring life back to our soul and inspiration to our hearts. These moments invite us to pause and slow down and whilst we do, they breathe life, beauty and goodness back into us. 

I love lighting a candle or one of our oil lamps. I love setting the lights low and really taking in the moments...smelling the tea and really tasting it. Feasting on my chosen treat slowly and savouring its scrumptiousness entirely. 

Peace. Calm. Quiet. Stillness. Beauty. 

These are things we crave and our bodies and minds and hearts desperately need.

We have the power and ability to create and cultivate them in our ordinary days. It takes creativity, purpose and a bit of planning, but the result far outweighs any work or effort you put towards getting that moment. 

Give yourself the gift of afternoon...or morning...or evening...or night tea for one.

Simple Scones

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup pure cane sugar

6 Tbsp. cold, cubed butter

2 Tbsp. milk or cream

1 egg

Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture. The mixture should end up crumbly.

Add the milk (or cream) and egg to the dry ingredients. Stir just until a dough forms. Overmixing could result in a tough dough. (If the dough seems dry, you can add a dribble of milk.)

Gently pat dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut the scones into your desired shapes.

Place on a prepared baking tray and bake at 400*F for about 10 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Allow to cool completely, then serve with your favorite toppings!

Wishing you all the most splendid, peace-filled teatime!

♥

Teatime Recipes ♥ Simple Apple Butter & Spiced Cream

Sugar and spice and everything nice,

that's what autumn is made of.

Whenever we have a tea party, of course we have scones. Usually I make a simple cream scone recipe that way I can add some special additions to make them a bit more festive. It not only adds to the flavor of the scone, but it's so fun getting to come up with different combinations. 

For our springtime tea party, I made a mock Devonshire cream, along with strawberry freezer jam and homemade lemon curd. Oh, the combination of these flavors was divine and so refreshing for a spring teatime. However, for our autumn tea, I knew I wanted something with apple and spice as the flavor on display. So apple butter and spiced cream it was!

The apple butter is super simple and easy to make on the stovetop. Just add all the ingredients to a pot and let it simmer for a couple hours, stirring every so often. As it cooks, the apples soften and the spices mix and mingle and the scents that fill your home will smell of heaven. When it's done cooking, you end up with the most beautiful, richly colored apple butter...and then when you taste it, you are blown away! 

And my spiced cream is so easy it's ridiculous! But the flavor is out of this world good...our friends loved it, too! They kept going back for more!

Simple Apple Butter

1 1/2 pounds of apples (we used Gala, but any will work fine)

2 1/2 Tbsp. pure cane sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Peel, core and chop the apples. Add all ingredients to a pot and give them a gentle stir. Cover the pot and cook the mixture over medium-low heat for two hours.

Stir the apple butter every so often.

After two hours, remove the lid and continue to cook on low for one hour. This allows the butter to thicken and get the right consistency. 

After the hour has passed, give the apple butter another stir. You can use an immersion blender to get it very smooth if you want. (This is not necessary, though I do prefer a smooth texture.)

Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Spiced Cream

Simply pour a 16-oz. container of heavy cream in a mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Then add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and about 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Taste for the spice flavor and if you want it to be more prominent, simply add more spice. 

Happy autumn baking, friends!

♥

Crusty Dutch Oven Bread

There's nothing better than a bowl of homemade, steaming soup with a nice slice of warm, straight-from-the-oven crusty bread. This recipe quickly became a favorite after the first time I made it last autumn...it's so quick and easy to pull together and the flavor is scrumptious. 

This recipe is a little time-consuming in the fact that you need to allow it to rest for several hours. Other than that, it's a cinch to make! I love making it either the night before and allowing it to set all night and then baking in the morning, or making it in the morning for an evening bake. Either way, the results are lovely each and every time. Not to mention, the way this bread smells whilst baking...absolutely heavenly! 

Why not bake a loaf tonight?

Crusty Dutch Oven Bread

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. yeast

1 1/2 cups water

Mix together all of the above ingredients. Stir well. Add more water if necessary to moisten the flour.

Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rest for 4-12 hours. 

After the time has passed, check on the dough. It should have risen significantly and be full of holes. Preheat the oven to 475*F and place your Dutch oven, with the lid on, into the oven whilst it preheats. 

In the meantime, place a generous amount of flour on your work surface. Pour the dough out and gently coat the dough ball with flour. Let the dough rest until the oven preheats entirely.

Carefully place the dough into the hot Dutch oven, return the cover and bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on how dark you like the crust.

