A Valentine's Tea Luncheon

Last Tuesday [February 4th] I hosted a Valentine's tea luncheon for my girlfriend, Lori, and Raquel, a lady from my church.  I invited others, but one was sick and the other two had prior commitments.  But the three of us had a wonderful afternoon fellowshipping together.  Lori was the photographer, so I have her to thank for all the pictures in this post.  The only downside is she's not in any of the photos.

I used some of the dishes I recently acquired and blogged about, so you will probably recognize them.  Setting a themed tablescape and planning a menu to coordinate is one of my favorite things to do.  In the past, I've made some of the tablescape photos into notecards.

Below is the teapot I bought recently at Marshalls' for $12.99.  I knew at the time I would probably use it as a centerpiece.  I got the flowers at Thrifty Florist and arranged them in the teapot myself.  [Don't critique me - I make no claims to being a floral designer].  Since purchasing the teapot, I've seen it on E-bay ranging from $34.95 to $39.95 plus shipping!!!

Instead of making scones, I opted for Fresh Strawberry Muffins from Tea for All Reasons cookbook.  Usually muffins have a sweet cake-like taste and texture but these actually tasted like scones.  The batter was very stiff, and I probably could have rolled it out on a floured surface.  A friend gifted me with a jar of homemade Strawberry Jam at Christmas so I served it with the muffins in individual vintage salt cellars.

I served Zuppa Stracciatella soup, which is really Italian Wedding Soup minus the tiny meatballs.

It was followed by a Spinach/Strawberry Salad with heart-shaped croutons [made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and sprinkled with garlic salt].  They made a fun presentation.

The main course was a recipe from a former pastor's wife and it's always a crowd pleaser - Chicken & Noodle Casserole with a Ritz Cracker crumb topping.

Dessert was Love-letter Pastry Envelopes with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate Mousse.  I used to tell the young women at church not to experiment on their guests, and I didn't follow my own advice with the Chocolate Mousse.  It was edible, but almost like molded chocolate candy rather than soft-textured mousse.  Fortunately, we were able to eat it with a spoon though.  I think I know where I messed up and will correct it next time [if there is a next time].  I didn't particularly care for the bittersweet chocolate.  

The tea was Strawberry Chocolate Black Tea.

~ Raquel and Me ~

My sweet girlfriend, Lori, came with a beautiful Valentine's Floral Arrangement and she left a thoughtful surprise birthday greeting sitting on the counter in my bathroom for me to find after she left.

I hope you enjoyed being my guest vicariously.