Friday, December 23, 2011

Pretty, Pink, Peppermint Perfection

pouch chocolate chunk cookie mix

3. tablespoons vegetable oil

1. tablespoon water

1. egg

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 1/2cups powdered sugar

1/4cup crushed peppermint candies (about 14)

3. tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

2 to 3 drops red food color

Powdered sugar

Lightly spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Prepare cookie dough

as directed on package adding peppermint extract. Shape dough into 24(1-inch)

balls; place in muffin cups.

Bake at 375° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately make indentation in

center of each cookie with end of wooden spoon to form a cup. Cool 30 minutes.

Remove from pan; cool completely.

In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, crushed peppermint candies, butter, milk,

and red food color with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Spoon frosting into decorating bag with large star tip. Pipe into each cookie cup.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator.

Yum!

Hoping that you are enjoying each and every moment of the Christmas season.

We have been so busy with holiday events and preparations but it is all so sweet isn't it?

Do remember to take time for yourself, maybe pour that second cup of hot tea and indulge in another

sugar cookie! You deserve it!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

A Christmas Tea

One of my most favorites places in Dayton is the Basically British Tea Room, owned

and operated by the charming Terry Ronald. I have enjoyed a sweet afternoon here on 3

other occasions but this day found a group of us celebrating our dear friend Peggy's

birthday! I had never been during December and it was such a treat!

Basically British offers over 85 teas and owner,
the wonderful British gentleman

that he is, Proprietor Terry Ronald is always a
gracious presence, providing

helpful suggestions with wit and tact. It can't be done
much better than this.

He offers clear and concise explanations of the
varieties of tea which is both

delightful and helpful in the selection process.

The food is always beautifully presented and delicious.

The atmosphere is

charming but not stiff or stuffy.
It was especially pretty on this December

day all decked out for the Christmas holidays.

Perfectly brewed teas arrive in pots wrapped in
cozies: fancy prints with ribbons

for ladies, plain wrappers for gentlemen.
The atmosphere was cozy and charming

with special holiday items and English 'crackers'on
the beautifully set tables.

Of course we all had to try in the paper crowns
found inside our crackers!

Our menu was:

To say it was all delicious is an understatement!

Basically British is located in downtown Dayton
in an old building known

as The Cannery. In past years, the building was
extensively remodeled to incorporate

almost two hundred lofts, along with several retail
establishments.

The style of the building makes a particularly
suitable setting: high ceilings,

brick walls, elegant woodwork, attractive
windows and hardwood floors.

This was Grace's first visit to Basically British but

she has decreed it will not be

her last! She enjoyed it so much!

Happy Birthday Peggy! It was so wonderful to share

this time with you, Michelle,

Pam and Grace, 3 of my most favorite ladies!

Hmmm...now I think will go and brew a pot of

Christmas Spice tea

which I purchased that afternoon.

Ahhh...so good.

Monday, December 12, 2011

A Positively Medieval Christmas

You are hereby invited to join me and members of my family to experience the laughter and song of a medieval holiday! We shall feast amongst royalty and close the year in grand fashion. We will begin in the reception hall for hot wassail or a cup of delicious eggnog before a roaring fire. Ah how heavenly! The trumpeter will usher you into the Great Hall to await the entrance of the royal party. You will sit amidst the flurry of his majesty's performers-musicians, singers, dancers, the puppet master and the jester. The comedy, music and artistry will ensue about you, pausing only for the feast itself....join us won't you?

During the Middle Ages and continuing well into the Renaissance, the holiday season was a time when guests traveled great distances to the castles of wealthy friends and family members to feast, dance and exchange news in a celebration that lasted several days! After the rigorous fast of the Advent season, elaborate preparations were made to ensure a truly festive event.

The banquet at Christmas, as on other great holidays, was not an isolated meal, but rather a series of celebrations filled with pageantry and circumstance. After prayers in chapel or at the table, trumpet fanfares signaled the service of specific courses and dishes within the feast. Guests danced, told stories, and sang in enthusiastic outbursts of merrymaking.

Since 1983, the annual Madrigal Dinner, produced each December by the Wright State University Student Union with the Department of Music, has provided our community with a musical and dramatic interpretation of these fabulous medieval ceremonial feasts. This event has become an established tradition that spans four evenings and entertains over 1,300 guests! Bill and I treated Mom and Grace to this revelry last night and oh what fun we all had!

We enjoyed traditional English fare, amidst the antics of jesters and manorfolk, dancing and revelry, the Puppet Master, and the wonderfully interwoven lines of the madrigal song. We were treated to the voices of the Wright State Chamber Singers, medieval dances choreographed by the Tudor Rose Performing Troupe, and the music of Wind in the Woods Early Music Ensemble.

Wes Hale!

Oh the pleasant manorfolk...

We all dined on Medieval Sallat, Beefe and Leeke Pie, Appyl Almynde Stuffed Turkey Breast, Wylde Ryse Blend, Honey Glazed Carrotes and Parsnips, Brannbrede with a delicious Bûche Noël and Plomme Poddyngfor dessert! Okay, so I think you can translate but no matter how you pronounce it, or spell it, it was all delicious!