Celebration with Tea

 A couple months ago my favorite cousin called and told me she would be in town for a few days. She said, "I have never had one of your tea parties. Could you have a tea party when I am there?" Wow! What a request! I don't usually think of putting together tea parties when family comes to visit, but this was one special request I couldn't turn down. Now I don't often do the full tea party anymore, but this one I had to do. So yesterday was the day.

Her one sandwich request was egg salad; so on the top tier is egg salad tucked in Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls. The middle tier was Coronation Chicken because you don't go to tea in England without having that one. And the bottom tier was roast beef with caramelized onions and horseradish.

Not pictured on a separate plate was an open face sandwich which is toasted in the oven, a disk of bread with a mixture of cream cheese and chopped green pepper.

And there was also fresh fruit salad, scones with jam and butter, and dried plums.

 

Here is my cousin. She probably would not be thrilled to know I posted her picture, but we won't tell her. When she was a toddler I would carry her on my hip, then she was a bridesmaid in my wedding when she was 13 years old. I am the second oldest of all 26 cousins, so I did do a bit of babysitting. When I go to California it is usually to visit her.

Then these two we call nieces, even though they are second cousins. They both live in Oregon and wanted to spend time with their "aunts". It was a special day. Many family stories were shared. My daughter was also at the tea table, but I didn't get a picture of her as she came after pictures were taken and I forgot to capture her. She would be OK with that. My daughter is on a gluten free/egg free diet; so that was a bit of a challenge. That being said, I am getting better at figuring that out.

Did I say, we were celebrating a couple November birthdays; so there was birthday cake from Whole Foods. It is a favorite of one of the birthday girls and also what my daughter requests for her birthday. My cousin loves Sees chocolates; so there were chocolates and lollipops too.

And because it was a family gathering I served the tea on our grandfather/great-grandfather's china. I know the nieces had never been served on those plates, but my cousin was a young girl the last time she had a meal on those plates. They are Haviland/Limoges violets and daisies. The pattern was once on the china used for the Burlington Railroad.

There were two very different puer teas served. One was light with a floral flavor from QiTea. The other was more aged and black with the addition of peppermint and chocolate nibs from Smith Teamaker.

 

I loved having the opportunity to serve tea to these special ladies. What a treat for me.

 

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Hoping you have special times with special, dear hearts in your planning and days.