Loose Leaf Tea Anyone?

Last night my Cousin and his fiancee came over for dinner, and he very kindly brought some loose leaf tea for me to try. (He insisted that it was better then bagged tea, and being a tea lover, I had to try it! :-)).

First we picked what kind of tea we were going to brew, and settled on Irish Breakfast. We placed two teaspoons (enough for two cups of tea) into his loose leaf tea steeper
and poured in the hot water. (Note - after boiling the water we let it sit for a moment so it wouldn't be QUITE as hot, but only let it sit for like a minute or two.).
We let the tea sit for 3 minutes, and then he poured it into the cups. (The tea steeper was pretty cool, you just place it on top of the cup, and press slightly, and the tea comes out! Hehe! :-)).
I added some milk to mine, (because that's how I like my black tea), and tasted it! It was really good! I've had Irish Breakfast tea in the past, but I think I prefer the loose leaf! :-)
Now I want to go to the tea store and get others to try! :-) (I'd like to do a taste test - one cup of loose leaf and one cup on bagged tea, just to see how they taste different. :-)).

So, I'd like to know, which kind do YOU prefer? Loose Leaf or Bagged? :-)

Thanks for sharing Zach! :-)

*Cough Cough*

As we get into Fall and Winter colds and sicknesses start going around more, and you can hear more coughing and sniffing.

When I have a cold, a nice cup of tea often helps me feel better!!
My favorite is just plain black tea with honey and lemon!!! :-) (And milk ;-)). A lady at the bank today told me I should try green tea with honey, which I will have to do (as I have a cold at the moment!)! :-)
However, any kind of tea can help! So, go make yourself a lovely cup of hot tea, and make sure to rest as much as you can!

Sun Tea - Perfect for those hot summer days!

Ever long for a nice cool drink on a hot summer day, something other then water, but find the only thing you have in the refrigerator is milk?? Well, I have the perfect solution for you! :-) Sun Tea!!! :-) And if summers where you live is anything like New England, you'll have plenty of sun to do this simple, yet refreshing drink! :-)

First, pick out your very favorite kind of tea! I find that with Sun Tea a flavor is best, but if you prefer plain, that's great too! :-) I like Peach Herbal Tea best so far! :-)
Next place 3 tea bags in a half gallon jug (more or less depending on how much you want! :-)).
Next fill jug with room temperature water (just out of the faucet is good! :-)).
Next place jug in the sun and let set for several hours - it's best if you put it out in the morning, and then it should be ready in late afternoon! :-)

When it is done, either serve right away over plenty of ice, or place in refrigerator until cold! :-)
You can add sweetener, but personally I prefer it plain! :-) The herbal tea's don't taste bitter at all! :-)

Enjoy!! :-)

My Church's Tea Party

Yesterday I hosted an Afternoon Tea for our church ladies! :-) I thought you might enjoy hearing about it, and seeing some pictures! :-)




This was our table! :-) We used three different tea sets, complete with dish, saucer, and tea cup, which I simply stacked on top of each other at people's places. When it came time to begin, people just lifted the tea cup and saucer off their plates. It looked elegant, and didn't clutter things too much. :-)

Here are a couple more pictures of the table -







Our wonderful guests all looked so lovely in their tea party clothes! :-)

















This is me at the Tea Party. :-)

What we had to eat -

For sandwiches we had Egg salad, and chicken salad. Peanut butter and jelly, which I made some with Apricot, and also some with our homemade Strawberry! :-) And Turkey, made with lettuce, and American cheese, and some with mustard and some with mayonnaise, (and some just plain).

We had Scottish Oat Scones, with raisins! :-) Sugar cookies, Ginger Snaps, and Lemon Bread (which I think was the best part! ;-)).
We also had a bowl of Gala apple slices and a bowl of read and green grapes! :-)

To drink -
We had Peach and Regular Sun Ice Tea! :-)
For sun tea you simply put the tea bags in room temperature water, and place in the sun for a full day. (If you remember too late, you can put some hot water to help it along! ;-)). To make it iced we simply placed bowls of ice on the table, and put the room temperate in the tea pots (since it was too hot for hot tea), and let people ice it themselves. :-)

We also had lemonade, which I cheated with and bought the frozen lemonade from the store, however, I did buy lemons to squeeze into it to make it better!! :-) I also had my sister (who made it) slice lemon's to float in it with the ice to make it look lovely! :-)

What we did -

Before the tea party began, after everyone sat down I read Psalm 100 aloud to everyone, and then my Mom asked the blessing.

