Catered Affair at Civic Center Music Hall

A Spot For Tea catered a special event at the

Civic Center Music Hall

Saturday night February 6th at 7:30pm. It was a real treat to cater in the Meinders Hall of Mirrors
Eric and I have attended shows at the Civic Center but it was the first time
to cater an event at this Oklahoma City landmark.

The hall retains its original art deco design with a backdrop of downtown OKC.

Massive mirrors frame the massive ballroom.

We hosted a OU sorority Awards Banquet with a plated dinner.

Menu:

Green salad with House dressing

Entrees:

Beef Tenderloin or Chicken Picatta

Seasoned New Potatoes

Tuscan Vegetables

Croissants

Dessert:

New York style Cheesecake.

Chef Eric Seibert and Ann Simonton

The girls did a really good job helping us with event.

Thanks to our staff: Kristen, Apryl, Della, Ann & Tawny

Special thanks to Blake for helping us get all the heavy stuff up the elevators.

It was a great way to spend Saturday night.

Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are perfection! If you want a big, fat, chewy cookie like the kind you see at bakeries and specialty shops, than these are just the recipe. I'll let you in on a secret our sons Blake and Benjamin made these on Saturday. The secret to getting them all shaped the same size is to drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

On Sunday after church we came home and warmed them in the microwave and added ice cream and chocolate. MMMM...good! A wonderful activity to do when there is snow on the ground and everyone has cabin fever! Perfect with a cup of Chocolate Romance tea.

Best big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups seminsweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease cookies sheets or line with parchment paper.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dought 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake for 15 -1 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cook on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
   

Snow Sledding January 29. 2010

Eric and the boys (we had an extra with Brock's friend Cason joining in on the fun)!
Surveying the hill....

Eric and Brock decided to race each other.

Away they go.

Eric is winning..I think its because he has more weight on his sled.

Eric went really far.

Brock and Cason going down the hill together.

Bye Bye boys.

It was really cold and snowy...yes, this is Oklahoma.

Blake having a blast.

Benjamin hiking up the hill.

This is what the Seibert family was doing on Friday with school and the tearoom closed.

We hope you took some time to be with your family and enjoyed this winter weather.

REMEMBER WINTERTIME IS TEATIME.

DRINK MORE TEA.

Come In For Tea

Even though there is 6 inches of snow on the ground...WE ARE OPEN TODAY FOR BUSINESS!

Come in and try our new seasonal tea Cordially Yours.

It may be cold outside but its warm inside A Spot For Tea.

January Winter's Thoughts

(click on picture to make larger so you can read!)

Its January at the tearoom:
I've been working on new menu's for the tearoom. I've added a new item which is Tres Treat Salad (3 scoops of our favorite salads, chicken salad, tuna salad and pasta salad on greens. Served with our homemade house dressing.

It was time for the menu to be in color and so we changed it. We have also added Scones to our dessert menu for everyday.

It's January, which means I've also been working on the newsletter and trying to get it out. It still has not come back from the printer but I am hopeful that they will be in your mailboxes by next week. We will have all the details about our upcoming special event: Valentine's Dinner which we will having again this year on Friday, February 12th.

I have been so busy working in the office that I haven't had much time to blog about all that has been going on. I don't know if anyone else felt this way but after seeing pictures of Haiti and the earthquake victims and hearing their stories everything seemed trivial to write about. Seeing and hearing those people sing in their midnight hour was just amazing and humbling.

Psalm 63:7 "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings."

New Year 2010

If you are celebrating New Year's in the South, it is a Southern folklore, to eat black eyed peas. One that my mama adheres to if you're celebrating at her home. Black eyed peas are the first food to be eaten for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead. Mixed with some ham and green beans...mmm good.

Brock and Cache were able to make "Bob" the snowman on New Year's Day. Seven days after the blizzard we still have enough snow on the ground to have Mr. Snowman Bob help us usher in the New Year.

