Was I ever surprised recently when my "live-in gardener" (husband)
said he wanted to do a tea party for 3 guy friends.
He was pretty sure none of them had been to a tea party,
which was true.
As he prepared I had to smile because I could see he had learned
a thing or two from watching me in the past.
He planned, he made a menu, and he shopped for the food.
He set the table and picked a bouquet from the garden.
He also wanted to show off his completed gardenhouse,
or should I say most often his "man cave".
The day finally arrived and he began preparing.
The teapots and cups were set out for his guests.
He served a Tulsi for himself, Baozhong Oolong with the sandwiches,
and Alishan Black with dessert.
None of the guys were tea drinkers,
so the teapots didn't empty as quickly as at some tea parties.
They did enjoy a bit of a taste though.
This is abit blurry, but his first course was gazpacho.
He even embellished with a basil leaf, very cute.
They thoroughly enjoyed the food and conversation.
There were sausage rolls.
Egg salad sandwiches on whole grain bread.
He thought to be more manly he would leave the crust on
and serve half sized sandwiches.
Reviewing after the party he said if he did it again
he would cut them in quarters.
Then there was roast beef with caramelized onions
and a horseradish spread on rye bread.
There was dessert too, but by then I was off to the market
and didn't get pictures.
He made brownies and lemon curd tarts.
The tarts were an extra addition because I happened to have
the tart shells already made and in the freezer.
Never the less, he was thrilled.
His guests were impressed.
And they all enjoyed the day so much they visited out under the
tree for 5 hours.
So there you have it,
