Tea Time on the Porch

The September-October 2020 issue of TEA TIME MAGAZINE inspired me to create my own Autumn Tea on my front porch. The ivory pumpkin shaped teapot from Grace’s Teaware and pictured on their front cover, is one that I have too, along with the matching cups and saucers.

I had great delight in creating this autumn tea vignette and hope you will enjoy seeing the results. This post is a tad longer than usual but I wanted to include all the lovely parts of the ensemble. And yes, David and I did sit down to the table and enjoyed this special afternoon treat together. 🙂

The porch table is set for two starting with a vintage linen tablecloth cross-stitched in fall colors of rust orange and burnished brown. The creamware pumpkin cups and saucers, soft faux-suede maple leaf place mats, textured orange pumpkin ceramic plates, and embroidered vintage cloth napkins with pumpkin napkin rings (a recent find at Hobby Lobby) complete the place settings.

The bouquet of flowers on the table include the last of my Limelight Hydrangeas and Dahlias, with some Zebra grass tassels tucked in for added texture. The mini yellow-orange Boo Pumpkins were harvested from the four seed plants I grew over my compost area during the summer. There were a lot of flowers of potential pumpkins but only six little pumpkins showed up (I gave one to my neighbor). I am glad to have at least these to show off after waiting all summer for them!

I baked an Orange Marmalade Walnut Tea Bread (recipe at end of this post) in my Nordic Ware pumpkin loaf pan (I wrote about this pan in an earlier post) and served it on an ivory china plate decorated with a rustic orange ribbon woven in between the openings of the plate’s outer edge.

The hot tea was brewed from Kroger’s Private Collection “Orange Spice Black Tea”, a lovely compliment to the tea bread.

The weather was still warm enough to sit and enjoy this lovely outdoor tea on the front porch. Thank You TEA TIME MAGAZINE for the inspiration!

Recipe for the Orange Marmalade Walnut Tea Bread (printed source unknown)

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1-1/4 cups sweet orange marmalade

1 large egg

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Prepare baking pan(s) with baking spray. (I use Professional Bak-klene All-Purpose No-Stick Bakery Spray available at Amazon.)

Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly together with a whisk.

Combine wet ingredients (marmalade, egg, orange juice, oil) in another bowl and mix together until well blended. Add chopped walnuts and stir together.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir only until mixture is moistened.

Batter yields slightly more than four cups. Distribute evenly into four 5-3/4″ x 3″ loaf pans and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. If using a 9″ x 5 loaf pan (like the Nordic Ware pumpkin pan), bake approximately 45-50 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes; remove from pan(s) to finish cooling.

Serve sliced with butter or cream cheese spread.

“Tuscan Autumn Aura” Fall Themed Tea – October 2016

This post showcases another of my fall Themed Teas…”Tuscan Autumn Aura”…from October 2016. The decor for this Tea featured orange pumpkins, yellow sunflowers, and purple grapes to create the feeling of Tuscany, Italy in the autumn season.

Items to notice…the purple water goblets, sunflower placemats and table toppers layered over grape-patterned table cloths, green-handled flatware, sunflower napkin ties, and yellow vintage depression glassware (optic-block pattern).

We begin our tour in the Dining Room…then proceed to the Main Dining Table…and finally enjoy the three-course food offerings.

Decorated top of an antique oak china cabinet

Another decorated antique oak china cabinet top

Dining Room centerpiece of tapered purple candles and silk florals

Grape-themed cloth napkin with silk sunflower napkin tie

The Main Table and decorated fireplace area

Silk sunflower centerpieces on the Main Table

Looking across the Main Table towards the decorated antique oak buffet hutch

Guest take-home favors – fresh floral bouquet in decorated vase and sachet of chocolates

Chilled Sparkling Gavioli Italian Grape & Blood Orange Juice (from World Market)

Autumn Apple Pinwheel Scone and Tuscan Vegetable-Lentil Soup

Three Cheese-Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
Autumn Apple Chopped Salad
Roasted Cherry Tomato Crostini

Autumn Spice Mini-Bundt Cake and Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookie

Autumn Spice Mini-Bundt Cake and Sunflower Spritz Cookies

Lila – Cristy’s Mom enjoying one of the many Teas she attended

Lila’s personalized menu card, floral bouquet and sachet of chocolates – all take-home favors

Welcoming fresh floral fall bouquet on shepherd’s hook

Turk’s Cap Squash Fairy House

David and I recently visited a farmer’s market in Meridian Twp (Wednesday, September 30)…in the pouring rain. At one of the vendors I spied a very unusual food item. My very first impression was that it looked like a “fairy house”! Before we left the farmer’s market, I decided this thing would be coming home with me.

