Yay! The New Orleans Saints won, so it was only appropriate that we had regionally-inspired food for my aunt’s Super Bowl party. Of the twenty to thirty people there, only four were Colts supporters, but it was an exciting game and a great party. Here is what we had:

• Salsa with chips
• Shrimp Gumbo with rice
• Chicken wings (various flavors)
• Strawberry salad with a home made vinaigrette dressing
• Deviled eggs
• Butterscotch pound cake
• Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
• Beer, wine, soft drinks

So, on to the menu.

The Church Women met yesterday after service to decide on the food, and who will bring what. After a short discussion of the virtues of Costco vs. the virtues of Sams Club, we decided on the following menu:

• Tea, with lemon
• Cake (we begged Mary to make sure it was a delicious one!)
• meatballs
• chicken drummettes
• Mary’s asparagus roll-ups
• cheese, crackers
• fruit
• Cynthia’s famous devilled eggs

Guess what I am assigned to bring? That’s right…cheese and crackers. I intend, however to bring the most delicious cheese and the fanciest crackers I can find. This is going to be a challenge, since I don’t really care for cheese, but I have a couple of sons and a husband who love cheese. They don’t know it yet, but they are my secret weapons!

I plan to get Mary to part with her asparagus roll-ups recipe, and share it here with you. Here is a recipe I found for asparagus roll-ups. We can compare this one with Mary’s, and after the event, I will let you know how they taste. (I adore asparagus!)

I am certain that “a good time will be had by all.”

Somehow my husband’s golf buddies and their spouses have gotten the idea that I can’t, or won’t, cook, so when they planned their end of summer pot luck card party, I was invited to bring a dip and some chips. I did not know about the reputation that has preceded me, so I immediately thought about making my favorite spicy fruit salsa.

My daughter has a recipe for a multi-fruit salsa that is to die for. My own recipe for cranberry salsa is a favorite every Christmas (it is great on ham), and this mango salsa is refreshing with chips on a late summer afternoon in North Carolina. I am really looking forward to this card party to celebrate the last weekend of the summer. I will be sure to make note of what was on the menu and share with you, dear readers (wherever you are.) For now, here are our favorite family salsa recipes.

Jaymi’s Spicy Fruit Salsa:

• 5 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 1 pint of blackberries, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium tart apples, diced finely
• 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 diced Jalapeño peppers
• 1 tablespoon of hot sauce (not Tabasco!)
• 7 oz. can of green salsa
• 1/3 cup lime juice

Mix all ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips or with ham, pork or chicken. You can refrigerate this salsa for up to a week. The next day, the salsa will be much spicier!

Lynn’s Christmas Cranberry Salsa:

• 2 8 oz. bags of fresh cranberries, chopped in the food processor
• 1 Navel orange chopped in the food processor, peel and all
• 1 small red onion
• 3 or 4 fresh Jalapeño peppers (use fewer if you like your salsa milder), chopped in the food processor
• 1 cup white sugar

Mix ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips, or as a side dish with ham or poultry. This salsa can be frozen. The longer it sits, however, the hotter it gets. I like to use it the second day.

Family Tangy Mango Salsa:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 Jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (we remove the seeds, because Mom is allergic to them)
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips, or as a side dish for fish or poultry. Remember, the longer it sits, the hotter it gets.

This is the one I am making for this afternoon’s card party.

my striped journal

Keeping a record of the menus and recipes you have used when entertaining makes future party planning a breeze. I am always looking for ways to use the lovely journals I find in book and stationery stores, and this is a great reason to buy and use a nice journal.

Here’s what I keep in my Menu Diary:

• Date, place, time
• Menu
• Recipes
• Descriptions of the theme, the decorations and favors
• A copy of the written invitation
• A guest list (who I invited and who actually came)
• Lessons learned (what went well, and what NOT to do next time)
• Costs and budget

Once you have recorded several events, you will be able to plan a menu very easily and quickly. You already know how to prepare the food, you know if your guests enjoyed it or not, you have the recipe at hand in case one of your guests asks for it, and you have an idea how much it will cost you. Using this information, you just might find yourself entertaining more often and enjoying it more.

The Steps to Creating a Tea Party Menu

In order for your tea party event to stand out, remember that the central part of your menu is the tea. The food serves as a compliment. It’s amazing how often this is overlooked. For information on the types of tea and how to brew it, see my article, “The Tea Party’s Most Important Ingredient “. This article, on the other hand, will lead you through the process of determining your menu.

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. How many people am I planning for?
2. Will I do all the preparation of the food myself?
3. Can I do all the serving or will I need help?
4. What is my event’s budget?

