Sunday, March 17, 2024

St. Patrick's Day 2024

I hope you're enjoying St. Patrick's Day.  It's a bit different when it falls on a Sunday. Yesterday was a work day at The Whitney, so I didn't do any advance meal prep.  As always, Sunday mornings is attending worship service at church, so it was around 12:30 when I got in my kitchen to begin preparing our St. Patrick's Day dinner.   I decided it was going to be a 'progressive dinner' to keep hunger pangs away.       

In a recent recipe e-mail from Paula Deen to her followers, she featured Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes.  She suggested air-frying the potatoes, but I oped to bake mine.  I put them in the oven to bake, while I started making the Reuben Soup.  It's a delicious recipe that I got from a tearoom cookbook and I've made it several years on St. Patrick's Day.

When the soup was done, I called hubby to the table for the first course of our 'progressive dinner.'  I was a bit lazy this year and didn't set a fancy table - just the bare necessities, but I did give a nod to St. Patrick's Day with some dishware and a few figurines.


When The Whitney's tea blender blended our Irish Cream black tea to serve throughout the month of March, she gifted me with a complimentary half lb. bag, so we had Irish Cream black tea to go with our soup.


After the soup course, I started working on the meat filling to go inside the baked potato shells.  I scooped the potatoes from the shells, mashed them, and began assembling the stuffed potato. Since everything was cooked they only had to go in the oven long enough to melt the cheese on top.  My hubby returned to the table for course #2 of the 'progresive dinner.'  The potatoes were yummy and would be a nice savory for a tea party using a smaller potato.  I have served Shepherd's Pie in au gratin dishes before, but this presentation is a nice alternative.


The last course was Irish Soda Bread.  I always make the recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook, but this year I decided to try a new recipe from the Internet, and it didn't disappoint.  The only thing missing was the Kerrygold Irish Butter that I forgot when I was shopping.  We had to settle for American butter!  ;-)  Currants were hard to find so I had to substitute raisins.  I should have ordered them online and will next time.


A slice of Irish Soda Bread is a close cousin to a scone [in my opinion].

When we took our last bite of Irish Soda Bread, I declared the 'progressive dinner' was over and I was relaxing the rest of the day [after cleaning up the kitchen].  I enjoyed prepping and eating all the Irish food and tomorrow I'll return to my low-carb diet!   Even though my mom was of Irish descent and very proud of her Irish heritage, I don't ever remember her celebrating St. Patrick's Day by making traditional Irish dishes.  It's a special day to me and I always enjoy celebrating it.

I saw many Irish blessings posted on Facebook today as well as quotes from St. Patrick.  He was a remarkable Christian missionary and hero of the faith, with an inspiring legacy.  One of his prayers is good for all Christians today:

"Christ above me, Christ in front of me, Christ to my right, Christ to my left, Christ below me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ in my every thought, Christ in my every word, Christ in my every deed."

How have you celebrated St. Patrick's Day?


Friday, March 15, 2024

Lunch at Presley's

Last month, when my daughter asked me where I'd like to have lunch for my birthday, I said Presley's downtown Detroit in the David Whitney building.  Their opening was delayed until February 26th, when Lori would be in California.  I said I didn't mind waiting because I really wanted to go to the new restaurant.

She picked me up at 1:00 0'clock today for our reservations at Presley's.  We enjoyed the restaurant very much as well as seeing the beautiful foyer of the David Whitney building again. The restaurant is named after the owner's oldest daughter, Presley. 

Below is one of three entrances into the David Whitney building [from the three different connecting streets it faces].  


Presley's has an outside entrance on Woodward Avenue, but we chose to enter throught the foyer of the David Whitney building [photo below].


~ Beautiful David Whitney Foyer ~


~ Interior of Presley's ~



We were seated in a booth, and since it was past the lunch hour, there wasn't a lot of hustle and bustle.  We took advantage of the quiet time to enjoy each other's company and get caught up.


Lori ordered shrimp and grits and I ordered a chicken salad.  Both were very good.


Before we left our server gave each of us a postcard of the David Whitney Building and a small complimentary bag of chocolate chip cookies baked fresh on the premises every morning.


Then we went out onto Woodward Avenue for a few more pictures.  It was a beautiful day and fun to be in 'The D' with my daughter.


~ Woodward Avenue Entrance to Presley's ~



The crane in the background is the construction of tower on the J.L.Hudson site that when completed will be the second tallest building in Detroit and the state.  It is set to open in 2025.


Thanks for a great afternoon, Lori!


Sunday, March 10, 2024

Day Trip to Frankenmuth, MI

Do you shop on Facebook Marketplace?  I've only made three purchases through Marketplace and all were door pick-ups.  I was pleased all three times.  It's a good source for finding things that are no longer available in stores.  

Between 2015 and 2020, the company, 222 Fifth, made Easter dinnerware called 'Sydney' [the name of the bunny in the pattern].  Marshalls/HomeGoods carried the pieces and in 2018 I bought five teacups [which was all I could find], six salad/luncheon plates, eight appetizer/bread & butter plates, eight fruit/snack bowls and the tea set [teapot, cream pitcher and sugar bowl].  I've enjoyed using them at Easter time, and you may remember me blogging about them.





