Travel Journey Steeped with Faith – Fifth Annual Mother’s Tea

On the first Sunday of May I gathered with friends for our Fifth Annual Mother’s Tea celebrating one of our heavenly Mom’s. This year’s honored mother, Cintra Pemberton, was a colorful and vibrant woman with many interests, but is was her faith that lead her to her calling in her later years and she became an Episcopalian Nun who devoted her life to serving and practicing the Celtic faith. As part of her service she traveled the world on faith based pilgrimages, with her favorite location being among the British Isles, especially Wales, a place well known for the afternoon tea. To honor this special Mom I called the theme for this year’s tea “Travel Journeys Steeped with Faith”.

Each year we dress my little jewelry mannequin in something that represents our honored Mom. With the help of my friend Lydia, she created a traditional habit including the black sash and tassel as per photos of the nuns of The Order of St. Helena, where Cintra started her devotion faith journey. A black corded cross similar to the one in the photo of Cintra completed the look, however Pemmie told us that her mother usually dressed in civilian clothing most of the time.

My friend Pemmie describes her Mom (Cintra) as a highly educated woman who tended to master anything she attempted. From hobbies to work, she excelled and was a true high achiever that Pemmie shows great pride in.

Among her talents, she had a green thumb, kept journals and authored a book about Celtic Spirituality, loved music and played as well as taught the piano to both children and adults for a period of time. She later applied her piano skills to daily office chants as part of her faith journey and Pemmie remembers her regularly singing the harmonies to many Episcopal hymns.

She also had a appreciation for the arts and Pemmie has a pen and ink drawing and another family member has a water lily watercolor as the only pieces of art created by her Mom who only considered this talent a hobby.

Cintra also loved the mountains and camping. Her favorite color was yellow and daffodils are the flower Pemmie best associates with her mother’s memory.

My task was to take these special memories of Cintra’s life and attempt to translate them with little props for my table decor.

A small dollhouse piano on music sheet wrapping paper was used in the table decor to represent Cintra’s love for music and the piano.

This little rustic tent with a campfire is a nod to her love for the mountains and camping.

This Angel mother holding a child is the symbol of our annual tea.

While daffodils are the flower Pemmie most associated with her mother, they are not available this time of year. She said her mother loved all flowers, so the best I could do was use yellow spray roses and white tulips with purple stripes to create the floral arrangements around the house. Trader Joe’s also had one of my favorites – lilacs that provide a lovely fragrance, are simply beautiful, and give an added pop of purple-lavender to the decor.

Earl Grey was this Mom’s favorite tea and was highlighted in a Victorian London Fog as our tea for the day, made with Earl Grey Lavender with a splash of warmed half and half (slightly sweetened with agave) garnished with culinary lavender buds. The welcoming cocktail, an Earl Grey French 75 (Earl Grey Lavender tea steeped in Gin, combined with lemon juice, a honey simple syrup topped with champagne).

The Welcome Cocktail

Earl Grey French 75 Cocktail

https://cookieandkate.com/earl-grey-french-75/

The Tea: Victorian London Fog with Lavender

Victorian London Fog: Twinings Earl Grey Lavender Tea (Amazon), one teaspoon agave and a splash of warm half and half and garnished with culinary lavender buds.

The Menu:

The Soup:

Roasted Yellow Pepper Coconut with Sauteed Crawfish

Note: Recipe will be shared in a Simply Elevated Edition soon-crawfish was a Louisiana favorite of Cintra’s and the yellow pepper celebrates her favorite sunny color.

The Tea Sandwich Course

Pemmie remembered her mother loved afternoon tea time and among her favorite tea sandwiches was the cucumber watercress and curried chicken salad. I used fresh mint that was added to the cream cheese spread on the cucumber sandwich and Trader Joe’s curried chicken salad as a shortcut to the many items that required preparation.

Irish Egg Salad

Mushroom Bolognese Pies

Cucumber Mint Watercress

Curry Chicken Salad

Roasted Garlic Chipotle Turkey

Irish Egg Salad

Cucumber Mint Watercress

Curry Chicken Salad

The Scone Course

Current Welsh Cake

The traditional Welsh cake was chosen to represent Cintra’s beloved Wales.

https://www.christinascucina.com/welsh-cakes-for-st-davids-day/

Strawberry Rose Scones

This recipe was in a 2018 issue of Teatime Magazine and I’ve not been able to find a printed version online to share. The recipe was simple and used freeze dried strawberries rather than fresh. I added a fresh slice of strawberry in the last five minutes of the bake. The strawberry was listed as one of Cintra’s favorite fruits.

Welsh Cakes originated in Wales in the late 1800’s and are also known as bakestones or griddle scones because they are made on a griddle. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone with sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. (These can be made ahead and froze without the sugar dusting. On the day of the tea, I warmed them in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes (after thawing) and then rolled each in sugar while still warm).

The Sweet Course

Cintra’s love for Heath bars, lace cookies, Belgian chocolate and strawberries inspired the sweet course.

Heath Bar Cookie

Almond Lemon Ginger Florentines

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

White Chocolate Lemon Victoria Sponge

Heath bar sheet cookies were made as a nod to Mom’s favorite candy bar. A cookie dough base, with melted dark chocolate on top, sprinkled with crumbled heath bar and Mauldon flake salt.

Lace cookies (or Florentine cookies) were also noted as a favorite. This Almond Lemon Ginger version has a bright chewy bite. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/m000nphv

Bittersweet chocolate dipped strawberries.

Lemon Flavored Victoria Sponge with White Chocolate filling

https://kuuipovea.com/2018/05/14/victoria-sponge-cake-with-white-chocolate-mousse/

I make a half batch of this recipe, sprayed a mini muffin pan with baking spray to make mini cakes. I would recommend filling each cup with only 3/4th to avoid cake spilling over like mine did. I had to trim all of the tops because I filled the tin with a two tablespoon scoop. The flower on top is a lilac blossom.

Scenes From the Table

A matching floral arrangement in the Guest Bathroom

Each year as we get older and take time to sit and remember or recall things we may have forgotten about our mothers, we grow more grateful and appreciative of the guidance and love received from them. We also reflect on our own motherhood and the relationships we have with our daughters. As we observe their generation of mothering and the new and very different challenges that none of us could have prepared them for, it is clear that from generation to generation, we’ve all done the best job we could to manage the circumstance, stress, frustrations, fears, joys and pleasures of being a Mom. The common intention from mother to daughter to daughter and beyond is love.

Remembering Our Mothers -Fifth Annual Tea (Planning)

It’s time to begin the planning for my Fifth Annual Mothers’ Tea, a tradition formed when after losing my mother to the Lord (now 9 years ago), created an intense void especially around Mother’s Day when I would normally plan a special way to spend the day with her, but no longer can. Each year I invite friends who have also lost their mothers, for an afternoon tea of “remembering our Moms”. (See the blog’s category Tradition and Tea for previous posts).

The first tea was an introduction to this annual tea with no specific theme. At the 2nd year’s meeting, I decided to add another tradition to the tea that I hoped would generate new topics of conversation and continue to draw new memories to the surface of our mothers from year to year. Each of my guests names were written on a piece of paper, folded and placed in a teapot. At the end of the tea we pulled a name and that friend’s mother would be honored at the next tea with a theme that represented one of their passions.

In the years that followed our honored mothers had the the following themes:

“Stitching Together-Seamstress” Memories of Mom – A seamstress theme.

“Mother’s Life of Service-Nurse” A nurse theme and

“A Little Racey, Beachy-Peacock” A colorful Mom who loved Nascar, beaches and whose last name was Peacock.

https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/socialinteractionsandparties.wordpress.com/1203

To prepare for each year’s celebration, I provide a questionnaire in order to collect information that will inspire the table and menu. It also questions the mother’s favorite flowers, food, interests and passions all meant to help inspire my tea and it’s theme.

