It's cloudy and rainy today. A very light rain. The perfect day for a cup of tea and reading! I have green tea in my Blue Willow teacup by Churchill. I think my mother started this Blue Willow set when it was sold in the grocery store. Remember those days? Remember the days when you bought laundry detergent to get the glass bowl inside? Or the tea towel? Aging myself!!! I have lots of books to pick from, but I decided to start my reading with the March 2012 Southern Living Magazine, especially when I saw this article: "The New Ladies Lunch": with the pretty rose teacup. "Inspired by the South's most beloved department store restaurants, we developed a classic lunch-with-the-girls menu, complete with tea sandwiches, chicken salad, and hold on to your napkin, honey -- the dessert cart." What memories this article brought to mind! It mentions the dining room of Dallas' flagship Neiman Marcus, that was built in the 1940's. I remember my grandmother and my aunt taking me to lunch there. We had to dress to go downtown ... hat, gloves, the whole works. I had the pimento cheese sandwich. I can almost taste it! The article includes the recipe for Neiman Marcus Cheddar Cheese Biscuits and I'm sharing it with you today. Makes: about 2 1/2 dozen Hands-on Time: 20 min Total Time: 1 hr, 40 min. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup (4 oz) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar-cheese 1 cup buttermilk Parchment paper 1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas and dough is crumbly: stir in cheese. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. 2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 to 4 times. Place dough in a bowl; cover and chill 1 hour. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll dough to i-inch thickness, cut with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. 4. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Note: Unbaked biscuits may be frozen up to 1 month. Bake frozen biscuits as directed for 26 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. This article also includes recipes for Tomato-Basil Bisque, Tarragon Chicken Salad, Cranberry-Strawberry Salad; Tea Sandwiches like Ham Salad, Curried Shrimp, Cucumber and Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Pecan, Orange and Cranberry, Egg Salad. There's a recipe for Caramelized Onion Quiche and last, the dessert cart that includes: Banana Pudding Cheesecake, Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla-Buttermilk Tarts, Chocolate-Espresso Pots De Creme. And, did I mention the photos are lovely?!!! Well done Southern Living! A big thank you to our tea party hosts: Tea Time Tuesday Friends Sharing Tea Tea Party Tuesday Teacup Tuesday A Return to Loveliness Tuesday Cuppa Tea Wishing YOU well, a JOY filled week and a Wonderful cup of tea!