Allow the bread to cool for just a wee bit before slicing...

Then slice and serve with your favorite homemade soup or stew. 

Most of all, enjoy!

Creating the Perfect Tea Party ♥ Simplicity Meets Beauty

Come, share a pot of tea,

and let us chat about lovely things.

Tea parties have become a regular thing in our home. Any occasion that a tea party can fit in, I make it! Ha! Our first tea party was nearly four years ago, and we've delighted in many since. They are a favorite tradition and celebration for us and I love incorporating them in with different seasons and holidays and other random events and such.

I'm certainly not a tea party expert or anything like that. Most of the time I just fly by the seat of my pants whilst I'm gathering all my ideas and plans. I like to make things beautiful and lovely and the food must be scrumptious, of course. But I am also a lover of simplicity...especially when it comes to decorating and tablescapes. I am not a fancy person in the least and that's not my style at all. I love things to be cozy and comfortable and homey. So that's what I always go for.

Today I wanted to share some of my ideas for creating the perfect tea party. These ideas have been tried and tested by me and my family and they work for us. I hope you'll find some inspiration here, if not in decorating or cooking and baking or anything like that, at least, maybe, in being inspired to host your own tea party very soon. It's truly such a fun time!

~ The Menu ~

Right at the time of putting together my first tea party, I went online and read about the proper way to host such a party. I learned that the proper afternoon tea service includes three savouries, three sweets and a scone, along with some curd, jam, or cream of some sort. Since then I've seen many teas in magazines and online, etc. and they are all done in that manner. So that's how we do ours. 

For our most recent party, I decided that it would be nice to have the menu printed out and framed. We were having some friends over, and whilst we are accustomed to how we put on a tea party, they were not. This was helpful and super handy. After the party was over, I removed my menu from the frame and stuck it in my tea party notebook (where I keep recipes, ideas, etc.). It will be nice to refer back to and it also is a memory of a wonderful time had. I just need to add the date and that will make it perfect!

~ Savouries ~

Three savouries are not hard to come up with. The internet is filled with ideas and recipe after recipe. The "Tea Time Magazine" has also come in handy on more than one occasion. Sometimes I like making all the savouries individual sized, but other times I make something like a full-size quiche to cut into slices and serve it that way. In the photo above I have my Broccoli, Bacon & Mushroom Quiche which I make in a regular sized pie plate. Then below are Potato Leek Quiches that I decided would be nice in small, individual servings. These were lovely for our St. Paddy's tea. 

Phyllo cups are perhaps one of my best friends. I do so adore these little things! They are so versatile and can be used in sweet or savoury dishes and their flavor is so buttery and flaky and just heavenly! I almost always make a wild rice salad with a citrus vinaigrette for nearly every tea party we host. They've become a favorite and I just can't imagine a tea party without them. For St. Patrick's Day, however, I decided that an English pea salad would be nice, going with a green them and all. 

If more of valued food and cheer above hoards of gold

it would be a merrier world.

-Tolkien-

If you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all.

-John Green-

~ Sweets ~

Sweets are the same way as savouries for us...sometimes we like small servings and other times we enjoy making a loaf cake or round cake and cutting slices to serve. Either way is nice and I love creating a variety. 

One thing that I've personally learned when it comes to picking sweets (same goes for savouries) is to choose different types of desserts. "Variety is the spice of life" as they say. And I do know that to be true with tea desserts. For example, choose a cookie or biscuit, cake or sweet bread, and a mini pie or cheesecake. Then pick different flavors for the chosen desserts. For our autumn tea party, I knew I wanted something other than the usual pumpkin-flavored everything, so I strayed away from that and instead picked gingerbread, mini caramel apple cheesecakes, and cinnamon spice cookies. All three of our sweets tasted completely different and it wasn't like every bite you took was the same. I also like the various looks of the different desserts on a plate. 

Some ideas for tea time sweets...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Toffee Oat Cookies

Almond Tea Cake

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Maple Carrot Cupcakes

Autumn Spiced Mocha Cupcakes

Christmas Shortbread

Cream Cheese Cookies

Daisy Cookies

Sweetly Simple Lemon Cake

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly,

is to make your soul grow. So do it.

-Kirt Vonnegut-

~ Other Bits Not To Be Forgotten ~

When serving scones, I tend to go all over the place. There are times I want to keep the scone simple and then go all out with the condiments, such as jam or curd or apple butter and always some sort of cream. Then there are other times when I want to forego the condiments and make the scones special all on their own. It all depends on my mood! Hee! I'll be sharing a couple recipes next week that are a match made in heaven with scones, so do be sure to come back then to check them out.  