With thoughts turning to Easter this year, I decided to do some online searching for the pattern that's been discontinued and no longer in stores.  Some pieces are available at Replacements Ltd., and some are at E-bay, Etsy, Poshmark, and Mercari but not enough to give me a full service for eight, and the cost to ship dishes is usually more than the dishes themselves since they're heavy.  On a whim I decided to check Marketplace and a woman in Frankenmuth, MI had eight dinner and salad/luncheon plates, a platter, two serving bowls, four mugs, and four cereal bowls for $100.  A very fair price.

My hubby had just recently commented that we hadn't been to Frankenmuth in a while and it's always an enjoyable day trip when it includes a chicken dinner at Zehnder's, so now we had a specific reason for going last Friday. 

~ Entering Frankenmuth ~ 


The City was decorated for Easter.


We went to the woman's house first to pick-up the dishes, then went to Zehnder's for lunch.  I told the seller we'd arrive between 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.




Usually the restaurant is filled with people when we're there, so it was nice to beat the crowds last Friday.  The pic below was the dining room where we were seated.



I enjoyed tea with my meal and Jerry had coffee.


The restaurant was decorated for Easter and looked to festive.



With full tummies we made our journey back home.  The dishes weren't a 'need' but a 'want' and so perfect for Easter.  Now my mind is swirling with tablescape and menu ideas.

Leaving Frankenmuth




Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Happy March

My friend, Judith Rogers, posted this on Facebook this morning and it's so pretty I wanted to share it with you.  Credit is given to The Skylark's dream collage.  Don't you love daffodils?

Mother Nature is so unpredictable. Below is the photo memory that came through my Facebook feed yesterday taken on March 4, 2023 from my bedroom window.  That's my hubby shoveling snow.


Yesterday, March 4, 2024, when I was out running errands it was clear skies and 73 degrees! It set a record high for Michigan.   What a difference a year makes!   Today it's 56 degrees and cloudy, but thankfully no snow!

I've been shopping for Easter tablescape items and I've been everywhere!  It's coming together nicely, thanks to HomeGoods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx.  I was so disappointed when I went to Macy's and J.C. Penney's at a mall that once thrived with shoppers.  The parking lot was practically empty and I could have shot a cannon off inside and not hit anyone!  Consequently, stores have scalded back on merchandise due to shopper's changing interests, tastes, and shopping preferences and some departments were practically non-existent - no linen department [tablecloths, napkins, placemats] and no seasonal/holiday-themed dishware. So sad!  

The one bright spot in Macy's was accidentally finding the huge J.L. Hudsons WWII Employee Honor Roll that was tucked back by the elevators.  Someday Macy's will probably donate it to the Detroit Historical Museum.


I've been spending my evenings going through cookbooks for recipes to carry out the Easter/Spring theme for the dinner I'm planning.

I'll leave you with a cute St. Patrick's Day idea I saw on Facebook [first posted on Pinterest by Dollar Tree Stores] for individual Shamrock Quiches, using aluminum potpie pans and bending them in the shape of a shamrock.  So clever!


 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Tonia's Victorian Rose Tearoom

Happy Leap Year Day!  I can't think of a better way to wrap up the month of February than by going to tea, and that's just what my girlfriend, Lori, and I did yesterday. 

I had heard that Tonia's Victorian Tearoom was closing on March 2nd, so I wanted to visit one last time.  I'm sad that another tearoom is closing, but Tonia said it was not her choosing.  The owners of the 1910, three-story Craftsman House at 118 W. 3rd Street in downtown Rochester, MI are selling it.

This was the first tearoom I visited after becoming 'smitten by tea' in 1998 and it was one of my first blog posts when I began blogging in 2012.  I've been there many times over the years with family and friends. Loretta Curry was the first owner who established the tearoom in 1995, and Tonia is the second owner who bought it in 2017.  Below is a photo of how it looked when I first visited in 1998.


A current photo taken yesterday after the house transitioned from Green to Blue.



I took my granddaughter, Tiffany, there for her 8th birthday in 1999.  It was her first tearoom experience. 

 

We went again in 2011 when she was 20.  Time sure changes us! 

~ Fall of 2016 with friends during the Michigan Tea Tour ~



~ The last visit under Loretta's ownership in Dec. 2016 ~


~ Spring of 2017 First visit under Tonia's ownership with girlfriend, Lori ~


~ Last visit under Tonia's ownership yesterday ~


~ With Tonia ~


The tearoom was bustling with guests when we arrived at 11:30.  So many wanting to have tea there one last time before it closes.  Lori and I chose the Duchess Tea and it was delightful. Our tea selection was Chocolate Strawberry Black Tea, and the meal began with a cup of Cream of Asparagus Soup.


Two-tiered server with savories and sweets.




By the time we left the crowd had thinned out but a few still lingered.


Tonia took us upstairs where we chatted for awhile.  She has several ideas and options after the tearoom closes so we definitely haven't seen the last of her creativity.  We wish her the best in all her future endeavors.