Psalm 122:6

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is almost here and what better way to treat your mom and show her how wonderful she is than with a tea.  I had a tea party for a group of women to honor the Mother's in our lives. 

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

             A Tea is like a spa for the soul and you can create one yourself for a group; or just for two. 

It is all about the unique little touches that make a tea so special. So pull out your teacups and gather some

things to make your tea unique.

I like to send each person away with a small favor. The favors for this tea were made from chocolate in the shape of a purse 

and hand painted with edible metallic paint. Then each candy

 was placed  in a chocolate brown box tied with a satin bow. I stacked them on a three tiered silver tray. My colors that I choose for my theme were Tiffany Blue, silver, gold, and brown.

I found a lovely recipe online for Lavender Scones made with edible lavender flowers. These I purchased in bulk at Better Health Market. You buy the flowers by the scoop. Don't be alarmed when you see the price for a pound because you only need a small amount.These scones had a nice light floral scent and 

 the perfect pairing with homemade lemon curd. 

I cut the scones in half and added a dollop of

lemon curd on each scone. You can serve your scones this way or place your curd in a nice glass

dish compote complete with a beautiful silver spoon.

Lemon Curd is great served cold and spooned onto scones. It is so yummy and tastes like the filling in lemon meringue pie. Lemon curd can also be used to fill tart shells after the crusts have been baked.

I am going to give to you a quick and easy recipe for Microwave Lemon Curd. I came across this recipe some time ago and it really makes the process so much faster.

LEMON CURD
1/2 c. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice
1  1/2 t. grated lemon zest
3 eggs

Melt butter in microwave for 1 minute. Beat eggs in a glass bowl with an electric mixer until frothy. Mix in butter, sugar, lemon juice,
and zest. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.

Beat mixture again until smooth. Microwave on HIGH for another 3 minutes.  Beat mixture again until smooth. Refrigerate until set/cool.  Makes about 1 c. of lemon curd.

Photo credit: Adriana Markovich

                                        POMEGRANATE/PEAR LOOSE GREEN TEA

The tea that was served this day was Pomegranate/Pear Green Tea which can also be

served iced. It is a wonderful tea filled with anti-oxidants. To order this tea you may go to my esty shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/theroyalpomegranate 

I chose to make napkin rings from lace with a ribbon strung through in my theme color.

For an added touch to the display table I made a large shoe from bittersweet dark chocolate. Then added a chocolate name plate with "Mother" written in script and dusted in gold metallic edible paint.

The Tiffany's box on the table was the perfect touch to set off the shoe.

Tulle is a great fabric to add a nice feminine touch.

Photo credit: Adriana Markovich

These are some of the things I did for my special tea topped off with a nice slice

of warm Kentucky Derby Pie!

In Honor of Mom

I'd like to introduce you to an amazing woman, my mother.

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

 She has played a major role in guiding my life 

and in the lives of my own children. 

Out of her sacrificial heart she

has always been there as a listening ear. 

Mom was always ready and willing to lend a hand

when I needed help in any area.  

She is a talented artist, seamstress, and quilter.

She is a woman of faith and inspiration. She is a cancer survivor and has walked through many

surgeries with strength and dignity. 

She is a woman of beauty and of character....

and I am blessed to call her, MOM

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I LOVE YOU

Flash Mob in Jerusalem

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

I WISHED I WAS THERE TO SEE IN PERSON

Israel Prepares to Celebrate Her Independence

Israel prepares to celebrate her Independence
photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

For those of you that would like to make your own hot fudge sauce~ my daughter shared her recipe with me while I was visiting her in Minneapolis.

I made it to go with the cream puffs and some of her guests for Sunday dinner even had two!

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

10 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Be careful not to get any water in it.
Once melted add everything else in and serve warm.

Delicious!!

Hot Fudge Cream Puffs

Last night I wanted to make some cream puffs for our Community Group and celebrate our friend, Ashley's, birthday. So I thought I would share with you the recipe that comes from a dear sweet lady named, Betty. She more affectionately is known as,"The Purple Lady," as she has an affinity for the color purple. Betty, is an amazing woman, motivated by love, to go about her little town in Northern Michigan taking home baked items to anyone she meets. Perhaps, you have been a recipient of some of her delicious baked goods.

This is a very simple recipe with very satisfying results.

What you will need for this recipe is: 1 cup water, 1/2 cup margarine, (or butter) 1 cup flour, 4 eggs

Photo credit: Cheryl Christmas 

RECIPE: Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Heat water and margarine, (I use butter) to boiling in a saucepan

Next stir in the 1 cup of flour.

Stir flour until it forms a ball, about 1 minute, remove from heat.

Beat in the eggs

Beat them until smooth

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Should make 10 puffs.

Bake until puffed up, about 40 minutes. They will have a golden appearance.

Remove from oven and cool

Cut the tops off the puffs and pull out any filaments of soft dough.

Now the best part~ Fill the cream puffs with ice cream and top with heated hot fudge sauce.

ENJOY!!

Only one cream puff was eaten during the filming of this post. Oh, and one afterwards!

I personally like the Sander's brand sauce. They come in a variety of flavors.

You can also fill the puffs with cream and be experimental with your toppings such as a raspberry fruit topping.