It's TeaTime but I have to be honest....I have had a lot of tea in the last ten days because of the flu and I was not "in the mood" for a "cuppa" today. I did cook up something rather tasty, though, and I'll get to that in a minute.First, I must tell you about this cute little bag that I received in the mail. It's a gift from Pat at ArtfullyOoglebloops. She was having a little giveaway recently and anyone who signed up to be a follower got a chance in the drawing for this little tea filled gift tote. I couldn't believe it when she e-mailed me that I had won!! The tote was filled with her own tea blends, a little charm and the darling little teapot tea strainer! And then she made a little pincushion that I can add to my collection. I am saving the tea for later on this fall when I'll be having some friends over and we can sample it together. Thank you so much, Pat!!
Another tea-themed package arrived in the mail one day last week when I was totally in the grasp of the flu. It really cheered my up because it was unexpected and held many surprises. The package came from my Aunt Loretta and it contained a cookbook and the letters and photos you see below..........
The cookbook - titled "Economy in Cooking" - belonged to my Grandma Goldie (mother to my Aunt Loretta. Written inside are the lines "give to Loretta when I'm gone". My grandma passed away in 1994 and so the book went to Loretta. But now Loretta is selling her home and down-sizing and she decided it was time to pass the cookbook on to the next family member who will care for it........me. You can see why this really cheered me up. I didn't know the cookbook was "out there" and that it came to me was a real treasure, a real gift! Written on the inside cover of the cookbook is a cookie recipe for "Sultanas" and it says it was a favorite of Loretta's. I thought about making some today but I did not have the right raisins for the job. I need the golden ones and the grocery store downtown only had regular raisins. There were letters (one is written on birchbark!), recipes, newspaper clippings and photos in the package, too. In the photos on the lower right, you can find my Grandma in the center (3rd one from the left) and the photos on the left are pictures of me at Christmas when I was about 3 years old. I am so glad that Loretta passed this on to me so that I can care for it and then pass it on, too. :-)
So, what did I make today that was "rather tasty"? I was hungry for a good meal so I decided to experiment. :-) I made this.............
It's a potpie, of sorts. It made me think of the English pasties that we would eat in pubs years ago on trips we took to England. It really was tasty. Instead of tea, I poured a cold glass of milk to enjoy with a slice of this vegetable pie....................It really was good!
Want to try it? It was easy. Here's all you do.
You will need..........
One box Betty Crocker pie crust mix for 2 crust pie
One can Campbell's Chunky Beef with Country Vegetables Soup
One can Mixed Vegetables (drained and please feel free to remove the lima beans!)
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
Mix pie crust as directed on box. Roll out just over half the dough and place in pie pan. Remaining dough should be rolled out and ready to place on top of pie.
Place Chunky beef soup in mixing bowl.
Next, mix 1/4 cup milk and flour into thin paste and add to beef soup, mix well (this helps thicken the soup broth).
Add drained mixed vegetables and blend.
Pour mixture into pie crust. Place upper crust over this mixture, crimp the edges and then brush milk all over top of pie crust. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Since oven temps vary be sure to watch carefully if you bake this. Makes six servings.
There was not a drop of tea consumed this day but the time still revolved around tea. :-) Comfort tea, comfort food, they both work for me!!!
