The T-Cozy

Meleen and Charlotte’s Vermont Getaway

Recently, I spent a long weekend away in southern Vermont. On a sunny fall morning, two friends and I made the 3-1/2 hour drive north from Connecticut through some of the prettiest countryside I have ever seen. We traveled along the Green Mountains and Adirondack foothills to our destination: Arlington, Vermont. Meleen Dupre and her good friend Charlotte Lyons have been hosting craft-based getaway weekends since 2012. For four days and three nights, a group of creative women from across the country gather together to stay in Meleen’s side-by-side vintage farmhouses, eat her home-cooked meals, do a few crafty projects, and experience whatever else lovely Vermont has to offer. 

We arrived late Thursday afternoon and were warmly greeted by Charlotte and Meleen. After getting a tour of both homes and settling into our respective bedrooms, comfy wicker chairs beckoned us on the porch. More introductions were made and we chatted while snacking on grapes, Vermont cheese and crackers. Later, we headed inside to the great room to enjoy a scrumptious dinner at communal tables among the array of distinctive antiques that Meleen and her husband collect.

After dinner, it was off to the craft room for our first project: handmade journals. Meleen repurposed vintage books as the covers and it was our task to decorate and fill them with blank pages. Before arriving, we had a little homework assignment to make tags with our contact information. Now that we were together, we exchanged those tags with one another and placed them in our journals. 

The next morning, we enjoyed a hearty country breakfast and lounged for a bit in our PJ’s. Then we got ready for the next project: a workshop led by talented guest artist Jenn McGlon of Noodle and Lou. Jenn showed us how to paint little wooden boxes in her distinctive style. So sweet, just like Jenn!

That afternoon, we went on a field trip to Wing and a Prayer Farm. We met fiber farmer and baker extraordinaire Tammy White, her beautiful sheep and alpacas, crazy turkeys, and three very energetic dogs. Tammy showed us how she creates a variety of fabric dyes from plants and other natural elements. She also graciously gathered an array of fresh herbs from the garden and instructed us in a fragrant project: lovely little herbal wreaths for us to take home.

The next day, the always inspiring Charlotte Lyons led us in our most challenging project: a shadowbox fashioned from a cigar box and filled with personal trinkets we brought from home. Classes took place in a well-appointed craft room that took up the entire first floor of one of the houses. Chock full of every sort of art supply, it was the perfect place to get to know everyone while crafting. My four-seasons-themed shadowbox, featuring fun vintage pics of me and my sister, turned out better than I expected!

Late that afternoon, we took a shadowboxing break to visit and shop at Battenkill Pottery, the studio of ceramic artist Jessica Putnam-Phillips.

Although our days were full, we still had time to explore on our own. We hit up a few Saturday morning tag sales and antique shops and visited Bennington Potters. We enjoyed Manchester, Vermont, with its outlet stores and one of the best independent book shops around, Northshire Bookstore. We also stopped at Manchester Woodcraft, a family-owned business filled to the brim with affordable wooden gifts, toys and household items. 

On the way back to Arlington, we stopped at Hildeen, the spectacular estate of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln’s son.

Hats off to Meleen and Charlotte for creating such a fun-filled and inspiring weekend! Where else can you stay in vintage farmhouses, eat wonderful meals, explore the picturesque New England countryside and craft to your heart’s delight? 

Even though I am not a crafter by nature and the projects were challenging for me, I truly enjoyed working on them. It was nice to learn something new in a beautiful setting surrounded by friendly and talented people. What a pleasure it was to meet and spend time with Charlotte, Meleen, Jenn, Kana, Tammy and all of the women who ventured from near and far to attend this very special fall getaway.

Susan
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What to Eat for Lunch: Naan Pizza

Ever wonder what to have for lunch? When I want ideas for quick and healthy mid-day meals, I head on over to an online recipe site called Yummly.

My favorite lunch is a personal-size pizza that uses whole wheat naan as the crust. It's super simple. I brush the naan with a little olive oil and top it with whatever fresh or steamed veggies I have on hand. Then I sprinkle cheese on top and bake it in the toaster oven until everything is warm and the cheese melts.