This year’s honored mother, Cintra Pemberton, after her divorce, became an Episcopalian Nun who devoted her life to serving and practicing the Celtic faith. As part of her service she traveled the world on faith based pilgrimages, her favorite location being in the British Isles, especially Wales, a place well known for the afternoon tea. Based on this information, my theme for this year’s tea will be “Travel Journeys Steeped with Faith”.

When I asked about flowers, my friend (Pemmie) said she was unsure of her mother’s favorite, but that she loved to garden and had a green thumb. Wherever they went her mother could name all of the flowers. She said that for some reason she associated her Mom with Spring flowers, such as narcissus (that I currently have growing in my garden, hoping to have multiple blooms ready by the first week of May), rhododendron, wild flowers and daffodils; but if she had to pick one, she would have to say yellow daffodils as well as the color yellow.

Pemmie also shared a memory of tying green ribbons around daffodils as a gift to trip attendees. When her mother passed away, St. David’s Cathedral in Wales, planted a plot of daffodils in her honor at the entrance of the Cathedral. What a beautiful gesture in memory of her mother! St. David is the patron saint of Wales, and died in 589 AD. The Welsh celebrate this saint by wearing emblems such as the daffodil pins, or the Welsh dragon and hold an annual celebration in his honor on March 1st.

St. David’s Cathedral

While the beginning of Spring is plentiful with daffodils and tulips, by the first of May, fresh daffodils are nearly impossible to find. I won’t be able to count on finding them for the actual day of the tea, but wanted pictures for the blog using the symbolic flower while they were in season.

A simple invitation which includes a photo of our honored mother was mailed out the first week of April (a month out from the scheduled date) using this decided theme.

While the table plan is not yet complete, I made place cards using some clip art in the yellow that represents both the color that Pemmie most associated with her mother Cintra, her Celtic Faith and green ribbon as used in those lovely daffodils bouquets.

In the coming weeks, I will begin to put my table together and form the tea menu that best represents not only our honored Mom, but a little of each mother that we are remembering on this special day.

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(Welcoming )Spring Ladies Egg Painting Brunch

When small green specs are dotting the bare branches of my drake elm tree that my mother propagated from her own tree a year before she passed, its resurrection each year reminds me that she is still near and so is Spring.

The lawn has grown partially green, the sound of lawn mowers humming in the distance, and daylight has begun to span slightly longer from week to week. The temperatures in the South have been unseasonably hot (80’s), waking up the dreadful weeds that always emerge first for pulling and encouraging the colorful blooming time of the azalea bushes that will soon after require trimming. By the time this planned afternoon arrives the leaves of my drake elm will have been fully revealed, swaying in the warm sunny breeze like happy dancers in the golden sunlight, my herb garden will be replanted with fresh herb plants and edible flowers, and the shrubbery in the landscaping will grow fuller with new foliage.

Springtime brings that much needed breath of fresh air and gentle warmth, following the bracing gestures of a cold winter that causes us to tighten our stance and escape its abrasiveness with layers of warm sweaters and cozy fires. I truly love the coziness of winter, but when the lights are turned on by Spring, who can resist its milder temperatures and color bursting displays. Like the flowers, we can’t wait to be outside and bask in the sunlight.

Last year (2022) I saw a post on Instagram of hand painted eggs for Spring that inspired this Egg Painting Spring Brunch celebration. While only a couple of those in my group of gal pals consider themselves artistic, I really enjoy getting my friends to open up to new experiences that challenge them and may reveal a hidden skill they had not yet explored. We shared a similar exercise before Christmas by decorating cookies, sharing some new and creative designs that everyone could be proud of.

With printed images of the decorated eggs from Instagram as my inspiration, I searched through my stock of collected items to determine what I might be able to repurpose for my table and began planning.

I’m not usually a fan of using paper products, but I wanted a colorful table that I couldn’t achieve with the dishes I have and since we do have a crafty activity following the meal, I wanted an easy clean up.

If it’s possible to think of paper plates as elegant, this scalloped, gold edged version found at Homegoods fits the term. Its field of mint green, pink and yellow; with bunnies, speckled eggs and bird nests, contribute a soft cheerful feminine color palette for this gal pal day. Matching utensils were found at The Dollar Tree. A square of green toile fabric, used for my daughter’s expectant baby shower 16 years ago, along with leftover pink and green toile napkins came together to form my color palette. I haven’t seen toile napkins like these since, so over purchasing years ago paid off.

Small gold bunnies from Target ( I was tempted to buy the little hens too), white porcelain
bunnies and large egg cookie jar Homegoods; small cabbage napkin rings Pier One.

The combination of gold, pink and green pastels provides a cheerful, feminine and fresh Spring place setting for a ladies’ afternoon.

Alternating green and pink toile napkins folded into bunny ears with plastic gold eggs from The Dollar Tree have been loosely decorated using metallic pens (also The Dollar Tree). Hand written names appear on each to serve as place cards. I even repurposed ribbon from the baby shower stock.

The examples of painted eggs I found were printed and added to card stock, then placed on the table for inspiration. Metallic pens from The Dollar Tree, acrylic paints, pencils and small pointed brushes are placed around the table to create original designs. For those who may feel they are not very “artistic”, these examples will jump start each guest to invision their own unique egg creations.

The eggs, made of wood (easier for paint pens and acrylics to adhere ) were sold in little cartons of six as multi colored or plain natural wood. (Target $3.00 for set of 6). I decided the version with coated colors would be more fun to work with, especially when using the acrylic paints and require less drying time. The acrylics did dry fairly quickly, usually about 5 to 7 minutes. So while drying – it’s easy enough to move on to a different egg for a short period.

I have a habit of setting my table a couple of weeks before a party. I originally staged the table with fresh white roses I had purchased that week, but the following week it was tulips and the week of the brunch, daffodils. It never fails that whatever flower I set my heart on, it’s not usually available on the day of my event and I have to pivot.

A collection of items purchased over the years combined with new items found, large decorated egg cookie canister (Homegoods); cabbage napkin rings (Pier One); green vase (Michaels), gold bunnies (Target).

Porcelain bunnies (Homegoods); pink glass candle holders (The Dollar Tree) and green bud vase (Michael’s) with bright colored fresh tulips.

For a little over head drama, an eggcellently dressed chandelier – multicolored golden eggs nested with Easter basket grass in the center and pearl finished faux eggs dangle from ribbons all from my collection of annual Easter decorations (some have names written on them -they were once used as place cards for a past Easter family lunch).

Greeting with a Cocktail – Rosemary Grapefruit Moscow Mule

We always start the party with a toast and a special cocktail or aperitif. This Rosemary Grapefruit Moscow Mule was perfect- light and refreshing just like Spring!

This light refreshing ROSEMARY GRAPEFRUIT MOSCOW MULE is the perfect start to a Spring Brunch. Citrusy, with a little floral hit from the elderflower and the gentle touch of heat from the ginger beer. Well balanced and easy to sip on a sunny afternoon. It received lots of Ooo’s and Ahh’s ratings!

Makes 3 to 4 small servings in my delicate coupe stemware or 2 regular cocktail glasses.

Half of a freshly squeezed pink grapefruit
Half of a freshly squeezed lime
2 oz. Absolute Juice Pear & Elderflower Vodka (or Vodka)
Rosemary simple syrup   (1 cup of sugar 1 cup of water bring to a low boil until sugar is dissolved – remove from the heat and add 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary.  Steep for 3 minutes and then discard rosemary and chill)
Ginger Beer (I used Fever-Tree)
Fresh rosemary sprigs

Place first four ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice (I used one large cocktail cube to minimize the deluge).
Pour 3/4 of a small coupe glass – top off with ginger beer and rosemary sprig.  Cheers to Spring!

