Hospitali-tea

About a year ago a Hospitality Committee was officially formed at my church.   Beth, whose husband was our Worship Pastor, was our youngest member - her youthfulness clearly identifies her in the photo.  Her husband's recent resignation meant she would no longer be a part of our committee.  

Tea is known as the universal gesture of hospitality, so there could be no better way of saying thanks to Beth, and the other ladies as well, than a tea party.

It was held in my home this past Saturday, February 25th. 

The Committee

My tablescape for the occasion was red, white and blue since we celebrated President's Day earlier in the week.   Our presidents are honored for serving their country, and these ladies are honored for serving their church!

These items produced...

This dessert - triple chocolate miniature Bundt cakes.

The dessert was the first item on the menu to be determined and prepared.  They're a bit putsy, so required a little more prep time.

With the tablescape and dessert determined I moved on to  putting the rest of the menu together.

Scones with dried cherries, cherry preserves and mock Devonshire cream.

[You may have to click  on the photo to enlarge it for a better peek at the scones.]

Zuppa Stracciatella

[Very similar to Italian Wedding Soup without the tiny meatballs.]

Mandarin & Dried Cherry Salad with Asian Sesame, Ginger & Soy Dressing

Party Quiches with Steamed Broccoli

This was a new recipe and everyone liked it.   Since some of the ladies requested the recipe, I decided to share it in this post.   The original recipe called for using miniature muffin pans, but I opted to use a jumbo muffin pan instead since there were no other savories.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/2 cup finely diced ham [or 1/2 lb. bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled]

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup pancake mix

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Sauté onion in butter until tender.  Remove from heat and mix in diced ham.  Combine eggs, pancake mix, half-and-half, salt and pepper.  Stir well.  Add in onions, ham and shredded cheese.  Grease muffin tins.  Pour mixture evenly into muffin pans.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until tops are golden.   Remove from tins.  Serve while still warm.   [Or reheat briefly in microwave.]   Yield:  6 jumbo party quiches

We drank bottomless cups of Harney & Sons Cranberry Autumn Tea - a blend that combines black teas from China and India with dried cranberries, oranges and cranberry flavoring.  So good!

What a delightful afternoon we spent together.   Thanks ladies for your invaluable help on the committee, and Godspeed to you, Beth, on this new chapter in your's and R.J.'s life!