The traditional menu for a full afternoon tea usually consists of:

• a cup of soup
• piece of quiche
• side salad
• tea sandwiches
• scones
• sweets/bite-size desserts

It is your choice to deviate from the traditional menu. Consider the season, available produce, time of day of your event, how much work you want to do, your guests needs, etc., and customize the above menu accordingly.

What tea do you plan to serve? Tea pairs with and compliments food similar to wine. The following teas are the best choices for an afternoon tea event:

1. Assam
2. Ceylon
3. Darjeeling
4. Green
5. Lapsang Souchong
   
6. Oolongs
7. Yunnan

Here are some specific food pairings that may apply to your menu.

1. Use an Earl Grey or Assam with beef.
2 Use an Oolong or Darjeeling with chicken.
3. Use a Ceylon with vegetables.
4. Use a First Flush Darjeeling or Light, Sweet Green or White Tea with fresh fruit.
5. Use an Assam, Darjeeling, or Oolong with dark chocolate.
6. Use a Dragonwell with milk chocolate.
7. Use a Dragonwell, Darjeeling, Ceylon, or Assam with carrot cake/cheesecake.
8. Use a Darjeeling or Assam with Creme Brulee or caramel.
9. Use a Darjeeling with a dessert of apples/apricots/currants/berries/pie or vanilla.
10. Use a Dragonwell with a Brie cheese.
11. Use a First-Flush Darjeeling with Camembert cheese.
12. Use a Ceylon with cream cheese.

Now obviously, your menu will include more than one flavor of food, and you many only serve one or two teas (I recommend always including a decaf/herbal for your sensitive guests). However, consider a dominant flavor or two and choose a tea based on the above recommendations.

Variety is important to the tea party menu, as well as presentation. This can be accomplished a number of ways, including:
1. The use of edible flowers, either in the food or as a garnish.
2. Drawing from all four food groups.
3. Incorporating color whenever possible.
4. Planning your menu to include a quantity of bite-sized quality foods.

Here are a few tips for each course.
Soup~Soup can be vegetable or fruit-based. It can be served hot or cold. You may choose not to serve it at all. Large soup bowls are not needed, soup for afternoon tea can be served in a variety of vessels. I’ve had soup served at afternoon tea in a dematisse cup on a saucer and a punch cup set on a matching glass party plate. Be creative! The richest tasting soups are often cream-based.

Quiche~Often afternoon tea is served combining the soup, quiche, and salad as the first course. The quiche can be individual-sized or a slice from a pie-sized dish. If you choose to serve quiche and tea sandwiches, consider whether they will both include meat and try not to duplicate (i.e. a ham quiche and ham tea sandwich might be redundant).

Salad~Think seasonal. Consider whether you want it to be grain- or green- or fruit-based. Can it be made ahead? How will its colors compliment the soup and quiche if applicable?

Tea Sandwiches~Tea Sandwiches can be made the day ahead and stored in the refrigerator as long as:
1. Your filling isn’t too soggy
2. They are wrapped well to avoid them drying out.
I usually plan on three different tea sandwiches per guest. Remember tea sandwiches are finger sandwiches, cut in unusual shapes with the crusts cut off. The sandwiches cut better if cold, another reason to refrigerate them the day before. Use cookie cutters for a variety of shapes and different types of bread for a variety of color. Many tea sandwiches are made open-face to aid presentation. The cucumber sandwich is the traditional afternoon tea sandwich and can be made a variety of ways, even without bread! Here’s one of my favorite recipes from “A Year of Teas at the Elmwood Inn” by Bruce and Shelley Richardson:

Cucumbers with Carrots and Chives

1 large cucumber sliced into medium slices
1 3-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Fresh carrot curls
Pieces of leaf lettuce
Combine cream cheese, chives, parsley, and lemon juice. Blend well. Spread a small amount on top of each cucumber slice. Place cucumber slice on a piece of lettuce and top with a carrot curl. This can also be made as an open-faced sandwich on a round of cracked wheat bread and the spread between the bread and the cucumber with the carrot curl on top.

Scones~scones are the traditional English accompaniment to tea. They can be made less sweet and biscuit size, which is the more traditional English way or larger with a variety of flavors which is more American. Scones are usually served with clotted cream, lemon curd, and/or jam. Many people use mock clotted cream because clotted cream can be difficult to find in America. Here’s a recipe. I like to use Creme Fraiche from Trader Joe’s.

Sweets~Often afternoon tea food is served on tiered trays. Always place the sweets on the top. They are almost always the most beautiful to look at. It is customary for a three-tiered tray to include the tea sandwiches on the bottom-tier, the scones in the middle, and the sweets on top. This alone can make up a one-course (served all at once) light afternoon tea. When planning your sweets, consider how you can include non-white flour-based desserts to help with variety. Some ideas include finger-sized tarts, a chocolate truffle, cups of sorbet, and seasonal fresh fruit.