Cheese Plate with Cocktails

Spicy tomato jam made with these beautiful dark tomatoes (almost looked charred) purchased at Trader Joes. A variety of soft, hard and blue cheeses were plated with the jam and goat cheese left out to room temperature for easy spreading. Slices of Kalamata Olive Farm Loaf bread (Whole Foods) toasted in the oven, brushed with kalamata olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt were offered with the cheeses. A schmear of goat cheese on the bread helped balance and mellow out the spiciness of the jam.

🍃🌷🍃My favorite part of entertaining (besides spoiling everyone and having them leave with a pleasing memorable time) is introducing my friends to new flavors and foods.

One of my less adventurous eaters told me a couple of years ago that he finally surrendered his palate to me. “Lori you change my mind about what I think I won’t like every time!” Other than enthusiastically showing up for each invite, it’s the best compliment I could hope to receive.

🍃🦋🌷🍃 Brunch Menu🍃🦋🌷🍃

• Ham and Potato Bake
• Rainbow Carrot Ribbon Salad
• Large Profiteroles filled with homemade chocolate balsamic Louisiana strawberry ice cream and strawberry coulis

http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/07/ham-and-potato-bake-recipe.html

https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2013/07/rainbow-carrot-ribbon-salad.html

Louisiana strawberries are at peak season, and it was a wonderful time to highlight them as part of my brunch.

The homemade strawberry chocolate balsamic ice cream and jumbo profiteroles were both made a week ahead and stored in the freezer until the day prior to the brunch. The day before, I pulled the zip freezer bags of profiteroles out and set them on the kitchen counter to fully thaw. I then lined a small rimmed baking sheet with clear wrap and pre-scooped the ice cream, then sealed it tight with clear wrap and returned it to the freezer. (easier for serving on the day of the brunch). The recipe for the ice cream is in the link below – my only addition was a tablespoon of chocolate balsamic vinegar (optional).

https://www.alattefood.com/homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/

The strawberries are perfectly ripe, red and sweet.

The strawberries are so fresh, so fully ripe, sweet and large that I added one on each plate. I used a pink pearl cocktail pick to attach an edible flower to each for a touch of whimsy. When serving the composed dessert, I used a small mound of canned chocolate whipped cream to hold the fresh strawberry up on the side of the profiterole.

A small mound of chocolate whipped cream from a can used to help the strawberry stand.

(Strawberry three ways, fresh, in a coulis sauce and creamy ice cream.) Each profiterole was filled with a scoop of strawberry ice cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with strawberry coulis and garnished with a fresh strawberry.

🎨 Egg Painting Activity 👩🏻‍🎨

In addition to the printed images of painted eggs, I also place a variety of silk flowers on the table as inspiration for shapes and color. Each of my guests were supplied with a piece of artist’s watercolor paper, a glass of water a fine pointed paint brush and paper napkins. The watercolor paper was a place to test their mixed paint colors, the water to rinse out their brushes between color changes and the paper towel to wipe off the brush after each rinse. A mixture of acrylic paints and pens were used to create their individual designs.

There’s a beautiful sense of self satisfaction in creating something beautiful. As the painting and decorating began, the room grew extremely quiet. Everyone was so focused, concentrating on decorating their eggs. They also said while there was a little anxiety about how to start at the beginning, in the end the whole experience was very relaxing.

Another option for a painting exercise are clay pots (used for plants). I’ve seen some painted completely black and then decorated with painted bright wildflowers that popped on top of the black background.

Whether you’re hosting a Sunday brunch, an Easter lunch or a simple Springtime gathering, a few simple ingredients for the menu and a fun activity will guarantee that everyone leaves with a special memory. I have the best group of friends. Whatever I dream up, they are all enthusiastically ready to come along for the ride!

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Annual Mothers Tea Honoring Jane

The thing about time…

When we are young, we are so very busy. Busy getting an education, busy building a career, busy having and caring for children and their many needs and later activities, busy shopping for groceries, new shoes for the kids, hair appointments, doctor appointments, yard work, laundry, cooking, cleaning ….. and at the end of each week, there is still a list of things we still didn’t get done. It’s ok, we still have time, until we don’t.

When we are young we think we have an abundance of time just waiting for us to spend later. As a grandmother who has not yet retired (a couple of years away), time becomes more and more precious. My daughter, her husband and my three grandchildren live five and half hours away and between my work schedule, their work schedules and the ever growing busy activities of each grandchild as they grow into lives of their own, attempting to coordinate uninterrupted time together has become an impossible challenge.

I remember when my mother retired, she suddenly had time to spare and fantasized about her family all getting together to take a cruise or some kind of trip together. While she and my dad now had the benefit of time, my brother and I, and our children struggled to clear our schedules all at the same time to make this wish of her’s materialise. We all thought we still had time, until we didn’t.

My mom passed away at the age of 75 with pancreatic cancer. The biggest shock to all of us including her. She was certain she had so much more time, but time for her, had ended.

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate our Moms, but when Mom has gone to live with the Lord everything changes. Those who have their adult children and grandchildren living near, may be blessed with an afternoon brunch, lunch or even barbecue to spend time with those you hold so dear to your heart for at least a day. For those like myself that live at a distance, the day is less about me and more about my memories of my Mom and the pride I feel for my lovely daughter who is a wonderful Mom trying to find time for forming my grandchildren into beautiful little people.

My Annual Mother’s Tea was formed to gather with friends whose Moms have also gone to be with the Lord, and offers us each a place to share memories and celebrate our mothers.

Held on the first Sunday in May (so as not to conflict with the actual Mother’s Day holiday), we all have a rhinestone framed photo of our mothers that I like to think of as their crowns; that are placed before us at each place setting.

Each year we select a name from a teapot and the following year I create a tea theme that celebrates and honors that mother. Over the years we have found common ground between our mothers from different generations and drawn memories from just taking the time to sit and listen to each others stories.

This year, for our 4th Annual Mother’s Tea, we honored Kelly’s Mom, Jane Peacock. At our very first tea, Kelly recalled a memory of collecting the dried seeds of marigolds so her Mom could replant them in her garden the following year. These seed packets were created from my garden at the end of last year’s season, to use as favors for this year’s tea.

Kelly’s Mom was an eclectic lady, with passions and interests that challenged me in my effort to capture her spirit on this special day. In my previous post https://socialinteractionsandparties.wordpress.com/2022/04/21/a-little-racey-beachy-peacock-mothers-tea/ , I explain the table decor which includes themes of peacock, beach and NASCAR.

I of course had to include some fresh marigolds, and the flowers that Kelly most associated with her Mom which were yellow roses and daisies. Daisies are not readily available in my area, so I used chamomile that resembles a floppy delicate miniature daisy in the floral arrangements. I used purple irises in memory of Lydia’s mother that we honored last year and some lavender from my garden.

The tea I chose met with the beachy theme that was carried throughout the table setting and some of the menu. This tea by Teavana, Beach Bellini was delicious. A couple of the ladies don’t like tea, and this was a perfect choice. I sweetened the pot with honey and the pineapple mango flavor was light and very refreshing. It is a perfect Spring or Summer time tea hot or cold.

While I’m honoring a specific mother, I do try to inject a little piece of each mother somewhere in the day. One friend said her mother loved pineapple sorbet that I put a small scoop of in a fluted glass and topped with champagne for a pineapple bellini cocktail.

THE MENU:

Strawberry Citrus Salad

This strawberry citrus salad with honey balsamic dressing was served in memory of Jane, who added strawberries to various salads and was what Kelly described as the first time she can remember having fruit in salad that she learned to love. A fresh nasturtium flower dressed up the colorful bowl.

Mixed spring greens and wild arugula, sliced ripe strawberries, naval orange segments, marigold petals, feta, toasted slivered almonds (chopped) and honey balsamic vinaigrette.

Finger Sandwiches:

Grilled Ham and Gruyere Cheese Sandwiches (Kelly’s memory of a lunch date with her Mom) at a diner called Mayberry’s in North Carolina.

Pineapple chicken salad wrapped in sweet brown bread tied with chives and chamomile flowers.

Cucumber Radish with herby creme fraiche on white bread when fennel fronds.

Pink peppercorn egg salad in crispy pastry cups with violas.

At the top: Jane’s favorite sandwich, roast beef on toasted rye (topped with onion chutney and tarragon blossoms.)

A Palate Cleanser…

A splash of Spring celebrated with fresh floral ice bowls created to serve a mango sorbet palate cleanser between the tea sandwich and scone courses.

The inside of one of the ice bowls. Each bowl is unique and different.

These coconut macadamia scones were served with the mango sorbet and a side of pineapple preserves. https://www.teatimemagazine.com/macadamia-coconut-scones/

My framed table photo of me and my Mom on the beach in Bermuda.

The Pastry Course

Fig, date and citrus filled pastry envelopes with edible one hundred dollar bills to capture a memory of letters from Mom filled with coupons $$$. The full story and instructions for how to make these can be found in my previous post. https://socialinteractionsandparties.wordpress.com/2022/04/26/pastry-letters-from-mom/

I also served small eclairs and small slices of gentilly cake (a white cake with whipped cream and berry filling) that I did not get a picture of. Kelly said her Mom loved eclairs, and another of our friends said her mother loved berries (so that cake was for her Mom.)

Little winks from Mom…. Kelly told us about a hidden tattoo her Mom sported of a happy face that I put on the place cards. Her daughter told me that the family always laughed about how her grand-mommy loved boiled peanuts. So I presented a serving in a little covered cup just to Kelly in elegant tea fashion that gave her a smile.

As a wink to me and my planning this tea, I was in a bakery where I purchased the pastry shells for the egg salad and on the counter was a basket of happy face cookies. This one with the wink felt like a sign from Jane in her fun and playful way of letting me know I had captured her spirit and that she would be near on this special day.

As Mother’s Day approaches and we are all grasping for time, make sure to clear your schedule now and then. Saying no to something just for one day can make all of the difference in the world for your memories in the future. Once time is up, you can never get it back. In loving memory of Barbara, Edwina, Helen, Jane, Kathleen, and Mary.

(Pastry) Letters From Mom….

Love letters from Mom with a little “coupon” inside.

These Italian fig cookie filled pastry envelopes were created for my Annual Mother’s Tea to capture a loving memory my friend Kelly had of her Mom. She shared that her Mom used to write her little letters and stick $100 bills inside that she called “coupons”. (Referred to as coupons because her Mom used to hide the $100 bills in her coupon envelope so that her husband wouldn’t know.)

While the idea seemed simple to create, it took two tries to get the results I preferred and an effort to recall all of the little baking tips I’ve learned over the years that had to be applied. For the same results, it’s important to follow the tested tricks and recipe below:

1. You’ll need an envelope to use as a template. Mine was from a box of thank you cards 4 1/2 ” x 3 1/4 “. Gently open the envelope to create a flat template.

2. One box of refrigerated pie dough (I used Pillsbury) will make 3 envelopes. Sprinkle your surface with a dusting of flour, remove the dough from the little sealed bag and gently unroll on the floured counter. In order for all of the pastries to look the same and slightly puff, gather the dough sheet into a ball, gently knead together until smooth and then roll it out -long enough for two envelopes using the templates to measure. With a sharp point of a knife, trace the template to cut out the dough. Knead together the scraps and roll out again to create the third envelope. (See the images below that show how the rerolled dough makes a fluffier risen product. )

Shown here – on the left dough rolled out as is straight from the package; on the right the dough was kneaded together and then rolled out – creating a slight puff and prettier end result.

A scalloped pastry wheel used to trim the top part
of the envelope that will remain unfolded.

3. I was surprised by the details I had to pay attention to when making these, and learned from mistakes I made on the first try. If you look at the template I used above, the top triangle of the template is very sharp and pointed, while the folded up bottom is rounded. To add a little cute design, I used a scalloped pastry wheel on the sharp top portion of the envelope that will remain unfolded, resulting in an open envelope. Now transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined baking sheet pan (only 2 fit on one sheet) and place the pan in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

4) I decided to use my stamp set, that I bought for last year’s tea (I made my signature sugar cookies decorated with dried edible flower cookies and a stamping of each mother’s name), to stamp “Love Mom” on the outside of the envelope. Doing it correctly took to extra thought and practice.

Messy stamp and filling exposed on top.

Clear stamp and filling hidden inside.

Originally I folded the filled envelope and tried to stamp it, but because the surface was let’s say “bumpy” and soft, the stamp did not come out clear or legible. I realized I needed to chill the pastry first (after cutting out the template as instructed above) before stamping.

5. After chilling for about 5 minutes, turn the pastry over with the bottom section at the top (in my case the rounded end). Stamp the message – I used “Love Mom” with a heart so that when folded under – the words are facing the correct direction. See below that when the pastry is turned over again, when the bottom flap is folded up, the stamp is smooth and clear.

Sugar cookies decorated with dried edible flowers and every Mom’s name.

6. I then had to learn the correct placing of my filling. (Recipe further below.) At first I placed the filling over the entire rectangle that would form inside once folded. In the messy version above, you can see that the filing is exposed above the envelope pocket. On my second try I lowered the filling to just below where the side flaps would overlap. Fold in the side flaps and then the bottom flap up using a light brushing of egg wash to glue it in place. Using a fork, dock the top flap to eliminate puffing in the oven. Place the prepared pastries back into the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Pastry with fig/nut filling and folded.
Then lightly brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sanding sugar.
The top inside flap “docked” (pricked with a small fork) to prevent puffing,

7. Finally lightly brush egg wash on the outside and then sprinkle with sanding sugar careful not to fill in the stamped message. Place into a preheated oven (350 degree F) for 12 minutes. Read the tip below to address areas that bake at different timeframes.

IMPORTANT TIP: Carefully watch the baking process around 10 minutes. If you look back at the two examples of my first and second bake, you’ll see that because I didn’t dock the top portion it bubbled (puffed) and cracked. It also baked faster than the lower filled portion. So in my second try I docked the top to stop the puffing and after 10 minutes I placed a piece of aluminum foil over the top part to stop it from browning any further, and then baked for another 2-5 minutes for no more than 15 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different, so you’ll have to watch closely to see what happens in yours.

8. Finally, one last reference to my first and second bake pictures. Originally I glued the dried edible flowers to the pastry on to the pastry with egg wash (or water was used on the cookies). My flowers are so dark, that the baking process made them darker and not as pretty. So I decided to attach the dried flowers after baking using a little store bought icing. However, if you have lighter colors to use, the baking process works fine. My edible flowers are violas that were pressed between two layers of paper towel and then pressed together with two microwavable plates. The microwave drying time varies depending on how much water in in the flower. Usually for violas or pansies it can take between 5 and 7 minutes, but only dry in two minute intervals and check after the first five minutes. When complete they are dry and fragile and feel a little like paper. Just don’t touch the plate for about 5 to 10 minutes until it cools down.

For the final touch I needed the $100 bill tucked in. So for the pictures above I just copied a $100 bill on the printer and cut the ends off of each side to tuck in. I actually ordered edible $100 bills on Etsy that are made of frosting that I will cut and should (according to the instructions) slightly melt into the pastry AFTER the baking process. (Don’t judge me if I chicken out and use the paper version.)

While these pastry envelopes or letters were used to represent a memory of someone’s Mom, they would have also made a cute dessert for a book club read involving read letters (that happens often in historical fiction) or a cute Valentine dessert with something like a strawberry filling.

