Tulip Teacup and Mendocino Muffins

Welcome and thank you for stopping by. 
(Sort of a strange combination in the title, right?)

Please join me for tea in a vintage tulip teacup and carrot pineapple muffins.





Tulips are my favorite flowers. I just love their shape and glossy color. Only one of my tulips bloomed this year. Five others sprouted but no flowers. Our crazy warm weather threw off tulip season for many. Even the local florists didn't have any tulips available for Easter. Hence no tulips in these photos.

One day I was thinking that you hardly ever see tulip designs on teacups. Traditionally you see pansies and roses. Hmm wonder why this is? While tulips are enormously popular and grown in the Netherlands, perhaps they were not "exported" to England during the early to mid twentieth century which was a lucrative time for the bone china pottery industry.


So I was on a quest to find an English teacup designed with tulips. After some online searching I found this beauty on ebay for four dollars! It is a vintage Foley.
I like the thin lime green line at the base of the cup as well as on the bottom of the handle.

The petals appear to be hand painted.


Foley teacups are mistaken for Shelley teacups at time. Foley was a pottery region in England. Some Shelley back stamps include the word Foley on them. You can tell just by picking up this Foley that it is not a Shelley. It lacks the thin translucent bone china of a Shelley. Here is an article explaining briefly the history.


Now this brings us to the muffins! For part of my honeymoon (many years ago) I went to beautiful Mendocino in northern California. It is a coastal artist community. While there I purchased this wonderful cookbook titled Mendocino Mornings. We didn't stay at this Inn, but this has been my go-to cookbook for breakfast and brunch recipes. Every single one has been a winner. I want to share with you a really moist carrot muffin recipe that oozes with the sweetness of brown sugar. These muffins are quite large and perfect for a morning tea.

Carrot Muffins from Mendocino Mornings

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, carrots and pineapple.
Stir into dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon into oiled muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Makes about 18 muffins
*I made twenty muffins and baked for 24 minutes because the muffins are dense.

Some scenes from Mendocino:

(photo from wikimedia)
Mendocino Headlands


(photo from tripadvisor)
Headlands Inn
This is where my husband and I stayed for our tenth anniversary. Delicious breakfasts!



(photo from free internet images)
Glass Beach
Glass Beach in nearby Fort Bragg
From 1906-1967 this was a dump site where the pounding waves tumbled pottery and glass into smooth jewelry like pieces. The beach is almost depleted of glass nowadays, but I still found some green and white pieces which I keep in a glass jar.


Have a wonderful week!
Nora





























Comments

  1. I have enjoyed your post today. After reading about the Tulips; I guess I can say that I have not seen a lot of tea cups with tulips either. Glad you found one and it is very pretty. The photos you posted are beautiful. The Glass Beach is a site to see! What beautiful things nature gives to us. Your recipe sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Nora, loved todays post. Tulips are by far one of my favorite flowers. Our master bath have tulips on the tiles and my shower curtain has watercolor tulips on it. I would love tulips on my tea cups, but so far this is the first I have seen any. Great muffin recipe. Love the pics especially the glass beach.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your teacup...nice to see you explaining Foley as an area like Limoges, not as a relation to Shelley. I LOVE Mendocino and spent many holidays there when we lived in Northern California. The muffins look wonderful! I am definitely saving that recipe! Thanks so much for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Nora,
    I love tulips, too. So glad your hunt for a tulip teacup was a success. Mendocino looks like a lovely spot. I adore carrots and pineapple ... must try this recipe! Happy Tea Day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great deal for your Teacup, Nora! I love the pretty designs of it and it is perfect withnyour muffins... A recipe that I must surely try soon. I know I will love them. My late beloved and I visited Sonoma Valley several years ago and a gorgeous redwood forest, which I believe was called Armstrong forest. It was the most beautiful spot ever! I would love to stay at that darling inn that you showed..so quaint and pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Nora: Love your Foley. You are right, you rarely see tulip tea cups. Yours is very pretty. I am going to check out the history, I that kind of information. Have a wonderful week. Blessings, Martha

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't know if I've ever seen a tulip tea cup! I like the scalloped edges on the saucer. The recipe sounds delicious but a whole lot of sugar. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a sweet note on my vintage door vignette.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a cute teacup! Gotta love ebay and online shopping for helping us find items that we can't get locally.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have never seen an English tulip teacup. Thanks for sharing. I lvoe to search for seaglass at the beach. Never been to one that was quite as "full!." But I have a small jar filled with the ones I have found.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Nora,
    I just love your Foley tulip teacup and I have not seen many tulip teacups either. Your carrot muffins look so yummy. Mendocino looks like a beautiful place to visit. I feel badly that your daughter broke the lid to your Royal Copenhagen china. My hubby was born in Denmark and we have a few treasured pieces. It is all such gorgeous blue china. Happy Tea Day! Karen

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Nora,
    I just love your Foley tulip teacup and I have not seen many tulip teacups either. Your carrot muffins look so yummy. Mendocino looks like a beautiful place to visit. I feel badly that your daughter broke the lid to your Royal Copenhagen china. My hubby was born in Denmark and we have a few treasured pieces. It is all such gorgeous blue china. Happy Tea Day! Karen

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the tulip design and color combo. So happy you found a tulip design on ebay and what a great price. Those muffins sound very delicious. In our early years, hubby and I collected cookbooks from our travels. Always fun to look back at the cookbooks/photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a terrific recipe for Carrot Muffins! Loved seeing your teacup and the glassy beach!

    ReplyDelete
  14. A lovely post! I found your blog via another tea person and what a delightful blog. You're right, we don't see tulips on teacups very often. The muffins look yummy too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm crazy about teacups and do love drinking tea! Happy I found your sweet blog! That recipe looks delicious and I'm sure they are scrumptious!

    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your Foley tulips teacup is perfect for spring! Lovely post!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting today and taking the time to write a comment. Both are much appreciated.
Nora