Miss Spenser's Blog

~History of Potholes ~ Do you know where the term "pothole" comes from?? Apparently, in 17th Century England, the pottery district was known for its rich, clay soil. Potters, wanting this rich soil, but not wanting to work harder than they had to, would sneak out to the established roadways in the middle of the night and dig holes out of the roads...thus it's name, "pot hole" -- a hole in the road for the pot! Unfortunately, their "potholes" made the roads dangerous, and the practice was eventually forbidden.

Toffee Delight Muffins from Miss Spenser's Teatime Recipes Cookbook Vol. 2 Ingredients: 2 C Flour 1 C Sugar 1 C Water 4 Eggs 1 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding 1 small pkg. Instant Butterscotch Pudding 2 tsp. Baking Powder 1 tsp. Salt 3/4 C Vegetable Oil 1 tsp. Vanilla Topping: 1 C Brown Sugar 3/4 C Pecans, chopped 1 tsp. Cinnamon Mix together all, except the topping ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Using half of the batter, pour and fill each muffin cup 1/3 full. Mix together topping. Sprinkle 1/2 of topping on muffins. Add remaining batter to fill each muffin 2/3 full, then top muffins with remaining topping mixture. Bake 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 24 muffins.

Unlike other birds that fly south to avoid the bitter chill of winter, the hearty and cheerful little chickadee remains, chirping merrily through snow, ice, wind and rain. According to E.B. White, the Black-capped Chickadee: "Was put on earth to demonstrate the power of positive thinking. No day is dark, no night is cold, no hour is evil, no harm is in sight, no news is bad. An acrobat and an optimist, the Chickadee is perfectly named (he named himself), perfectly designed. We should all wear a black cap, ignore weather reports, and make friends easily." One can't help but smile when you see these friendly faces hopping in the snow!

Imagine our surprise and happiness when we awoke to find this little bloom one cold wintry morning last week! It was a happy thought to bring to the dark season's frost and rime this painted memory of spring this dream of summertime.  ~John Greenleaf Whittier

Here in Iowa, we are thawing out today! Thankfully, we did not lose electricity like we did a couple of years ago; however, we did manage to lose our internet services for a whole day and a half...for us "addicted" internet-dependent junkies, this was very traumatic!! The upside about the down time is that we did manage to get rid of a few dust bunnies around here! Today we were quite thrilled when the UPS man delivered our soap order...as we opened up the box, the sweet pleasant aroma seemed like a pleasant invitation to Spring!  Take a look at these wonderful, luxurious bars of home-made soaps...a long leisurely bath will sooth away any tension! For more information on our soaps, click here .... Don't lose heart...Only 57 more days until Spring!! We're counting down with you!

Plans are underway for our very special Love Letter Tea Saturday, February 13th ~ 11 a.m. Only a few seats left! Don't be disappointed, call today! 641-342-1547 Click Here for More Details!

Hey tea fans, here's your chance to debut your cooking/baking skills! Send us your pictures of any of the foods you have made from our cookbooks...send a little bio about yourself, why you like to cook/ bake or why you enjoy tea time. We will feature your works in the upcoming year! Here's one from one of our followers, Terry Trunnell - Indianola Resident, she p urchased both cookbooks this past November and didn't waste any time trying out some recipes! Here's one she has made several times and has received rave reviews from family and friends! She says that when her family hears that she's baked the bread - they beg her to share it with them! (and she does!) Christmas Banana Bread featured in our Vol. 1 Cookbook. Great Job Terry! Thanks for sharing...it looks delicious!!

This must be our lucky week! Today in the mail we received a package from Kimberly Shaw - one of our favorite "tea and treats" watercolor artists: KimberlyShaw.com I, Donna, signed up for a giveaway late one evening...never expecting anything to come of it...was I surprised! See my wonderful gifts... How fun... We're lucky girls! Thanks Kimberly!!!

Today, after a dental appointment in Des Moines, I stopped to gather the mail...there was a large envelope in there, which I knew had to contain a book...but what? I hadn't remembered ordering anything of late. I was delighted to find this wonderful Tea Time Cookbook from one of our tea friends - Jeannette Neel of Winterset, Iowa. She told me she was "doing a little weeding with her cookbooks and thought of me when she saw this one." WOW...thank you so MUCH Jeannette...what a blessing this was...it arrived just in time for my cup of tea! Thank you! Donna

This Blessing was sent to us from our Tea Friend, Phyllis, in MI and we agree!   I pray in this new year God gives you: 12 Months of Happiness, 52 Weeks of Fun, 365 Days of Success, 8,760 Hours of Good Health, 525,600 Minutes of Good Luck, 31,536,000 Seconds of Joy! ~ Author Unknown And I must add, countless cups of tea for enjoyment and pleasure!

January is National Hot Tea Month! Don't you think January is the perfect month to be labeled..."National Hot Tea Month?!" Today, here in Iowa, with the temperature at -10 below and a wind chill of -26 below...we happen to think so!! Days like these we often ponder...."Why did are relatives settle in Iowa?!" We must confess, having lived in Sunny Southern California during the 1990's...we are totally ruined when it comes to Iowa winters. But on the upside we can snuggle up next to a warm fire with a good book and a cup of tea without breaking a sweat! (smile). Here's some good health news relating to tea: According to study on tea from Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard they found that "theanine," a natural substance found in tea, actually supports the immune system; according to their human clinical trial, drinking 5 cups of black tea a day for two to four weeks actually boosted the body's immune defense system by four ti...