What you’ll need to make the pastry envelopes:

• Pre-made pie dough (I used Pillsbury) 1 box makes 6 envelopes
• 1 egg (scrambled in a bowl with a teaspoon of water – for egg wash)
• White sanding sugar
• Dried edible flowers (optional)
• Printed images of $100 bill or you can order edible versions on Etsy (optional)
• Letter stamping (purchased on Amazon also optional)

How to prepare and bake – follow the narrative above that provides tips learned for the best results. Make the filling below a day ahead. These pastries can be made a day ahead and stored in a tightly sealed container once completely cooled to prevent any moisture from forming.

Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookie Filling)

The Cucidati (that my Mom called Italian Fig Cookies) are popular here in Southern Louisiana and served at the annual St. Joseph Day Altars. They were a special coveted favorite of my Mom’s, so much so that she eagerly attended an altar or two each year to seek out her little gifted bad of Italian cookies. The filling came to mind as it isn’t runny and tucked inside the pastry is very reminiscent of the cookie itself.

Adapted from recipe in the link https://www.familytabletreasures.com/italian-fig-cookies-cucidati/

• 1 Cup Dried Mission Figs or Calimyrna Figs ,stems removed and chopped, about a 6-7 ounce package
• 1/2 Cup Pitted Dates ,Chopped
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cup Candied Orange Peel ,or Orange Marmalade or Apricot preserves
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar ,or honey
• Zest from 1 Lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice (or 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon)
• 1/4 Cup Almonds
• 1/4 Cup Walnuts
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Rum, French Brandy, or Orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until a paste is formed and no large chunks are left. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour but preferably overnight so ingredients can meld together.

Edible $100 bills.

Some may ask why go to so much trouble for one of many elements of this mothers tea, but my friends and I are making a special effort to bring back to life some of our favorite memories of our mothers that are no longer with us on Mother’s Day. If you’re feeling the void we all do on Mother’s Day, consider creating your own little tradition to honor your Mom year after year. You’ll feel her spirit present with gratitude.

Suggested Music:

“I Remember You”- Trisha Yearwood

“Supermarket Flowers” – Ed Sheeran

“The Best Day” – Taylor Swift

“Mother” – Kacey Musgraves

“Tell Mama” -Etta James

“Mama’s Kitchen” – CeCe Winans

“Ring Off” – Beyonce

“Turned to You” – Justin Bieber

“Mother Like Mine” – The Band Perry

“Mother” – Sugarland

“Don’t Forget to Remember Me” -Carrie Underwood

“Mom” – Garth Brooks

“God Must Have Spent ” A Little More Time on You-NSYNC

A Little Racey, Beachy, Peacock Mothers Tea

This year we will be celebrating Kelly’s Mom- Jane.

Mother “Jane”

I’ve been putting together a plan for my 4th Annual Mothers Tea over the past few weeks. Little memories have been shared from tea to tea and I’ve tried to carefully listen and make notes to reference as each friend awaits for their year to honor their Mom. This year we will be honoring my friend Kelly’s Mother, Jane.

Marigolds

At our very first tea, Kelly told us that she had recently been planting marigolds in her vegetable garden, to protect against insects. As she was planting, she recalled an image of her mother collecting the seeds from marigolds in her own garden to replant the following year. Her shared memory stayed with me, and as my marigolds began to wither I collected their dried buds and created seed packets for each of our guests as a favor. (See the past post: https://socialinteractionsandparties.wordpress.com/2021/06/13/a-marigold-memory-of-mother/ of how I dried the flowers and made the seed envelopes in mid-June last year in preparation for this year’s tea.)

Marigold seed packets as party favors.

Every year, in preparation for the tea, I offer a list of questions to each friend to help generate memories of their Mom’s favorite things – from pastimes to favorite eats. I then do my best to give a nod to those interests, flavors and memories as part of the decor and menu. Sometimes the list is minimal and a clear direction, while others offer new challenges of interpretation. Kelly’s list presented a colorful and uncommon Mom with interesting passions. While I may not be able to incorporate all of her notes into the tea, I always do my best to capture the spirit of our honored Mom.

Beaches

Kelly’s Mom was a thalassophile who loved turtles. Beaches provide everything from “peacock” sunsets to seashells and turtles in the sand. So for the invitation I used a pretty image from a wedding invitation and cut out the center. After a lot of cut and pasting the image created a frame for my invite. (Reason for the undesired lines in the image.) I then glued small shells around the border for a 3D affect and a string a pearls to highlight Jane’s photo. (We only have 7 or so guests at each tea and I do my best to be thrifty where I can. A mailed invitation is not only more fun, but also gives my friend a keepsake. )

What is a thalassophile? A person who loves and is magnetically attracted to the ocean and the sea. Many people say they enjoy spending time at the beach, especially during summertime.

I used six beautiful scallop shells gifted to me several years ago at each place setting to capture the beach vibe and tied each plate with peacock blue ribbon for a pop of color. Plain glass plates were used for the guests and a peacock glass plate for Kelly and her daughter.

For one side of the table decor, I used a Barbie beach chair set on processed graham crackers with sugar for sand,chocolate turtles (made in a candy mold), seahorses and shells with a sprinkle of very tiny real shells. Lastly a sandcastle (a salt and pepper shaker set found at Cracker Barrel) to create a beach vibe. The beach chair was a dark pink that I toned down with a piece of ribbon to better blend in with the cool, soft blues of the decor.

Peacocks

Several years ago, Kelly told me that whenever she sees a peacock, she feels it’s a sign from her Mom. When I questioned what the connection was, she explained that her Mother’s maiden name was Peacock. Now every time I see stationary or other items with peacock feathers, I think of Kelly and her Mom. Clearly this symbol had to be at the center of my table.

Photo by NAUSHIL ANSARI on Pexels.com

It started with the invitation. To add a touch of “Peacock” I printed an image of a peacock feather, cut around it and then glued it over a peacock blue ribbon as a seal on the back of the envelope. To protect the shells from getting crushed in the mail, I wrapped each invitation in tissue paper and applied 3D daisy stickers (one of two flowers that Kelly said reminds her of her Mom) before gently slipping each into the envelope to mail.

Sealed up invitations.

For the past three years I have used my small form mannequin as part of the centerpiece for my table. The first year, it was an obvious choice for the Seamstress theme that I decorated with pattern tissue flowers and measuring tape ribbon. Last year we had a Nurse theme and Lydia created a little white nurse dress and a blue cape with red trim similar to the uniform she remembered her Mom wore in the 1960’s. A vintage style nurse’s cap hung from the top to complete a little nurse.

This year I used the Peacock to elegantly dress the form mannequin (inspired by a designer dress I saw online). Small peacock feathers were used to shape the top, paired with ribbon I had in my craft box. As I cut the ribbon it curled under (much like a folded peacock tail.) As I began to run out of ribbon I placed shorter pieces on the front section, all pinned with pearl tipped straight pins, creating my own specially designed dress. I reused the measuring tape ribbon on the back and the sewing charms because Kelly’s mom (we learned from our seamstress tea) was also an excellent seamstress.

It takes a while to figure out my table decor for every event, but if I quietly sit and meditate on it, ideas begin to generate and I always figure something out. Because of all of the themed entertaining I do, I have to be on the lookout for little things I might need in the future for an idea I may have been holding on to. During the holidays while in Homegoods in what I call the “booby trap” section (the shelves of items on each side of the line while waiting to get to the register), I spotted two Artistic Accents Turkish hand painted glass plates with peacock feathers. There were only two and I wasn’t sure what I would do with them, but knowing I had the tea to plan, I decided to purchase them and figure it out later. I decided to use the two peacock patterned plates for Kelly and her daughter who was also invited, and plain gold rimmed glass plates for the other guests with the scallop shell tied to the center combining the beach and peacock notes.