Planning the menu can be a wonderful time to dream and imagine your event. In time, though, be sure to adjust your menu based on the answers to the questions asked at the beginning of this article. It is customary to recommend a practice run of any recipes that are new to you. If you want to serve a full afternoon tea, but need a few shortcuts, here are a few ideas.

1. Purchase the soup ready-made. Many delis, including the deli at the local grocery store, provide wonderful “homemade” soups. I have used Trader Joe’s creamy red pepper boxed soup in a pinch with some chives and sour cream as a garnish.
2. Again, use a deli for your salad. Use bagged lettuce. Grocery stores as well provide many fruits and vegetables already cut up.
3. Talk to your local bakery, for bite-sized dessert or scone options.
4. Decent lemon curd can be purchased jarred, though home-made is superb.
5. Serve dessert as a separate last course instead of multiple bite-sized desserts. Include the a tea sandwich or two with the soup and salad and eliminate the quiche.

Enjoy the process! It’s great fun to plan a party and be creative. It’s important to have help, delegate, and do the part you enjoy the most, so as the hostess, you can enjoy your event to. Please contact Tea Party Girl if you have any questions about your tea party menu that this article didn’t cover. I wish you success!

I invite and encourage you to add your own resource links to our list!

• Author Bruce Richardson explains Tea Terminology
• Author Bruce Richardson tells you how to make a great cup of tea every time.
• Emily Post (1922) has a lovely section on Teas and Other Afternoon Parties on Bartleby.com
• Old Fashioned Living has a great section with lots of menus and themes for tea parties. It also has the recipes for the homemade goodies that are an integral part of hosting a tea party. Old Fashioned Living is a great ladies’ tea party resource!
• The Ladies’ Tea provides good information about how and why we should have our friends over for tea and talk.

The Ladies Tea is a pretty and contemporary website, and it is a wonderful source for information about how to put on a fabulous afternoon tea party for your friends. I read the reason for the site, and immediately signed up for regular updates! (It hasn’t been updated in a while, but I hope she does continue to send out the newsletter.)

Sonja says, “The Ladies Tea is catching on. Ladies are coming together and enjoying the endangered art of unhurried conversation in a relaxed and sophisticated setting.” It is so refreshing to meet with your friends in a non-competitive, non-work, no-drama atmosphere. Sonja tells you exactly how to do it.

There are tips on having your tea party, including the menu, the recipes, the decorations, invitations and how to set out the tea service. In the interactive parts of the site, you can tell your own tea party story and enjoy the stories and lessons of other ladies.

I am also charmed that this is a local North Carolina web site. I hope that in due time, with my assistance, perhaps, Sonja will embrace those of us in the Cape Fear area of the state so we can spread the practice and keep the fun going.

Visit the Ladies Tea and learn how to have a tea party yourself.

I was reading a cute story in one of my cookbooks about a lady who hosted a tea party, and in the southern tradition, served punch and cocktails…but no tea! Her guests from Ireland spent the entire party searching for the tea. Let’s not make that mistake! Serve some tea.

I am not sure it’s necessary to serve HOT tea, especially on a hot, humid southern day. Iced tea might fill the bill. On the other hand, I have heard it said that a hot beverage on a hot day actually makes you feel cooler. I haven’t actually tried that, but maybe it works. Stranger things have happened.

I found this nice page giving a short history of tea-drinking that you might find enlightening: Stash Tea, History of Tea. Stash Tea also offers up lots of tea recipes.

What’s your favorite tea? Mine is Constant Comment…no contest. But I also enjoy a nice stiff cup of Earl Grey, or a nice refreshing Green Tea. Bigelow makes them all, and their website is fun and informative, too. It makes you want to go put on the kettle. Be sure to check out all their tea recipes, while you’re there!

Here is a great little tea blog that gives us a great vegan tea party menu! Thanks, Steph!

Steph’s Cup of Tea

Here’s an invitation for you to tell me what I should research and then write about that you would find useful, interesting and delicious.  Would you like to be a guest blogger? You are certainly welcome to do so…just let me know. Do you have a successful menu you would like to share with others? Again, just let me know.

I have put a Skribit Box in the sidebar to your right. Whenever you put a suggestion in there, I get a little “ding!” on my cell phone…sounds like an idea coming! (And I hope that’s what you will share with me.)

This blog is all about you and me and sharing and being with friends. I know you have great ideas. Let me know.

By the way, I know for a FACT that our Red Hat friends have great menus. After all, that is our major occupation, isn’t it?…Eating?

Menu

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White wine ( I have no idea about wines, except to say that I normally adore anything the Duplin Winery puts out)

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Tomato-Rosemary Tart

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Tossed Green Salad (add some sort of protein, if you like)

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Tropical Fruit Sorbet (mango, papaya, kiwi, passion fruit…or all of the above!)

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