Tea With Two Friends

I mentioned in a post last week that I was having two ladies for a tea luncheon this week, and was debating whether to use a black and gold tablescape, or a fall tablescape. After I established the menu, I opted for the fall tablescape because it coordinated best.

The luncheon was yesterday.  [It wasn't an Afternoon Tea because of the menu.]  My guests arrived at 1:00 o'clock.  

When 'Tea by Three' was formed in 2000 there were three partners, hence the name of the business. In the beginning they coordinated and catered tea parties, but then Cheryl began hosting outdoor tea parties in her beautiful garden and 'Teacup Cottage' [miniature playhouse pictured below].

Eventually she built a lovely sun porch across the back of her house overlooking the garden, and it became a by reservation only tearoom where she was the sole proprietor. I began helping at the tearoom in 2004 [after I retired from my church secretarial job], and helped until 2008. Stormy, one of Cheryl's original partners, also helped and I got to know her too. Cheryl closed her business in 2014, and I've been talking about having the two ladies over for quite awhile, and it finally happened!

~ The Tablescape ~

I piped herb butter into glass leaf-shaped votive candle holders [from the $ store] at each individual place setting. 

Small glass turkey covered dishes [purchased at JoAnn Fabrics a couple years ago] held homemade cranberry sauce.

We began with a toast of sparkling cider, and I served two teas throughout the meal - Pumpkin Spice and Snowflake [both black teas].  I made savory scones with cheddar cheese, bacon and dill served with herb butter.  The soup was Minnesota Wild Rice, and the salad was Oriental Broccoli Cabbage Slaw.

The main entree was Creamy Pumpkin Pasta served in a Pumpkin.  Instead of topping it with puff pastry as I've done in the past,  I used crushed, buttered Ritz crackers yesterday.

Dessert was a new recipe I tried - Spice Apple Cake made in the Crock Pot topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce.  It was so good and so easy.  The recipe is definitely a keeper.

We sat around the table and visited for about three hours, and spent a wonderful afternoon catching up.  As fellow blogger Sandi from Prince Edward Island said, "Nothing better than sipping tea with friends!"

With Thanksgiving just nine days away, my attention will now turn to planning a menu for that special day.

A Tea Luncheon for Friends

Today I had the pleasure of having three friends over for a tea luncheon. There's nothing I enjoy more than sharing my table with friends.

"A friend is a gift you give yourself."

~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

I set my table the night before with a set of Limoges china that I purchased over a year ago, but this is the first time I've used it.  With the living room renovation I'm just now getting back into entertaining again.

I love the delicate pink rose garland on the china.   The pattern is Old Abbey.

The teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, chocolate pot and cups are what sold me on the set.  I wish I knew a little bit about the lady who owned it before me, and the tea parties she might have hosted with it.

The meal began with cold peach soup, and a coconut scone with mock clotted cream.   The tea I served was Bohemian Raspberry Green Tea.  To clarifiy, that dark spot in the middle of the soup is a blueberry.   I need to tweak the garnish the next time I serve it. ;-) No complaints on the taste of the soup, however.  Michigan peaches are in right now and they're so sweet and juicy.

My main entree was non-traditional tea fare - carbonara and carrot salad.  I got the carbonara recipe at a cooking class I took back in 1981, and my family loves it.  I tweaked the technique a little bit for the luncheon.

Dessert was individual triple chocolate bundt cakes [a chocolate cake mix with chocolate pudding and semi-sweet chocolate chips added].  

Better than the food was the fellowship around the table!  Thanks for being my friend, Lori, Linda, and Barb!

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Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

and Bernideen's Tea Time Blog for Tea in the Garden