Tea Times

The tea table fascinates me. There is a new tea party on it every week! It is hard to refrain myself from snapping a photo of it each time it is ready for the next one.

In the above instance, several different items were brought to add to the tea table by the guests (like a pot-luck). Transferring the pre-cut vegetables from a grocery-store plastic container, to a pretty dish, makes it seem like it was a planned part of the menu. Home-canned pears and peaches were put in pretty glass dishes, and the sliced cheese was set on a small pedestal dish. My first (and perhaps last) Ballymaloe chocolate almond cake is hiding back there somewhere.

Find pretty glass dishes on pedestals at the thrift store; if you are lucky you may even find another tea-cup to add to your collection while you are there. Serving ordinary things in extra-special looking dishes takes them out of the "every-day" realm into your Tea Party realm!

Above: An Almond-encrusted Welsh cake was sweetened with dried fruits, not sugar, for a diabetic guest.


Sometimes the tea table is full of a large variety of tasty treats; sometimes it is a very simple affair.

Here we had a birthday tea party with just one tea treat-- a cake!

But the cake was so good, why would we need anything else?


Kitchen Tip:

When you cut up veggies for a platter such as above, as long as you are standing there washing, peeling and cutting, make a LOT. Then use the extra as a delicious fajita-style dinner in the evening.

With chicken (thinly sliced- try to sear it) and onions, stir-fry the cut up carrots, bell peppers & broccoli (cut in thin slices).  Cauli is good too! Add spices according to your liking, and serve in warm tortillas & sprinkle with cheese. When you have most of your veggies sliced up far ahead of time, it makes dinner a whole lot easier!

Sometimes I slice up veggies and make a dip for a light family lunch. Adding sliced sausage & cheese makes it quite filling.