Tea Party 2012

It took a while, but I finally had my tea party in the middle of August.  It was so hot that almost no one had hot tea.  Most had lemonade or iced basil-mint tea.  Still, tea isn't really about the drink, it's about the company.

I don't know when I became so bad at time management.  I'm going to have to do a post in the near future about how to do-ahead for a party so you don't have to leave the oven on for six hours on the hottest day of the year.  All the food was ready with about 15 minutes to spare, but I usually have all the dishes done and put away long before anyone arrives.  Part of putting in a lot of effort for a party is making it look like it all happened by magic and you didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

First  Course
Cucumber-Dill Sandwiches
Asparagus Mini-Quiches
Tomato and Basil Puffs

Second  Course
Buttermilk Scones (normal recipe, but I used the buttermilk from the butter I made)
Whipped Cream and Homemade Butter
Lavender and Cherry Jellies and Gooseberry Preserves

Third  Course
Cranberry-Almond Biscotti
Individual Apple and Blueberry Tarts

Drinks
Hot Teas
Iced Basil and Mint Tea
Homemade Lemonade