Happy Tuesday, sweet friends! I can’t believe Labor Day is only 13 days away and will coincide with the first day of meteorological autumn!! In case you don’t remember, autumn is my favorite season!
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3 (ESV)
Welcome to the August edition of Tea on Tuesdays!
Be sure to read to the end of the post for the winner of my recent giveaway!
Mary and I are welcoming our special guest, Nancy from Two Trails One Road. Nancy is a fellow tea enthusiast and writes a lovely blog from both of her beautiful homes! You will find the links for Mary and Nancy at the bottom of this post.
It was a lovely afternoon and not too hot to enjoy tea in the garden!
My inspiration was found in the linen closet where I discovered an April Cornell tablecloth. I am unsure how old it is, but I know that I have had it for a long time. It was overdue for its time to be featured! Blue and white, green, and yellow provide a colorful mix…
… and a fun plate stack featuring Spode Blue Room ‘Traditions’, Paula Deen ‘Spring Prelude salad plates, and Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage ware. The teacup is Johnson Brothers made in England. I would guess it could be called vintage since it was purchased in the late 70’s!
The simple savory treat of fresh egg salad on toasted bread has a sweet memory attached. During my working years whenever I was close to Mother’s and Daddy’s house, I would stop by for lunch. One of my favorite lunchtime sandwiches was Mother’s egg salad on toasted bread. I never remember stopping by that she didn’t have a dessert or two for me to enjoy…lemon icebox pie, German chocolate cake, or peach cobbler to name only three of the ten’s of possibilities. It was impossible to visit my Mother that there would not be a dessert offered with a cup of coffee or iced tea, even if she didn’t know you were coming. Mother had the gift of hospitality and you knew you were welcomed and loved. Eighteen years after her home-going, people still tell me how she encouraged them and always made them feel special! With her warm gift of hospitality, there was always someone visiting!
Back in late April when I was perusing my May issue of Southern Living magazine, I ran across a recipe for olive oil cake. It looked delicious, so I tore out the page to keep before I passed the magazine on to my sister-in-love.
It was easy to make, moist, not too sweet, and given a thumbs up by Butch!
The next day it was even tastier! You can check out the recipe here. The only thing I would change would be add a little more fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pairing nicely was a delicious Pomegranate Green Tea from the Spice & Tea Exchange. It is a herbaceous and lively green tea with bright pomegranate and black currant to deliver a super fruit boost.
From our garden in the Appalachian Foothills, let’s travel to 5000 feet where we enjoyed three o’clock Tea at the Swag in the Great Smoky Mountains! Tea at the Swag is not formal, which suits Butch perfectly, but is so delicious. You can choose your spot to enjoy. For this particular day we chose to have tea on our porch with a view.
I am sure you noticed it is iced tea, but there are several varieties of hot tea offered plus coffee. Their iced tea is some of the best we have ever tasted, I couldn’t pass on it. The cookies are baked fresh daily by their pastry chef and are different each day. We chose on this particular day, Danish Shortbread and Amaretti Biscotti. Because we both love sweets and a four course dinner would be served at 6:30, we passed on the savories!
“The very act of preparing and serving tea encourages conversation.”
~Emilie Barnes
A petite pitcher of flowers cut from the garden…zinnias, sedum, and rosemary combine for a simple arrangement!
The Queens by Churchill teapot has a permanent spot in my kitchen, always ready for a freshly brewed pot of tea!
If you look closely in the background, you will see a bale of hay. The guys were able to get a large harvest of hay this cutting. When the hay remains in the pasture for a few days, I love seeing it. I may have grown up in the city, but I am a country girl through and through!
You have a special invitation to join Mary and Nancy for teatime. Click on their links below!
Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is
Nancy ~ Two Trails One Road
Congratulations to Sue W. my winner of the book, “Luncheons, Teas, & Holiday Celebrations”, plus a Kent Pottery chintz teacup. Thank you to all who entered.
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a delightful week!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Good morning Pam, I’d love you join you for tea and a slice of olive oil cake at your garden table! Your little egg salad sandwiches on toasted bread are a pretty savory treat in memory of your mother. I’d love to peruse your linen closet…you have the most beautiful tablecloths and this April Cornell floral one is no exception! Such a pretty garden bouquet with your zinnias and sedum too. I love the simple teatime at The Swag with the cookies and ice tea on the porch…I wish we were in the mountains this week with the sweltering humidity here. As always, it’s a treat to join you for tea. ☕ Wishing you a wonderful week! 🌸💗
Thank you, Mary. I need to organize my linen closet, I am not sure what I even have. I had totally forgotten the tablecloth I used for TOT. I wish we were back in the mountains, it is hot and humid here.
