An Afternoon At Downton Abbey

These December afternoons are crisp, grey, and bleak.  In a deep, solicitous, Adele-like tone, they beg for me to ignore errands and to enjoy the midday hours in the comfort of my own, cozy, abode.  With the glow of the Christmas tree shining down upon the keys of my laptop and the fragrance of gingerbread in the air, I happily acquiesce.  

There are many lovely ways in which one could occupy these hours, but few are so pleasant as a tea party with your favorite ladies.  Of course, I do not refer to just any tea party - oh, no, nothing so prosaic.  Rather, I speak of a Downton Abbey Tea Party, one that even the Dowager herself could not criticize.  

At last, it is time for me to share my very own Downton Abbey Tea Party, and I am feverish with enthusiasm!  Partially because it is Downton Abbey, and I need but to hear those two words and my heart begins palpitating, and partially, because it includes cake and tea - two of my greatest passions.

I awoke several mornings ago to greet December in her first, 2015 moments, and then began my baking.  By 3 o’clock, the candles were lit, the kettle was whistling, and my jolly guests were arriving.  The party had begun.

I love arranging and setting an elegant table, and World Market’s line of Downton Abbey dishes made this task especially pleasurable.  I employed one of my favorite and most sneaky tricks -  using coordinating wrapping paper as a table runner.  Wrapping paper is often available in bolder prints than runners, it’s inexpensive, and it can be thrown away after the guests are gone, making your laundry load a little lighter. Their buffet napkins in Plum Wine were the perfect compliment to the pattern on the dishes.  I love how they highlighted the amethyst in the
teapot.

I served my tiny Gingerbread Tea Cakes with Whipped Cinnamon Mascarpone and Candied Orange Peel.  - the perfect compliment to a strong brew of Downton Abbey Christmas Blend. Besides being positively scrumptious, these little cakes were absolutely adorable.  This baking mold gave them their charming shapes, and though I was nervous, they popped out of the silicone quite easily.  A sprinkling of confectioner's sugar acted as a snow-like covering for their little roofs.  You can find the full recipe and instructions here!

In addition to the tea cakes, I also made scones using World Market's Organic English Scone Mix. I added 1 cup of fresh cranberries and 2 tablespoons of candied ginger, diced finely, to add a bit of pizzazz. The tartness of the cranberries and the spiciness of the ginger paired wonderfully, giving these scones a prominent, holiday flavor. I served them with ample spoonfuls of Lemon Curd.

These tiny tea sandwiches were a riff on my Thanksgiving Sandwich.  I just made a few adjustments to make them more tea party friendly.  I did not want any part of my tea party menu to be greasy, (we were being ladylike, after all), so rather than grilling the sandwiches, I cut the loaf of bread into small squares, brushed them with olive oil, and toasted them under the broiler for several minutes.  Then, I layered on the brie, turkey, arugula, and Black Cherry Jam, which felt a bit more elegant than cranberry sauce.  

I placed one of these lovely, sparkly, Christmas crackers at each setting.  Such novelties are valued not for their contents, but for the nostalgia and excitement that their resounding "pop" evokes.

I will never, ever, ever pass up the opportunity to turn something into a cookie.  So, cookie place cards seemed an obvious choice.  I used the medium snowflake cookie cutter in this set to punch out the tiny cookies.  Then, I used royal icing to pipe the names onto each cookie.  I wrapped them in cellophane bags and tied them up with a bit of ribbon.  They made excellent favors for my guests and looked quite fetching inside the tea cups.  

The hardest part of the whole event was choosing which tea to try first. I finally settled on Mrs. Patmore’s Blueberry Scone Tea and I have been drinking it nearly every day since. The berry flavor is prominent without being overbearing, and it has lovely vanilla notes that give it a more cozy feel than most berry teas I have tried.

I love that the little tea spoons came with tiny holes in the stems.  I tied a bit of gold, curling ribbon through each one and they made lovely little ornaments. 

As the last scones and sandwiches disappeared, the skies began to darken and it was nearly time for my dear friends to depart. 

They left with fond goodbyes and tea cup favors, and I was left with a full heart and a stash of new memories of my afternoon at my very own corner of Downton Abbey.  

Many warm thanks to World Market for sponsoring this post and allowing me to be a part of this special project.  You can find all the products I used and more in their Downton Abbey Shop.

And don't forget to enter to win the Downton Abbey Prize Package!  This is a wonderful collection of treats that you and your friends will certainly enjoy come the premier of the final season this January! *sniff, sniff*  I'm still in denial. 

The Downton Abbey Prize Package includes:

 *   Downton Abbey Teapot

 *   Downton Abbey Teacups and Saucers (set of 4)

 *   Downton Abbey Plates (set of 4)

 *   Downton Abbey 2-tier serving Stand

*   Republic of Tea Downton Abbey "Downton Estate Blend" Tea Tin

 *   Downton Abbey Napkins

 *   Notecards

 *   Mrs. Patmore DA Apron

 *   Downton Abbey Tea Towels

How do you feel about a trip to London, a Downton Abbey script by the entire cast, and a tour of Highclere Castle? You can enter the Downton Abbey Sweepstakes for a chance to win a dreamy trip to London and more!  They are also giving away three $500 gift cards to World Market, so if you do not win the grand prize there is still a chance for a shopping spree! 

A huge thanks to Cost Plus World Market for allowing me to be apart of this exciting campaign.  This post was sponsored by World Market stores.  As always, all opinions are my own.

