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I f it wasn’t for Justine I probably wouldn’t have assembled all these recipes. My granddaughter asked me to compile my favorites when she decided to open the Victorian Tea Room. Needless to say, I was honored by her request.

As any grandmother does, I cherish my grandchildren. However there’s a unique bond between my only granddaughter and me. Tragedy struck Justine’s life early when her twin brother, Jordan, drowned. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Jordan’s death changed her life forever. It affected all of us, but it touched her more deeply than anyone else. That stands to reason, of course, since they were so close—and because she was with him when it happened.

I didn’t mean to start this chapter with such sad thoughts, especially since my granddaughter’s experienced so many positive changes in the past few years. The day she married Seth Gunderson was surely one of the happiest of her life—her mother’s and mine, too.

Justine and Seth are well suited and have a solid marriage. I don’t mean to suggest that everything’s gone smoothly for them because I know it hasn’t. But they’ve worked out their problems, some of them caused (deliberately caused!) by a former boyfriend of Justine’s.

The tea room has replaced The Lighthouse, the restaurant Seth and Justine used to own and which they lost to arson. They’d worked long and hard to make it the success it quickly became. There are other restaurants in town (even if they aren’t quite as elegant as the Lighthouse) but the tea room is one of a kind. The moment she mentioned it, I knew this was exactly what Cedar Cove needed. And now the Victorian Tea Room is thriving.

I hate to say it, but the Lighthouse was perhaps too successful, and I suspect that contributed to their marital woes. Justine’s hours are a lot more reasonable these days, which is a good thing, considering that they have a family (which is about to grow in size).

Justine took my advice about the menu and has included a selection of savory dishes, like a delicious Broccoli Quiche with Ham and Gruyere, and desserts as well. The Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies are Sheriff Troy Davis’s all-time favorite. His late wife, Sandy (God rest her soul), gave me that recipe years ago. Justine has much to thank Sheriff Davis for, and I believe she put these cookies on the afternoon tea menu specifically as a tribute to him.

And then there’s the Pumpkin Tea Cake, which I promise will melt in your mouth. You won’t be surprised to learn that this recipe’s from Peggy Beldon who serves it at the B & B she and her husband run. I’m sure her secret is the pumpkins she grows in her huge garden. I’ve never gone to the trouble Peggy does; I use canned pumpkin instead and in my humble opinion it’s almost as good.