Of course, with any tea party, you'll be serving some sort of tea. Where we live, it does get miserably hot in the spring and summer...and during those months I avoid hot drinks at all costs. We choose a flavorful iced tea then. But just as soon as the first chill arrives in the air, we pull out our boxes of tea and get the kettle boiling. Herbal teas are our favorite, but black tea is always nice too. We avoid caffeine most of the time as it doesn't make us feel the best. And I often have fun creating new blends and trying new recipes for teas and such. 

Here are a couple favorites...

Minty Fruit Tea

Spiced Tea at Home

...and I'll be posting the October's Party Tea that we enjoyed recently next month.

~ The Perfect Pieces ~

Tea parties always call for a teapot or kettle of some sort and of course, teacups. Mugs also work just fine and in some cases are what I personally prefer. Again, my mood changes with each tea party and I love changing things up. 

 I have a number of teapots and they are all very dear to me. I was very paranoid for the longest time about putting hot, boiling water directly in my beautiful pots, but I found an easy solution to my problem. I simply washed my teapot as normal and when I was ready to fill it I ran very hot tap water through it a number of times, pouring out after each turn. I also didn't put boiling water into my pot; instead, I allowed the water to cool down just a bit and it worked beautifully. I also made my October's Party tea on the stovetop and allowed it to simmer for a couple hours to get really warmed through. Before I ladled it into my pot, I pulled it off the heat and allowed the burning hot temperature to come down a bit.

And if you want to keep your tea warm for a really, really long time, do use a tea cozy. They are not only such cute little things, but they really do work!

Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.

-C.S. Lewis-

~ Ideas for Serving ~

Serving varies for us each time we host a tea party. When it's just the three of us, I set all the food on the dining table, along with our place settings and teacups. However, with our recent party, since we had two other guests, I used our kitchen counters as our serving buffet of sorts and the dining table was set aside for our place settings, teacups, and the pot of tea. Of course, there was also a simple centerpiece. I'm not a professional tablescape artist by any means, as is evident by these pictures. But I've learned that my style is to keep the table simple and to always leave room for a candle or two...or three. The only thing I wish we had is a nice table cloth, which we are currently on the lookout for. That's really all that's missing in my book.

Tea Ritual...

Turn the kettle on.

Find a favorite cup.

Breathe in the scent.

Watch the amber darken.

Warm your hands.

Cozy into a comfy chair.

Teatime...a time to slow down and appreciate the little things in life and notice their beauty.

~ Simple Decorating and Table Settings ~

As I mentioned above, our tea party tables must always have candles. I'm an eternal lover of the flicker and soft glow that they offer. For St. Paddy's Day, I found these little pompoms in the Target dollar spot and they worked nicely as an accent in our candle holders. They added a bit of whimsy, which is just what I was hoping for.

Our place settings are also always kept simple. So that everyone knew where their place was at our autumn party, I had my sister trace a leaf cookie cutter out onto bright red paper and cut them out. Then I came along and painted each person's initials on the leaf. I was quite pleased with how they turned out...glitter would have been a nice touch, but let's be honest. Glitter gets everywhere!

Simplicity is beauty.

Beauty is simplicity.

Nothing more, nothing less.

-Oscar Wilde-

~ Host a Scone Party ~

If you don't want to pull out all the stops for a "proper" tea party, may I suggest hosting a scone party? We've done this once, and it was the most splendid thing! In fact, that's how we celebrated our Royal Wedding watch party last spring. I simply chose five different variations of scones (yes, I went a little crazy) and spent the afternoon before baking. The day (or rather, nigh) of, all the work was done and all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the delicious fruits of our labors.

Here are some of our favorite scones...

Toffee Caramel Pecan Scones

Pumpkin Maple Scones

Lemon Almond Poppyseed Scones

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones

Apple Spice Scones with Cider Cinnamon Drizzle

...and next week, I'll be sharing our recipe for cream scones.

I hope you found some tea party inspiration, dear friends! Now, go and host your own tea party!

May your day be lovely in every way possible!

♥

Celebrating Ordinary Days || Pizza and Tiramisu Party (Plus Recipes!)

Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.

I'm a big believer in bringing celebrations into the everyday, ordinariness of things. So what if a day isn't necessarily special? So what if there isn't a calendar reason to party and celebrate and do something unique? There is always a reason to celebrate, and finding those moments in the small things brings tradition and fun to otherwise ordinary moments. 