A combination of Peacock and Beach.

NASCAR

Kelly’s Mom was also an enthusiastic RV NASCAR circuit fan. Full disclosure, this was stumped me for a good while. I originally had no idea of how to inject this into an afternoon tea, but in the end I was happy with what finally came to mind. I found clip art online to print the racetrack, NASCAR logo, finish line flags and lights. I cut out each of the figures and then attached each to white card stock with a glue stick. As it began to dry, the sides of the card stock began to curl up, similar to the stadium bleachers that surround the racetrack. So I cut it into a shape similar to the track and then rubbed the stick glue all over the outer area from the racetrack. I then pressed multicolored sprinkles to represent the crowd. I ordered two cars on Etsy that are ornaments (reason for the metal loop on the top). They are very small, but I was able to enlarge the print of the track to better match the scale of the cars and I decided I would give the cars to Kelly to put on her Christmas tree in memory of her Mom after the tea. The track was set in the middle of a white rimmed dinner plate and I used dollar store moss to create greenery around the outside of the stadium to look like trees, etc. This is being placed on the other side of the table.

NASCAR racetrack.

My table is basically ready for the coming weekend…. once Jane’s favorite cheerful flowers of daisies and yellow roses are added – it will add the final touch of brightness and light that I’m sure will attract Jane’s spirit to be with us on this special day we’ve created in her honor. Now onto the menu! Come back for the next post!

A Marigold Memory….of Mother

An event planner, whether for a party of 6 or 600 has to plan ahead, and in my case any chance of making things in advance is an opportunity to save time later. My Annual Mother’s Tea, held the first Sunday of May, is a tradition formed after my mother passed away and I was facing Mother’s Day without her. I invited a small group of friends who also lost their mothers to join together for an afternoon tea and share memories of them and from there a tradition was formed. As a way to make each year a little different, I wrote everyone’s name on a piece of paper and placed all of the names in a teapot. At the end of each tea (themed in honor of a mother) we pull a new name and honor that person’s mother the following year attempting to include memories, favorite flowers, special interests and/or careers including a menu filled with flavors that each mother would have loved.

At our most recent tea, my friend Kelly’s name was selected and in 2022 we will be honoring her mother Jane. Each year I’ve noted shared memories for future reference, and when I saw Kelly’s name I immediately thought of a memory she shared at one of our first gatherings about her mother saving marigold seeds.

Kelly shared with all of us that just a couple of weeks prior, she was planting marigolds in her vegetable garden, and a memory formed of her mother collecting the seeds from marigolds in her own garden. She confessed that as a child she didn’t understand why her Mom was planting the marigolds or collecting the seeds, but now here she was planting her own marigolds to protect her vegetable garden from insects and attract others that encourage pollination and healthy growth.

As she told the story, it reminded me of my own mother planting marigolds. She didn’t have a vegetable garden, but it seemed to be one of the few flowers that could stand the Southern California sun years ago. It also gave this party planner a great idea for a small memory favor to create for everyone at the table.

By mid-June, my own marigolds were beginning to struggle in the heat. As I pulled away the withered flowers from their plants, I realized this was an opportunity to dry the seeds and create the seed packets for next May’s tea that I had been thinking of.

I searched online for seed envelopes, but they were sold in large quantities when I wanted less than a dozen, and I wanted each to be pretty and femininely decorated to fit into my tea decor. So I then searched for free seed envelope templates. As I scrolled through the options I found this beautiful template by Glenda’s World. https://glenda-jsworld.blogspot.com/2013/09/seed-envelope-packets.html

I printed a sample and found that the size was a bit smaller than I wanted, so I then took a snipit of the image and pasted it to a blank page. This enabled me to expand the size to whatever I wanted. I printed the resized image. Once satisfied with the size, I decided I wanted the front to have a marigold rather than the date, etc. provided on the original. So I searched for free images of marigolds. I’m no graphic designer, but for years I’ve made what I want by printing, cutting and taping with matt scotch tape and then making a photocopy of the final image.

I cut out the center of the framed section on the template and then sized and fitted the marigold to fit inside. I then created and printed a bordered “Marigold Seeds” band, to cut and tape over the marigold image.

I found a pack of pearlized paper that I didn’t remember I had, and thought it would make a prettier envelop. After taping all of the edges down (above is before the taping), I smoothed it down carefully with a bone folder (a craft tool used for making crisp folds). I laid the prepared version above on my printer face down and then laid a white sheet of printer paper on top, finally printing a color copy on to the pearlized paper. The marigolds changed to a rose gold color and the green font looks gray (that I can’t explain), but all together it created a delicate image that was perfect! In fact as I was researching marigolds I found that there is a French variety of strawberry blonde marigolds that the image below looks very much like.

The printer ink has to be allowed at least 5 minutes to dry or the image can smudge. Once dried, I used the bone folder to carefully fold all of the edges of the template for a professional look. I originally tried using a little Elmer’s glue to adhere the back and bottom flaps, but you can see from the image above, it caused some puckering. So I used a glue stick instead. Due to the texture of the paper, I had to weigh the glued envelop down with a plate for about 5 to 10 minutes to allow the glue some time to dry and hold the flaps together.

When I first started experimenting with the original template, I printed several thinking I would glue the image of the marigold over the fonted information. But after some thought, I decided that wouldn’t look as professionally made. Rather than wasting the first set of templates, I formed each into envelopes and placed one behind each of the marigold seed filled envelopes that would allow my guests to use for their own seed collecting.

I then added a small pre-glued pearl at the bottom of each envelope and tied the two envelopes together with some sheer white ribbon I had in my supply of all occasion ribbon.

I

Each envelop was filled with marigold seeds and then sealed with small gold heart stickers I had in my stationary drawer. In fact, everything used to make the seed packets were in my craft or stationary stash. So they didn’t cost me a penny!

My friend Kelly’s memory of her mother, has been carefully created into a small gift from the heart that I hope she can be proud of at next year’s Annual Tea, where we will honor her mother in other ways yet to be discovered.

Lemon Blueberry Whip (Simply Elevated)

When you’ve got lemons, make….

Photo by Ryan Baker on Pexels.com

Here’s a easy dessert for those hot days of summer…..

Lemon Blueberry Whip

• 1 – 8 oz bar of light cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• the zest of one large lemon (or two small)
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup small chopped candied lemon (I used about 4 slices of a pack from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon agave (or 1 teaspoon sugar)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon grape seed (or canola oil)

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Yields 6 servings.

Reserve six fresh blueberries for garnish. Toss remaining blueberries with agave, salt and grape seed oil and place in a single layer on a small baking sheet with sides. Roast for 15 minutes. Blueberries will become dark, shrink some and create juices on the tray. Remove and cool completely to room temperature.

Place room temperature cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar in a blender and blend until loosened and creamy (about a minute). Add lemon zest and juice and pulse a few times to combine. Stop, scrape the sides. Add the candied lemon peel. Pulse about 4 times.

In another bowl using a hand mixer whip one cup of whipping cream until reached to soft peaks, add one tablespoon sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Gently fold in about 1/4th of the lemon cream cheese until combined and continue by adding another 1/4th of the lemon cream cheese at a time until all folded together with the whipped cream.

Spoon the completely cooled roasted blueberries in equal portions into the bottom of each serving dish (small ramekins – I used pot a creme pots). Top with the lemon cream and smooth top with an offset spatula or backside of a spoon. Top with a fresh blueberry and lemon zest (optional edible flowers – in the photo are French lilac and chamomile). Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Served at my annual Mothers Tea – May 2021.

