A Monday At Linderhof . . .

Our day begins after breakfast.    Some days Husband Jim joined cronies for coffee and breakfast.    On those days, I take my tea and the paper and Ollie and I sit in the breakfast room while I read the headlines and work the crossword.       My breakfast follows -- sometimes a boiled or poached egg and toast, sometimes yogurt and other times cereal.      A "just me" breakfast is often simple!

Today after breakfast and the dishes, I got busy finishing up a new project . . .

Prunes, Armagnac, simple syrup -- all ready.

Prunes in Armagnac.      I have had great success with my apricot liqueur and when I read about the prunes, I was curious.    With a bottle of Armagnac in the cellar and prunes in the larder. . . 

It was a "whole" day project.    Last night I steeped some tea (chamomile) and set the prunes to soak.    This morning, I drained the prunes and while they were draining, I made a simple syrup of 1/2 cup water and a cup of sugar.     I let that cool.    I added the prunes to the jar, poured the simple syrup over and added about 3 cups of the Armagnac.      They are to steep in a dark and cool place (the cellar) for a couple of weeks.    

There's a prune and apple dessert that I'm anxious to try as well as an Armagnac prune clafouti.

It's down cellar now where the prunes will soak up the Armagnac.

I decided to make a cake this morning as well.     A Swedish tea cake for tea this afternoon.

Mrs. Patrick's Swedish Cake -- Mrs. Patrick was Swedish but her husband wasn't -- it's an old family recipe.

A simple cake.    Requiring one bowl and a whisk so clean up was easy.     A shower of powdered sugar when it was out of the pan and cool.

Monday is always cleaning day at Linderhof and often, I do some rearrangements as I take everything off tables to clean.

The top of the Asian cabinet that holds our television.

I change this often -- perhaps because I stare at it when I watch TV and tire of it quickly.

A blown glass vase, a lampe berger, a wonderful old Buillotte lamp, a Jefferson weather forecaster, a bronze bird and a globe.     The last two items stacked on top of a couple of coffee table books.    Our "Vango" makes the perfect background.

Prunes in Armagnac made, cake made, rearrangements done and the house clean, it was time for a cup of tea.

With a promise of a slice of cake, Husband Jim decided to have afternoon tea

With a freshly baked cake as tea food, Husband Jim joined me this afternoon.    (He doesn't always!)
And since the heat has returned to the prairie -- no porch nor garden but the breakfast room where we can watch the antics of the birds who have returned to the feeders.      We've not seen the hawk since yesterday afternoon -- perhaps he's returned to his home!

Real cups and saucers, a teapot for the tea and a pedestal for the cake -- even though it was "just us"!

It's a Blue Italian kind of day -- cake plates, cups and saucers and tea pot.     Even the dried hydrangeas are in a Blue Italian pitcher!

The cake is easy but it is a European cake so it's more rich than sweet.    But we like that kind of cake with tea.    It seems to go better with tea (or coffee) , we think, than layer cakes with lots of buttercream!

Mrs. Patrick's Swedish Cake

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 c. flour

1 T. cardamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat eggs with the sugar.     Add melted butter, flour and cardamon.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch round cake tin.

Bake for 40 minutes.    Check cake.    When it is light brown, turn off oven and let cake cool in oven.

Cut in wedges and serve.

It's Tuesday and I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Tabletop Tuesday and I'm joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday.