We realize, of course, that there will be 100′s of posts about the royal wedding today. I just thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things, and maybe hear what you enjoyed most, as well.

The Dress

I mean come on, lets be real; this is what all the women are waiting to see. Right? Personally, I think it was perfect, and so very Kate. Elegant and fashionable and she didn’t absolutely swim in it. Thank goodness (Poor Diana). Also, a lovely nod to Grace Kelley’s dress. And who doesn’t think Grace Kelley wasn’t the epitome of fashion.

The Flowers

Again one can’t help but notice the similarities to Grace Kelley’s bouquet. But how sweet. I like that it wasn’t so large it overshadowed the dress. Anything more and I think it would have been too much. Also The symbolism of the Lily Of The Valley is very sweet. It is a symbol of humility and the return of happiness.

And then the Abbey. It was meant to look as a spring garden. No mean feat for a rather austere building, and it was beautifully done, don’t you think?

The Groom

A real Prince Charming! . . . . sigh

I could go on and on and on. Don’t worry I won’t, because I would love to hear from you. What did you love most about the wedding?

I offer the title of this post with a little tongue and cheek; a wink and a nod.

The truth is that winter has kept it’s firm grip on us, up here in the north, until just recently. The first week of April, by my reckoning, and the giant snow pile in the front yard.

But even that can’t last and surely the snow too will melt, and Spring, not to be suppressed, will find its way to us despite the snow that’s left.

So until full bloom is upon us I thought I’d ponder some of our favorite Spring things.

Tulips! Coming soon to a vase near you!

Seedlings: The promise of a Garden

The first planting of the season feels so good!

Rose Arbour Scones . . . Always in season!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

For the Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe see my post

Spring Time Soup

What are your favorite Spring thing?

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

]]> http://www.teaandsconesvermont.com/gift-shop/its-beginning-to-look-alot-like-christmas/feed 1 http://www.teaandsconesvermont.com/gift-shop/its-beginning-to-look-alot-like-christmas http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TeaAndSconesVermont/~3/heItg1gLVn0/scottish-christmas-tea http://www.teaandsconesvermont.com/featured/scottish-christmas-tea#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:48:22 +0000 Suzy Nielsen http://www.teaandsconesvermont.com/?p=390

We are taking reservations now for our
Scottish ChristmasTeas. Join us for this

festive celebration of the season!

Autumn is in full swing here at Rose Arbour. The leaves have begun to turn and we finally got some much needed rain. The last couple of days have been perfect days for a cup of tea or hot spiced cider, or perhaps a bowl of Cream of Pumpkin Soup. This recipe is one of the most requested, so I have finally broken down and agreed to share it. It’s really actually rather simple, but “OH! So good!”.

So here it is . . .

Cream Of Pumpkin Soup

4 cups chicken stock

2 lbs pumpkin flesh, diced (I use sugar pumpkins or butternut squash)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 3/4 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 4 tablespoons water

1 cup crème fraîche

4 oz. butter, cut into small peices

In a soup pot, combine the chicken stock, diced pumpkin flesh and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and cook for 18 minutes. Cook the pumpkin quickly to avoid it becoming bitter.

After cooking, blend in a food processor or blender and strain.

Return the mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil. While stirring be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so that the pumpkin does not burn. Skim off and scum that may form on the top of the liquid.

Blend the corn starch with cold water. Take the soup off the heat and whisk in the slurry. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to a boil again. Take the soup off the heat and add the crème fraîche. Allow the soup to boil again. Remove from heat one last time and whisk in the butter. The result should be a smooth and creamy soup.

Place the soup back on the heat to taste. Do not add salt while cooking. The salt from the chicken stock will generally suffice. You can substitute heavy cream or buttermilk for the crème fraîche but honestly its not quite as good.

Bon Appétit!

Are you ready?

Get Set . . .

FALL

OK, OK, Fall foliage hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s on it’s way. The days are becoming cooler, and a few of the trees have started to blush. September is a beautiful month here in Vermont. There is a hush that happens in September. The kids are back in school, the air is drying out, and I actually smelled the first fire of the season. I love the smell of chimney smoke, don’t you?

September also means prep time for me, here at Rose Arbour. I always do a slightly different and kind of special menu for the tea room. In years past I’ve made shepherds pie and beef stew. This year I have decided to do a pork and apple pie. (It’s really yummy, if I don’t say so myself.) I like to change the desserts up a little too, to something a bit seasonal. I was thinking about maybe doing a traditional English dish called Apple Dappy. Think cinnamon rolls with apples.

(These are the pork and apple pies . . . hungry yet?)

The garden is beginning to finish up as well. The corn has been harvested. the peppers picked. But the butternut squash is just about right. Which means, of course, my famous cream of butternut squash soup.

OK, have I convinced you to come visit us yet?

Well I hope you do.

See you soon!!

Food For Friends by Fran Warde

We got a new shipment of books into the shop, yesterday. I Love books to begin with, but cooking books are just divine. Don’t you think? I like to just peruse the books we get in just to familiarize myself with what were selling, but also to sneak a peek of some of the recipes. So today’s pick is “Food For Friends” by Fran Warde.

It inspired me.

