Tea

I have been a fan of tea for quite a while. I have a lovely wooden box to hold my assortment of tea bags. I have loose teas in tins, assorted infusers, spoons, and of course, pretty china cups and saucers. With my daughters and friends I have hosted several tea parties. We have them for Valentine's Day, the Royal Wedding, or for no special reason at all. We usually dress up, hats included! Why? Because it's more fun that way! I usually make several different types of tea sandwiches. I buy the Pepperidge Farm very thin white bread. I fill the sandwiches with tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, cucumber and a thin layer of cream cheese, or watercress. The crusts are removed and I usually cut the sandwiches into quarters, making little triangles. They taste better that way! Along with the sandwiches I may serve quiche or cream of crab soup. Scones, muffins or mini muffins, assorted pretty cookies, grapes, chocolate covered strawberries, or whatever strikes my fancy can also be found at our tea parties. I have two 3 tiered stands that I use to hold our treats. I bought them both at Target. One is stainless, so looks like silver without the price or bother. The other is wrought iron, so rustic looking, and great for a fall themed tea. My favorite tea parties are the ones we have on Valentine's Day. No girl should have to go without a special celebration just because she doesn't have a beau! We celebrate ourselves!

In England and Ireland I think we drank as much coffee as we did tea. We also developed a shortbread addiction, which I had a heck of a time breaking once I was home!

Since I have been home from my trip I have been having an evening cup of Earl Grey instead of my usual coffee. I find it relaxes me and I sleep better. (sleep is a huge issue of mine!) Now that summer is here and the girls will be out of school in a couple of weeks I will start planning a summer themed tea party. I want to make a refreshing summer fruit salad and find a nice selection of fruit flavored teas. The girls will help decorate our table and we'll dine under the shade of the large oak. I can hardly wait!