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| June 2003 | You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. To unsubscribe, see the instructions at the end of this newsletter.
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IN THIS ISSUE
========= - Welcome Summer!
- Angie's Tea Garden
- Product Reviews
- Recommended Websites
- Feedback
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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WELCOME SUMMER!
================ Did you enjoy last month's guest column on Summer Sipping by Laura Childs' with the tea tips for the changing seasons? Have you had a chance to try out the recipes? I hope that you did. I also hope that you do enjoy these monthly newsletters and we certainly welcome any suggestions, feedbacks or ideas that you may have. This month's featured tea room is Angie's Tea Garden located in Jefferson, IA. It certainly was a pleasant trip out there. The outdoor temperature was already sizzling despite the fact that summer doesn't officially begin until June 21st! I couldn't help thinking that whether we're ready or not, summer is definitely on its way. Much as I love the warm weather, I wish that spring had lingered a little bit longer. There is always so much to do when summer arrives. It is always a busy season and we make full use of this time. There's plans to keep our children busy, tending to our yard, planning our vacation, July 4th, back yard grilling, etc. Having said this, do take time to slow down as well. What better way than to stop and take tea or lunch at your local tea room. I've said this before, tea rooms do tend to give you a quiet place for you and friends to slow down the pace and enjoy the moment. So, seize the moment when you can! Until the next issue, stay cool and have a great summer.
 Warm wishes,
Annette
TeaRoomsOnLine.com
| ================ ANGIE'S TEA GARDEN
================ When I arrived in Jefferson, IA on a very warm spring day, the main town square had already been closed off. Vendors, you see, were busily setting up their booths in preparation of their 24th Annual Bell Tower Festival (http://www.jeffersoniowa.com/mahanay.htm). I could see some children, who are already on summer break, starting to run in excitement around the square in anticipation of the evening events! As I weaved my way around the square, I spotted the sign for Angie's Tea Garden tea room, tucked in a corner of the Centennial Building on East Main Street. You can't really miss it, although with all the rides already being set up, my view was somewhat restricted. In case you didn't know, Jefferson (http://www.jeffersoniowa.com/index.htm) is approximately an hour or so away from Des Moines, with a population of approximately 10,400. The route that I took brought me through Perry, passing by Ogden. For all you tea room lovers, Perry of course has the Thymes Remembered Tea Room and Ogden has the Sugar Plum 2000 Tea Room.  My first glimpse of the tea room was through the gift shop area. Not an overly large gift shop, it was simple and my attention was immediately caught by the display of tea pots and tea cozies that lined a corner of the wall. Further inside, above the half wall that separates the main tea room area, were more displays of teapots in their tea cozies. A sweet aroma of something delicious wafted in the air. The interior of the tea room itself is simply decorated and displayed on the walls were several different sizes of wire racks for plates and teacups & saucers and wreaths.
 Angie Petersen, the namesake of the tea room, greeted me upon my arrival. She explained that there was to be a Wedding Rehearsal party at the tea room later that evening and they were preparing the food for the evening and that included the desserts. That's what Angie loves doing, which is cooking. That's basically how she got started in this business. Prior to running her own tea room, she had been the first cook at the Thymes Remembered Tea Room. She later came to work for the last owner of the Tea Garden tearoom in Jefferson. When the owner decided to retire, about four years ago, Angie decided to take over and renamed the tea room to Angie's Tea Garden. She's been cooking and managing the tea room ever since with the help of her mother, Wanda and the occasional staff that she hires as necessary. She also provides catering services outside of the tea room.
Angie's Tea Garden is open Monday through to Friday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Lunch is served from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Reservations are requested. Easily, the tea room can accommodate up to 50 people, but she's had 60 people at one point in time. The tea room does bridal and baby showers, class reunions, club meetings, evening parties with reservation of 20 or more and weekends by appointment only and of course, she's had the Red Hat Society as well. The bus tour for the Bell Tower and the local traffic from the surrounding area does make it busy for the tea room as well. In the winter months, the tea room serves Sunday Brunch as well. The menu changes weekly. Everything on the menu is homemade and that includes the soup of the day, quiche, salad entree, sandwich entree, chicken entree and depending on the season, either a beef, seafood or pork entree as well. Prices start from $6.95 for entrees, and that comes with a soup, salad and a roll. Beverages start from $1.00. Desserts are $3.00 and homemade cheesecake is always on the menu, along with pies and other layered cakes. If you happen to go when Angie has her homemade amaretto cheesecake sprinkled with sugar almond on that day, then you'll be in cheesecake heaven!  While the gift shop may not be vast, the items on display are certainly worth a second look. Earlier, I mentioned tea cozies and tea pots which comes in different sizes and styles. The tea cozies, I'm told, are made by Angie's own Mum, Wanda. Reasonably priced, they come in a wide selection of fabric design as well. The gift shop also carries tea accessories, plate racks, teacup and saucer racks, soy candles and lotions, and various other ceramics and knick knacks. I may not have walked away with another brand new tea pot, but I did leave with a new tea cozy and a rack, which I've been looking for!
Angie's Tea Garden is located at 100 E. State in Jefferson, IA 50129. Tel: 515.386.3888. This tea room is definitely worth a visit and you can always go up the Bell Tower to "walk off" that decadent cheesecake dessert after lunch. For more information on the tearoom, please check into our website at www.tearoomsonline.com.
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PRODUCT REVIEWS
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Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs Have you read my review of this book? If not, click here.
| ===================== RECOMMENDED WEBSITES ===================== | ===============
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
=============== WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? Since July 4th is just around the corner, it's worth pausing for a moment to ask: Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rebel-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and straight, unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember:
Freedom is never free... it always comes at a price! | ======= FEEDBACK
======= Do you have any comments or suggestions regarding the website or this newsletter? Is there a tearoom that you would like to have listed here? Or if you would you like to trade links with us or advertise here? If so, please feel free to send me an email, or send the note here. Your feedback is always welcome! | ================================== SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION
================================== To subscribe to the newsletter, please go to http://www.tearoomsonline.com/ and fill in you name and email address. To unsubscribe, please reply to this message and “Remove” in the Subject line, or click here. We hope that this newsletter has proved to be informative and useful to you. If it was, please forward it to your friends. Don’t forget to continue visiting us at http://www.tearoomsonline.com/ - the tearoom lover’s information source. | | Copyright © 2001-2003 TeaRoomsOnLine.com ADW |
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