{Lisa Boalt Richardson another Georgia Tea Aficionado!}

Today I want to share with you a special lady that lives only a couple of hours away; therefore it is close to HOME! Lisa Boalt Richardson  is as much a Tea Aficionado as I am.  Please read about her new book and her being featured in nwitimes: Author celebrates tea in charming books!

This is one of my favorite desserts. Romantic Rose Petals and Strawberry slices in home baked shells; using won-ton-wrappers and brushing them with melted butter; than dusting with a mixture of sugar with cinnamon. Only about 5 min. in the oven and voilà. Next you whip up some whipped cream and add a few drops of Rose Water (Eau de Rose) and add carefully the pesticide free Rose Petals and sliced Strawberries... Dust with powdered sugar.
Oh, from the same won-ton-wrappers I'd cut out hearts for decoration...
Silver is Alvin Bridal Rose, available at Replacements Ltd.
China is Royal Albert Princess Anne also available at Replacements Ltd.

Just a yummy High Tea that I did from my home...

Tea cups from Mason Chartreuse with golden 4" paper doilies.

Another Tea for Friends...

Using a lace doily as invitation. (click to enlarge)
And YES, Tea goes very well with Chocolates too!

{Edible Flowers}

This blog's subject is in reply to a comment by Lilo from Moment, a lovely blogger friend from Niedersachsen, Germany. In her comment on friend Johnanna's blog from Silber+Rosen, Germany... she asked if the pansies that Johanna had on her shortbread cookies, were edible.
So that's the theme for today.

Yes, Lilo, they are edible! And a whole lot of other flowers, besides those pansies. In fact I have for years now the German book with the title: Köstliche Blüten - Rezepten aus dem Kräuter- und  Blumengarten by Marion Nickig/Heide Rau. Edition Ellert & Richter ISBN 3-89234-527-9

For sure this lovely book with recipes from the Herb- and Flowergarden will be available at Amazon in Germany. Here on my blog I only have access to the US Amazon... but it is available here, I did hyperlink it.
Just to wet your appetite: here follow photos from the book. They are scans that I made from the Dutch magazine Nouveau in which they appeared years ago. Let's first find Madelief, another blogger friend from The Netherlands as the first recipe is made for her!

Sorry about the creases, I kept them folded inside the book...
Above are Meizoentjes or Madeliefjes...
that is the Dutch word for Bellis perennis a European variety of Daisy

Holünderblüten in German and Elderblossom in English for syrup.

Wood violets for the salad!

Appleblossom...

Soup with cowslip, primrose...

To even it out, something in English here above for those readers that can't read Dutch...

 The recipes in English

The Ice Cream is delicious and I went through the trouble of also crystallizing the wood violets myself!

And to top it off, a British book about THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Sheila Pickles who used to be managing director of Penhaligon's, the exclusive London perfume house.

{INTRODUCING GUNNAR LLOYD; DAPHNA & RAYMOND'S LOVE-CHILD}

What a surprise to receive today an email with the message that Gunnar Lloyd is born in The Netherlands, with accompanying movie of him (click above pink link). It is such a perfect baby on this futuristic movie and no wonder as he's already born on April 7! Never have seen anything like this, quite a space-age movie; what an art work done by his Daddy Raymond who is after all a software architect. Gunnar of course is a Swedish name, we know that they went to Sweden for a vacation and they must have fallen in love with that country and even more with themselves... then or at a later moment. At least a very special name for such a deep and true love.

Now the rest of the story... a very special one to share with my readers. On June 5 of 2006 we got a phone call from our friend/Judge Helen Harper. She said to me: "Guess what I did this afternoon?" I had no idea... So she told me that she'd married a Dutch couple who were staying at the romantic Page House B & B in town after having been to Savannah. Helen said, oh I realized too late that you were Dutch too. That's alright I said, now they felt at least more at ease without any countrymen around.

