Planning an Afternoon Tea

If you've been around the Yankee-Belle for any length of time, you know that I love tea. But one thing I love more than tea is a tea party where I can gather with friends for lively conversation and some yummy finger foods. 

Not long ago, my friend Debbie (who loves tea as much as I do) and I decided to host an afternoon tea luncheon for the ladies in our Sunday school class. Like I said, tea is a nice respite. A break from our fast-paced lives where we actually take the time to sit down and talk and enjoy the company of others. What better way to get to know each other.

The table was set with plain white plates, crystal goblets and, of course, an array of beautiful tea cups I'd inherited from my grandmother, aunt and mother. But what about the food? 

A traditional afternoon tea consists of three courses, so to speak. Sandwiches and savories, scones and desserts. And with so many yummy things out there to choose from, nailing down that menu can be quite a challenge. We knew we wanted to keep things feeling rather fallish, so we opted for recipes that included things like apples, pumpkin, pecans and cranberries. This is what we ultimately came up with.

Typically, the food is served on three-tiered stands with each course on a different level. But since the only three-tier stand Debbie and I had between us held dessert-size plates and we had twelve ladies to feed, we had to improvise.

While my table was large enough to accommodate all of us, there wasn't a lot of room for the food, so desserts were relegated to the buffet behind the table.

These Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites were amazing. You can find the recipe here.

And Pecan Tassies are always a hit.

Debbie's scones were a feast for the taste buds. The savory apple, cheddar and thyme is on the left, while the sweeter apple ginger scones are on the right.

I think my favorite thing of all, though, was these Cranberry Brie bites.

Brie, cranberry sauce and a sprinkle of chopped pecans all nestled in a Crescent roll cup. Oh, my word, they were amazing. And super easy to make.

Of course, I couldn't let our guest go home empty-handed, so each of them got to take home a little token to remind of them of our time together.

I found this cute little teapot cookie cutter, so I made up a batch of my favorite cut-out cookies (recipe here), then added some simple decorations before tucking each in a cellophane bag and tying it off with some frilly tulle. Easy peasy.

What a fun time we all had. The bond always grows stronger the better you know someone, and this was a delightful way to bring such a sweet group of ladies together and do just that. And when all was said and done, we decided we'd like to do it again. Perhaps in the spring. Oh, just think of all the wonderful food and colorful table settings.

Have you ever thought about hosting an afternoon tea? Perhaps for a bridal shower, baby shower or just friends getting together. What would be on your menu? 

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Fun Fall Party Mix

Missy Tippens

Happy fall! (Although with temps in the high 90's lately, it's difficult to say that and mean it!)

Each month our choir has a get-together after our rehearsal to celebrate that month's birthdays. At our party the other day, they served this wonderful mix! I took photos and decided to share.

I have no idea where the recipe came from (I'm not even sure who made the mix). So I'm doing my best to figure out what all was in it.

Pretzel Gold Fish

Peanuts

Mini peanut butter cups

Mini chocolate chips

Mini peanut butter or butterscotch chips (I wasn't sure which!)

Fall-colored M&M's

Mix together in whatever ratio looks good to you.

We also had pumpkin bread and muffins, salted caramel shortbread bars, pumpkin ice cream, and vanilla ice cream, and toppings to make sundaes. And a little healthier: apple slices and grapes.

It was quite a spread! And the tables were decorated with pumpkins and such. Very cute!

If you need a quick dish for a party, I think this party mix would be simple, fun...and tasty!

www.missytippens.com

Bridal Shower Buffet

It's June and that means wedding madness is upon us. In the last month I've checked one Eagle Court of Honor, one graduation ceremony, a graduation party, a Boy Scout Eagle project, and, finally a bridal shower off of my to-do list. And somewhere in there we also moved my mom to an assisted living and emptied her apartment.

Now I can focus all of my attention on the big event coming up at the end of this month.

But this weekend wasn't just about Dad, Saturday was about the bride-to-be. Her bridal shower, to be exact. I love bridal showers, all us girls getting together, eating girlie food, talking girlie talk. Free to be girls and celebrate one of our own as she prepares to embark on this adventure we call marriage.

Doesn't she look blissfully happy? Actually, she's got a mouthful of bubble gum, like about ten pieces, thanks to a fun shower game.

As I said a few weeks ago, Danielle wants a country chic wedding, so we wanted her shower decorations to reflect that. And Blythe, her maid-of-honor, delivered beautifully.

 

Burlap served as a tablecloth, but the lace runner adds a touch of femininity.

 

And would you look at all that yummy food. Lemon cupcakes, glazed vanilla scones, strawberry spinach salad, quiche.... Do we girls know how to eat or what?

 

My favorite thing on the table had to be the scones. I LOVE scones, but I've only made them from a mix. This time, I made them from scratch and I'm here to tell you, them is some good eatin'. Worth every bit of effort. Alas, there were none left after the shower, but I think I'll whip up another batch just for me. Keep them in the freezer and pull one out when I need a special treat.

 

Oh, who am I kidding. I'll probably make them for the bridal brunch the day of the wedding. However, I may have to tuck a few extras in the freezer just for me.

 

So how do we make these delectable treats?

 

Well, first you're gonna need:

• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 a pound) unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 large egg

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape out all of the "caviar" inside. Truth be told, this is the first time I've ever worked with a vanilla bean. I've seen it on TV, but that's where my experience ends. The first thing I notice was the vanilla bean was stiff. So I was surprised how pliable it actually was.

 

I cut off the ends.

