As most of our readers know, Rose and I wrote a book about afternoon tea, Sharing Tea: The Road Back to Civilization. Writing this book with Rose was incredibly rewarding and downright fun. We talked and wrote about tea endlessly, visited tea shops together and with other friends, tried many recipes, gave large and small afternoon tea parties, and learned about tea traditions of different cultures. It was a true labor of love. When our book was done, we still wanted to share the world of tea with each other and like-minded friends so we started our blogs, Tea and Travels by Rose and Cakes and Tea by Kathleen. It has now been ten years, wow!
Though we will always l0ve and adore afternoon tea, both Rose and I have many other interests and projects going on all the time. Rose’s real job is poet, and I am heading towards more time in the studio. But we will both be checking in with news and recipes, and the website will be up and running smoothly, after its refresh is all finished.
The first exciting news for 2026 is that the Murdock/Higashi/Pedulla families are having an art show of patriarch Patrick Murdock’s paintings in June! His artwork was chosen to hang at the Milpitas Library, from June 25 to August 20, 2026. The opening reception is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 27th. We will be posting details at the website, as it gets closer to the opening. The show will consist of his later paintings, which he made in and around his Carnegie Drive house, so the show is titled, “On Carnegie Drive.” Here is a small sample of his paintings:
Above: A family favorite painting of my grandmother, Betty Murdock, sitting in her usual spot on the sofa, in front of a colorful tree. I titled it, Lady on the Sofa. Pat did not title most of his work, so I have given descriptive names for reference.
Above: Patio Fence and below, Gray House with Blossoming Tree
Above: Red Fence and below, Lavender House
Now is the part where I get to sit in front of the computer and revisit the ten years’ worth of my Cakes & Tea blog, asking myself what have I learned and what did I pass along to readers? If they so choose, readers can ponder the latter, but I will try to answer the former. I found connection not only with readers and collaborators, but in continuity of the old recipes into new, and how much I enjoyed seeing the research enrich the more familiar things I think about. I do like to tell stories and make lists, and I am so glad that our dear readers have put up with the ramblings.
And so many recipes! I was going to count all the cake, pie, cookie, and fancy recipes I wrote and baked, but I decided not to do math. It was more fun to just reread recipes and look at the photos and sort of drift around in blog land. I did choose a few noteworthy recipes you may want to bookmark. Some are basics and some are showstoppers. Some are nuts and bolts recipes that are just good to have in your back pocket. Do not forget that there are many free basic afternoon tea recipes on the website, too.
Part of the fun of sending the blogs out to readers every month was reading the comments or having friends tell me how much they liked different recipes or stories. I would like to thank our cousin Marny and my dear friend Merlina for being such steadfast readers all these years. Your lovely comments kept me going when I wasn’t sure if anyone was reading at all. To Team Savory’s Kristin and sister baker Suzi, it would not have been half the fun without your help and encouragement.
A wonderful team at one of the big afternoon tea events, thank you!
Recipes You May Want to Keep
Soups for Cold Weather January 2025
Raspberry Flan Bundt Cake May 2023
Chicken Stock January 2018
Two Brownie Recipes, Chocolate Wafers, & Pinwheels September 2021
Grilled Sangria June 2024
French Bread Custard April 2018
Lemon Mousse Filling for Cakes May 2022
Two Favorite Chocolate Cakes March 2018
Clotted Cream August 2019
Rugelach December 2023
White Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Pie Crust, & Small Brownie Recipe February 2023
Ivy Lane Carrot Cake June 2019
Poached Pear Parfaits January 2022
One of my favorite parts of looking back at all these blogs is the photographs. I learned so much about food photography, setting up backgrounds, and staging dishes to look their best. And lighting, oh, yes, there is so much to learn about lighting.
I will leave you with this passage from our book: Sharing Tea: The Road Back to Civilization reflects Kathleen and Rose’s lifetime commitment to living lives of creative expression in harmony with the land and the changing seasons. We were raised in a family that treasures tradition, looks to our ancestors for inspiration and embraces diversity and change with optimism. Afternoon Tea has a deep and enduring meaning for us as a way of offering hospitality, living creatively, and expressing gratitude and affection for the gifts we have been given and the people we love.
Thank you for joining our tea journey!
