A bond between sisters with so much in common brought about the sweetest things, The Sweetest Things Tea Room, that is.

Sisters, Sherrol Troupe Gideon and Vivian Troupe Jefferson, both Athens natives, opened a tearoom on North Jefferson Street in Athens in May.

“Since I’ve opened this business I have met the nicest people. Getting to meet so many different people from so many walks of life is what’s neat to me, and the fact that I’m doing something that I love,” said Gideon.

People from all over the United States, from California, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and even Hawaii, have visited the Victorian-themed tearoom. The sisters keep a visitors’ guest registry on a table in the shop.

Tea drinkers from as far away as Romania have even been enticed by the Athens tearoom.

“I love tea, I love baking, I like things that are really dainty, so that’s why I chose a tea room,” said Gideon.

When they were young girls, she and her sister would try to imitate their mother with miniature tea sets and an easy bake oven, she said.

“My mother’s a wonderful cook. I used to stand in the kitchen with her, on a chair, and she would show us how to make different things,” said Gideon.

The sisters have taken their own recipes and mixed them with several family recipes passed down through the generations to offer not only tea, but elegant homemade dishes, such as chicken crepes, sandwiches, quiche, tuna salad, chicken salad, loaded potato salad, and various cakes and pies.

“We try to give our guests a unique dining experience, something they don’t get everyday,” said Gideon.

She said there have been various guest comments on how relaxing the tearoom is.

Soft instrumental music plays in the back ground as guests dine on tables adorned with flowers and dollies. One guest commented as she left feeling that she felt like she had just been at the spa.

“A lot of guests say they don’t like going to larger restaurants because of the noise. Here you can sit, relax and enjoy your food without all the noise,” said Gideon.

She said that she and her sister try to offer a tearoom that provides a unique experience through the hospitality and thoughtfulness guests receive.

The sisters not only keep a guest registry but also keep a prayer journal for their guests.

Gideon and Jefferson said that they get to hear so many people’s stories while sharing their own and the journal is their way to give back.

“We put their names in our prayer journal and we lift them up in prayer. I know the things that I’ve went through in my life and the miracles that I’ve seen, and I know it’s been because of prayer,” said Gideon.

They can relate to both difficult and joyous times since both sisters have husbands who are in the military and are stationed out of state. Larry, Jefferson’s husband is stationed with the Navy in King’s Bay in St. Mary’s, Ga., and Ronnie, Gideon’s husband, is stationed with the Army in Fort Lee, Va.

“We’re in the air a lot visiting them, but when their not fighting for the country, they’re here busing tables and pouring tea,” said Jefferson laughing.

These are some of the sisters’ favorite recipes:



Apricot (or Peach) Chicken



Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise)

seasoned salt

pepper

1-21 ounce can apricot (peach) pie filling

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

rice, cooked



Directions:

Arrange chicken in Dutch oven, sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine pie filling, lemon juice, peach or apricot nectar, the 1/2 tsp salt and nutmeg. Pour over chicken pieces. Add about 3/4 cup of water. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Arrange chicken on rice, spoon sauce mixture on top. Garnish with apricots or fresh peach wedges.



Butternut frosting



Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine or butter

8-oz. cream cheese

1 tbsp. butternut flavoring

1 box confectioner’s sugar

1 cup pecans, chopped



Directions:

Cream margarine or butter and cream cheese. Add butternut flavoring. Gradually add sugar and blend. Add pecans and mix well.



Butternut Cake



Ingredients:

1 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. butternut flavoring

3 eggs



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Allow ingredients to reach room temperature. Cream margarine and sugar. Mix soda, salt and milk together. Add milk mixture alternately with flour to creamed margarine and sugar, mixing after each addition. Add butternut flavoring and eggs; mix well. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool and frost with butternut frosting.



Strawberry Pie



1-9 inch pie shell,

baked and cooled

1 quart strawberries, rinsed

and hulled

1 cup cream, whipped

1 tbsp. cornstarch

3/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice



Reserve one cup berries for the glaze. Use the remaining berries to line the pie shell, arranging them with pointed ends up. In a saucepan, bring the reserved berries and water to a simmer and cook for three or four minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine the cornstarch and sugar (sifting helps remove any lumps) and add to the berries. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup is thick and clear. Add the lemon juice and stir well.

Cool slightly and pour over the berries in the pastry shell. Chill thoroughly and serve with whipped cream.