Of course I did call, to congratulate them in Dutch and invited them over for next day, to have dessert with us. They were quite surprised for finding two Dutch born Americans here in town! For their wedding day dinner they did go to the best Lady Chef in the region, to Ristorante da Maria. Quite fittingly for the occasion!  Spending the night after dinner at Dublin Farm, Come Home to the Country, so they would not have to do any more traveling to find a romantic place to sleep.

I did bake a very special dessert for them: Phyllo dough shells with Strawberry-Rose-Whipped-Cream... and pastry hearts on the side. Got my Royal Albert Princess Anne china out and quite fittingly; the Bridal Rose by Alvin silverware, all from Replacements Ltd.

Made special flower arrangements from fresh, highly fragrant gardenias in a Cream Color on Cream Color by Wedgwood footed compote white Lathyrus odoratus (fragrant sweet pea) and white gladiolus flowers. 

Alvin Bridal Rose silver spoons

Romantic home baked hearts from Wonton Wraps with Strawberry & Rose Petal whipped cream

 We were ready now to welcome the newly weds  Daphna and Raymond into our home!

We did enjoy it as much as they did. It was very special and for me it was just labor of love to make the dessert with edible, red rose petals from our own garden, with strawberries and whipped cream. So romantic with only a few drops of rose water added. 

Like on the movie where Daphna and Raymond welcome Gunnar Lloyd into the world, so did we welcome Daphna van Zoeren and Raymond Roelands into our home and one can see that things started out very rosy but more important is it did last. 

We wish you lots more years in good health and happiness together as a young family.

If you ever find the time to visit Dublin again, to see Judge Helen who married you and to see the Page House again and our home; more than WELCOME!

P.S. One interesting point that Raymond made that afternoon when we moved out into the gazebo for a bite and a glass of wine. "My Mom has the very same Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware as you have!"

He must have felt right at home...

{FOND MEMORIES}

Easter weekend is over, at least here in the USA it is only till Sunday as they don't celebrate Second Easter Day which is Monday. But being from the Old World, it is still in our minds and always will remain that way.

Today is also the memory of Pieter's Mother's birthday... and a very sad tiding that did reach us on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning by 1:30AM (6:30AM Dutch time) that our dear sister-in-law Dora Vedder had passed on to eternity.

Let me first put a photo here from the champagne tin that I'd mentioned in my Easter Season blog, that I use to put up Easter items for storage till the next Easter. That was from Thé and Dora Vedder, given to Pieter for a special birthday.

 Here it is together with a beautiful pot of mini cyclamen which were given by friend Maria Runggaldier from Ristorante da Maria. We will treasure the tin even more so from now on!

Getting back to Dora... I will show here a beautiful teacup and saucer that I'd received from her one year. It is a Purple Violet from Provincial Flowers by Royal Albert, in  the Purple Violet England. I was lucky to find a second set just alike at Replacements Ltd. and even found two silver demitasse spoons from Wallace Silver in the Violet pattern at Replacements Ltd with a bon-bon scoop as well. It helps to always have two of each so you can enjoy a cup of tea with a friend or with your husband who IS supposed to be your best friend as well.

Here you see the two demitasse spoons with the cup and saucer as well as a tiny silver vase that I filled with freshly picked purple violets from our botanical garden. They are all over the floor of our wood garden where we walk over a trail to enjoy all the beauty. In the front with the one demitasse spoon are candied violets that I made. Lots of work and no wonder why these candied violets are that expensive, if purchased to decorate a special cake! Only nuns in a monastery, or the many hands in a harem; given each a task could accomplish all this, but we as ordinary housewives cannot be that kind of centipede...

It was fun though for trying!

Well here we have two options... and which would get approval for a vintage look?

Pensez à moi ~ yes, Dora we will always remember you when comes violet time and I will treasure your teacup & saucer as long as I live and as long as they live... with the help of Replacements Ltd.

 Dora, you have passed on to eternity but your heart remains forever young and you certainly were the Hostess of Hostesses serving so many generous, delicious meals to the ones you loved so much. 

Thanks for feeding our body and soul.