Nurse Themed Mothers Tea

I woke up this morning to the rumbling of thunder that I could hear in the distance. Within minutes the rain was thumping on the roof until the wind kicked in and sent it thrashing against the windows. I felt guilty asking the Lord to clear the skies so my long planned afternoon tea could go on as scheduled, knowing there were so many more important things happening in the world that needed His attention. Instead I simply chanted in my head “I trust You and know everything will work out fine.” I started with cleaning up the house, the usual vacuum, mopping, and a little dusting before settling into the kitchen to begin prep for the final menu items of today’s Annual Remembering Mothers Tea.

Lydia created a doll sized version of her mother’s nursing uniform for the centerpiece, along with a silk gladiola sample of the corsages she made.

I made a miniature corsage to pin to the cape.

The table was set and ready for the day. Several weeks ago when I asked what flower Lydia associated with memories of her mother, she immediately responded “gladiolas” and she went on to explained how her Mother used to make corsages with them. I searched and inquired everywhere for gladiolas, but was told that they were not yet in season. Giving up on the possibility of finding fresh gladiola’s for the tea, I purchased a couple silk stems at the local craft store and passed them to Lydia so she could create at least one corsage for the table to share with our friends. Another flower that Lydia remembered were irises. Lydia has irises growing in her yard, so our back up plan was to decorate the table with irises. I purchased a bouquet of purple blue irises that we mixed with yellow and a rusty shade from Lydia’s yard.

Yesterday I decided to cross the lake and head to Trader Joe’s where I always seem to find exactly what I’m looking for. I was so excited to find French lilacs and selected a couple of bouquets. As I turned to place the flowers in my basket, on the opposite side I came face to face with an entire section of gladiolas! They were all tightly closed, so I searched for a bouquet that had a few flowers beginning to open, thrilled to at least have a bouquet that I could place in a vase and gift to Lydia after the tea.

The Sweet Course

These edible flower cookies created by Chef Marcela Valladolid caught my eye a couple of years ago on Instagram, and I knew at some point I would have an event where I could recreate them. When browsing through my inspiration saves, there they were. https://casamarcela.com/las-pinches-galletas-how-baking-cookies-helped-me-reconnect-to-my-inner-creative-d72/

My herb garden was abundant with violas and pansies that I had planted a little over a month ago. Lydia and another neighbor gave me roses and coreopsis. I carefully dried a variety of flowers and petals between paper towels in the microwave and I ordered an inexpensive letter stamping kit on Amazon. With all in place the cookie baking began and I employed Lydia’s help to decorate the cookies with flowers. Six dozen was quite a task, but together we managed to finish them all in a little over 3 hours, but over 2 separate days.

What you’ll need: Alphabet Stamp; dried flowers; cookie dough and sanding sugar. (There are a few different options of alphabet stamps on Amazon in various price points. They are very small and a little tricky to change the letter on the little rail tray, and don’t forget, the letters have to be installed backwards to stamp correctly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L17HWZ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Doing this part a day ahead will make the application time easier, but if done the same time as baking the cookies you may be in it for about half a day the first time.The first step is to cut clean, pesticide free, edible flowers with as little stem behind them as possible. Using the glass plate from the microwave, lay each bloom face down over two layers of paper towel. Once the sheet is full, carefully cover with two layers of paper towel and gently press down. Place a microwave safe dish that covers all of the flowers over the top.

Microwave in 30 second intervals for a total of 3 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes and remove the entire microwave plate, pressed flowers and press on top (be careful everything may be hot). The paper towels get slightly wet where the flowers were. The flowers aren’t actually dry until the paper comes out dry. Check after the 3 minute 30 second series. Each microwave is different and if not dried enough return and use a couple of additional 30 second turns. Gently remove the entire paper towel stack to a baking sheet and cover with another baking sheet leaving to further dry overnight for best results, but the flowers can still be used if not fully dried. I dried flat leaf parsley for the greenery. Oddly it was also very wet, but did not take as much time as the flowers, so be sure to check after about 2 minutes total in the microwave. Checking the result by pulling up a corner carefully and returning for more time if needed.

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  Before

• 

  After – the color changed,
  but these look like little hearts!

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  Before

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  After

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Remarkably, the flowers maintain their vibrant color even if their original color slightly changed.

With the flowers ready to go – on to the cookies.

Sugar Cookie with Lemon and Raspberry

Yields about 3 dozen cookies (used a 2 5/8th inch or 68 mm scalloped cutter)

• 1 cup of room temperature butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Mexican Vanilla)
• the zest of one large lemon (or two small) yellow part only
• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of freeze dried raspberries (crushed with fingers)
• white sanding sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg, vanilla, lemon zest and crushed freeze dried raspberries and mix until well blended. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and mix again.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to the creamed ingredients. Once all flour mixture has been incorporated, put mixer on high and beat until the dough comes together and away from the sides.

Divide dough in half, form into a flat square and wrap each half into clear plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour. (If you refrigerate for long periods of time, the dough will be too firm, but you can let it sit out on the counter for about 10 to 15 minutes until is softens, but is still firm.

Open the plastic wrap and smooth out on the counter. Place the dough in the center. Cut another large piece of plastic wrap and lay on top. Roll out the dough to about 1/4th inch thickness (between the two sheets of plastic). This avoids drying out the dough with adding more flour and rolls out with less mess to clean up and after cutting out the cookies you can easily fold up the scraps with the plastic and re-roll.

Cut with desired cookie cutter and place each cookie on a parchment lined or silicon lined baking sheet. The cookies do not spread, but place about an inch apart. Place entire baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes. (I repeated and cut out all of the cookies with the remaining dough filling 3 baking sheets, each with a dozen cookies and placed all of the prepared sheets in the refrigerator or freezer).

Remove one prepared sheet after 5 minutes. Using a small bowl of water and a small paint brush, brush a small area on the cookie where you want to place flowers and arrange as desired, leaving space for word stamping if that is what you are going to do or it can be done with flowers only.

Once all of the cookies on the sheet are decorated with flowers, lightly sprinkle with white sanding sugar. (Important to sprinkle sugar prior to stamping word). If stamping with a name or word, now is the time to stamp. Gently press into the cookie. It actually works best if the cookie is a little more softened which is will be during the time it takes to decorate with flowers.

Return the cookie sheet to the freezer for 5 minutes (put your timer on) and take out the next sheet to decorate. After 5 minutes in the freezer, place decorated cookie tray into the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the tray. Then move to a cooling rack until completely cooled. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

• 

  Cookies before baking.

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  Cookies after baking.

All of our mother’s names.

Originally I was going to make the cookies with only Lydia’s mother’s name, but the more I thought about it, I thought that all of the mom’s should be imprinted on the cookies. I decided to make a dozen dried flower cookies for each of my guests, stamped with their mother’s name. I saved one each to serve with the sweet course, and then stacked 10 cookies into clear bags and selected one to slip into the side of the stack, facing out before tying up with a tulle bow. Each were used around the table as place cards. I just asked everyone to sit where they found their mother’s name on the cookies.

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• 

Other items shared in the previous posts to complete the menu are pictured below.

• 

  Chocolate cup filled with black cherry preserves and topped with a brandied cherry.

• 

  Lemon Whips with roasted blueberries in the bottom.

The sweet course trio.

THE SANDWICH COURSE

• 

  Cucumber Mint

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  Heart-beets with blueberry goat cheese

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  Prosciutto egg salad with chive blossom

• 

  Avocado toast with radish and rose petals

• 

  Lydia’s Smoked Chicken & Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese

The Scone Course

Mission Fig & Date Scones

topped with

Candied Orange & Marmalade

The Soup Course

Fresh Corn Coulis topped with shaved asparagus, fresh green peas, pea shoots, shaved fennel and corn kernels tossed in a white balsamic vinaigrette and edible flowers.

