♥ New Tea Infusers ♥

Yes, it's time to add more tea infusers to my Etsy shoppe! I have so many more to make, but wanted to share what I've done so far. I seem to not be the only one who loves owls. Everytime I add owls to my shoppe, they get snatched up quickly. It's a great problem to have. ;)
I have a terrible addiction to Farmville I must admit. And when I saw this adorable little black and white cow, I had to get him. I know plenty of Farmville addicts! ;)

Of course, you know I'm irish, so I have to always have a good supply of shamrocks on hand!

This is my favorite tea infuser of all times. It's just so dainty and elegant!

I'm not a frog lover, though I know people who do collect frog items. But I had to have this cute little guy! He reminds me of an amazon rainforest frog!

Hope you're having a wonderful TEA-rrific weekend!

Sheri :)

♥ Erin Go Braugh ♥

From our Irish home to yours...Happy St. Patrick's Day!

♥ Happy Friday! ♥

I have been watching this tree all week and today when I was leaving for work, I noticed all the pink blossoms had exploded over night! I'm not sure what type of tree this is. It has these delicate little blossoms in the spring and then has red maple-tree-looking leaves the rest of the year. At any rate, our weather has been rather crazy this winter and we are experiencing an early spring. I hope the frost doesn't get this tree! It brightens up the whole front yard and makes me think of sunshine-y days ahead!

Hope you're having a wonderful Friday and best wishes for the weekned!

Keep on crafting,
Sheri :)

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Irish Cream Brownies ♥

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place the chocolate chips and the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate chips and butter melt, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients (through vanilla extract), stirring well with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring every 30 seconds.

Fold in the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spread batter in a thin layer into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: For truly fudgy treats, be sure to cook the brownies until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. If you wait until the pick is clean, the brownies will be overcooked. Garnish the plate with a sprig of mint.

16 servings.


~~Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006~~

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Raspberry Shortbread ♥

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (10-ounce) jar seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation:
Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until blended. Divide dough into 6 equal portions; roll each portion into a 12- x 1-inch strip. Place strips on lightly greased baking sheets.

Make a 1/2-inch-wide by 1/4-inch-deep indentation down center of each strip using the handle of a wooden spoon. Spoon half of jam evenly into indentations.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon remaining jam into indentations. Bake 5 more minutes or until lightly browned.

Whisk together powdered sugar, water, and extract; drizzle over warm shortbread. Cut each strip diagonally into 1-inch slices. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Makes 6 dozen.

~~Southern Living, FEBRUARY 1999~~

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Chocolate Almond Crescents ♥

Ingredients:
•1-1/4 cups butter, softened
•2/3 cup sugar
•2 cups finely chopped almonds
•1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup baking cocoa
•1/8 teaspoon salt
•1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
•1 to 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions:
•In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in almonds and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

• Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of dough into 2-in. logs. Shape each into a crescent. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

• Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper to harden. Cover dipped sides of cookies with waxed paper; sprinkle undipped sides with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 6 dozen.

~~Country Woman Christmas Annual 2008~~

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Almond Tea Cakes ♥

Ingredients:
•2 cups butter, softened
•3/4 cup sugar
•3/4 cup packed brown sugar
•2 eggs
•4 teaspoons almond extract
•4 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking powder

FILLING:

•1 egg white
•1/2 cup sugar
•1/2 cup ground almonds
•1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
•Milk
•Sliced almonds

Directions:
•In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Add flour and baking powder (dough will be soft). Chill.
• For filling, in a small bowl, stir egg white, sugar, almonds and lemon juice. Remove a portion of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. Place 1-in. balls of dough into miniature muffin cups, pressing slightly into sides and bottom. Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling into each. Cover with quarter-sized circles of dough.
• Brush with a little milk and top with an almond. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

~~Country December/January 1994~~

♥ Finally....SNOW!! ♥

I love it when it snows on a day I don't have to go to work. ;) It began to snow Sunday around noon and continued all day. The snowflakes were huge and wet falling from the sky. We haven't had really any snow this winter to speak of, only a few days of my "decorative" snow that coated the grass and left the streets clean. I made a big pot of Mushroom Miso soup and declared, "Let it snow!" as I snuggled up in an afghan and watched movies all day. My kind of snow day. :)

I did make it out to work yesterday and it looked like campus also got about the same amount of snow that we did...about 6 inches or so. We live about 40 minutes away from where I work and "down" from the mountains so sometimes they don't get as much as we do at home.

OK, so the fascination with snow is over. We've had our one snow day and I'm ready for spring flowers and spring weather now!! :)

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Strawberry Valentine Cookies ♥

Ingredients:
•2/3 cup butter, softened
•2/3 cup sugar
•1 egg
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/3 cup strawberry drink mix
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt

GLAZE:
•1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
•1 teaspoon shortening

FROSTING:
•1/3 cup butter, softened
•2 tablespoons strawberry drink mix
•1/8 teaspoon salt
•3 cups confectioners' sugar
•3 to 5 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions:
•In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and lemon juice. Combine the flour, drink mix, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2- to 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set and edges begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over cookies; let stand until set.

• In a small bowl, beat the butter, drink mix and salt until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Decorate cookies.

Yield: about 2 dozen.

~~Simple & Delicious January/February 2008~~

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Apple Pie Tartlets ♥

Ingredients:
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash ground cinnamon

FILLING:
2 teaspoons butter
2 cups diced peeled tart apples
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fat-free caramel ice cream topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface; cut into twenty 2-1/2-in. circles. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Prick pastry with a fork. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pastry.
Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add apples; cook and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Stir in the sugar, caramel topping, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened and apples are tender. Cool for 5 minutes. Spoon into tart shells.

Yield: 10 servings.

~~Light & Tasty April/May 2003~~

♥ Hump Day Humor ♥

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Dried Cranberry Shortbread Hearts ♥

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries or cherries

Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees.with a rack in center. Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried cranberries.

Pat dough evenly into an 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack until cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Run knife around edges, remove shortbread, and transfer, right side up, to work surface. Use 1 1/2- to 2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a paring knife to trim stray bits of cranberry from edges. Cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 dozen, 1 3/4-inch hearts

~~Martha Stewart, Holiday Cookies 2001, Special Issue 2005~~