May Tablescape thirty-seven years in the making: Wedding Anniversary that all adds up!

This month's tablescape is, admittedly. more about the people than the serving ware, but we've included some pieces that are as vintage as the wedding its commemorating. To be more specific, today, my husband, Chris and I celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary!

We, like many in quarantine times, have been organizing closets, desks and cupboards, and while "thinning the contents", we've also uncovered a few great finds including a box of wedding napkins and the cake topper from our wedding reception almost forty years ago.

Our story began just a year before our wedding, when, in a tale as old as time, Systems Programmer meets Assistant-to-the-Auditor at a financial services company in a run-down- theater-turned-office building in downtown Detroit and, amid spreadsheets and Assembler, fall in love. 

We officially met in April of 1982, a week after my 24th birthday. Although I was only four months on the job, we had an even newer staff auditor on deck who needed help figuring out the computer systems.  Chris was appointed by his Data Processing manager to come down and assist my colleague, Wade,  because, as I later learned, my soon-to-be-boyfriend was not only an IT whiz, but had good communication skills as well.  Since  my office was the gateway to the Auditing Department, I was the first to see anyone who entered, and when Chris walked in, I was quickly distracted from making entries into my spreadsheet (yes, this was before Excel so I was actually writing numbers into a ledger book).  

And, like many great romances, ours began with those three little words: "Is Wade in?"

The short version of the rest of the story is that by August of that year we were engaged and had set May 28th, 1983 as our wedding date. We were married at St. Columban Church in Birmingham and our reception was at the Troy Hilton, the latter, like manual spreadsheets, no longer exists. But, in its day, it was beautiful and that special Saturday in May, with one hundred and twenty-five guests, we kicked-off our marriage with a plated dinner, champagne, a live band, and a white cake decorated in pink and purple flowers, topped with a miniature brunette bride and a fair-haired groom, and  served up with personalized violet-colored napkins. The last two items, along with our original toasting glasses,  are now part of our tablescape today.

It's been thirty-seven years filled with three awesome children, half a dozen jobs, five residences, two dogs and more laughs and great times than I could ever account for in any ledger - computer or manual. 

Tonight, we'll toast to many more years together, to love, to marriage and, yes, with much appreciation, to Wade!

Adagio Masters teas: Delicious specialty teas with a story

Adagio has a new season of Masters teas and, from our sample of five, they are smooth, delicious and - bonus! - have their own back story.  You just need to add hot water and love.

This month, we received a pack of Masters teas from Adagio which included the following teas:

1. Bai Hao Yin Zhen silver needles 
2. Rhoni first flush Darjeeling 
3. Shi Feng Long Jjing 
4. Sincha sencha 
5. Sincha genmaicha

As we taste-tasted last year's collection, exactly one year ago today (see Adagio Masters Tea: Exciting, limited edition, premium loose tea with a story!) we immersed ourselves this weekend in sampling the aforementioned  2020 Masters teas. Across the board, they were smooth and satisfying.

As noted in our previous blog, Adagio's mission with the Masters tea is to provide not only fresh specialty teas, but share the story of the artisans who help create those teas.

Today, we share our Masters tea tasting experience.


1.) Bai Hao Yin Zhen silver needles (China):  Being a white tea - which comes from the newer leaves of the tea plant with minimal processing - it has a mild taste. But, mild doesn't mean it lacks flavor! We found this tea to have a hint of grassy with a clean, mineral finish.  The artisan for this tea is Zhang Xiao Han and her  tip for preparing the tea, per Adagio's website, is to brew it in a glass cup so you can see the leaves "dancing". 

2.)  Rohini first flush Darjeeling (India):  A Darjeeling, with a resemblance to a green tea, is actually a black tea. This first flush we found to have soft nutty tones mixed with  sweet hay and just a hint of mineral.  Artisan, Jhapan Than says what she enjoys most about harvesting the tea is that she is with  family and friends and can chat with them as she works.  We taste the happy!

3.) Shi Feng Long Jing (China):  This translates into Lion's peak Dragonwell, a green tea that  is one of the most famous of all of China's teas.  Our brew's taste evoked broth-y, buttery flavors with a clean astringent tone. Artisan Guo Ya Ling recommends storing this tea in a place of low temperature.

4.)  Sincha sencha (Japan):  A green tea that has citrusy flavors, but not overbearing, with nutty overtones.

5.)  Shincha genmaicha (Japan): A unique green tea with the addition of puffed rice. This has a warming vegetal taste with the complimentary flavor of toasted rice. Artisan for both Sincha teas is Katahira. His tip is to "brew a cup of tea with love. That is the best extra flavor".

We couldn't agree more with Katahira.  Adagio's Masters teas are finely cultivated and curated teas that are heavy on the smooth and flavor and absent  on the strong and bitter - all you need to add is love.