A Gift Guide for Foodies

My father and mother always had very different shopping habits when it came to acquiring Christmas gifts.  My mother typically had all gifts stored away by Thanksgiving while my father would realize several days before Christmas, when all the other packages had already been stuffed under the tree, that he had some shopping to do.  He would pack my sister and I into the truck, turn up the Christmas music, sing along with Mariah Carey and we would pick out gifts for our mama. 

I like to believe that I fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to my Christmas shopping habits.  I usually have one or two gifts that I have collected throughout the year, and buy the last one the week before Christmas.  

If you are more like my father and I, and you still have a few gifts left to cross off your list, I have a few suggestions for the food-lovers in your life.  In essence, this is a list of things I either want to receive myself or already have and enjoy.  

1. This Coffee & Tea Calendar is high on my personal Christmas list this year.  The illustrations are whimsical and charming - October’s is my favorite.  If I am lucky enough to receive this gem, I plan on cutting out several of the illustrations and framing them for my kitchen.  After the year is over, of course.  
2. I love buying people things that they would never buy for themselves.  Things like this Copper Tea Kettle.  It’s a total splurge, but absolutely heart-stopping.
3. If you are looking for something small to tuck into a Christmas basket, or a causal gift for that co-worker that is always brewing tea in the break room, this Downton Abbey Christmas Black Tea is a fabulous choice.
4. This Mastering Pasta book is everything.  It is an excellent technical resource, especially for someone who is new to pasta-making.
5. Honeycomb is one of the hottest trends in the foodie world right now.  Bring this as a hostess gift for your food-loving friend and she will love you forever.  Bring her a fresh baguette too and she might cry a little.  It’s a good move.  
6. I first saw these Snowflake Copper Cookie Cutters last year while window-shopping on a cold, December day.  I love how they look hanging in my kitchen and their twisty shapes make them so unique.

7. This book is high on my list of recipe books that I want to acquire within the next couple months.  I love the simplicity of the recipes - from yogurt biscuits to cream cheese cookies, each recipe is a blend of new and old.  I cannot wait to begin baking with this book! 

8. These are my very favorite teacups.  Yes, you have seen them before in many a recipe post, but I just love them.  They are so dainty and the perfect size for me.  They can be used on formal occasions or more causal evenings, and they can also become punch glasses in a pinch.
9. These books are from Penguin's Great Food Series and I am dying to crack them open.  Witty essays, old but faithful culinary tips, and instructions for hosting a dinner party fill their pages.  With titles like “The Campaign For Domestic Happiness” and "A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig and Other Essays" you know they are going to be good.  
10. This Heirloom Recipe Box is one of those things I would probably never buy for myself but I would be overjoyed to receive.  It’s simple and classic and everything that a recipe box should be. 
11. I love this French Marble Rolling Pin.  Marble rolling pins are wonderful because, unlike wooden models, they do not tend to stick to the dough while you are rolling.  They also stay cool which helps in preventing the dough from getting gummy while you are working.

I have to go bake something.  Happy shopping! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

My Other Home is Downton... {World Market + Pedantic Foodie}

It is no secret that I love Downton Abbey.  Like a lot.  I sometimes talk about the characters as if I know them personally, and to be perfectly honest, I feel as though I really do.  If you are not a fan of this phenomenal drama, please pardon my effusions over the next couple weeks.  However, if you, like myself, wait anxiously for January to come ‘round each year, then prepare yourself for some serious excitement.  This is going to be fun!

When World Market approached me with the idea of hosting a Downton Abbey tea party I quite literally jumped up and down squealing with delight and immediately called my sister to join in my elations. 

I will always, always appreciate an excuse to throw a party.

This blog is about food.  It’s about buttery, sugary, salty, ohmygoodness-you-are-ruining-my-diet, kind of recipes.  But it’s also a place to share my obsessions with glitter, my life, my struggles, my failings, and my favorite things.  There’s a lot of me in this blog, which can either be interpreted as narcissistic or pleasantly personal - I sincerely hope it is the latter.  The point?  Though some of the entries on this site over the following weeks may not be strictly about food, they are about something that truly excites me, something that brings me a lot of joy.

I’ll be sharing more about my tea party in the coming weeks, including my table decor and recipes. For now, you can check out World Market’s Downton Abbey Shop here , and begin planning your own elegant soirees. Though I am sure you do not need any motivation to host a tea party with your favorite lady friends, World Market will be looking for your pictures on social media, so be sure to tag them with #DoTheDownton for a chance to win some fantastic prizes, including a $250 World Market gift card to get your house ready for the holidays! I’m really loving that teapot , and the tiny tea bag rests are so sweet and elegant.

If you are planning on venturing out on Black Friday weekend, you should head over to your local World Market store for exciting giveaways! World Market stores will be giving away lovely Downton Abbey tea cups (perfect for your afternoon brew of Downton Estate Blend) for the first one hundred customers Friday through Sunday. There will be a new design each day and they are packaged in a lovely gift box - perfect for the Downton lovers in your life. If you do not feel like fighting the crowds to be in the first one hundred, you can still score a really pretty tote bag featuring an original Downton print with your $20 in-store purchase! For more information, head over here !

Lastly, you can join me and World Market on Sunday, December 6th for their “Do The Downton” Virtual Tea Party. Dear Mrs. Patmore will provide you with more details below and you can RSVP here! I hope to see you all there! Speaking of Mrs. Patmore, I'm a bit envious of her kitchen. I really want those copper pots.

*Sigh*  That does it, I want a British accent for Christmas. 

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

This post was sponsored by Cost Plus World Market Stores.  As always, all opinions are my own.