Miss Spenser's Blog

Like most of the world today... we woke up early this morning to 'attend' the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton!  What a fun time we had celebrating this morning, even the boys got up early to watch this historic event!! Lady Donna crafted this chocolate/biscuit cake which is Prince William's favorite! It is very good... and very rich!! Planning on doing some more celebrating later today and will enjoy a piece of it along with our Royal Tea Blend!!  Guests attending tomorrow's Afterglow Tea party will get a sample of this unique cake!

This teacup Thursday I'd like to share with you a teacup I do not actually have in my 'possession'... yet! A few weeks ago I got a call from a Tea Friend/Customer who was vacationing in Florida. She saw some Prince William and Kate TeaMugs and wanted to know if I'd like her to pick me up one... "Of COURSE!" You could say, I'm "Royally Obsessed" with this grand affair! After hearing her describe to me what the mug looked like... I'm guessing this is what the TeaMug will look like.  Inscription reads: "To Celebrate the Wedding of Prince William & Catherine Middleton 29th , April 2011"  Our friend is on her way back from Florida so hopefully I'll have this momentous teamug in my hands soon!! It will be fun to see if I guessed correctly!!  Meet you all at the 'Telly" tomorrow early in the morning!! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups ...

We have enjoyed following all of the information on the Royal Wedding, what will we do after it’s all over?! (smiles) As someone who loves the “food” part, of course, I found myself interested in what the wedding cakes will be served for the Royal Wedding. From my reading I learned that one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cakes is Chocolate Biscuit Cake, however, she is not the only one who loves this cake! It is reported that this was always on the menu when Prince William would be attending afternoon tea with the Queen. Prince William has ordered this as one of the wedding cakes to be served on the 29th. In keeping with tradition, however, English wedding cakes are generally fruit cakes that contain nuts, dried fruit and brandy. We have a delicious fruitcake recipe that we had thought about serving at our Royal Tea party, unfortunately though, time got away from us, so we were not able to make it as the cake needs to be made at least 8 weeks in advance and doused with Brandy every we...

Princess Diana’s Wedding Cake Recipe 3 eggs, beaten with mixer
 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 1/4 cups flour
 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 8 ounces crushed pineapple, with juice
 1 1/2 cup chopped bananas
 1 cup chopped apples
 3/4 cup coconut
 3/4 cup chopped nuts
 Frosting 8 ounces cream cheese
 1 Stick of Butter
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 3 cups powdered sugar PREPARATION: Grease and flour the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Mix together the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Sift the dry ingredients; add to mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 48 minutes. 

 Frosting: 

Mix butter and vanilla extract into cream cheese. Add powdered sugar. Mix well. 1 1/4 cup oil


You could say that we are Royally Obsessed with the upcoming Royal Wedding this week!! Once again, fascinated by the cookery of the event…I enjoyed learning about the people behind the scenes…the Kitchen Staff. Mark Flanagan of Buckingham Palace and his staff of 21 will be treating 600 guests to the canapés made from the best of British produce. Unfortunately for me…he is keeping quiet about the full menu until April 29, but the selection could include smoked salmon, beetroot blini, confit duck-leg terrine with smoked duck and pear chutney, quail eggs with celery salt, goat cheese and caramelized walnuts and parmesan crisp…why I feel exhausted already!! (smiles). Flanagan states that, “At any large event, we are always conscious of trying to make sure we uphold people’s expectations when they come to Buckingham Pa lace…for a lot of people, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” It’s their goal that they leave thinking everything was spectacular, especially the food! Here at ...

But the Angel said, "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body." Mark 16:6   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... 1 Peter 1:3 Wishing all of our Tea Friends a Blessed Easter! ~ The Hardin Family

Can you believe it! It’s been a year of Teacup Thursdays!! This is the first teacup we shared. We originally started Teacup Thursday to showcase teacups from our collection and to use that selected teacup for the day. I can hardly believe it’s been a year of teacups! What fun it’s been to have so many of you join us!! We thought we’d expand on our fun and include teapots, tea parties, and other tea trinkets to the day. We invite you to join us!! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday,   email me here  with your blog address. I'll post a link to your blog and you can link us to yours! Thank you!

Chipped Beef Dip   Makes a great Appetizer for Easter This recipe is from Miss Spenser's Vol 1 Cookbook 1 1/3 C Mayonnaise 1 1/3 C Sour Cream 2 TBSP Onion, minced 2 TBSP Parsley 2 tsp. Dillweed 2 tsp. Bon Apetit Seasoning (Or Beau Monde) 1 pkg. (3 oz.) Dried Chip Beef Mix the first 7 items together; spread on toast points or fill hollowed round bread loaf.

Last Christmas I gave this little teacup to Mom. It's a pretty Rose Chintz made by Windsor. "He who must have beautiful roses in his garden, must have beautiful roses in his heart." ~ S. Reynolds Hole Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday,   email me here  with your blog address. I'll post a link to your blog and you can link us to yours! Thank you!

This past Teatime Thursday we hosted a special sweet sixteen birthday tea party. Enjoy the pictures...    Call to book your next special occasion here! 641-342-1547

With the awakening of Spring, one cannot help but feel refreshed and excited by new life! Violets are one of the first little flowers to peep out of their winter beds, and say "Hello, World!!"  With that in mind I thought it would be nice to share with you this little Violet Teacup.  "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violets shed on the heels that has crushed it" ~ Mark Twain  Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday,   email me here  with your blog address. I'll post a link to your blog and you can link us to yours! Thank you!

A new feature we have added to the tearoom this year, is Teatime Thursdays. We're now open by reservations on Thursdays. Come enjoy a 3 or 4 course tea in a English Cottage Style. Teatime starts at 11 p.m. Call today to make your Reservation ~ 641-342-1547. These little young ladies joined us for Teatime Thursdays a couple weeks ago. It's was little Annie's 8 year old Birthday. They attended tea with the company of their mothers and practiced their teatime manners. They were both delightful! Hope you had a lovely Birthday Annie!