cookbooks

[musings + recipe] another cup of downton abbey tea

~ jama ~ 14 Comments

“Then there’s nothing more to be said. Are we going to have tea? Or not?” ~ Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.

Today we’re celebrating the third (and final) Downton Abbey movie with a spot of tea and a treat from The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2020).

After six television seasons and two big screen sequels, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” will hit theaters on September 12. While it’ll be wonderful to revisit the DA world once again, it’s bittersweet knowing that this film supposedly marks the end of this truly beloved 15-year-old franchise. Say it isn’t so!

You may remember that in DA1 (2019), set in 1927, the Crawley family is all agog over a royal visit from King George V and Queen Mary. Thereʻs an assassination attempt, a secret about Lady Bagshawʻs inheritance, a blossoming romance between Tom Branson and Lucy Smith, clashes between Downton staff and royal staff, as well as Lady Maryʻs concerns about Downtonʻs future. We also learn Violet is ill.

In DA2 (Downton Abbey: A New Era, 2022), set in 1928, some of the Crawley family travels to the south of France to uncover the mystery of Violetʻs newly inherited villa. A film company uses Downton to shoot a silent film, Tom and Lucy marry, Thomas Barrow finds romance with actor Guy Dexter, newlyweds Andy and Daisy do some matchmaking between Mr Mason and Mrs Patmore, and Violet passes away.

What do we know about Downton Abbey 3 thus far?

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE, the cinematic return of the global phenomenon, follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.

There are hints that the “public scandal” is related to Mary and Henry’s divorce (Henry was absent from DA2 and won’t appear in DA3). Will Mary reconcile with her always-away-racecar-driving husband or find new love? Will Downton Abbey remain with the Crawley family? How will the Great Depression and WWII impact everyone?

photo by Rory Mulvey/Focus Features.

Also, Anna Bates is expecting again (this coincides with Joanne Froggatt’s real-life pregnancy while filming). Also wondering: will schoolteacher Mr Moseley find success as a Hollywood screenwriter, and will we see him marry Miss Baxter?

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

1. Hello, September! We’re welcoming this new month with the lush beauty of Linnea Tobias’s art. Based in Spokane, Washington, Linnea enjoys painting modern interpretations of nature.

She’s inspired by daily walks in her neighborhood — the trees, birds, plants, light and color she observes later emerge in her work.

 I am influenced by textile design, the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, fairy tales, optical illusions, and the changing of the seasons. I use different mediums depending on the effect I want to achieve. Lately I choose between watercolor, encaustic or acrylic paint, combining collage and texture with abstract forms and patterns.

Each painting or print has multiple layers of color to heighten contrasts and create an inner glow.

Linnea earned a BA in fine art from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA; studied painting, art history and printmaking at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece; and graphic design and ceramics at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA.

Visit Linnea’s Official Website for more. Prints and cards may be purchased via her Etsy Shop. Follow her Facebook Page or Instagram for the latest updates.

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a scrumptious treat from the Blueberries for Sal cookbook

~ jama ~ 16 Comments

“Little Bear and his mother went home down one side of Blueberry Hill, eating blueberries all the way, and full of food stored up for next winter.“ ~ Robert McCloskey

Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!

Sounds like Little Sal is tossing a few blueberries into her tin pail — and when I say “a few,” I mean the ones she hasn’t yet eaten, which number very few indeed.

As we all know from reading Robert McCloskey’s classic picture book Blueberries for Sal, this adorable munchkin simply couldn’t get enough of those tender juicy orbs while out berry picking with her mom on Blueberry Hill.

Can’t say I blame her: when I visited the Southern Coast of Maine ten years ago, I was finally able to try wild Maine blueberries for the very first time. So good! The lowbush berries like Sal ate are smaller and sweeter than the highbush variety widely available in supermarkets around the country. If I had gone blueberry picking with Sal and her mom, there wouldn’t be any berries in my pail at all. 🙂

I was positively giddy when the Blueberries for Sal Cookbook: Sweet Recipes Inspired by the Beloved Children’s Classic (Clarkson Potter, 2023) was released in June. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing this adorable collection, which is basically a baker’s delight.

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[musings + recipes] two yummy wizard of oz treats

~ jama ~ 22 Comments

“A heart is shown not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” — The Wizard of Oz

Oh, we’re off to see the Wizard — the wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Hello, my pretties! Let’s fly over the rainbow and spend some time with Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, adorable munchkins, a green witch, flying monkeys, ruby slippers, a yellow brick road and a dazzling Emerald City!

Alphabet Soup munchkins construct their own Emerald City.

If the enduring popularity of this beloved American fairy tale has taught us anything at all, it’s that no matter how much things may change, deep down we’ll always yearn for a place where the dreams we dare to dream really do come true. 🙂

Follow the cheddar brick road.

I’ve been on a “Wizard of Oz” kick lately — rewatched the movie and reread the book a couple of times, read several L. Frank Baum biographies, even scored two cute Wizard of Oz cookbooks — one inspired by the iconic 1939 film starring Judy Garland, the other based on Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900 with illustrations by W.W. Denslow. It was fun to revisit this timeless classic via the lens of food, and to note how the movie differs from the book.

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[review + recipes] A Charlotte Brontë Birthday

~ jama ~ 35 Comments

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ~ Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre, 1847).

Today we’re celebrating Charlotte Brontë’s 207th birthday with a fabulous picture book and two versions of a scrummy Yorkshire treat. 🙂

Wonder if she could ever have imagined that over a century after publishing the first book of Brontë poems, generations of readers all over the world would still be studying, sharing and marveling at all she and her sisters had written?

As enjoyable and enduring as their books are, a large part of what continues to intrigue Brontë fans is the fascinating story of their all-too-brief lives in early 19th century Yorkshire. 

In The Brontës: Children of the Moors (Franklin Watts, 2016), award winning nonfiction picture book team Mick Manning and Brita Granström present an engaging, informative, charmingly illustrated account of Brontë family milestones from their early childhood days in Haworth, to their short stints as teachers and governesses, to their accomplishments as authors and poets.

Manning and Granström’s kid friendly format consists of three components: a main text narrated by Charlotte, scenes dramatized with characters conversing in speech bubbles, and Charlotte’s sidenotes brimming with interesting bits and bobs that expand on the main text.

This approach packs a lot of information into each double page spread; Charlotte’s voice is intimate and accessible and younger readers can opt to follow the story via the pictures.

There’s also a unique spin: Mick Manning actually grew up in the village of Haworth and played a shepherd in the 1967 BBC2 “Wuthering Heights” series when he was just 8. As the book opens, he recounts how he dozed off while waiting for his turn on camera, only to have a lady “in old fashioned clothes” tell him a story he’d never forget upon awakening. 

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