Spring Break

The tea room will be closed for a short "Spring Break" Tuesday March 13 and Wednesday March 14. We will be open Thursday-Saturday (March 15-17).

Be sure to call ahead for reservations. We have been quite busy lately and we'd love to save you a table! Our phone number is 817-656-9780.

We look forward to serving you soon!!

RSVP

"Répondez, s'il vous plaît"....A French phrase meaning "please reply". We've all seen RSVP's on invitations, whether it be for a birthday party, a baby or bridal shower or an invitation to a wedding. But, do we all RSVP?

Since hosting many different types of parties at the tea room I have found that a lot of people do not reply to an invitation. It is proper etiquette to reply to the event host as soon as possible to let them know whether or not you will be able to attend so they can plan accordingly. There are many factors why a party hostess will need an accurate head count. They need to account for food, beverages, cake, seating, party favors and more.

What's the difference between RSVP and "regrets only"? When you see an RSVP on an invitation, that means the person sending the invitation would like you to respond with a yes or no. When the invitation states "regrets only", that means that the host wants you to let them know if you will not be attending. If you do not respond at all, the host will automatically assume you will be in attendance and they will include you in the headcount.

Personally, I think invitations should always request an RSVP. If a host is kind enough to invite you to an event , then it is just common courtesy to pick up the phone or even e-mail them to thank them for inviting you and let them know whether or not you can attend. They are spending quite a bit of money on invitations, food, decorations, entertainment, etc. so, the least the invited guest could do is simply respond.

If you are hosting the event then I would suggest putting an RSVP and a date to respond by on your invitation. Our tea room gets a final headcount four days prior to the event, so I would put an RSVP date for one week prior to your event. I also would not put "regrets only" if you are hosting an event that requires a headcount for food, beverages and seating. I think "regrets only" is fine if you are hosting a party at home and you have plenty of  food and beverages.

I would also include both a phone number and an e-mail address on your invitation for your RSVP. That way if the invited guest is unable to get in touch with you by phone, they can simply send a quick e-mail to respond to your invitation.

So the next time you receive an invitation to an event be sure to let the host know whether or not you can attend...it's just good manners and it makes planning so much easier.

Blog Makeover and Other Tea Room News

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and new year!! We have been so busy that I haven't had time to blog in several weeks. Now that the holidays are over I hope to blog more often. I also wanted to "cutesy" up the blog...what do ya think?

We are so excited about the new year and we are working hard to create some new, fabulous recipes. I will be randomly posting different recipes here on the blog...ones we make at the tea room and some I make at home. I want this blog to be a great place for people to come to get recipe ideas, party tips, ideas for tablescapes and more.

So, be sure to follow our blog...it's going to be a great year!!!

White Chocolate Cranberry Dessert

Just before Thanksgiving I was in the kitchen getting ready for the work day. I was as trying to come up with something different. Something that would be perfect for the Holidays. I wanted something that would wow people. I was actually putting together a cobbler but, as I often do, I started chatting with my girls at the shop while I was in the middle of adding ingredients and I forgot to put in a few things. Well, I went ahead and put what I had in the oven and out came a delicious creation that I now call my "White Chocolate Cranberry Dessert". Our customers absolutely LOVE this dessert. It is perfect for any occasion but it really is the perfect Holiday dessert. So, from our kitchen to yours...Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!!!!

Tis the Season!!

The elves in the kitchen at Garden Cottage Tea Room have been busy creating new, delicious recipes for the holiday season. We're working on gathering our favorite recipes and hope to have a cookbook out by the first part of 2012. But until then, we'd like to share some of our holiday favorites. We'll be posting these randomly until Christmas so be sure to check back often for more posts!!!

Here's a new cookie recipe that I came up with this past week. This is an easy enough recipe that even the littlest of bakers could help with. The kitchen is one of the best places to make special Christmas memories with the little ones!

Don't forget about our upcoming event "Tea with Mrs. Claus". This will be a fun, memorable event for kids of all ages. Tickets are on sale now at the tea room or by calling 817-656-9780 during tearoom hours (Tues-Sat 11am-2:30pm). Be sure to purchase your tickets...you DO NOT want to miss out!!

Holiday hours

The tea room will be operating normal business hours Tuesday November 22 and Wednesday November 23. We will be CLOSED Thanksgiving day, Friday November 25 and Saturday November 26 to allow our staff time for Holiday travel and time with their families.

We wish you a very safe and blessed Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for each and every one of our dear customers!!!

Mrs. Claus is coming to town!!!