A Rabbit Walks Into a Tea Party

And finds Girl Scout Cookies, a 1930s cake, tea towel art and new music. A Weekend Assortment from Time Travel Kitchen.

A Micro-Tea Party. Photo: Jolene

A warm welcome to the many new subscribers who joined last week and a big thank you to all subscribers. Hello!

If you’ve been reading Time Travel Kitchen for a while, you already know about my freakish devotion to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

So it won’t come as a surprise when I tell you I own a set of ceramic white rabbits that meander around my apartment, decoratively speaking, to spruce up the place.

For today’s post, however, I won’t be following them down any rabbit holes. Instead, it’s a Bunny Hop (or, “Binky”, if you will) to touch on a few things I found interesting or delicious or both — and I hope you will too.

First: Cake

The past few weeks, I’ve been buying bunches of daffodils — they instantly and inexpensively lift the mood in a room.

This reminded me that way back in April of 2021, one of the very first posts I did was for a Daffodil Cake — its name reflects its colors.

This 1930s recipe combines Angel Food Cake and Yellow Sponge Cake in alternating layers, giving it a two-tone effect. I’ve attached the original post below, with the recipe and a little history. I really loved it. It’s a perfect springtime cake and would be a lovely guest at any tea party.

🌼 A word of caution about Daffodils: though beautiful, all parts of daffodils (stem, bulb, petals) are toxic to both humans and animals.

DO NOT use Daffodils for decorative purposes on cakes or any food.

So ends my Public Service Announcement!

Now, here’s the post for a delicious cake from a vintage recipe:

Next: Tea Towels

Towels at the ready on my kitchen counter, resting in a casserole dish by GreatJones. Photo: Jolene

I love tea towels and dish towels and there are groups of both in constant rotation in a casserole dish on my counter. They look pretty and they save on paper towels.

What’s the difference between tea towels and dish towels you ask?

Tea towels are crafted from linen or cotton and tend to be thinner than the average dish towel.

And the history?

Tea Towels date back to 18th century England where society ladies would embroider or embellish linen for use during tea service.

The towels could be slipped through the teapot handle and wrapped around it, helping catch any drops of water that escaped and making it easier to pour.

Both quotes above are from Caspari and you can read the full article, A Brief History of the Tea Towel here.

I have, in fact, gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with this whole tea towel thing. I just started reading The Art of The Tea Towel by Marnie Fogg, pictured above, so I’ll report back.

My little tea set-up the other afternoon was complete with Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, thanks to the terrific daughters of friends.

I love Thin Mints and I also love designer Isaac Mizrahi who also loves Thin Mints. He did a video and sampled all of the different varieties of Girl Scout Cookies this week, and it’s really fun. Click the post below to take a peek.

imisaacmizrahi

A post shared by @imisaacmizrahi

The floral design on the tea towels and napkins at my micro tea party are primarily daffodils. They are vintage from the legendary artist, designer and businesswoman, Vera Neumann (1907-1993) who is perhaps best remembered for her scarves.

Marilyn Monroe famously (and, strategically) held a sheer, striped Vera©️scarf in front of her for her final photo shoot (The Last Sitting©️) with Bert Stern in 1962.

I love Vera’s designs and I’m always happy to find vintage scarves or tea towels or napkins with her signature and logo: a ladybug.

Vera, in my kitchen. Photo: Jolene

If you’re a Vera fan, or you’d like to learn more about her, I highly recommend this 2010 book by Susan Seid. So many beautiful designs within, and a look into Vera’s fascinating life, including her lifelong collaborative friendship with the great Alexander Calder.

She was the subject of a show at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York in 2019. To learn more about her brilliant career, this article in Architectural Digest is a good place to start: Vera Neumann Architectural Digest

Van Gogh’s Tea Towels

Back view of Daubigny’s Garden, 1890 Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Red lines of tea towel are visible at top and bottom.

When Vincent Van Gogh was out of money and canvases, he did what he had to do to keep making art: he painted on tea towels and tablecloths.

Pictured above is the back of one of his last painting’s Daubigny’s Garden, 1890.

Vincent Van Gogh, Daubigny’s Garden, 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

You can clearly see the red stripes of the tea towel at the top and bottom of the frame.

It’s so moving that during this final, excruciating struggle with his mental health, he found a way to create something exceptional on something as ordinary as a tea towel.

Read more from the Van Gogh Museum about all of the tea towel paintings: Here and from The Guardian: The tea towels that became Van Gogh originals: Here.

Finale: Music for your Tea Party

Many of us writing here have been shepherded through the process and had our questions answered by the terrific (and patient!)

Katie O'Connell

Writer Programs Lead at Substack.

What you may not know, and I didn’t know till two weeks ago, is that Katie is an incredible musician and singer. She’s just launched

Tinier Desk

so, please, do yourself a favor and have a listen this weekend. Congratulations, Katie!

The Neighbors Are Sleeping

Have a great weekend, everyone. See you soon.

Jolene