How wonderful to be able to join you for tea once again. Thank you so much for your gracious invitation.
I made egg salad this week and we enjoy it on toast as well. I would be delighted to have that along with a slice of your olive oil cake. How nice to be able tomait in your garden sipping tea.
Your April Cornell cloth sets a beautiful foundation for your table. You have the most incredible array of AC linens. I swoon over each one.
I am also in love with your zinnia floral bouquet. One of my favorite flowers!
Thank you for a lovely Tea. I was honored to be a guest! Thank you!
Thank you, Nancy. It was our pleasure to have you join us! We really enjoyed the olive oil cake, so moist!
Once again Pam, your garden provides such a beautiful setting for your tea table~ I love the bright flowers and tablecloth, delicious sounding cake, and your special elevated blue and white teapot. I’m sure your tea in the mountains came with an incredible view! Sweet memories of your Mother…
Thank you, Jenna for your sweet comments. The cake is really delicious!
Isn’t it wonderful that people remember your Mother so affectionately? I love how you say she had the gift of hospitality. Your tea setting and olive oil cake looks wonderful. I’m certain that if Butch gave it a thumbs up, it must be good. The low-key environment of the The Swag really makes me want to visit.
Thank you, Rita. I learned there is a big difference between entertaining and hospitality. Butch suggested that I make the cake again and have cream cheese icing. Cream cheese icing is his favorite!!
Good morning sweet Pam! I was thinking about you last night while browsing Pinterest and saw a recipe for Earl Gray ice cream! I tried the olive oil cake also, and it was very good. It would have been so special to have enjoyed your mother’s hospitality, a true Proverbs 31 woman. Time passes too quickly, my precious daddy died 50 years ago this week, much too young. He was the best father ever, and I miss him still so much.
Hello sweet Roxanne. Thank you for thinking about me. I know you still miss your precious daddy. You were so young when he passed away. We hold all of our memories in our hearts, my friend. Sending you hugs!
The olive cake looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Have a wonderful new week. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris. Hope your week is going well!
Your tea table is beautiful Pam! I really love olive oil cake. I now use olive oil in my yellow cake boxed cake mixes. The tablecloth is colorful. The Swag has the right idea on offering iced tea as well. Hope y’all are staying cool. They are saying we’ll hit 102 with a 112 effective temp due to the humidity. This is the 3rd day in a row! I’m dreaming of fall and fall temps! Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
Thank you, Clara. We know that olive oil has health benefits. That is a great idea to use EVOO in your yellow boxed cake mixes. I will give that a try! It has been miserably hot here, but not in the 100’s. Stay cool ❤️
Oh how I love hearing memories of your beloved mother, Pam. She was a beautiful woman and passed on her kindness and thoughtfulness to you. Your tablecloth is so colorful and just sets your table off perfectly with your pitcher of flowers and your beautiful Churchill teapot. You and Butch must have a relaxing time at The Swag. Thank you for sharing your beautiful setting with us, you country girl you!
Kitty, you are so sweet. I love to set table with memories, it makes it more meaningful. You share beautiful memories for your tea tables. Yes, I am a country girl!
Your posts always bring a smile to my face. I tuck away the inspiration for tea time with my grandkids. (The boys never want to be left out). It is a wonderful way to set a beautiful charming table and have conversations with them. Taking time for that is important as their schedules get busier and fun as mine slow down.
Linda, your comments are so sweet. Spending time with our grands is most important to us. I helped with homeschool this morning. I enjoyed it immensely! Is there anything more precious than your six year old granddaughter reading to you!
This morning, I immersed myself in the magic of your garden tea party! I sipped and savored each moment as I viewed the tranquility of the beautiful table setting and the delights of the season found in your backyard!
Thank you dearest Mary. I certainly enjoyed lavender lemonade with you!
Such beauty and inspiration…Always a pleasure stopping by… Blessings dear friend.
Thank you, my friend. I look forward to your visits!
How relaxing to sit in your garden sipping tea and eating egg salad sandwiches. Topping it off with olive oil bread, and you have a feast! I don’t know what it is about having tea in a tea pot and cups and saucers but it just makes everything so much better. I love the stories of your Mother…I say like Mother like daughter. You are such a wonderful hostess. The AC tablecloth is so pretty…glad you found it in your stash…and it goes perfectly with your plate stack. I am going to go in the kitchen and choose a teapot….to have my own tea and cookies. I just happen to have oatmeal raisin calling to me. It will be my treat for me. Awwwwwww so relaxing and peaceful. Luv ya my friend.