For games during the party we played Tea Party Bingo, as explained in in my Spring Tea Party Part Two post. :-) http://teatimewithamy.blogspot.com/2009/07/spring-tea-party-part-two-party-games.html

After the Tea Party we played Change Seats, which is also suggested in that post. However, instead of saying "Do you love your neighbor" we said "Do you like your neighbor's seat better", which made it more comfortable! :-)
Even the mother's played, and everyone enjoyed it. (We had ages three and up playing, and everyone was able to do it. :-) The three-year-old had lots of fun, and was so cute! :-)).

As a finishing touch, my friend showed us a little film she had made, which she did a lovely job on! :-)

Well, I hope you have enjoyed hearing about our church's tea party!

God bless!

Summer Tea Party - A Picnic for Two

For your summer tea party, invite your sister, daughter, mother, best friend, etc for a special picnic lunch/tea for two! :-)

First pick the spot to have the tea party - a nice quiet spot is best - perhaps by a river, in a field, or even just in your back yard! :-)
Spread out a nice large, pretty blanket on the ground (If your friend prefers not to sit on the ground, simply set up a small table, like a card table, with chairs, or use a picnic table at your local park. :-)).

Use pretty paper plates and cups for lunch, and

What to eat -

Egg Salad Sandwiches -
Boil the eggs (generally two to three for each sandwich), then peel and mash them with a potato masher or a fork. Add Mayonnaise or Miracle whip to taste.

Some other ideas to make your sandwiches different -
Add celery, or green onions.
Add a little mustard.
Add some salt and/or pepper.

(I prefer just plain egg salad with miracle whip myself, but make it the way you like it, and ask your friend how she would like it! :-)).

Note - If your friend dislikes Egg Salad, try making either peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or turkey sandwiches. :-)

What to Drink -

Make iced tea using peach herbal tea bags. :-) Make sure to keep it chilled, and have some ice ready. :-)

(Note - it'd also be a good idea to have some water handy. :-) Just bring along two water bottles, or a small pitcher. :-)).

For Dessert -
(For tea just have the iced tea. :-)).

Tea Cookies
(Taken from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tea-Cookies-I/Detail.aspx ).

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 pinch salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting


DIRECTIONS

1. Beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar till creamy. Add vanilla.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, stir into creamy mixture. Blend well.
3. Add the nuts, mix well, roll the dough out into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
4. Flatten dough out and cut into 15 or 20 equal size pieces, shape into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes till firm but not brown. While still warm roll into confectioners' sugar, let cool and roll again.


At this tea party you probably won't want to play any games, so just go prepared to chat. :-)
Enjoy your picnic tea! :-)

Sippen - A blog review

Although we are a tea blog, at tea parties, and on hot summer days, some of your guests, or yourself, might enjoy a refreshing drink other then tea.
The ladies at Sippen www.sippen.blogspot.com offer some drink options that sound just perfect! Please do stop by and visit their lovely blog!! :-)

Spring Tea Party - Part Two - Party Games

At your Spring Tea Party you should play at least two games, to make things more interesting for the guests.

Here are some ideas for you -

Tea Party Bingo (Taken from http://www.theteahousetimes.com/).

Take a piece of paper and put five boxes down and five boxes across, and mark the middle one "Free". Then have the guests write words like - one in each box - "Tea" "Tea pot" "Sugar" "Milk" "Scones" "Jam", etc (ideas at the web site :-) Just list the words you want them to use at the bottom of the paper and have them write it in themselves. :-)). Then throughout the party use the words in different stories, or just randomly call one of them out. The first person to mark down five of the words in a row (Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal) calls out "Bingo!" and wins. (If you want too you can have small prizes for the winners - a tea cup, a little knit bag full of different kinds of tea bags, etc.).

Game number two is called Change Seats - (Taken from http://oldfashionedliving.com/parlour-games.html).

Change Seats -
This is a variation on a Victorian game, but a warning to those attempting this one, clear the room of precious little decorations, it can get a little wild! All but one person sits in a chair. The person in the middle asks someone in the circle "Do you love your neighbor?" The person selected then has to state either "No." at which point the people in the chairs on each side of him/her have to change seats QUICKLY. If they aren't quick enough, the person in the middle may slip into one of the vacated seats, making the unseated neighbor it. The chosen person may instead answer, "Yes, I love my neighbor, except those who (fill in the blank....are wearing blue, or have brown hair, or play tennis, etc) Everyone who fits the description (ie is wearing blue for example) has to jump up and change seats, while the person in the middle tries to steal one. The person left standing has to ask another person if he/she loves his/her neighbor, beginning a new round.

(Note - If your guests don't feel comfortable saying "No" when asked if they love their neighbor, just make up another saying for them! :-)).

I hope your Spring Tea Party is fun! (And sorry again for getting this post up so late!!).

God bless!