Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Chai Spiced Cookies, Emma Bridgewater, an Interesting Week!

Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!  I hope all you Yanks had a great Thanksgiving...we were home on Tuesday afternoon after our pre-holidays jaunt so the 2 of us had a streamlined Thanks giving...reasons explained below....but...

We got home on Tuesday to 35 degrees after a strong wind and ice storm. The neighbors tree was downed and just missed their home. We trimmed our trees last fall....a blessing...so we just lost a lot of small limbs. BUT...the heat pump was encased in 2 inches of ice...inside and out. So instead of blithely doing my Tuesday Cuppa Tea post for today, we have been trying to thaw it out while on emergency electric heat before the serviceman gets here Monday...Thanksgiving and a weekend are NOT a good time to get a service call. But, as we did have the emergency electric we are better than a lot of folks...the company says their phones have been constantly ringing with similar problems.
  

So...here is my teacup for this week...I took made us a quick cup of tea in my Emma Bridgewater Happy Christmas Robin mug with a peach Passion fruit scones I had frozen before we left...THAT was a great thing! In between making and shooting hot water into the housing trying to melt the inch of ice...and it's on the north side of the house and hasn't gotten above 30 degrees! But enough of that!!!

As some of you may remember, I am very partial as my English grandmother, my Nana who died at 99 years old in 1976 was named Emma Bridgewater and was also from Leicester where Emma the potter hails from. So...I have been a follower since she began in the 1980s and have amassed quite a collection of mugs...one always seemed to find it's way into our luggage from our annual pottery visits during our yearly trip to England to buy and visit family.

I don't remember if this is from 2 or 3 years back, but it lives in the back of my cupboard and comes out at Thanksgiving when I plan to start decorating for and anticipating Christmas. I love Emma's Birds mugs and have many, and the Robin is a favorite, so loved this Christmas design...plus it's blue!

The tea is one of my most favorite Christmas teas...the Holiday blend from Harney & Sons. Just the right mix of black teas and spice!  

I have interspersed some of the remaining Thanksgiving decor, because with the heating issues the Christmas decor is still sitting in their boxes...

On our way home from Seattle on Tuesday via the Bainbridge ferry, we always stop at Central Market in Poulsbo, WA...an institution! I had a turkey breast, Apple Pear cider and what we needed to the roast vegetables we were having, but thought I'd look for dessert...and was I glad I did! I found THE BEST turkey cupcakes from a San Francisco bakery called Delectable Desserts, and were the ever! Cupcakes covered with chocolate ganache and buttercream frosting. Heavenly!  One turkey, however, slid in it's container on the way home and did a face plant on the side...so one is a Roman nosed guy, but it might have spoiled his looks...but not the taste!

This week I wanted to share this recipe I found on MyRecipes.com for Chai Spiced Shortbread. I have made these before, planned to make them for Thanksgiving, but....life intervened. They are delicious!

Chai-Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Yield:  

Makes 45

Total time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups flour 

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds*

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Leaves from 1 English Breakfast tea bag

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until smooth. In another bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, ginger, fennel, cardamom, and tea. Add to butter mixture and beat on low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set 1-tbsp. balls of dough 1 in. apart on sheets and flatten slightly with a floured glass.

3. Bake until cookies are light golden on undersides, 15 to 18 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through baking. Transfer to racks to cool.

*Grind in a clean coffee grinder or in a mortar.

Make ahead: Up to 3 days, stored airtight.

So thanks so much for joining me for Tuesday Cuppa Tea! 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!

Mosaic Monday

No Place Like Home

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage & Garden

An InLinkz Link-up