Product review disclaimer:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free or discounted price. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Mother's Day Week: Let us eat cake . . . and muffins!

Scrumptious chocolate, chocolate cake from the kitchen of Emma M.

Mother's Day Week is officially over - I know because this weekend  I ran out of cake and muffins!

First, let me say, I hope all you moms had a great Mother's Day last Sunday - even under such unusual conditions. Like many of you currently practicing "work arounds", my family did a "social distancing" drop off in the afternoon and we all got on a  Zoom call for an hour and half in the evening. Not the typical way we spend Mother's Day, but it was still really special and very sweet, with a double emphasis on the latter.

Delicious made-from-scratch banana muffins from Rachel

The delicious "drop off" came courtesy of my daughter, Rachel, and fiancé, Sean and NY son, Matt (who "appeared" on my porch via Facetime). They had arranged to have a custom cake created for me by Emma Marks, a neighborhood friend and classmate of Rachel's who now has her own catering business after a recent graduation for culinary school. 

Social distancing drop off from Rachel, Sean and Matt

The rich chocolate cake with buttercream frosting was scribed with "Happy Birthday to the Tea Queen" - an appreciated title if only appointed by my family.  It was decadently scrumptious and my husband and I enjoyed a slice of chocolatey goodness every night for dessert for a week.

Also in the drop-off was a smaller box containing half a dozen homemade banana muffins from Rachel. I had one for breakfast every morning, for yes, you guessed it, for six days. 

Zoom call/Quiplash with Rob and Family

More surprises were in store later Mother's Day evening including a family call and three games of Trivia with son Rob and his significant other.

Dressed up with hat and gloves with my Mom and I'm ready for queen cake!

Aside from calls and sweets, I  put the tea kettle on and  spent a couple of hours last weekend going through old photo albums and savoring some wonderful memories of my own Mom.  I also thumbed through a dozen mini albums from that "other lifetime ago" that contained pictures of a thin me with two blonde-haired boys and a pretty little girl with pony-tails. 

Family vacation  in the 1990's with Rob, Rachel and Matt

In these challenging times, when we're self-isolating I know there are bigger problems than not having the family all together under the same roof.  But,  I still feel so very fortunate that my kids were able to still find a way to make the day special for me. 

Alas, the party must come to an end - even for the Queen. It was sad when my cake and muffin rations ran out, but probably for the best. 

And, even better  -we know were to get more!

Last piece of double chocolate cake!

Afternoon tea at The Willard's Peacock Alley gets our vote for most luxurious tea in Washington D.C.

The Willard Hotel in Washington D.C., home to famous lobby and tea spot, Peacock Alley

It's a big election year and my vote for the most luxurious afternoon tea venue in Washington D.C. -filled with marble, crystal and an impressive history - goes to the Willard Intercontinental hotel and its beautiful Peacock Alley.

Last September, my husband and I visited our nation's capital and I made a short mention of our tea at the hotel in last year's blog  Afternoon Tea and More! in Washington D.C. But, as promised then, there's more to the story of this historic landmark, more commonly referred to as "The Willard". 

The Willard is only two block from the White House

Visit to the White House, walk to tea

Just two blocks from the White House, "The Willard" began as a small converted row house hotel in 1818, growing in size and  luxury over the years until its final grand remodel in the "Beau-Arts" style in 1901. It has hosted almost every president since Franklin Pierce.

The Willard lobby, marble columns and gilded chandeliers 

In the lobby, with stairs to  Peacock Alley 

The Willard's lobby is opulently decorated, housing marble columns and floors and gilded chandeliers.  It's no surprise it attracted the jet set (or "barouche set" in its day).  It was also a magnet for politicians and influencers, therefore providing us with the term "lobbyist".

Chris ready for afternoon tea in The Willard's Peacock Alley

Aside from the elegant lobby,  afternoon tea in its adjacent "Peacock Alley" is an amazing event, offering both a scrumptious setting and menu. Our afternoon tea fare included incredible twists on traditional tea time savories, such as a blue cheese and grape tart, mini pimento BLT sandwiches and a citrus crab salad in puff pastry. The vanilla and blueberry scones were served with the hotel's homemade lemon curd, Devonshire cream, and apricot jam.

A separate tea menu has a variety of tempting blends, but, we selected The Willard's Signature Boutique Blend, a slightly fruitier, but absolutely delicious, take on a standard Earl Grey.

All of this to be enjoyed while a harpist plays in the background. No matter what side of the aisle you sit, you will all agree, you'll lobby for more tea time at The Willard.

The Willard InterContinental hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue

Tuesday Tea and Tomes: Taking Tea from TeaTime Magazine features 18 US tea venues (we've only been to 3!)

Taking Tea features 18 "notable tea rooms" in the US. We've been to three!

