Gourmet Tea Party Food Menu for Afternoon Tea Time

Betty Lynch lives in East Texas with her best friend and husband Doyle. Betty learned the art of cooking at a very early age by her mother's side in the kitchen. She is an avid recipe collector and has many in her collection that date back to the 1900's. She loves to have family and friends around her table for a home-cooked meal. Her motto is that no one leaves her table hungry.

Betty and her husband Doyle love to cook together in the kitchen and at the grill. As Doyle grills, Betty prepares the veggies, salads and side dishes. This time spent together has brought much joy to their lives and drawn them closer together.

Spring Tea Parties are so Refreshing!

Nothing says refreshing better than fresh strawberries. I love strawberries! They will make for a wonderful addition to your tea party menu. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are everyone’s favorite. Dip your strawberries in melted white or milk chocolate and let rest on wax paper until chocolate has harden. If you have a small chocolate fountain at your tea party, your guests will enjoy dipping the strawberries.

Meringue cookies will become your guests favorite cookie. They need lots of love and patients when you are making them, just like angel food cake. Enjoy the process of making your meringue cookies, and then experiment with different flavors. Your loving touch will make these cookies a delight.

Strawberry Meringue Cookies

1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon strawberry extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 215 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites, 1 teaspoon strawberry extract, and cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy. With mixer running, add powdered sugar in tablespoon increments. Add food coloring and continuing beating until stiff peak form. (Careful not to over beat.)

Transfer mixture to a pastry bag or large zip-top bag fitted with large round tip. Pipe into 2-inch spirals on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating once. Turn off oven and open door. With meringues still inside oven, let dry out for 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove parchment paper from baking sheet and let meringues cool completely.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sandra Justice opened her bakery for business in 1989. Her products include cookies, cookie and bakery mixes, jams, jellies and fruit butters, candies, wedding cakes, pasta sauce, breads, photo/logo cookies and gift baskets and boxes. She is also now making jams, jellies and fruit butters made with Splenda.
Sandra sells both retail and wholesale and is are now going to the East Hills Farmer's Market. She ships throughout the United States and to our troops overseas. She delivers her wedding cakes for free within a 40-mile radius of Oregon, MO. All products are baked fresh and never frozen!

Let's Have A Tea Party!

Hello everyone! My name is Gloria D'Eliso Mount from the greater Los Angeles area. My two daughters and I are the owners of "My Little Taste Of Italy." Liz, my youngest daughter and I live in the same city and we do the baking. My oldest daughte, Chris, lives in Colorado and she is our "walking, talking, working, supporter of the family bakery.

We formed "My Little Taste Of Italy" following a "roots" trip to Italy several years ago and came home with a passion to continue our wonderful heritage of great Italian cakes and cookies. We are very proud of our baked goods and enjoy bringing those wonderful tastes to our Customers.

We will be returning each month with a new Tea Party theme for you to arrange for your family, girlfriends, neighbors, church group, etc.

We've noticed the price of Tea Party, although elegant, are very expensive and not everyone can indulge in them, but, with a little planning, you can thrill your Tea Party friends with your own great Tea Party!

Is it really May!!!!!

Friendship Garden Tea Party

This month, we are pulling out all the stops for flowers!!

Do you remember at Christmas time, the "Cookie-Exchange Partys"?

Well, how about a "Flower-Pot-Exchange" Tea Party!

Ask all your tea-party guests to bring a potted plant to exchange with the other tea party gals. It can be a vegetable plant, flowering pots, snips from your own garden, even a fruit tree would be special.

For example if you have 6 guests, each one would bring 6 potted plants for the exchange. Then each guest will be going home with 6 new and different plants for their garden.

For your Tea-Party menu, use the colors of our "earth" and match them to desserts and little sandwiches...browns, terra-cotta, moss green, pink and white flower blossoms.

For the Center Piece, it just has to be the "Dirt Cake" with gummy worms hanging all over the pot and on to the table. Check out any receipe website for the "Dirt Cake". There are other cute "gummy" creatures to crawl all over your table!! Shhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell the kiddies or they will crash your party!

You can add small garden pails, miniture gardening tools, garden sprinkle pails and flowering gardening gloves, too.

For your teas, think about Rose Hips, Lemon, Mint, etc. And there is something special about using sugar cubes; you just seem to feel a little more fancy-smancy!!

Let your friendships truly bloom!!

Wishing you and your guests a wonderful afternoon of tea!!

I'll be back next month!!