A spot of tea?

Last Friday was the monthly tea party for the granddaughters. A few of them decided to get all cleaned up the day before. What better way to bathe than in a metal tub?
Scrubba-dubba-dub; three girls in tub! How much fun is that?

The food, all but the "clotted cream," was prepared the day before. But I still worked from 5 a.m. till 10 a.m.the day of the party. We had a very special day planned. It was so much fun!

Our tea party was a brunch and tea, planned especially for the girls to honor their mothers. We went to extra effort to make it a very posh affair. Well, the girls all thought it was. Outdoors in the garden, fresh cut flowers, linens and china. (Don't tell anyone, but we used plastic ware. I know, it was a bit tacky.)

This is my very favorite china--Portmerion Botanic Garden. It works in a garden, that's for sure!

This was a birthday gift from a sweet friend.

My daughter and I bought the milk glass vase at a garage sale for $3. And the little wire tea pot also came from a garage sale for $3. That's one of my favorite new finds!

Another table decoration. This milk glass vase, a slightly smaller one, was at the same sale for $2. Pretty good, huh!

And the fun begins! Egg casserole, fresh fruit, and scones cut with a heart shaped cookie cutter.
(Suggestion made by Linda from Prairie Flower Farm. See my side bar for her blog site.) And I must not forget the clotted cream!

As we enjoyed our tea, each of the girls honored her mom by telling her something that they appreciate about her. One of them said that she appreciates her mom sacrificing her time to home school her and her siblings. Another said, "I appreciate my mama because she cooks good meals for us." Another said that her mom takes them places and does things with them.

I think that everyone had a good time and a full belly.

I thought you might like the recipes from the tea party fare:

Egg and Cheese Casserole

4 c. frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
3 T. butter, melted
1 1/4 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 cups milk or 1/2 and 1/2
1 t. salt

Place hash browns in 9" pie plate and pat with paper towel to dry. Pour melted butter over hash browns. Bake in 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle cheese into the crust. Combine beaten eggs, milk and salt. Pour over cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (I have to cook mine a little longer than the recipe calls for.) Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Scones

3 c. all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1/2 c. sugar
5 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. butter
1 beaten egg
1 c. milk or 1/2 and 1/2

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet. Combine the first four ingredients. (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer and it works well.) Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg combined with milk. Place on floured board and knead lightly. Roll out 1/2 " thick and cut in triangles, rounds or shapes. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with clotted cream and preserves.

"Clotted Cream"

True clotted cream takes many hours in the oven at a low temperature to make, so I did a variation of clotted cream that worked quite well.

1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. sour cream

Whip the whipping cream until quite thick. Stir in sour cream until well blended. Serve with scones and preserves.

Have a tea party with someone you love. It's a wonderful experience! May the Lord bless you and keep you.


I'm linking to:

A Silken Purse
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A Stroll Thru Life
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Lady Katherine Tea Parlor
http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words
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