"101" Post Give-Away!!

Silly us! We finally reached the 100 milestone.....and really weren't paying any attention! So - we're going to have a 101st Post Give-Away - and we'll pick a winner on the eve of our Garden Party - June 11th. What's up for grabs - one of our lovely new mushrooms, secured by Karrie in a lovely moss covered clay dish....as well as one of our adorable cloches - but wait - that's not all lovely blogger....we have one of our exclusive Summer Kitchen tea blends! So, what are you waiting for?? Leave a comment and try your luck, a dozen days will be here before we know it and we'll have a winner!

Karrie & Karla

Too Tweet.....

Five little birdies sitting on a ledge....wouldn't this be perfect nestled in some hostas - under a wonderful old shade tree????
New things are popping in at the store - great things to get us in the gardening mood...just in case it hasn't happened to you yet!! The Summer Kitchen Girls have been busy at home and at the store getting things planted - we'll be gearing up for our Garden Party in a couple weeks.


The mushrooms have finally arrived, and the don't disappoint!! Not even out of their box, we sold a set! So cute outside in a pot- and even better inside, tucked into some foam-covered moss - great under a cloche too!! We've had a great time with these, and they are truly darling!!

Shipmates Till The End

An old photograph of our Uncle Tom (who will just love that we've used this photo - - - love ya Uncle Tom!) and our Grandpa Harm, On the back of this picture was written:
"Shipmates Till The End" . Taken back in January of 1969, you can see just what an honor it was for grandpa to stand with his son, who was ready to leave for the Navy.

The town we grew up in was very patriotic, and Memorial day meant watching the parade and following it to the cemetery while we listened to speeches, the recitation of "Flanders' Fields", prayers, speeches, a 21-gun salute and a somber rendition of Taps that gave you goose bumps. No matter how you celebrate this weekend, be sure to honor those veterans that are here, and those that are no longer with us.

We would like to take the time to say Thank You to all our armed service members and their families. We salute for your sacrifices - may God bless you all!


FREEDOMS' MEMORIAL

This day is set aside
to honor those who took the chance to die.

But they have died in vain
if we ever forget the reason why.

Freedom can be like time slipping away
before we even know.

But we all have the choice more, a duty
to battle freedoms’ foe.

Let us give thanks this day
to all those brave who paid the highest cost.

Not take it for granted and realize
it easily could be lost.

-Del “Abe” Jones

A beau-TEA-ful cause

Last Sunday we served a benefit tea party for The Haubert Team for Relay for Life. We were so happy to have helped our local girls! We had twenty people attend (and that is amazing in itself, if you've never been in the store before, you must know that space is tight!!) and we raised over $300!! Here to our left you see a quilt made out of the past Relay for Life t-shirts that will be raffled off. Tickets are $1.00 each, 6 for $5.00 and 12 for $10.00.
You can also see the "Fishing for a Cure" cancer ornament below. This is selling for $8. If you are interested in purchasing an ornament or raffle tickets, please email us and we can help you out! All proceeds go to the Haubert Team.









One of the favorite eats during the tea were these Asparagus Roll Ups to- they are always a hit!! Try them out....even if you don't like asparagus - you'll love these - honest!!





Asparagus Roll-Ups
1(8 oz) package cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 loaf white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 pound, or more, asparagus spears
1 cup butter, melted


Mix cream cheese and half the Parmesan cheese.
Melt butter.
Spread one side of bread with cheese mixture to cover.

Place an asparagus spear diagonally on cheese and roll up with the cheese and asparagus inside. Dip roll into melted butter. Place seam side down in buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Repeat until bread and asparagus are used. Drizzle any remaining butter over roll-ups and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake about 40 minutes in preheated 325-degree oven, until golden and puffy.

A Weekend of Tea

Last weekend we hosted two wonderful groups for tea parties. Saturday we hosted our first ever "Miss Manners" Tea. We were so excited and had a great time! Our Tea guru Pat Wilson of Tea S'il Vous Plait came, and taught the girls everything they needed to know about the proper etiquette at the tea table. (We are all hoping that it sticks with them throughout the week for breakfast, lunch and dinner!)
Knowing how popular it is for girls to have tea parties for their birthdays, or any special occasion (at my house it's "Hey a friend is over, let's have a tea party), we thought we'd share what we did, so that you might be able to use some of these ideas!


Each guest received a Thank you envelope and inside we had a small teacup puzzle. We took discontinued fabric (which had a paper backing on the backside) and traced some teacups onto the fabric, cut them out then made a simple three piece puzzle. It kept them busy until everyone got there!!










We served a kid-friendly meal starting with "A Very Berry Soup" - this was a hit!! Here's the recipe:


INGREDIENTS
2 cups fruit (we used strawberries, green grapes and bananas)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup heavy cream - whipped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste



DIRECTIONS
Mix fruit and orange juice in a blender or food processor until smooth. Put into bowl and then add remaining ingredients. Chill 4 - 8 before serving.


Of course the most important item on the menu......besides the chocolate covered strawberries, was the Blooming Brownie - simple, easy, and quick - think how easy this would be for a birthday - forgo the cake!!




Of course everyone had a lovely time learning a little about tea and their manners. Best of all - the girls had a great time, and they listened!!

Tomorrow I will let you know about Sunday's tea......

What Was That Used For?