Sometimes I need some naan pizza inspiration. That's when I check out Yummly. Here is just a small sampling of their naan pizza recipes . . .

Yum! Are you hungry yet?

Yummly was launched in 2010 by foodies on a mission to invent the ultimate kitchen tool. Whether it’s finding a recipe or going to the store, Yummly's mission is to be the world’s largest, most powerful, and most helpful food site in the world. They make it easier for foodies to do what they love — cook, eat, and share!

Susan
Connect with me on Instagram and Facebook. I’d love to hear from you!

A Republic of Tea Tasting

Lately, my brew of choice (beside Susan's Blend) is green tea. So when The Republic of Tea recently contacted me asking if I'd sample a few of their premium teas, I chose to try an array of their organic green teas.

How lovely to find a package with these three varieties on my doorstep: Spice of Life Green Tea combines green tea with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and pure honey flavor. Their Organic Dancing Leaves variety is a full-leaf loose green tea. And Double Green Matcha Tea combines organic green tea powder (matcha) with organic green leaf tea.

I really like The Republic of Tea's round, unbleached tea bags. They stack neatly in those well-designed cylindrical tins and nestle comfortably inside the teacup. For the loose tea, I used a mesh stainless steel tea ball which is perfect for brewing one cup.

I fired up my tea kettle and when it whistled its tune, the brewing began. Using a timer left over from my tea room days, I steeped each for a full three minutes. Then it was time to sip...

When brewed, each variety had a distinctive color and taste. The Spice of Life blend was complex and a bit sweet. I definitely could taste the cinnamon, turmeric and ginger. The Dancing Leaves loose tea was hardy and rich with smoky tones. And the Double Green Matcha was simpler and quite smooth.

All three teas were yummy, but I had a clear favorite: Double Green Matcha. Many thanks to The Republic of Tea for sharing!

Susan

Final Martha's Vineyard Views

I bet you're wondering when I'll stop gushing about my recent trip to Martha's Vineyard. Sorting through pictures and writing these posts about our beloved island has kept that relaxed, just-back-from-vacation feeling alive for me. So will you indulge me this one last time? I promise to move on to other topics after today.

Just look at this shot of the Edgartown harbor! Postcard worthy, don't you think? Here are more views of lovely Edgartown . . .

A trip to MV wouldn't be complete without breakfast at the Art Cliff Diner. It's a funky, intimate place that was established in 1943 and has retained a vintage vibe. I had one of their delicious French crepes filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Yum.

Flowers and more at the West Tisbury Farmer's Market. (Love that flower sign.)

Isn't this the most charming fish market ever? Called Larsen's, it is located in the quaint fishing village of Menemsha.

We attended a fabulous concert by Ben Taylor, the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. (He grew up on the island, that lucky guy.)

A final photo from our last night on MV. We had a delicious dinner at an Edgartown restaurant called Alchemy, took a leisurely stroll around town, and then headed off to see the last Harry Potter movie (which we all loved).

What a perfect trip! And the best part of all was that both of our college-aged kids, with their busy summer jobs and friend-filled lives, were able to join us. 

Susan

Tea in Pinkney Park

I spent yesterday morning at the Rowayton Historical Society's annual Valentine Tea. Pinkney Park is the picturesque setting for the Rowayton Historical Society headquarters which sits on a point of land overlooking the Five Mile River. The view is beautiful even on the coldest of winter days.

This area has so much local history, and the historical society does a wonderful job of preserving it for us. Their primary focus is the period when oystering was our town's main industry, boats were powered mostly by sail, and visitors came by train, trolley and steamer to Rowayton’s Roton Point Park because it was the prettiest place on the Long Island Sound to spend a summer’s day.

Here are some views from inside the Seeley-Dibble-Pinkney House.

I was asked to bake scones for the event. I used my former tea room's recipe and they were a hit.

I also set up a table of T-Party wares for sale.

