Thursday Teacups And Tea Things, Adams Purple Transferware, Chocolate Shortcakes

Hi. Welcome to Thursday Teacups and Tea things. I am also joining Vintage Thingie Thursday and Teacup Thursday.

I have a 1930s Adams, England cup and saucer in an unusual purple transferware that I thought you might like. The pattern is called Italian Scenery and I love the embossed shape that is so tactile and the deer. There aren't a whole lot of patterns with deer on them, but I have always enjoyed deer...and lost a lot of flowers to them...so that attracted me. Transferware is always a favorite, but I tend to gravitate to blue or red. But the purple is quite fun. The pattern was made into the 1940s.


For more info on the teacup at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.


I found a great recipe for a chocolate shortcake on CookingLight.com that I am trying this weekend that I thought I would post in case someone is looking for a neat dessert.

Chocolate Shortcakes with Bananas and Caramel

Ingredients

• 
  PreparationShortcakes:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces 
• 1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
• Filling:
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon butter 
• 1 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
• 1/8 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• 2 medium bananas, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups) 

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare the shortcakes, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in 1/4 cup butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until moist. Knead lightly in bowl 5 to 6 times. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into, but not through, dough. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack. Place shortcake on a cutting board or work surface; cut along score lines with a serrated knife to form 8 wedges.
3. To prepare filling, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; stir gently just until sugar dissolves. Cook, without stirring, until pale golden (about 4 minutes), gently swirling pan if needed to cook sugar evenly. Remove from heat; add cream and 1 teaspoon butter, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes.
4. Place whipped topping and 1/8 teaspoon cocoa in a medium bowl; fold just until combined. Split shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Arrange about 1/4 cup bananas over bottom half of each shortcake; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon caramel sauce, about 2 tablespoons whipped topping mixture, and top of shortcake. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon caramel sauce over top of each shortcake.
5. Shortcake Tips:
6. When mixing the dough for shortcakes, use a light hand and work quickly for the most tender cakes. If the recipe calls for kneading the dough, knead lightly only a few times so the dough doesn't become overworked.
7. Use a serrated knife to split the shortcakes. It will cut through the cakes without crumbling them.
8. You can bake the shortcakes up to a day ahead. Cool completely, and store at room temperature in a large zip-top plastic bag. To reheat, wrap in foil and heat at 350° for 10 minutes.
9. To freeze shortcakes, cool them completely, place in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and freeze up to two months. Thaw at room temperature, then reheat as instructed above.

We are finally getting winter weather this week, but no moisture...just cold. We have been waking up in the 20s and the highs have only reached the mid 30s. Very wierd! Snow showers are forecast for Saturday morning, so we'll see if that materializes. Normally, under our pines, the snowdrops and violets are starting up but with the lack of rain they haven't peeped out yet and I miss them! BUT Alaska has had horrendous snow storms the past few weeks so I guess they hogged all the moisture...not that I'm complaining about that!

Have fun visiting all the tea related blogs and have a great weekend!