Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Halloween, Shelley Black Teacup, Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Hi there and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea...a Halloween version!

I have a confession to make! I did a tea party, photographed for this week...thinking that Halloween would be the week after's post...silly me! Proves how aware I am of dates..I have been working on my webshop plans for November & December, so was out of tough with right mow! So...that'll be next week, and I have pulled together a last minute Halloween post...and no tea party because it has been raining all day! Oh well...The photo of the Shelley Wileman decorated for Halloween I did for the front page of my website, but thought I'd use it because it's fits!!!

I had to scramble to find a black teacup...but I acquired this Shelley recently and had just listed it so I dug it out....the shape is Gainsborough, and the black is glossy black, and the interior is a Shelley pattern called English Rose...

The pattern number is 13640, and after the slash is the number 72 which designates the black exterior with burnished gold trim.  I have had this same pattern with a green exterior before,and one that was burgundy...although I don't remember what the color suffixes were of hand for those. The pattern number dates this to the late 1950s to 1966 when the pottery closed. Do you have any black teacups? Some folks hate them, but I think they are very dramatic!

My fall runner is on the buffet with the chenille pumpkin with it's fabric leaves, ceramic pinecones and a bowl of candy corn...found at our local natural food shop...which is kinda funny...made by JellyBelly.  

I always splurge on a small bag of candy corn at this time of year...for Halloween, and because October 30th is National Candy Corn Day. Candy Corn was created in the 1880s by a man named Renninger...I wonder if he has anything to do with the famous Renninger's antique fairs???? Anyway....But the funniest was finding Candy Corn Oreos....at our local Grocery Outlet store.

I just couldn't resist! Really sweet, but...pretty much a candy corn taste. So that's about it for my Halloween post...please forgive the simplicity! But...I come bearing goodies!!!!

I am repeating a pumpkin muffin recipe that from Southern Living Magazine October 2011 that I posted in 2012, because they are favorites of ours for company...or tea parties!

Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups pecan halves and pieces
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs

• Preparation

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
  • 2. Stir together melted butter and next 2 ingredients. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoonful butter mixture into each cup of 2 lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, and top each with 1 rounded tablespoonful pecans.
  • 3. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together pumpkin, next 2 ingredients, and 2/3 cup water; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
  • 4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.
  • 5. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert pan immediately to remove muffins, and arrange muffins on a wire rack. Spoon any topping remaining in muffin cups over muffins. Let cool 5 minutes.
  • TRY THIS TWIST!
  • Pecan-Pumpkin Bread: Omit butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Substitute 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans for 2 cups pecan halves and pieces; toast as directed in Step 1. Omit Step 2. Prepare batter as directed in Step 3; stir in pecans. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loafpans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Makes: 2 loaves. Hands-on time: 20 min.; Total time 2 hr., 40 min....
  • And the bread is as good as the muffins!
  
  
• Below is the list of some of the blog parties I will be part of and there is the linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there! And I love to read your comments, and can find you to visit!
• Tea Time Tuesday with Sandi 
   Tea Cup Tuesday 
   Friends Sharing Tea
   Share Your Cup Thursday
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An InLinkz Link-up