 

Sliced it lengthwise down the middle, then pried the edges apart and scraped the tip of my knife down the middle, the entire length of the bean.

And that "caviar" sticks to everything. The good news is that it comes off easy too. I simply scraped the edge of my knife, very carefully, of course, across my fingers to remove the seeds into my bowl.

 

Keep in mind that this is vanilla in its purest form. So don't be worried if it seems like you don't have a lot. This is all I got from two beans.

Now, add that beautiful "caviar" to the cream and set aside for 15 minutes.

 

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut the cold butter into pats.

Add to the dry ingredients and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs.

Mix the vanilla cream with the egg, then add to flour mixture. Stir with a fork just until it comes together.







 

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until if forms a rough rectangle.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough until the rectangle is approx. 12 by 7 inches and 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick. You can use your hands to help with the forming.

 

Cut the rectangle into 12 sorta-symmetrical rectangles.

 

Next, you'll cut each rectangle diagonally into two triangles. (sorry I forgot to take a pic)

Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden brown.

 

Allow to cool 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the scones are cooling, let's make our glaze. For this you will need:

 

• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup whole milk, more if needed
• 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• dash of salt

 

Split the vanilla bean as before and scrape out the "caviar." Stir the "caviar" into the milk and set aside for 15 minutes.

 

This is where I sift the powdered sugar, while I'm waiting.

 

Mix the powdered sugar and salt with the vanilla milk, adding more sugar or milk if necessary to get the right consistency.

 

Whisk until completely smooth.

 

Dip the cooled scones into the glaze, one at a time. This is where I learned that scones can sometimes be fragile, so, after taking this pic, I used both hands to avoid breaking the scones.



 

Set the glazed scones on a cooling rack to let dry and allow excess to drip off. And there will be excess. I recommend setting the rack atop a baking pan, parchment or waxed paper.

Allow the glaze to set completely before storing.

 

I made these the day before the shower and they were still the moistest, most delectable scones I've ever had.

 

Maybe it's a good thing there weren't any left over:-)

 

I've told you what I'm up to, what's on your agenda this week?

 



 

Party Planning 101

Tex here, and while I still may not be doing a whole lotta cookin', that's about to change. There are par-tays on the horizon. The first is this weekend with my son's graduation party. Next weekend I'm hosting a bridal shower for my daughter. Then there's the big kahuna--the wedding. You know, like the biggest party ever.

First, party planning--at least for a special occasion--takes some thought. Are you kidding me? I don't have time to think these days. But I forced my brain cells into over time.

For the grad party, we're talking some adults and LOTS of kids. And since this grad is a boy, my train of thought went to those carnivore-esque hollow legs. That meant there had to be meat on the menu. Hamburgers? Done it. Sloppy joes? He doesn't like them. Rolling my eyes, I glanced at my smoker.

Ah-ha!

Barbeque!

That's the ticket. I'll smoke several pounds of brisket. You can see how I do that here.

Now if we're having barbeque, then we gots to have at least one traditional side. For me, that would be potato salad. But grad-boy has no sense of taste. He doesn't like potato salad. Mashed potatoes? At every meal. But put 'em in a salad and, well...you get the picture. So I'll rustle up some pinto beans. Which works out better for me anyway. I simply put everything in the pot, and let the stove do all the work while I work on other stuff. Hmm...I would have sworn I shared my bean recipe, but I can't find it anywhere. Guess that's a post for another day.

Aside from all the barbeque fixins--bread, onion, pickles, and jalapenos--we'll round things out with a veggie tray, chips, salsa, maybe some guacamole, and chocolate cupcakes.

A manly meal if I ever saw one.

So now we shift gears to the feminine crowd of a bridal shower. A brunch no less. Do guys even do brunch?

Since the brunch isn't until 11, I thought some people might be more interested in lunch, so I wanted to cover all the bases.

I knew I wanted to make these Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes I saw on a certain Food Network show. And since my daughter's colors include blush and pale yellow, I thought they'd be perfect. But cupcakes don't exactly scream brunch. In reality, they're just calling to me:-)

In the end, the menu rounded out with quiche (not sure which kind yet), a strawberry-spinach salad , vanilla scones, and a fruit tray (with that totally awesome dip that only consists of cream cheese and marshmallow cream. Who knew that those two ingredients mixed together would only make the fruit a formality? Gimme the bowl of dip and a spoon:-). Another one of the hostesses is whipping up some chocolate-raspberry treats that will bring the whole menu together. Yum!

Okay, so I've told you about my party plans, how do you put together a menu for your next shindig? Consider your guests (or guest-of-honor). What do they like or dislike? Any allergies? My son-in-law-to-be is allergic to almonds. There will be no almond paste or almond extract in anything at the wedding.

Now that you have the menu, how do you want to serve? Buffet style (my personal preference) or sit-down meal? Is it casual or do you want things a little more formal? The grad party will definitely be informal--buffet, yes, but with school colors. red and black.

The shower will also be a buffet, but with a shabby-chic aura. Crystal and burlap. Flowers. Tones of yellow and blush.

As always, you want to keep the senses in mind. You want a treat for the eyes, music that fits the mood of the party. For the shabby-chic theme, I might have some bluegrass or dulcimer music playing softly in the background. What are your guests smelling when they walk in the door? Bleach? Roasted garlic? No, you want the fragrance to fit the mood. Whether it's the smell of the food or a candle, make sure the aroma doesn't detract or offend.

You're turn now. What do you think about when you're planning a party? Tell me about the last party you threw.