MK, one of the ladies from our Weight Watchers group, felt sorry for me after reading yesterday's post about my husband's being too ill to do anything for me for my birthday. So she called Sandra and suggested that we do what weight watchers do best...go out to eat.
(That reminds me of one of my favorite sayings, which I first heard from Sandra's Hubby, although it probably didn't originate with him: "You can't maintain a body like this if you only eat when you're hungry." It's become a motto for me.)
Yesterday didn't fit into everyone's schedule, so the date was set for today. I left my poor, sick husband at home and went with three friends to a unique, Victorianesque tea house for my belated birthday celebration.
This little tea house is one of those places that make dining a "special" experience. As you might expect from a tea house, they offer more varieties of tea than I ever knew existed. The hot tea is served in individual tea pots, with tea cozies that go over them to keep the tea hot. Iced tea is also available for those of us who prefer it that way.
Several varieties of sandwiches are offered and come with choice of soup or one of a nice selection of salads. At the end of the meal, each diner is presented with a small plate of desserts, which today included a scone, a shortbread cookie, a snickerdoodle cookie, a biscotti, and a butterscotch cookie bar, all made right there in the restaurant.
There's nothing like good friends and good food to make any celebration special.
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| Clockwise from left: Sandra, MK, SK, and Linda |
Of course, there's something to be said for a homemade chocolate sheet cake, too.
Thank you, ladies, for the gift of friendship. And an extra thanks to Sandra for the cake.
I recognized Sandy's smiling face straight away. Sounds like you ladies had a wonderful time. I suspect that you always do. Beautiful pic of the four of you.
ReplyDeleteI hope your hubby is much improved before too long.
We did have fun, Hilary. I really hadn't minded the no-fuss birthday of yesterday, but I confess that it was a spirit lifter to have these ladies want to see that the occasion wasn't totally without celebration.
ReplyDeleteDoug is eating a little better today. That's encouraging. He has a doctor appointment on Monday, so maybe we'll learn more then.
Ahh biscotti, you need to dip it usually.I still wouldn't mind the cake also. I made a turtle cheesecake today, so we will see how long it lasts.I already shared two pieces to a neighbor.Have a Happy New Year Linda!
ReplyDeleteOOTP - This biscotti was freshly made and easily eaten without dipping. It was very good, too. Your turtle cheesecake sounds wonderful. If you'd like that cake recipe, click on my profile and send me an e-mail with your e-mail address. Happy New Year to you, too, Steve.
ReplyDeleteHow nice of your friends to do that for you... Friends are just so special...Love the picture, Linda. And that cake looks fabulous.. Was it made from a Weight Watcher recipe?????
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year.
Hugs,
Betsy
You're a cruel woman, Betsy...mentioning Weight Watchers in the same breath with my favorite cake. :) No, it's not a WW recipe. It couldn't be further from it. It's very non-diet and very delicious. Happy New Year to you, too.
ReplyDeleteThat WAS fun. And I'm glad Marilyn thought of it. As I told you, I think I was working on something like this in the back of my mind, but who knows how long it would have taken for it to actually formulate into action, if it hadn't been for Marilyn!
ReplyDeleteI hope your half cake was more moist than the half I sent to Jim's lunch meeting with him. I had a leftover piece from that one later and it was too done -- not moist and gooey like you like it. If there weren't so darn many calories in it, I'd give it another try right away in the half cakes version, to see if I can pin down exactly how long to bake it this way.
You should have told OOTP the story Sue at the tea room told us about the woman who dipped their fresh biscotti in her tea, and ended up with it floating in it in crumbles. Apparently the tradition of dipping was initiated because of rock hard biscotti, and not good when applied to that fresh biscotti! :)
A fun lunch.
Our cake was delicious, Sandy, very moist. Thanks for giving us the good one. :) Doug even liked it, and nothing much has tasted good to him all week. But, face it, the cake isn't the reason this recipe is my favorite. It's the frosting! The cake is just a tool to hold the important stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteI even liked that biscotti from yesterday, and I'm not usually a fan of those.
It WAS a fun lunch and added some spice to an otherwise uneventful birthday.
Tea with the ladies sounds lovely! Hope your hubby is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteKristina - The tea house was a good choice for the occasion. We did enjoy ourselves. Hubby's hanging in there, trying to make it through the weekend when he can see a doctor on Monday.
ReplyDelete