A Failure!

I really did take this assignment seriously, spent my energy thinking about baking during a camping trip, made sure the pear was perfectly ripe and not too soft,  and then "bit the bullet" and tackled the recipe - all to no avail. 
It flopped!
But did it really flop?  We all agreed that my pan was too small, the oven was too small and then I failed to have the crumb tray in the correct position so the oven's elements were covered.
Yet the Pear and Orange Bread, page 29, was delicious and the recipe is very promising!

I am falling in love with this little cookbook -
Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen by Linda Maria Steele. I am challenged to create each recipe.  As I transport myself through the book and post about each recipe, I actually look forward to the next assignment!  Remember ~ I am an amateur in the kitchen and straining to become famous as I cook/bake myself through this book.....one recipe at a time!


So I placed the Pear and Orange Bread into a pan much too large for my toaster oven.  As my son-in-law later mentored me, "You should have divided the batter into two bakings!"  My son-in-law managed an Outback restaurant for years - I do listen to him.

The bread was not done in the middle so I baked it again in pieces.....it got done!
The bread was still moist ~ the flavor scrumptious ~ and my failure was devoured within hours.
The grand kids (bless their hearts) were not that critical of JamaJoan's failure.

'Tis a Tea Party Extraordinaire

 Eagerly I tore open the seal of the padded brown envelope. The teas spilled onto my dining table in assorted zip lock baggies ~ some were meticulously labeled/hand packed with loose teas, others were commercially packaged teas ~ the aroma of antique roses and hibiscus, chocolate and coconut ~ saran wrapped bags within baggies containing teas delectable in name and description.  I was (and still am) amazed with Ann's bountiful and varied gift.

Such labels as:  Louisa May Alcott Literary Tea, Beatrix Potter Herbal Tea, Downtown Abbey Estate Blend, Rooibus Red Velvet Chocolate Tea. Canadian Ice Wine Tea, Hibiscus Sangria Herbal Tea, Mother's Bouquet Tea, Royal Palace Tea, Mango Herbal Iced Tea --- the package nearly exploded with such luscious flavors.

 And then the commercially prepackaged teas like Disney Wonderland Tea (The Official Unbirthday Tea) and Christmas in Paris (Stash) and Numi's Gratitude Tea with sweet licorice and Bigelow's Girl Scouts thin mints tea . . .the assortment is awesome!

I met Ann a couple months ago in a blogging class through Story Circle Network (www.storycircle.org/).  As beginner bloggers we were asked by our teacher, Linda Steele, to brainstorm possible blog topics.  Ann's interesting talents in legacy writing and her tea catering business were very intriguing subjects about which to blog.

She included a brochure about her business in my gift - "How Tea-licious Tea Parties Came to Be."  Her husband, Paul, started a family tradition of tea parties which emerged into family reunions.  Ann has continued hosting catered tea parties to honor her husband's memory.  "It has helped me direct my mind to happier tasks, take care of others and share a meal or two with friends and family," she wisely remarks.

Ann's "Tea-licious" Tea Catering Company offers a large variety of parties, demonstrations and programs to folks in her Mogadore, Ohio community.  A few sample themes for her parties include "Tea with Jane Austen," "Aprons and Cookbooks,"  "Glampers Girlfriends" and a very popular "Release Your Inner Cowgirl."  She serves the appropriate teas with her luscious baked goodies or seasonal garden fare and.....well, as I peruse her list of themes there is even a "Zen-sational Tea" party with her green tea ice cream!

Ann can be reached at 330-618-6852 or nyjazzie@hotmail.com - Inquiries are welcomed!

Thank you, Ann, for your generosity in sharing your tea with me.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?
-D.T. Suzuki