I really did not know what I had purchased. I had posted on my Facebook page about my find at the farmer’s market. I called it a “pumpkin-gourd”. A knowledgeable Facebook Friend very graciously replied with its true name…Turk’s Cap Squash.

A Google search provided the following interesting info on my Turk’s Cap Squash…

“As a member of the Cucurbita family, Turk‘s Turban is related to pumpkins, squash and gourds. So, it’s no wonder pumpkin growers call it a pumpkin, gourd lovers consider it an ornamental gourd, and squash growers commonly refer to it as a winter squash.”

“Also known as ‘French Turban’, ‘Turk’s Cap’ or ‘Turk’s Head’, this old heirloom squash has now become a very popular variety for decoration because of its uniquely shaped and beautifully colorful fruit. It resembles a butternut-type but has a cream-colored acorn or “turban” that is colorfully striped with green, yellow, orange, and red.”

“The top is generally beige with streaks of reddish orange and dark green. Fruits grow to about 12 inches in diameter and average about 5 pounds. You can use Turk’s Turban in any of your favorite squash recipes. It is good roasted, baked, steamed, in soups, or on the grill. Find Squash recipes.”

“According to Turk’s Turban squash info, this plant needs up to 120 days to maturity, 10 to 20 days for seeds to sprout. Get seeds started early indoors, especially if you have a short growing season. When seeds have a few leaves and all danger of frost is over, plant them into hills a few feet apart in a sunny area.”

“Turks Turban is a big decorative squash that is also very good to eat. You can roast it or steam it just like butternut, and you can use it in recipes in just about any way you use butternut, acorn, or other winter squash. Here are a few ideas: • Recipe: Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sage, and Pine Nuts.”

“Classified as a winter squash because it’s harvested when the rind is hard, not soft like summer squash, turban squash (Cucurbita maxima) is noted for its deep red, orange, white and green stripes.”

It’s “fairy house” appearance inspired me to put together a little Halloween fairy vignette with items already on hand…a black pedestal serving platter, tatted orange pumpkin doily, vintage Halloween candle figurines, and miniature resin pumpkins.

When completed, I placed the ensemble near my fall decorated three-tiered tray along with other fall decor items. I am most pleased with the finished results!

“Phantom of the Opera” Fall Themed Tea – October 2015

Now that I have my own blog, I thought it might be lovely to re-visit some of my Themed Teas. I will highlight four Fall Themed Teas during this month of October starting with “Phantom of the Opera” from October 2015. I enjoyed creating each of my Teas but some do stand out….Phantom is one of these!

The main color scheme was red, black and white to emphasize the story’s iconic red rose and the musical drama. Some of the special details include…black stemmed water goblets, red ribbon rose napkin ties, white lace placemats, a different black and white china teacup at each place setting, Phantom sheet music running the length of the long guest table, and black candelabra centerpieces with tall tapered white candles.

Pictures of the three-course food selections are included.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Autumn Apple-Cinnamon Pinwheel Scone with Autumn Spiced “Devonshire” Scone Cream

Chicken Cordon Bleu Ramekin
Salad Greens with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Autumn Fresh Fruit Salad

Fall Front Porch – Update

Since my post on Wednesday, September 30 about our decorated fall front porch, I have added a few new autumn touches.

After a trip to Van Atta’s Garden Center on Thursday, I brought home more ornamental pumpkins to create more decorative pumpkin totems. Also I purchased a mixed floral bunch during a grocery store visit and put them in the copper-colored container on the porch table. I added Limelight Hydrangea, Rudbeckia, a large orange Dahlia, and ornamental grass tassels from the back yard to fill in the arrangement.

Here are the new autumn additions…

Autumn Three-Tiered Tray

For awhile now I have wanted a tiered tray for seasonal and holiday decorating. I have seen many styles and sizes of tiered trays on Pinterest and Etsy, each filled with all sorts of fun and creative items for Valentine’s, Easter, Fall, Christmas, etc.

I looked and looked at many tiered trays online but either the price or the style wasn’t right. Finally a pop-up ad caught my attention for an off-white wooden three-tiered tray and the price was reasonable. I ordered the tiered tray and it was literally here within 48 hours! I needed to assemble it…fortunately all the parts were there and even a little wrench was included to tighten the parts!

Now the fun part of filling it! Well…this turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought. It took multiple re-doings to finally get things arranged to my liking. I actually had to go back to Pinterest and Etsy to study their decorated tiered trays. A variety of size, texture, color, and height of the filler items is important to create the right balance and interest.

So using items I already have on hand…here is my decorated three-tiered tray for this Autumn and Halloween season…during the day and lit up at night.