The event was such a success that I have been asked back for the Rowayton Historical Society's Valentine Open House this weekend. It's on Sunday, February 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. For directions, click here. If you are in the area, please stop by! 

Susan

Flagelicious

This summer, my daughter has been doing an internship on New York City's Upper East Side. Every morning, she stops at bagel shop around the corner from where she works. There she has discovered a yummy new taste treat . . . the flagel. 

 

What, you might ask, is a flagel? A flagel is a flat bagel. Hannah brought me home this one and it was so tasty.

Flagels starts out just like regular bagels where the dough is mixed together, kneaded and then shaped into the traditional round shape with a hole in the middle. After rising, they are boiled for a few minutes. But before they head to the oven, flagels are flattened to almost twice the width of regular bagels. 

A flagel has more crispy crust than a traditional bagel and the inside is dense and satisfyingly chewy. Though its thin profile makes it more difficult to cut in half, it is much easier to toast in a conventional toaster. Plus, it provides a broader canvas for sandwich making. 

Flagels can come in all of the bagel varieties. I like the whole wheat; Hannah prefers the "everything" flagel. Yesterday, she brought home two for John and Jacob to try. I bet they will find them flagelicious!

Susan 

Have Some Tea With Me

On Tuesday, a friend stopped by for tea. I baked wild blueberry scones and brewed some Susan's Blend in my favorite Hall teapot. What a nice time we had!

I take a break for tea every afternoon. It allows me to pause and reflect on my day, then return refreshed to whatever task is at hand. And it's all the more special when I'm joined by a friend. I wish you could stop by for a cup this afternoon. I'll be having my tea at three, so brew some, too, and think of me.

Susan

Have Cake Will Travel

When it comes to vintage goodies, I love items that are both useful and decorative, like my newest find below. Resealable metal containers, called cake carriers or keepers, were the precursors of Tupperware. They helped safely transport precious pies and cakes to Christmas parties, book club meetings, luncheons, and picnics during the 1930's through the 50's.

Cake keepers in good condition are getting harder to find, so I was pleased to come across this one that will make an appearance in my Etsy shop later today. Finding one that is clean, not dented or rusty can be quite a feat. Who would want to put a luscious cake, like the ones below, in a carrier that is all icky inside?

Aren't these cakes incredible? They are just some of the delectable baked goods offered for sale on my sister Judy's website. She and Phyllis, her best friend of 50 years, have a sweet company called Baker Babes.

 

Is your mouth watering yet? If these gorgeous cakes didn't do it for you, maybe more photos of charming cake keepers will.

The green one is part of my personal nasturtium pattern kitchenware collection. The others are ones that I have sold in the past. Aren't they fun?

 

Last December, Hannah treated us to the yummy chocolate chip pecan pie above. (You can find the recipe here.) She'll be home from college by week's end for winter break. I can't wait to see her. I sure hope she'll bake us another delicious pie!

Susan

My Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins

This recipe is one that I have tinkered with for some time now. I'm always looking for a healthy treat to go with my afternoon tea, and these muffins are a perfect compliment to my daily cup of Susan's Blend. I've replaced many ingredients with ones that are a bit more healthy and low-fat like whole wheat flour, margarine and skim milk. It's also egg-free. Plus, you can make them into muffins or bake them in a bread loaf pan.

Susan's Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins
Ingredients:
1/3 cup margarine; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 cups whole wheat flour;
1-1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 3/4 tsp cinnamon;
1 tsp vanilla; 2 ripe bananas, mashed; 1/2 cup skim milk;
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the margarine and sugar. (I usually melt the margarine a bit.) Then stir in the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the vanilla, bananas, skim milk and walnuts. Mix well. (If the batter is too dry, add a splash more milk.)

For Muffins: Pour the batter into an oiled muffin pan. Sprinkle the top of each with a little sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

For Bread: Pour the batter into an oiled loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with a little sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until light brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Voilà! Wondering why there are only ten muffins on the platter? We couldn't resist. Hannah and I each had one hot out of the oven! I hope you'll give this recipe a try. If you do, let me know is you have any suggestions. No reason why I can't keep tweaking the recipe.