Back in September, one of our favorite shows was premiering a new season. This is the only show we all watch together as a family, as my dad has very different tastes in things than my mom, sister and I do. However, for this show, we can all come together and watch and enjoy. I got to thinking, "Why not make the night of the season premiere a pizza party?" Then, of course, you just have to make dessert, so tiramisu was added to the menu as well. I spent a Friday afternoon and evening making pizza dough and cutting tomatoes and olives, preparing chicken and bacon and gathering all the necessary ingredients. We decided that three different pizzas would be fun...a traditional pepperoni, one with tomatoes and black olives, and finally, my favorite, bbq chicken. 

For dessert, we knew we wanted to stick with an Italian theme, but with a spin since the pizzas had a bit of a personal spin as well. The classic tiramisu is made with coffee, however, this gal here doesn't usually care for the flavor of plain coffee. My genius sister came up with the idea to use hot chocolate instead...and let me tell you when we tried this for the first time several years ago, we were blown away! It was freaking awesome!

Traditions and celebrations are the things that make up the fabric of family life. They are the things that build a family culture...even if they are small and ordinary and unique to your family. It's a way to put a stamp on "this is who we are". Whether it be a traditional holiday like Halloween, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th or New Year's, or something more unique or ordinary, such as celebrating the first day of autumn, or the beginning of a TV show's new season, or having a special meal on the first snowfall of the year. Whatever it is, it's made special because it tells part of your family story, and it makes you who you are. These things are what gets carried on from one generation to the next...these are the things stories are made of when you're sitting around the couch sharing parts of your family quilt together...each story a block and each memory a piece of thread woven through them, binding them together. 

To make our family's favorite pizza crust, simply follow these easy instructions...

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

1 tbsp. active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

Stir to combine. Then add in:

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

Stir until all mixed in and then add in 1-2 more cups of flour until the dough comes together to form a ball. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Then place in a greased bowl and turn once to coat all sides in oil, and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Once doubled in size, punch down and divide dough in half. Spray two pizza tins with a bit of nonstick spray and sprinkle with a tablespoon of cornmeal each. Then gently press the dough out to fit the tin and allow to rise for another 10 minutes. 

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400*F and once the dough has risen the second time, bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until barely browned.

Once the dough has cooked, brush each crust with olive oil and follow the directions for the pizza you want to create:

Tomato and Black Olive

 Sprinkle a little garlic powder over the oiled crust and then top with mozzarella cheese, sliced fresh tomatoes and black olives. Sprinkle fresh or dried basil over the top and finish off with a light covering of Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

BBQ Chicken

 Place 1-2 chicken breasts on a baking sheet tray. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush on a good amount of your favorite BBQ sauce. Bake at 350*F for about 25-30 minutes or until done. Chop into small pieces.

On your oiled crust, spread a good, even amount of BBQ sauce over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese, BBQ chicken, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced black olives and banana peppers over the top. Bake another 10-15 minutes.

Hot Chocolate Tiramisu

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. water

2 cups milk

Combine all, except milk, in a sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, continue to boil for two minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Stir until completely mixed together. Cool to room temperature.

3 egg yolks

1 cup sugar, divided

2 cups mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy cream

13 ounces (about 45 cookies) ladyfingers (this can vary according to the size of your pan)

In a heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. Place over a pan of simmering water and continue to whisk until a candy thermometer reads 160*F. Remove from the heat.

Using a hand held or stand mixer, beat the yolk and sugar mixture for about five minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Add the mascarpone cheese, and continue beating until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. 

Fold whipped cream into the yolk and sugar mixture. Do this very gently.

To assemble:

Spread a thin layer of the cream on the bottom a 9x13 inch pan. Lightly dip each of the ladyfingers in the cooled hot chocolate mixture and place an even layer on top of the cream. Spread half of the remaining cream mixture over the cookies. Repeat again, using up the ladyfingers, hot chocolate, and cream mixture.

Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and lightly sift cocoa powder over the top for garnish.

Chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but overnight is best.

Celebrate today friends! Make something ordinary fun and special!

♥

The Tea Kettle is Calling ♥ October's Tea Party

Autumn leaves are falling,

and the tea kettle is calling.

Warm greetings to you, dear friends! 

 It is a tremendous pleasure to have you over for a visit today...

do make yourself a cuppa tea and settle in for a while. 

