July 7, 2010

A Tea Party

Posted in community, Fun, Health, Life, Personal, Recipes tagged Cancer, get-together, girlfriends, party time-line, tea party, tea party menu at 12:09 am by pdxfirefly

Portland Firefly has found an easy fun way to entertain that does not wear her out too much.  I have started having tea parties at my home.  

Tea Table by PDXfirefly

I start out by deciding who I want to attend;  and it is usually a very small group — usually two or three others in addition to myself.  I make sure that the people attending are compatible in some way.   This does not mean that they have to know each other — just invite people who you like that you think would get along with each other and may have a common interest.   

I have a beautiful dining room – very light and airy – with comfortable chairs so I set my dining room table and that is where we have our tea party.  Mine is a little more formal than you need to have it; but that is how I like to entertain ~ comfortably elegant.  I have a  lot of pretty items and it is fun to get them out and use them; they aren’t doing anyone any good sitting in the drawer or cabinet! 

Because of my limited energy levels, I plan my menu several days in advance and I write it down.  I also assemble my serving pieces and get out the dishes and silver that I plan to use. I clean the house several days ahead of time, so all I have to do the night before is to freshen up the place.  Besides we will be doing so much talking that no one will notice a little dust or disorder.  And, if they do, well…. they don’t have to come back again!!!  The big advantage of preparing the house ahead of time is that I have more days to enjoy a clean house!  And for someone with cancer ~ cleaning the house is a big deal, believe me. 

Now what to serve….  I usually serve only one type of tea which I make in the kitchen in my best tea-pot which I then bring to the table and set it on a plate lined with a doily to catch any drips.  The tea that I serve is called Good Earth – caffeine free original.  It has a naturally mild sweet and spicy taste and I have yet to find someone who does not like it.  

I have a tiered serving dish that was a gift a long time ago.  It is perfect for putting tea goodies on.  I usually serve home roasted nuts, fresh berries, dried apricots, dates or hibiscus flowers, a wrapped cheese, fresh made (just an hour ago) scones, chocolate truffles, a vanilla cream filled creation,  cucumber sandwiches, and maybe a special small cookie such as a meringue.  Use your imagination ~ you want to have a variety of textures and colors on you serving tray ~ and make the  items small sizes and easy to eat with your fingers. 

  To accompany the scones, I serve Raspberry Jam, Lemon Curd and butter in separate dishes with their own tiny serving spoons.  If these items are dished out and refrigerated an hour (or more) before your guests arrive, you can set them on the table as you answer the doorbell and they will still be cold at tea time.  You can have your tiered tray of goodies on the table as well or on a nearby table or just around the corner on the kitchen counter.  It should be close  enough so that it will be easy to grab it and set it on the table as your guests seat themselves.  Always reserve the seat closest to the kitchen for yourself! 

  As my guests arrive I have them sit in the living room and when everyone has arrived,  we go to the tea-table.  At that time , I’ll bring in the warm scones and the tea.  I actually have the water all hot well before my guests are scheduled to arrive.  It will stay hot on the stove (with a lid on it) on low temp once it is brought to a boil. I also ‘scald’ my tea-pot.  That means that you put very hot water into the pot to warm it up before you actually add the tea bags and hot water for tea.  It helps to keep your tea hot longer.  You can actually make your tea in the kitchen when your first guest arrives (hopefully your remaining guests will be there soon).  That way, you can all spend more time at the table visiting and enjoying the tea goodies and each others company.  

Because, the whole idea of a tea party is to visit and create time together with your friends. 

Now, this may sound like a lot of work to some of you out there.  But remember, you are doing all of the prep work ahead of time so that you will be refreshed and able to enjoy the time with your friends.  I also like to have several tea parties planned near each other.  Maybe one on Tuesday at 11:00 am and another one on Thursday at 2:00 pm with different friends.  I already have the food and everything is out and ready to use, so it is pretty easy to do it twice.

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