Christmas Tea 2014

I started my day with good intentions of packing away "Christmas"  but felt guilty that I hadn't found time for a Christmas Tea.  I took a quick look in my fridge and decided maybe I could pull something together without a trip to the grocery store.  I called my tea ladies and 3 of the 5 said they could come so I rushed into action.

Luckily the table was still set with Christmas Linens so quickly added dishes and silver.

I added my new Christmas Teacups which I had been searching for since last Christmas when I decided my Pfaltzgraff mugs where just to heavy for a Christmas Tea.  Christmas teacups were almost impossible to find in our area but a girlfriend found 4 for me at an antique show in Ohio.

Our savory was a Pillsbury Crescent Roll Broccoli Chicken wreath.  This picture was taken as it came out of the oven and I forgot to take a better picture after it had been cut and re-plated.  Promise I didn't serve it like this.

Luckily my pantry was stocked with an Orange Almond Scone Mix which was the perfect accompaniment for the "Wild Blueberry with Limoncello" and "Chai Tea Marmalade" jams I purchased for the holidays.  Notice the pretty shape of the jam jar.  I was not embarrassed at all to place the jam jar on the table.  The Pistachio macaroons were a Christmas gift.

Dessert was a Chess Pie.   I had cut the recipe out of a magazine months ago to try.  It was made with buttermilk, sugar and eggs.  It was one of the most delicious pies I've ever eaten.  I needed something for a garnish so added an orange twist.  I served each piece with a dab of whip cream and orange wedge.

Tea was served from the Pfaltzgraff teapot that matches my dishes.  Far from my prettiest teapot, its one of my favorites as it has a wire infuser insert.   Tea with the first course was Lavender Earl Grey.

Some of my new Christmas Tea cups.

Dessert was served on these red transfer dishes.  Tea was Stash Black Forest.

One of my tea ladies brought me the following teacup puzzle.  It was a labor of love to complete.  When I first looked at it I thought it would be a cinch but getting the right flowers with the right teacups was much more of a challenge than I expected.

From Start

To Finish

The finished puzzle slipped easily on to the top of my tea cart where it will stay until I decide whether to take it apart or maybe have a piece of glass cut to size and leave it on the cart.