Get cozy and comfortable and let's enjoy an autumn afternoon teatime together,

shall we?

A couple weeks ago we hosted our very first Autumn Tea Party, and it was a grand success! 

Oh, I'm just sure that this will become an annual thing.

My sister, mom and I, along with two friends from our old neighborhood, enjoyed a lovely, quaint teatime on a sunny, crisply cool autumn Saturday. The weather was just perfect and set the most delightful tone for our tea party. Our afternoon was filled with lots of laughter and plenty of chatting too...it's always a fun time when we get together with these friends.

I do have to say, though, that the fun started the evening before when we began our preparations for the party the next day. On a Friday evening we set out in the kitchen with a long list of tasks needing to be completed, things to be baked and mixed up, and a bit of tidying up, too. Also, not to forget, picking out the perfect teacups and teapot and pieces for our table settings. We worked for about six hours on Friday night, leaving only the things that had to be done last minute for Saturday morning.

I stuck with a proper tea menu of three savouries, three sweets and one scone. We had a variety of teas, but the absolute favorite of the afternoon was a blend that I affectionately named, "October's Party Tea". It is a simple blend of black (decaf!) tea and fruit juices and a bit of pumpkin pie spice. Truly, it was the perfect blend of spices and sweetness with a fruity hint in the background...everyone loved it and all declared it a winner! In fact, our friends asked me to send them the recipe because they loved it so much...we quite agreed!

I'm going to make everything around me beautiful.

That will be my life.

-Elsie De Wolfe-

Our teatime menu:

♥ Chicken, Apple & Cheddar on White Bread with Honey Mustard

♥ Turkey, Cranberry & Spinach Pinwheels

♥ Wild Rice Phyllo Cups with Citrus Vinaigrette

♥ Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

♥ Mini Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecakes

♥ Autumn Spice Cookies with Frosting

♥ Cream Scones with Homemade Apple Butter and Spiced Cream

♥ Black Tea

♥ Herbal Teas

♥ October's Party Tea

Beauty is so quietly woven through our ordinary days that we hardly notice it.

-John O'Donohue-

With candles flickering and little pumpkins gracing our table, we gathered round and filled our plates with such delicious delicacies. We chatted for hours and laughed hard and watched squirrels playing outside through the window. It was a blessed time of friendship and fun and good food, and we ended the afternoon by moving into the living room where the conversation flowed and we told stories of recent travels and spoke of our old neighborhood and laughed at the crazy antics of each family's pets.

It's tea o-clock somewhere.

After our friends left, we were feeling full to the brim with gratitude for such a lovely time. Since it was such a picture-perfect autumn day, we settled in on our driveway and sat around my mom's firepit. The night rolled in and the sky became black, with nearly the only light coming from the moon in the far distance. The air was getting chillier and quite nippy, so we pulled on warm jackets and huddled closer to the fire...we listened to our favorite traditional Irish tunes and shared reflections from our day. The day ended with such an abundant thankfulness filling our hearts...and we all remarked on how we couldn't wait to do it again...perhaps at Christmastime.

What happens around the teapot;

stays around the teapot.

Thank you for coming by for a visit today, dear ones...

it is always a delight to know such kindred spirits gather here.

I'll be sharing more teatime posts soon, so keep your kettle handy and your teacups ready.

I hope you'll come back again very soon!

May your day be a blessed one in every single way!

♥♥♥

Cozy Reading Companions

Chilly days are the perfect days for curling up with a good book or a captivating magazine...

and if it's a rainy or snowy day, well, that makes it all the more perfect in my book! 

{{smiles}}

As I was pondering the theme of "coziness", which seems to be a reoccurring theme for many of my posts during this series, reading immediately came to mind. Even during times when I'm not necessarily in the mood to read a long book, magazines are always a go-to. Several years ago, I had probably six or seven subscriptions that came every month in the mail. However, I have narrowed it down to my most favorite, most beloved magazines that I absolutely don't want to miss. Now it's just four...and I'm so excited to share them with you today!    

Before I get on with sharing my favorite subscriptions, I want to mention "Taste of Home". They have a lovely magazine and I used to subscribe to it, however, now I just order their annual cookbook every year. It has all the recipes from the entire year's magazines but it's so much easier to keep a hardcover book instead of an entire year's worth of magazines...especially when you collect them for many years! 