I wanted to thank all of you for your kind comments on my last post. It's always so nice to hear from you and I  enjoyed reading about why many of you read and have blogs. Don't you think the bloggers mentioned in the article (those seeking only fame and fortune) have really missed the boat? The blogging world is a community filled with inspiring and caring people. I am so grateful that it enables me to connect with those who have similar interests and who validate my creative pursuits. That alone is worth a fortune to me.

Susan

Straight-From-the-Oven Goodness at Milk & Cookies Bakery

Yesterday found Hannah and me back in New York City for a day together before she returns to college for her spring semester. My niece and nephew joined us for lunch in Midtown and then we headed to a very special little place in Greenwich Village for dessert.

Milk & Cookies Bakery, on oh-so-quaint Commerce Street, is comfort food at its most scrumptious. Though the place is itty-bitty, the aromas wafting from their ovens are super-colossal. The friendly bakery staff makes small batches of cookies throughout the day to ensure their cookies, in more than a dozen flavors, will be fresh.

You can also indulge your creative side. Design Your Own Dozen enables you to choose a base cookie dough and add your choice of 25 mix-ins. Then they will bake them for you while you wait or you can take your Dough to Go and bake them yourself at home.

Along with cookies, this sweet little place offers brownies, bars, cupcakes, ice cream cookie sandwiches, milk and other beverages. You can even book an in-store party where you and your guests can design, bake and decorate your own cookies or cupcakes. More party options are an ice cream sandwich social or even a tea party with a variety of bite size pastries and tea service.

Milk & Cookies will deliver within Manhattan in their Smart Car, which is almost as cute as their bakery. And they ship their baked goods throughout the U.S. Plus, we got a bit of the inside scoop from their staff. A few of the popular cookie flavors have been picked up by Whole Foods Market. So there is a good chance you'll soon be able to sample these yummy tidbits at a Whole Foods near you.

Hannah and I enjoyed our treats at the bakery and made sure to bring a few home for John and Jacob. The unanimous favorite was the Milk & Cookies Bakery's version of an Oreo. It's about four times the size, and it's soft, chewy and extra-gooey.

To sum up our visit to Milk & Cookies Bakery; simply delicious, delectable and delightful!

Susan

Apple Tart á la Jacques Pépin's Maman

I hope you all had an enjoyable New Year's Eve. John and I got together with eight good friends for a "progressive" dinner. We started with appetizers at one couple's home, dinner at another's, and then at our house, we ended the evening with dessert and watching the ball drop. Though it was a brutally cold night, we were troopers and ventured out to enjoy wonderful food and good company.

For dessert, we served sparkling apple cider along with fresh berries, cookies, ice cream, and a decadent chocolate mousse that John made. I contributed an apple tart that is always a favorite. It's from chef Jacques Pépin's delightful memoir, The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen. A few years back I selected this book for my book group to read. We all chose a recipe from the book to prepare and had a feast while discussing the memoir. This recipe, called "Maman's Apple Tart" is from Jacques' mother.

Dough Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg, broken into a small bowl and beaten with a fork
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sugar  
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons hot milk

Filling Ingredients:
4 large Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, broken into pieces

For the dough:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put all the dough ingredients except the hot milk into a bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to combine. Add the hot milk, and stir until well mixed. Do not overwork. The dough will be very soft. Place it in a 9-inch pie plate (I use a fluted metal quiche pan) and, using your fingers and a little extra flour to keep them from sticking, press the dough into the pan until it covers the bottom and the sides.

For the filling:
Peel, core, and halve the apples. Cut each half into wedges. Arrange the wedges on the dough like the spokes of a wheel. Sprinkle with the sugar, and top with the butter, broken into pieces.

Bake the tart for approximately one hour, or until the crust is golden. (In my oven, it takes just under 45 minutes.) Serve lukewarm.