There is a place - that you can find out just what this piece of silverware was used for! Last week I stumbled across this (I just love that!) website and knew I HAD to share it with you.Unusual Silverware Gallery shows all sorts of unusual silverware used in the Victorian era. It also tells a bit about what it was used for....and importantly, just how much it went for in auctions - a fun fact when you're out junkin' and spy just the thing! We just love to find old pieces of silverware (ok, ok....anything silver) to use for our tea parties at the store. Hope you enjoy this site as much as we did!!
Karla & Karrie


Ah yes.....I suppose you do want to know just what these utensils are used for, don't you???? Above - can you guess? Everyone should have one in their home - the Saratoga Chips Server! Of course...those Victorians thought of everything!!

Next picture we have something that I would love to have - this is an Ice Cream Fork. I don't know about you - perhaps you've had a similar conversation - one lovely summer day.........

a girlfriend and we were discussing ice cream, and whether we liked eating it with a spoon or a fork. She was saying how she preferred using a fork over a spoon. I completely agreed and we even suggested that eating ice cream with a fork might just make it taste better - speculation, but there is something about forks and ice cream.....anyhow - This is what we would need - it would solve the problem we have at our house:

"Would you like a spoon or fork with your ice cream?"

The debate continues.........however, we would all agree in my house, that we would think that this last piece of silver would most likely never be used. It is a Sardine Fork . It is quite pretty to look at though, don't you think? I'm most positive that we could find some wonderful use for it.......perhaps an ice cream scoop??????

Don't Play With Your Silverware

At least not at the dinner table.....

So, I'm noticing lately that there is a lot of silverware decor going on. I've seen silverware chandeliers, and silverware clocks, and don't forget the hanging forks and spoons you can embellish your wall with.














I guess it's time to pull out Mom's 3 foot fork and spoon from the attic - ya, you know the ones that were so popular in the 70's - during that Early American craze???

The Middle of May

Getting ready for summer.....geraniums are "in bloom" around the store. Can you believe that it is the middle of May already? It's time to start thinking about getting that porch ready for company. We received our shipment of new quilted runners, throws, and pillows in two weeks ago. We love them inside....however, this is the time that we love to take the indoors out and put those pillows and throws on our wicker, our swings and even our wooden rockers can get thrown outside for this season!


There are over a dozen colors to make your porch a welcoming place for your guests!

Thanks Mom!

Do you think she knew that she'd marry her high school sweetheart and have three darling children?
Do you suppose that she knew that, at times, there would be uncontrolled giggling fits with those children?
Does she know that those children really would adore her - even after being disciplined?
Do you suppose she knows just how much those children appreciate everything she did, and still does???


From the looks of this picture - she knows it all!!

Thanks mom - we love ya!

Happy Mother's Day!

Ideas for Mom...

It's Time to start seriously thinking about Mother's Day......








She can read you like a book .....








Letter know how much you care.....









Whoo knows what Mother needs - she has everything....

except a gift certificate!

Birthday Wishes...

Isn't she cute?? It doesn't matter what picture I put on here - she'll kill me either way! Saturday is the big day...
Happy Birthday Karrie!

Tea for two or more.....

Hey guys - it's May! That means LOTS of tea parties this month at The Summer Kitchen. Here's the dates for our upcoming benefit Tea Parties:

Sunday, May 4th at 2pm
Join us for a benefit four course tea for Heartbeat of Fremont, OH. You will be served a four course tea, along with three different flavors of our tea, including our exclusive blend. Sherry Sprouse from Heartbeat will share their story. There is a suggested donation of $15 for the Heartbeat program. Please RSVP by May 3rd.


Saturday, May 17th 4pm"Miss Manners Tea" Join the Summer Kitchen Girls, as well as speaker Pat Wilson of Tea Si'l Vous Plait for a tea focused on your little girl. This tea is a great "date" for Mom, Grandma and Aunts. Children will learn some basic manners and have a great time! Cost is $10. Please RSVP by May 14th.


Sunday, May 18th 2pm
Relay for Life Benefit Tea for the Haubert team.
Join us, along with the Haubert team at this benefit tea party. This will be a four course tea, and we will serve 3-4 of our Tea S'il Vous Plait teas. The cost for the tea is a $15 minimum donation to Relay for Life, proceeds going to the Haubert Team of Helena. Reservations are needed by May 14th.

We are really looking forward to a great time and hope you are too!



This month we thought we'd start a new "Tea of the Month" program at the store. We will be choosing one tea to feature every month, and that tea would be $1 off the regular price. This month our feature tea is T,svp. This tea is a beautiful black tea that is the signature blend of the Tea, s'il vous plait line that we carry. With flavors of peach, almond, and orange, this full-bodied Ceylon based tea is truly delightful!! The T,svp is a loose tea, and will be priced at $5.90 this month. If you would like us to send the tea to you - just call us at 419.638.4205 and we will add on shipping costs, and get it out to you!!




Another month means.....we are having another contest! All during the month of May, sign up online, or in the store to win Victoria magazine's "The Art of Taking Tea" along with some of our T,svp tea. Best of luck to everyone!!

Last month's bucket of Caldrea cleaning supplies went to Ronnie Blue - yea!!!Congratulations Ronnie!




Last, but never least.....dessert! Here is a really lovely recipe for Lemon Tea Bread. The recipe itself is so sweetly typed and decorated, we just had to copy the whole thing for you all!


Lemon Tea Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind, divided
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture, stir in 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a wooden pick inserted center of bread comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth; spoon over tip of bread, letting excess drip down sides. Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind and 1 tablespoon sugar; sprinkle on top of bread.