Place of Business: Swans Nest Inn
Do teacups have a soul? I like to think so.
Before I bought the wreck of a house that has now become Swans Nest Inn, my BFF, Tori Cannon, gifted me with a number of teacups her late grandmother had collected. They were covered in dust and grime from having been stored for more than a decade, but as their bright patterns emerged from the dishwater, they seemed to speak to me. They wanted to be held, to be appreciated, and, yes, loved—and not just by me.
And so these cups are used and appreciated by the women and men who visit Swans Nest. I like to think that Josie Cannon looks down on my inn and is happy her mismatched china is loved by so many of my guests.
It’s a joy for me to prepare the food that is served at the parties and showers I host. Although my inn has only been in existence for a relatively short time, I’ve already had requests to share my recipes—and especially the over 40 varieties of cookies I bake. That’s why The Best From Swans Nest is now available. It’s a collection of the recipes I’ve collected and tested and that I offer my guests on a regular basis.
Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are Tori’s favorite.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (can substitute pecans)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (can substitute milk chocolate chips or raisins)
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC, Gas Mark 5). In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonsful onto ungreased baking trays. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 3½ dozen cookies
With The Best From Swans Nest, you can choose recipes for baby and bridal shows, afternoon tea, intimate dinners, bake-food sales—just about any occasion. And with over 140 recipes, you’ll find something that tickles your taste buds.
I hope you’ll give The Best From Swans Nest a try.
You can check out the delectable recipes in The Best From Swans Nest, a Lotus Bay Cookbook, released May 14, 2019.
Kathy Grant, owner of the Swans Nest Inn on beautiful Lotus Bay, has collected more than a hundred mouth-watering recipes that she not only offers her B&B guests, but the brides who book their engagement and wedding parties at the inn.
Now you can enjoy the same treats like sweet sausage coffee ring, lots of marvelous muffins, quiche, stuffed mushrooms and many, many more!
Purchase Link
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About the author
The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent — whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett — that keeps her in her reader’s hearts hearts. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square and Lotus Bay Mystery series, and the Tales of Telenia adventure-fantasy saga, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s).
To learn more about Lorraine, visit her website at lorrainebartlett.com.
All comments are welcomed.
Thanks to Lorraine Bartlett for donating this lovely teacup. Contest ends May 17, 2019 and is limited to U.S. residents. Please leave comment in box below. The winner will be notified by email (so check your spam folder). Good luck everyone!
Love cook/recipe books
Will make these cookies
Those cookies sound fabulous. I love the idea of a cookbook based on offerings to guests at inns.
I miss the Perpetual Tea Party. This is a lovely giveaway.
Love cookbooks. Cookies sound amazing, will give them a try.
I can’t win the teacup (blast it!) being in the UK, but just to say I like the sound of the recipes, and I wondered if I can make the one listed leaving the nuts out totally?
The Best From Swans Nest looks like a cookbook I would really use! I can’t wait to make the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies ~
So enticing and special. I would love to make this recipe and then give them as gifts. beautiful feature and giveaway.
A delightful cookbook and the teacup is wonderful for my teas which I drink daily along with the yummy biscuits.
Teacups I treasure and the recipe is unique and special for summer tea.
What an adorable teacup. I’ve enjoyed Lorraine Bartlett’s books and Swan’s Nest is a great read. Thanks Dru Ann for featuring it on your blog.
can’t wait to get the cookbook!!! thank you for the chance to win the tea cup!
I love drinking tea out of a pretty cup. Makes me feel special. I also collect tea pots – especially love the old fashioned ones. I look forward to Ms Bartlett’s tea pictures almost as much as her truly wonderful books. Love being taken away from the crazy world.
Thanks for sharing one of the recipes. Using a prettily designed teacup and saucer makes any cuppa feel like an indulgence.
This sounds very good great review thank you, love the recipe too I will try it out. Thanks
Penney
Before I discovered tea ( except iced.. give me a break I’m from southern California)…. my mugs or tea cups only held hot chocolate. Change came in 2006 when we relocated to England for my work. I discovered tea….in a land where people drink iced coffee… but never iced tea. In the office, someone is always gettiing cuppas for everyone else! I then discovered Assam tea…which I drink daily althoug it is very expensive and hard to get in USA. So my friends send me boxes of tea. I do love a cuppa with one sugar…no milk. Believe me I got a lot of teasing about that! Real English have milk in their tea. But what do I know, mlm I’m a crazy American! Drinking tea in a special cup….makes me feel special. It also makes guests feel special mlm if youmserve their cuppa in a pretty cup!
I do agree teacups have a soul.
I enjoyed the write up and hope to try the recipe, Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I love collecting teacups as I use them often and they give me such a wonderful feeling drinking from them and reading my cozy mysteries! Have a lovely day!
What a beautiful teacup and it sounds like a great read.
I love this series and I love love teacups! I collect teacups, the lonely stand alone, or the ones with saucer mates..they are all special Thanks for this and have a wonderful day!
**** WINNER ****
Swans Nest Teacup Set is Renee Collins
Congratulations!