 

In the book, Mr. Pépin states, "Maman's method of making dough breaks all the rules that I learned professionally. Using hot milk? Stirring the dough with a spoon? Smearing it into the pie plate? Yet it comes out tender, crumbly, and light in texture, with a delicate taste."

This tart really is simple and delicious. I hope you'll give it a try.

Susan

Snow and Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Lots of snow last week. So what do two bored teenagers do when they are snowed in? They make things.

Jacob headed outside to make a snow man. (He appears to be a St. Louis Cardinals fan.)

Hannah chose to make another of her delicious chocolate chip pecan pies. Lucky me --- and you, because we're sharing the recipe.

The recipe is from Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner. More than just a cookbook, it's filled with wonderful stories about the women who provided the pie recipes and it stresses the importance of family, friends, and community. This simple recipe is from the author's friend, Sherry Draine.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
One 9-inch single pie crust
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crust (if making your own) and set aside. Hannah made her own from scratch, but you can buy a pre-made crust if you'd like.

In a medium-size bowl, cream together the sugar and the melted butter until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Add the corn syrup, salt, and vanilla and blend until well combined.

Spread the chopped pecans and the chocolate chips evenly over the bottom of the crust, then pour the filling on top. Place in the oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Makes one 9-inch pie.

Have a slice.

Just delish!

Susan

Quesadillas à la Fog City Diner

I admit it . . . I love to eat but I'm so not a "foodie." And I don't cook often because my husband is wonderful at it. He does 99% of the cooking in our house. (Lucky me!) But I wanted to make dinner last Sunday night in honor of John's birthday. I decided to make quesadillas like the ones I had on our trip to San Francisco a couple of years back. We went to the Fog City Diner, a fun Frisco landmark located at 1300 Battery Street just off The Embarcadero.

I loved their quesadillas and spent the entire meal trying to figure out what was in them. Luckily the waiter was nice enough to let me in on the ingredients. Here's what you'll need:

Large flour tortillas, 3 cheeses (gruyère, asiago and fontina), sliced smoked chicken breast (I use organic), sweet baby corn and scallions.

Grate the cheeses, cook the corn and chop the scallions. Now you're ready to start assembling your quesadillas.

Coat a large non-stick frying pan with vegetable or canola oil. When the oil is nice and hot, place a tortilla in the pan and begin layering the ingredients. First spread a layer of one of the cheeses, then the scallions, Next comes the chicken and the second cheese. Finally, the corn and the last cheese. Be sure to have your first and last layers as cheese to help the tortillas stick together.

Top if off with another tortilla. When the bottom one is golden brown, carefully flip it over to brown the other side.

When all the cheese has melted, cut the quesadilla into quarters and your done. Now wasn't that easy? And they really are yummy.

If I can make these, anyone can. Enjoy!

Susan

Cupcakes at the Magnolia Bakery

Would you stand in line for a cupcake? If it was from the Magnolia Bakery you would!

On Friday, I headed into NYC to have lunch with my niece in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. We made sure to order conservatively at the restaurant we went to, called Extra Virgin, so we'd have room for dessert from our favorite cupcake place.

Magnolia Bakery, on the corner of Bleeker Street and West 11th, is credited for starting the cupcake craze of the mid-1990's. It's a charming little place with lace curtains and a retro vibe. And you can be sure to find a line outside the door which usually wraps around the block, even as late as 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The place is tiny, so they have a doorman who only lets in a few people at a time.

No need to wait in line now. Have a look around . . .

Because of their popularity, Magnolia limits their delectable butter cream frosted cupcake purchases to 12 per customer. Along with these famous cupcakes, Magnolia also bakes old-fashioned Depression era icebox cakes and other yummy desserts.

For those of you who can't make it over to the actual bakery, you can try your hand at baking some of Magnolia's wonderful treats from scratch yourself. Its former owners, Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel, published a cookbook in 1999 entitled The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Bakery.

Magnolia Bakery is a wonderful place. It's both a happening hot spot and grandma's kitchen all rolled up into one sweet little bakery. And yes; their cupcakes' melt-in-your-mouth goodness is definitely worth waiting in line for!

Susan