So I held a dinner party for my friends. My sister came, too. She blogged about it and you can read her post here…

http://www.inthesunnyspot.net/

And the recipe that I used from the book was Artichoke and Tomato Bread Puffs. . .

Artichoke and Tomato Bread Puffs

. . . the results

Served on my antique lilac transferware. (sorry that’s not for sale)

What you can’t see is the melted fresh mozarella on there.

We had a lovely evening out in the garden for the first part. Unfortunately it began to rain so we moved inside. But no worries. It’s about the companionship and the food, right?

We followed the “puff” with a plate of cheeses from local Vermont farms.

For the main course we had roast chicken stuffed with an herb plum dressing. You see I’d gone on a bit of a plum kick. Rosemary potatoes, salad, and beans from the garden on the side.

We finished the evening inside with a yummy vanilla panna cotta.

Food for friends, Vermont style.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak

Growing up one of my very most favorite books was Chicken Soup With Rice, by Maurice Sendak.

I thought it was an appropriate post for today as . . .

“In August

it will be so hot

I will become

a cooking pot

cooking soup of course.

Why not?

Cooking once

cooking twice

cooking chicken soup with rice.”

I have a huge smile on my face right now. I can’t help it. I just LOVE this book!

I really have cooked chicken soup with rice. I dont know why it’s been so long since I have. Its a really wonderful soup any time of the year, don’t you think?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Of course this is my “Soup du jour”!

It’s actually a rainy day here today and soup is just perfect.

Last week I made Julia Child’s french onion soup.

Ploughman's Lunch Vermont Style

Are you hungry yet?

Come on by and visit us for a nip of tea and a cup of soup.

Hi folks!

Just a short post today. This week I’ve had several calls inquiring about our Bed and Breakfast. One of the more common questions I get asked is, “What is there to do in Vermont?”. Well there are a whole bunch of things to do, but today I wanted to share just a couple. And to do that I am going to refer you to two other blogs.

I encourage you to take the time to click through. It’s really worth it.

The first suggestion is outside of Chester (about 2 1/2 hrs), and is a great day trip.

The Shelburne Museum, just south of Burlington.

The Round Barn at the entrance to Shelburne Museum

My sister and her family recently took a trip up to this museum.

http://www.inthesunnyspot.net/

Here is a suggestion for in Chester. You could make your trip a gourmet vacation. Starting right here in town!

Meditrina Wine and Cheese

You could start here in Chester and follow your nose down the Vermont “Cheese Trail’ or the “Wine and Beer Trail” (Maps available)

http://www/artequine.com/wp-blog/

This is my own personal blog and Meditrina is one of my favorite shops in town.

We are hoping to feature wine and cheese tastings here at Rose Arbour with our friends at Meditrina. Check back for more info about that.

Cabbage Patch

A cloche is a cloche is a cloche…

I have had several people ask me this week, “What exactly is a cloche?”, as they’ve come across one in the shop. So in response to all of these questions I though I would tell you just what the English bell cloche is, where it came from, and why we love them.

Morning Glory

Cloche (sometimes referred to as a bell cloche): A glass covering,originally

bell-shaped, for garden plants

to prevent frost damage and promote early growth.

also . . . Sometimes referred to as handlights

these were quintessential elements in

a Victorian garden – in effect robust

miniature greenhouses designed to protect plants.

There appears to be some disagreement about who first invented the glass cloche or bell jar. One source says it was the Italians the 17th century, another claims it was the French. In either case the purpose was to extend the growing season by protecting plants from early frost or to help young plants develop during colder bleak temperatures. The desire being to hasten their growth towards early maturity.

Cloche in French means “bell”

Antique Victorian Cloche

The Dutch and English expanded the idea with handlights, lantern style, faceted pyramidal covers made from glass panes and frames of cast iron. Though the original glass bell shaped cloche design and function has changed very little in the last few centuries, variations have come into fashion over time. These include carrying knobs on top, venting holes, and tinted colors to reduce heat. But the bell shape has remained traditional.

So, that is “what” they are, and “where” they came from, now a little about “why” we love them.

Well, let’s be honest… look at them. They’re pretty. But aesthetics aside they have more function than just in the garden.

Home Decor

Cover & Protect Heirloom China

Cloches are a perfect touch for the home. They’re great to cover deserts or cheeses, or they can cover small indoor plants . Use them as decor pieces, or to cover heirlooms that  need to be protected, but too beautiful to put away.

"Cheeeeeeese, Gromit!"

Cloches have a charm to them. In the home or in the garden. You have to admit, there is a romance to the idea of a “garden under glass”. It sounds like something out of Alice in Wonderland or The House At Pooh Corner. You can almost picture Rabbit in the Hundred Acre Woods using a cloche to try to protect some of his precious young carrots.

And, of course, the cheese tray under glass is a familiar image that evokes the sound of accordians playing “Le Vie En Rose” while you sip a glass of Bordeaux in a small French cafe. Those are just a few of the images that the cloche evokes for me.

Well, I hope that solves the mystery for some of you about what a garden cloche/bell jar/handlight/thingamajiggy is.

Tell us how you’ve used your cloches! We’d love to hear more ideas.

Cheers!

English Bell Cloches available at our gift shop.