The Scone “To Go Boxes”

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• 

• 

When I did a test bake a couple of weeks ago, the number of scones were so plentiful that I knew I would have enough to box and send home with the ladies. I purchased these white boxes at Michaels and lined the inside with floral tissue paper. Using mini sealed containers from the Dollar Tree, I filled each with the orange marmalade and candied orange that I garnished the top of those served with and glued some of the leftover dried flowers to the lids.

Me and my Mom on the beach of Bermuda.

As the first of my guests arrived, there was still a slight drizzle falling, but shortly afterwards the sun began to peek from behind the clouds. As we toasted our mothers and shared more memories of them, the skies had cleared and the sun was shining brightly. I was filled with gratitude for our time together and that my friends would return safely home, free of storms.

A Balsamic Fig Cocktail, one of Lydia’s Mom’s favorite flavors. Torani Balsamic Fig syrup and Prosecco.

Until next year – when we will honor Kelly’s Mother!

The Heart of Planning (The Menu) of My Annual Mothers Tea

My mother was not one to slave over the stove or bake a variety of goods when I was growing up. No homemade biscuits or cakes from scratch existed. In most cases she took the easy and economic route of canned and boxed options for meals and baked goods, convenience items created during her generation. However, later in her life when she retired, she took a cake decorating class and eventually became very adept at decorating cookies. My daughter’s baby and wedding showers had the most feminine, delicately iced antique baby carriage and wedding cake cookies that we all beamed over. I suppose it’s fair to say she had more time and patience to commit to honing these skills and spent hours making each exactly perfect and a work of art.

Sweet Corn Coulis with Spring Vegetables

Beautifully presented tea treats excited her greatly and she couldn’t wait to see what the petite finger sandwiches and pastries would look like whenever we attended a tea service. The pleasures of the tea for both of us began with the anticipation of how pretty the presentation might be and what surprising new items we might find. While I want a pretty presentation at my own tea parties, everything must also taste good.

The Menu

Photo by monicore on Pexels.com

The Spring Soup Course

Each year I’ve started my tea with a small cup of Spring inspired soup. This year I found a recipe in Food & Wine Magazine for a Sweet Corn Coulis created by Commander’s Palace Chef, Meg Bickford. Chef’s version included grilled shrimp that I omitted from mine.

Other substitutions or variations in my version included lime zest and juice (in lieu of lemon juice); white balsamic vinegar (in lieu of champagne vinegar); crème fraîche (in lieu of sour cream) and Greek yogurt (in lieu of buttermilk). Basically use what you have that has similar flavors. The amounts needed are far too little to go out and buy a whole container of buttermilk when you can use yogurt if you have it in the fridge. Lastly I slightly blanched the shaved asparagus ribbons and tips after the peas (that I used frozen in lieu of fresh). Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. The thinly sliced fresh vegetables gently tossed in a bright vinegar and grape seed oil, and then gently laid upon the sweet corn coulis, provided the perfect green brightness of Spring I was looking for. The link: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-gulf-shrimp-with-sweet-corn-coulis

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The Finger Sandwiches

• Heart-beet canapés
• Cucumber mint finger sandwiches
• Smoked pimento cheese finger sandwiches (not pictured)
• Crispy prosciutto egg salad with paprika lace and chive blossom

While I like to have some of the menu items reflect memories of the honored mother, I don’t want it to be overly obvious. I try to consciously make different menu items from year to year, but when there is an expressed favorite, then it should be there for the tradition of the day. Below are goat cheese “heart-beet” canapés as a fun wink to our Nurse Theme.

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Heart-beet canapés.

No cooking necessary for this bright and cheerful canapé. All that is needed is a can of sliced beets and small log of blueberry crusted goat cheese (Walmart) and edible flowers. Using two larger slices of beets, place a sliced disk of room temperature goat cheese between the two beets and line them up evenly. Using a small heart shaped biscuit or cookie cutter centered over the top beet cut through the layers and that’s all there is to it! Garnished with a tiny dab of goat cheese on top and an edible flower like these garden violas, this little ruby jewel is ready for serving.

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A fan favorite and sandwich that just always has to be part of a tea is the cucumber sandwich. To create a little update of freshness, I chopped fresh mint, added a little white balsamic vinegar and tossed it into thinly sliced ribbons of Persian cucumbers.

Spread crème fraîche and a little mint thinly sliced mint on one side of two pieces of thin sliced bread (like Pepperidge Farm). Lay the thinly sliced cucumber ribbons over the crème fraîche of one slice and then place the second piece of bread, crème fraîche side down, on top. Place more thin slices of cucumber over the top of the sandwich. With a sharp knife, remove the crust from all sides. Now cut sandwich in half to create two rectangular shaped finger sandwiches. Top with a small mint leaf and chamomile (or other edible) flower for garnish.

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Mint Cucumber Sandwiches

Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese Finger Sandwich

Lydia said her Mother loved pimento cheese and had recently discovered a smoke gouda pimento cheese dip (from Sam’s Club) when visiting a friend that she really enjoyed. So I assigned this finger sandwich to her. I do not have a “test” version of her sandwich for this post, but you’ll be able to see it in “the tea day” post.

Smoky Gouda Pimento Cheese

The great thing about egg salad is that anyone can make it. Boil a few eggs, peel, smash into a crumble, add mayo, a little salt and pepper, some paprika and you’ve got egg salad. What I don’t like, is its lack of texture. So I thought I’d punch it up by crisping some prosciutto in the oven and then placing a little sheet this tasty bacon-like flavor on top of the egg salad for a little extra texture and crunch. To garnish I sifted sweet paprika over the lace edge of a paper doily to create a lacy background before I cut two small slits in the bread and wove in the stem of a chive with a blossom on top. Finally a couple of chive ends were added to create a little leaf for the flower.

Crispy Prosciutto Egg Salad with Sweet Paprika Lace and Chive Blossom

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The Scone Course

I asked Lydia to think about what her mother’s favorite flavors, fruits, etc. and wanted to incorporate some of those into the into the menu. Only a few items came to mind, which included figs (recalling images of her mother eating Fig Newtons); cherry came to mind, lemon and pimento cheese. An odd combination, but I knew I could find a way to incorporate the flavors into the menu. The pimento cheese will be used in a finger sandwich.

For the scone, I found this fig and pear recipe in Teatime Magazine (the link to the recipe can be found below). I did not use pears in my version, but instead used chopped dates, and topped with orange marmalade and diced candied orange. I decided to a little larger heart cutter for these.

https://www.teatimemagazine.com/pear-fig-scones/

Fig and date scones with orange marmalade and candied orange.

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  Four layers of dough with chopped dried mission figs and dates between 3 layers.

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  into hearts and placed on a line sheet tray, then into the freezer for 5 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

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  The tops brushed with heavy cream and popped into the oven.

The Sweet or Pastry Course

I haven’t created samples or test versions of all of the sweet course items, but I typically make something fruity, something with chocolate and something pastry. For now I’ve made a small wink to Lydia’s mother’s “cherry” flavor reference with these chocolate liqueur cups, filled with French black cherry preserves and a Griottines (brandied) French cherry on top.

Griottines are cherries macerated in eau de vie or kirsch,
common to Fougerolles (Haute-Saône) in Franche-Comté,
eastern France. They can be eaten alone, or
used in a number of local dishes both savoury and sweet.

Simple and quick, but a tasty small bite of chocolate cherry, each cup is filled with about a teaspoon of black cherry preserves (pump with small cherries) and then topped with one Griottine (brandied cherry) and a tiny edible viola flower.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into the preparations of my Mothers Tea menu items. Just two short weeks away! Be sure to come back to see how the party came together and the rest of our menu. So looking forward to our special day of remembering our Mothers and specifically honoring Lydia’s special Mom this year! Here’s to Mothers and Nurses everywhere!