Every year they offer many special issues that you can only get online or in stores. (They aren't a part of the annual subscriptions.) I don't pick these up every time a new one comes out or even every single year, but every so often if one looks special, I'll grab it and add it to my collection. I've probably been gathering these since I was about thirteen! I especially love the holiday or seasonal issues and have found many tasty recipes in them! They're practically a cookbook just in magazine form.

The first two magazines that I subscribe to are "Tea Time" and "Victoria". Both of these are incredibly inspiring and beautiful...whenever I receive a new one in the post, I always set aside a special time to just sit and savour all the wonderful-ness that it holds. I've gotten tons of ideas and recipes and inspiration from these gems, as well as simply just admiring the stunning photos that grace the pages. Each issue has such a cozy and homey feel and I love that!

Next up are two publications from Stampington and Company. I've gotten several of their other publications and whilst I enjoy them, my absolute favorites are "Willow and Sage" which focuses on natural, organic, homemade bath, home and body products. And then, of course, is the ever-so-beautiful "Bella Grace". There aren't words to describe the beauty of this magazine and the lifegiving words that each issue offers, but I do so enjoy this publication every time a new issue comes out. 

I first discovered these publications when we were packing for a seven-hour flight almost three years ago. I grabbed a few different magazines at Barnes and Noble, these two being a couple of the ones I chose. They kept me company on the long flight as well as many wintry evening in our holiday house sitting by the crackling fire. I will always associate them with that trip and love the pleasure and delight they offer me each time I pick one up to read.

Of course, I can't leave off books! Books are the perfect companion for those cold days and early nights. And I've got a handful that I think are just perfect for cozy reading...

If you aren't opposed to reading a good Christmas story in the autumn, I highly suggest Jan Karon's Shepherd's Abiding or Miss Read's Christmas at Fairacre. Both of these books take place in charming towns and invite you into the stories of real, quirky, genuine characters. Their stories will touch your heart and warm you from the inside out.  

Any book by Janette Oke is a cozy read in my opinion. I haven't by any means read all of her books, but I have enjoyed a number of the books in her Love Comes Softly series. And for whatever reason, whenever I read her books or watch the movies that go along with them, I get the hankering to whip up a batch of pancakes...maybe that's because Missy makes them in the story, I don't know. But I always do!

Sarah Loudin Thomas' A Tapestry of Secrets is a favorite of mine...and one that I need to pull out and read again! I shared all about it HERE back in the spring. It's a story about family and legacy and the power of secrets...definitely one you won't want to put down!

I'm currently embarking on the endeavour of reading The Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini, and am just barely into the first book (out of twenty!). But so far it is very enjoyable and with all the talk of small towns and neighbors and quilting circles and such, it has a very cozy vibe.

Finally, any time of year is perfect for a bit of Anne of Green Gables, but there is, in my opinion, something particularly cozy about these books in the autumn and winter months. The adventures and journey of Anne suck you in and before you know it, you feel as if you are rambling around Prince Edward Island right along with her.

And now for a few inspiring non-fiction favorites...

Sarah Clarkson's Book Girl will reawaken that burning desire to read in just about anyone. You can't read this book without coming away with a book list that's a mile long...or longer. 

Recapturing the Wonder offers both encouragement and a challenge to recapture the wonder in your life. We are reminded of just how disenchanted we have become and this book really put a strong, everlasting passion within me for this very topic...to rekindle the wonder and imagination that most of us have lost hold of since we were children.

If you're looking for a book that walks you through the seasons and month with a focus on nature and beauty and ordinary delights and everyday blessings, look no further than Christie Purifoy's Roots and Sky. Reading this book was like reading a poem with words strung together with such grace, almost as if it were a song. Each page held such treasures and it was like receiving a gift with every turn of the page.

For any bit of coziness and home comforts, I loved The Cozy Life...all about adding hygge to your life, all times of the year, not just when it turns cold outside. I love the simplicity of this book as well as all the ideas and inspiration that it offered. It's a quick read but full of little bits of goodness! 

And, without leaving off two of my personal favorites...

Autumn seems to me to be the perfect time to gather in and refocus on the home. Sally Clarkson's The Lifegiving Home and The Lifegiving Table are just the books to set you in the right direction. They encourage, inspire and challenge, as well as convict you in many places and give the reader lots of ideas to simply implement such impacting changes in your home and family. I can't think of a better time to turn your eyes in your own four walls and refocus on the dwelling place you call home and those precious folks you share it with.

Well, there you have it! I hope I've shared some cozy reading companions with you and inspired you to pour a cuppa tea or cocoa and settle in with a blanket and a good book...

What are you favorite cozy reads?