Kari, I would love to join you for oatmeal cookies. Your comments are heartwarming and you are so sweet. It would be wonderful if we lived close to each other and we could have tea anytime. Love you dear one!
Love the Querns of Churchill teapot and would keep it out all the time also for ease of serving in a moment. I checked out the recipe for olive cake. Ina Garden also makes a really great olive cake. It’s Fall here and I love the shadows. I noticed your gardens shadows. THe nights are getting cooler too. It’s a good thing!
Alice, enjoy your early fall. I am noticing the shadows also and am looking forward to fall. I hope you are doing well, my friend!
What a truly lovely post. Your tea table and your 3 pm tea time outdoors – just beautiful.
Thanks so much, Michele. Wishing you a wonderful week!
Such a pretty table, a lovely place to linger over a pot of tea with friends.
Thank you, Carole!
The graciousness of your table setting attests to the belief that you are, indeed your
beloved Mother’s daughter. What a legacy she has given to us all…. The Churchill
teapot is the perfect centerpiece on any tea table and a constant reminder to do a
relaxing tea in the afternoon. Your Cornell tablecloth collection is enviable and
underscores what beauty can be achieved with a complimentary design in the
background. Looking forward to Fall breezes.
Mary, as always your comments are heartwarming! My beloved Mother definitely left a legacy! I am looking forward to fall and cooler weather!
Everything about this post speaks of sweet friendship, lively conversation, and contentment. I would have loved to join you for that delectable iced tea, for sure.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Your comments are so sweet!
Pam, I never tire at seeing your lovely tables. Stories of your sweet mother are so precious. The olive oil cake looks interesting. Your garden is such a beautiful backdrop for summer entertaining.
Thank you, Linda! The olive oil cake was wonderful!
Pam, the AC tablecloth is so pretty and summery and perfect with your flowers and gorgeous garden in the background. What a great find in your linen closet. I love the mix of colors and patterns in the plate stack and the teapot is a beaut. The olive oil cake sounds delicious and even the tea blend sounds wonderful (and I’m not even a tea drinker lol). Such precious memories of your sweet mother and how lovely that people still remember her hospitality years later. I’m so happy that the weather was just right for tea in the garden. We have been cooler here than usual just about all summer but I’m not complaining at all. Stay cool lovely lady, fall is on the way.
Thank you, Kim. Your comments are so sweet, dear one!
Such a lovely tea! Autumn is my favorite season as well, I hope it will hurry up and get here, it’s been a long, hot summer.
Amalia
xo
Thanks so much, Amalia. Yes, it has been a long hot summer!
Pam, I apologize for my late arrival. It’s been a crazy week! Your mention of olive cake makes me want to actually bake. I’ve made olive cakes, and they are favorites. I’m always eager to join you for tea in your beautiful garden setting, but happy to be at the Swag in the Great Smoky Mountains as well. Ice tea is a staple for summer here in Texas. Your tea time looks inviting.
Like you, I eagerly await autumn.
Sarah, you are never late! Ice tea is always here. Yes, next week’s weather is supposed to give us a taste of autumn!
Such a pretty post. I always enjoy visiting your garden and your entertaining…looks scrumptious and the perfect cake for serving outdoors! Sandi
Thank you, Sandi. I always enjoy your visits! Happy last days of August!
Pam, your tea setting is such a delight. Sorry I am so late visiting, I was under the weather last week and to top things off I had a terrible reaction to an antibiotic. I’m grateful to be feeling much better today. I was so excited to see your parade of autumn tables this morning along with this lovely tea setting. I love blue and green together. In fact, I’m working on a project in my dining room in this color palette. Your April Cornell tablecloth is beautiful. I love its pattern and colors. It pairs beautifully with your flowers and Blue Willow teaset. The cake looks scrumptious, and I love egg salad. I always enjoy reading the stories you share about your dear mother. Sweet friend, have a most wonderful day!
Congratulations to Sue on winning your beautiful giveaway! The cake sounds amazing! Your mother sounds like such a wonderful person. I think you are so much like her. She lives on through you and the kind, gentle life you live.
Cheryl, your comments warm my heart. Thank you for all of your encouragement!