Miss Spenser's Blog

For centuries, Emerald has captivated many people all over the world with its' ability to stand out, add elegance, and speak beauty.  From the Emerald City to Jacqueline's Kennedy's iconic engagement ring. It has been around for quiet some time and in 2013 is making a comeback!  Pantone has named " Emerald ~ the color of 2013" ! Every year designers are polled by Pantone to see what color they are turning to and working with to determine the "It' color of the year. Leatrice Eisemann, executive director of Pantone Color Institute says, "Symbolically, emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today's complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors."  "I adore Emerald Green in nature, in home design, in clothing, and in jewelry," says Julia Farr, of Friendship Heights Boutique. Farr encourages women to add...

Happy Tuesday!!! Hope you're all doing well!! It's been rainy and foggy here with chances of 5-6 inches of snow tonight! Yikes! I hope we don't get snowed in???  But I suppose, as long as I have a Good Book and Tea (and Electricity, to boil water for tea of course!) - I'll be okay! 

Superbowl Sunday is coming up - which means Manly Recipes are being posted all over Pinterest! I saw this recipe earlier today and thought it would be a good one to try for all the of the "Carnivores" in our house! Sometimes it feels like we're feeding an army trying to keep these four men in our household full!  LOL This recipe looked yummy and easy! I think I'll give it a try!  Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches  2-3 Lbs. oven roast  2 cans beef broth (about 4 cups)  2 pkgs Lipton Onion Soup mix French  Hoagie or sub rolls (whatever bread you like to do)  Swiss cheese slices Put oven roast in a crock pot.  Add beef broth and soup mix.  Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.  Shred roast with a fork, then return the shredded beef to the crock pot for a few more minutes (to absorb more of that juicy goodness). Slice open the bread and place a good amount of beef on one side (scoop out some of the bread first if you don’t like it really ...

I have always wanted a postcard from Paris - There is something so romantic and nostalgic about receiving a postcard from Paris. Don't you agree?  Well, this year, my wish came true! I have a dear friend, Kaya, who lives in Germany ~ Kaya and her family went to Paris to celebrate New Years. (Doesn't that sound like fun!?) I have to admit, I had a hard time not being jealous, but luckily she sent me many pictures of her trip and it was 'almost' like being there! And best of all, look what she sent me! It was a total surprise to find it in my mailbox - I was not expecting it!! As you can imagine, I was over the moon excited to hold my very own "Postcard from Paris!"  Thank you so much Kaya!!  "Paris is Always a Good Idea" ~ Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina 

 When I worked part-time as a legal secretary, I really think my boss thought on my days off, that I sat around and ate bon-bons! ha. I guess you could say that we do that here at the tearoom...we don't exactly eat all those yummy treats...but we do search through cookbooks and recipes trying to find good treats to serve up for our 2013 Tea Parties!   What do you do when you have a break from the normal routine? ~Donna

In Honor of Downton Abbey Season 3 Episode 2 airing tomorrow night, we thought we'd make this special treat:  Chocolate Pots de Creme! Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Creme 1 cup Heavy Cream 3/4 cup Whole Milk 1/3 cup Sugar 4 ounces Bittersweet Baking Chocolate 1 Tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa Powder 1 tsp. Vanilla extract  1 tsp. Chocolate extract  1/8 tsp. Salt 6 Egg Yolks 1. Preheat oven 275 degrees 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat. 3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Pour approximately 1 cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten yolks, whisking constantly; repeat. Return the yolk-chocolate mixture to the saucepan and whisk to combine; strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. 4. Evenly divide the mixture among 4 ramekins. Line the bottom of a large baking pan with a folded ...

Farewell to Teacup Thursday  Dear Tea Friends...we have so enjoyed hosting Teacup Thursdays for the past 3 years...however, with the many time constraints we have here raising boys and a hubby, farming activities, the tearoom and bed and breakfast, we have opted to relinquish this "sweet," weekly responsibility.   We will continue posting tea blogs about our life and happenings here at Miss Spenser's of Longview Farms and all things teas, so we do hope you will continue to stop by and see us when you can. We want to thank all of the participants that we have had over the past 3 years...it has been a joy getting to know each of you and it has been such fun seeing all of your wonderful posts and links to great teacups!!   As we march into this New Year - 2013, we wish much joy and happiness to each of you!! Be watching our website for a listing of Upcoming Events at  Miss Spenser's Special-Teas

Happy Birthday Kate!!  The Duchess turns 31 today!!  Tip your Teacup to her today!