*1st note…for those familiar with our home…after I concluded the Themed Teas, I moved the stacks of storage drawers from the TV-sunroom to an upstairs room and replaced that space with one of my antique oak dressers. I have the tiered tray displayed on this dresser. So much prettier to look at when I am sitting in my comfy chair!

*2nd note…the pieced and quilted Jack-O-Lantern wall hoop is something I made decades ago…still looks good!

“Mashed Potato” Squash

We brought home three “Mashed Potato” Squash from our outing to the pumpkin roadside stand. After looking up on the Internet how to prepare the squash, we baked one to see if it really tastes like mashed potatoes.

The taste test…we are surprised by how yummy this squash is…mild, slightly sweet…and important to me…doesn’t taste like “squash”! Does it taste liked mashed potatoes…yes…and even looks like mashed potatoes in color and texture after baking…amazing!

Here are the steps to prepare the Mashed Potato Squash:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash squash thoroughly to remove all dirt.
Using a strong knife that cuts straight, slice in half.
Scoop out pulp and seeds.
Lightly brush inside flesh with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place flesh side down on parchment paper.
Place in oven and bake for one hour.
Remove and cool in pan on parchment paper.
Scoop out cooked insides and serve in bowl like mashed potatoes!

Pumpkin Totems and Fall Front Porch

When we visited the pumpkin roadside stand last Friday, I picked out five ornamental pumpkins. I stacked three of them to make a pumpkin totem for our back yard patio area. I also gathered flowers still in bloom in the back yard and filled an old galvanized watering can with these flowers to create a little autumn vignette with the three-pumpkin totem. The warted orange pumpkin is something David wanted…not quite my taste! The “warts” are a natural feature. They have become popular enough to be bred commercially for the purpose of making scary Jack-O-Lanterns.

I want to say something about the first three pictures below. Notice the light on the pumpkins and the floral arrangement. The sun was setting when I was taking these pictures and the sunlight was filtering through the back yard trees, casting a soft glow on the pumpkins and flowers. I must have taken a couple dozen pictures during a 10 minute time frame because the light was constantly changing as the sun was setting. After viewing all the pictures I decided the first ones I took were the best because the sunlight hit that yellow dahlia just right to make it pop. I found it to be a very interesting lesson on playing with light in photography!

The front porch has been in autumn mode for at least a couple weeks even though the warm summer weather has extended late into September. I am ready for the seasonal change! The latest autumn addition to the front porch are two gray-green ornamental pumpkins to compliment the green porch furniture and front door.

Three ornamental pumpkins stacked to create a totem in back patio area

Pumpkin totem paired with an arrangement of late summer blooms from the back yard

Setting sun adds its own magical light to this colorful arrangement…notice the grass plumes I placed in the watering can spout on the left to look like “water” streaming out

Front door scarecrow with vintage quilt hat

Table, chairs and wicker bench all decorated for fall

Gray-green ornamental pumpkins from our pumpkin roadside stand visit

Battery pillar outdoor candles with timer come on at night in the lanterns

Vintage linen table cloth with autumn colored cross-stitch design and maple leaf placemats

Cozy quilts and flannel in place for some cool night relaxing

Wicker chair and side table all set for fall

Pumpkin Roadside Stand

David had taken Friday afternoon off for an appointment and afterwards with some time on our hands we drove to a pumpkin roadside stand in the country located on Holt Road between Meridian and Zimmer Roads (Okemos and Williamston).

I wanted some ornamental pumpkins to make a pumpkin totem for my outside autumn decorating. I was not disappointed! All sorts of ornamental pumpkins, along with many varieties of squash and gourds were on display for the choosing. David picked out several kinds of squash. I had fun stacking different ornamental pumpkins in various colors until I found just the right combination to take home.

While we were busy deciding on our pumpkin and squash choices, a couple drove up on their motorcycle. They had stopped at this pumpkin roadside stand the day before and picked up some “mashed potato” squash. The couple said this squash tastes just like mashed potatoes when cooked and they wanted more! David decided we had to have some too!

This pumpkin, squash and gourd roadside stand is situated on a country property with an old house being renovated. Parking is on the side of the road. Payment is the honor system with cash or using a phone app. It turned out to be a fun early autumn outing!

A stop in the country for some fall produce

Wagon and baskets of assorted pumpkins, squash and gourds

David looking at the “Mashed Potato” Squash

Assortment of ornamental pumpkins on display

Ikebana – Lesson #2

Lesson #1 was creating the “Moribana” design using a shallow vase container with the kenzan positioned on the front left side. Lesson #2 is the reverse…placing the kenzan on the front right side and creating a mirror or opposite image.

Limelight Hydrangea blossoms from my back yard created the two main branch structures plus the depth branch. The Limelights have started to transition from pale green into their autumn shade of pale pink. I used Rudbeckia stems for the remaining third branch structure and filling flowers.