"Taking Tea:  Favorite Recipes from Noteable Tearooms", a TeaTime Magazine publication,  features "bios" of eighteen tea venues in the U.S.  along with some of their favorite recipes. Of the nine hotels and nine tearooms included, we've been to three (all hotels) and, in their order from earliest to latest, spanning twenty years:  The Drake Hotel (1999), Royal Park Hotel (2012) and Willard  Intercontinental (2019). 

Something special just for me!

Publications purchased on sale from Hoffman Media

This "great book" is from Hoffman Media (publishers of eleven food and shelter  magazines, including TeaTime, Southern Living and Victoria). I bought it along with "European treasures" when HM ran one its periodic and fabulous price-cutting deals. My package arrived last week and, as Winthrop from the Music Man sings when the Wells Fargo Wagon drops off its mystery parcels, it contained "something special just for me"!

This weekend, I did a deep dive into the pages of Taking Tea and while it inspired me to add more to my "wish list" of tea rooms to visit, I also had a wonderful time reminiscing about the three I had been to - and, to my surprise - those trips spanned exactly twenty years. 

At the Drake Hotel with my sister-in-law, Cara. One of my first fancy, fancy teas.

Starting in chronological order, The Drake Hotel (page 15), was one of my first very, very fancy teas (pre-blogging!)  and I was accompanied by my sister-in-law, Cara, who, at the time was living in Chicago. I remember I loved everything about it:  the luxurious setting of the Palm Court with the mammoth urn fountain at its core, filled with fresh flowers toppling over its side, the divine tea fare served on three-tiered trays, and, yes, even the ornate powder rooms added to the elegant affair!

I also remember how much fun we had, all dressed up and treating ourselves to such a posh affair.  I think I may have some yet-to-be-located pictures stashed away of our time inside,  but I did find this photo of Cara outside The Drake before we entered. A great memory and an experience that launched two decades of tea room passion for this afternoon-tea-obsessed blog writer.

Mary Kuhn, Royal Park's Tea Hostess serves  afternoon tea in the Gallery Room

A little over a decade later, I experienced, for the first time (I've been back on other occasions), afternoon tea at the Royal Park Hotel (page 91) in 2012, with daughter and tea-biz partner, Rachel, and good friend and  BTS team member, Pam. By this time, I was a tea blogger, and penned this account of our first visit. Fit for a Queen (or Three!): Afternoon Tea at the Royal Park Hotel.

This tony hotel is practically in our back yard, resting just a stone's throw from Main Street in downtown Rochester, Michigan.

Pam and Rachel toast with sparkling juice to a wonderful tea time.

Taking Tea defines our experience at Royal Park, well, to a "tea".  Tea hostess, Mary Kuhn, greeted us as soon as we walked into the grand hotel's lobby and escorted us to the library while our tea table was being prepared. Once our spot in the Gallery Room - which overlooks the picturesque Paint Creek stream - opened up, Mary directed us to our designated table and explained both the tea and tea fare offerings.  

Drinking Earl Grey at Royal Park

We kicked off our tea time with a sparkling juice toast and kicked back for an afternoon of delightful ambiance, delicious sweets  and dedicated customer service. Taking Tea quotes Mary, "Visitors arrive as guests, stay as friends and they leave as family."  

The Willard Hotel in Washington D.C., home to famous lobby and tea spot, Peacock Alley

And, twenty years after The Drake, we found ourselves at the Willard InterContinental (page 115), or more commonly referred to as "The Willard" in Washington D.C. We were there less than a year ago, and I made short mention of it in last year's blog: Afternoon Tea and More! in Washington D.C.

Although my husband, Chris and I were at The Willard in August, Taking Tea informs us that aside from the hotel's "regular" afternoon tea, they also offer "Cherry Blossom Tea" during the National Cherry Blossom Festival (mid-March through mid-April) and "Holiday Afternoon Tea" in December. That only means one thing - we must go back!

(Stay tuned this week for a full feature on Afternoon Tea at the Willard.)

Taking Tea is a most enjoyable book, filled with beautiful photographs of tea venues and tea fare as well as all those tempting recipes. It will inspire you to visit as well as create. 

Here are the other fifteen tea venues featured in Taking Tea: 

Camilla's Sin Tea Parlor (PA), The English Rose (TN), The Grand America Hotel (UT), Heirlooms Tea Room (MN), Lady Bedford's Tea Parlor (NC), O. Henry Hotel (NC), Paris in a Cup (CA), Park Hyatt Aviara Resort (CA), The Peabody Hotel (TN), Queen Mary Tea Room (WA), Rose Tree Cottage (CA), The St. James Tearoom (NM), Taj Boston, (MA), Teaberry's Tearoom (NJ) and The Windsor Court Hotel (LA).

Have you been to any of these? You may have some great memories of them as well!

BTS' highly recommends Taking Tea: Favorite Recipes from Notable Tearooms.  Order it today for "something special" just for you!