One of my favorite reads is Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Every year at the beginning I like to pull it out and reread her first couple of pages for inspiration.

January 2 - Loving the Questions

How often in the past have you turned away from all that is unresolved in your heart because you feared questioning? But what if you knew that a year today you could be living the most creative, joyous, and fulfilling life you could imagine? What would it be? What changes would you make? How and where would you begin? Do you see why the questions are so important?

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke urges us. Do not now seek the answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them and the point is to live everything. Live the questions
now....

The answers to your questions will come, but only after you know which ones are worth asking. Wait. Live your questions. Then ask. Become open to the changes that the answers will inevitably bring. This may take some time, but time is the New Year's bountiful blessing: three hundred sixty-five bright mornings and starlit evenings; fifty-two promising weeks; twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities; and four splendid seasons. A simply abundant year to be savored.

Christmas Memories 2009 Part 3

So finally on Monday afternoon it started to snow and we decided to head down to Ellicottville, New York to ski at Holiday Valley.

We got a room at the new Tamarak Club. It newly opened two weeks ago.

The drive that should normally take 1 hour ended up taking 2 hours and 15 minutes. Yes, finally folks we have SNOW in New York.

After we got checked in we went in town for dinner. Ellicottville reminds me of Aspen, Colorado. It was just like a Currier and Ives postcard.

The boys were so happy to see snow, throw snowballs and stand on the mounds of snow.

We walked around downtown with twinkling Christmas lights...just beautiful....Benjamin is trying to eat the snow.

As we walked by one restaurant a dog was outside waiting while his owner had dinner. Brock couldn't resist saying hello.

Brock amid the snowflakes.

We had pizza and Beef on Weck....perfect to end the day.

We had dinner at a place called Balloons...

Back to Holiday Valley...at 8:30 they had night skiing. The runs were lit up and shining bright.

Eric woke us up bright and early (6:00am) and we went back in town to a little old-fashioned diner that only accepts cash for breakfast.

They have a town square with a gazebo and Christmas tree.

Old Victorian homes with Gingerbread trim...I could definitely live here.

The sun was rising and this church was setting like white icing against the sky.

So we got the boys hooked up for ski school, their boots fitted and skis ready to go.

This is called the Magic Carpet Ride...it takes kids up to go down the bunny slopes to learn skiing. Eric is helping Benjamin and Brock.

Brock's first time down the bunny slope.

It was so cold... 11 degrees to be exact.

Eric and I are skiing a blue run and that is the view back to the resort.

The sun came out and we had so much fun skiing while the boys took their lessons.

My husband is an excellent skier...He skis Black Diamonds but he loves me enough to ski blue and green runs.

Ben's first run down the bunny slope.

Eric and Blake after Blake took his first chair lift ride and down his first green run.

My husband still skis in jeans. One of the girls at the lift asked him how he skis in jeans.

I said because he never falls. Seeing Eric ski is just about as much fun as seeing him ice-skate.

It is pure beauty to watch this man at winter sports.

Tammy, Benjamin and Eric waiting at the chair lift.

Blake, Brock and cousin Eric

Michael, Eric, Benjamin and myself (still cold) but loving the sunshine.

Eric's niece Sarah (doesn't she have a pretty smile) waiting warmly at the lodge.

Brock, Uncle Tim and Benjamin on chair lift

Blake and Eric on chair lift

Brock flying down the mountain

Benjamin showing great form

Uncle Tim, Brock and Benjamin

Blake skiing downhill

Eric looking great

The gang...I think Michael and Eric have gone off to ski some harder runs.

The view from the lodge

Sarah, Michael and Eric snacking at the lodge

Brock, Benjamin and myself. This was easier in my twenties.

Eric enjoying every moment with his family in New York.

Aunt Cindy, Aunt Gretchen and Sarah came and provided nourishment and support for the tired and weary. Thanks girls for everything.

The sun is going down

The lights are coming on for night skiing

It is snowing again.

And so we say goodbye. What a wonderful Christmas it has been.