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How the Movies Communicate the Heart of Tea

April 9, 2013 By
royal_albert

royal_albert

 

 

I recently watched Miss Potter for the first time. Enjoyed the movie, thoroughly (Ewan McGregor sings, how could I not?). A classic story of English aristocracy, this interpretation of Beatrix Potter showcased many of the values I hold dear. These included:

  • a commitment to creative work despite the objections of others, even one’s own family.
  • a love for farming and preservation of the land.
  • living through heartache and coming out stronger on the other side.

But another value I hold dear that may not have been as easily noticed by other viewers was the constant presence of the teapot. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tea Party Girl Thoughts, Tea Reads Tagged With: , ,

You Don’t Have to be a Perfectionist to have a Perfect Tea Party

January 12, 2013 By

 

tea party hostess

by Jenny Wells

I’m sure this problem of perfectionism does not affect all my readers, but statistically it applies to many of us. Perfectionism when planning a party is draining, indeed. Even without perfectionism, it still takes me four “days” (those are multiple children in the house days) to host an event in my home.

  • One day to clean
  • One day to cook/bake
  • One day to host my tea event
  • One day to clean-up and put everything away

Now a perfectionist, as I was in my former life before children, would clean the whole house. I make sure my front door/porch and the downstairs half-bath is clean. Don’t get me wrong, I still sweep up, wipe down, take the trash out, etc. But I only CLEAN the above mentioned.

A perfectionist would make all food from scratch, take hours preparing it, or spend more than they should with a caterer. As a reformed perfectionist, I delegate to my husband who enjoys being in the kitchen, and my best tea buddy who likes to bake. If I didn’t have them, I would pick one or two great foods already prepared and supplement with items that don’t require a long time in the kitchen.

SCONE

 

Hosting USED to wipe me out mainly because of my perfectionism in the above two areas. Now I make sure I have time before my party to relax and I keep a focused but relaxed agenda for the actual event. No one wants to be driven by their hostess’ agenda of the way the event should go. I’ve worked hard to “let it go” and allow my guests to enjoy one another without a lot of interference. This has a lot to do with internal work on my part and experience. I also try really hard to have nothing I HAVE to do the last hour before my event except fill water glasses, light candles, remove things from the fridge, etc.

As for cleaning up, I DO recommend putting away all food, filling one’s dishwasher, and clearing tables as much as possible as soon as an event is over. DON’T SIT DOWN! But I give myself twenty-four hours to put everything away, like the things I store only for events like these.

How have you, reformed perfectionists, learned to manage hostess-stress? My area of weakness involves continuing to feed my family during those few days surrounding an event. My kitchen is already such a mess and I’m working to keep on top of it and kids want five meals a day. Any suggestions?

 

 

Filed Under: The Tea Party

How to Build Your Tea Party Pantry

January 6, 2013 By
RoyalButler

So you’re convinced. You’ve read “The Top Seven Mistakes Tea Drinkers Make“. You want to begin brewing looseleaf tea and develop your first real tea party menu.  But where do you start?

My article, “The Secret to the Simple and Quick Tea Party” talks about the first ten items I recommend purchasing in order to have what you need for a simple tea party for four.

This article will give you the list of my favorite tea party food items to have on hand.

For more specific information on planning a full tea menu, click on my “Tea Party Food” category link on my sidebar. These items are great for the impromptu party menu or those who prefer minimal food preparation on a limited food budget.

 

 

  1. Boxed red pepper soup–easily garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche, some chopped candied nuts, and sprinkled chives.
  2. Candied nuts–to garnish a soup, salad, or both.
  3. Bite-sized frozen quiches and or Spiral Tea Sandwiches (also in cooler section)
  4. Cream cheese and bread–the staple of tea sandwiches. Add thinly-sliced cucumbers, chopped herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, apple butter, or whatever you have available. Cut off the crusts and into triangles or rectangles and garnish if possible for quick and simple tea sandwiches.
  5. Frozen scones–My favorite local brand are Fat Cat Scones. Research what might be available in your area. Many scones mixes are available, like Cupboard of Blessings, as well. The best way is to prepare from scratch and cut scones at your leisure, freeze them, and then pop them straight into the oven when needed.
  6. Creme Fraiche and Lemon Curd–Trader Joe’s provides both. These are my favorite and quick accompaniments for scones.
  7. Chocolate Truffles --if you don’t bake and 90% of women I know want something with chocolate. I’ve seen boxes of simple chocolate truffles at Trader Joe’s and Costco. Place them in paper candy cups (I collect them throughout the year based on the season) or on tiny paper doilies.
  8. Store bought Pound Cake
  9. Canned berry or cherry pie filling – My preference for garnishing pound cake quickly. If you have creme fraiche left over, whipped cream or vanilla ice cram, add them as well.
  10. Tea – Remember, this is The Tea Party’s Most Important Ingredient! Learn to brew tea the old-fashioned way and wow yourself and your guests.

These aren’t your only options, of course. Enjoy browsing your local or online gourmet grocery store for more ideas of quick and simple tea party food ideas.

Remember, food is only as good as the ingredients you put into it and less is more. Tea parties are the time to provide a few bites that taste fabulous instead of stuffing your guests with food that is just different forms of white sugar and flour.

Enjoy imagining your tea party pantry and what you want to have easily available for a little-touch-of-something for yourself or others.

Filed Under: Tea Party Food, The Tea Party

Is Tea too much Work?

August 18, 2012 By
pour-tea

Dear Tea Friends,

I recently came across this “classic” post from the early days of Tea Party Girl.  The founder, Jenny Wells, had some great thoughts on the time it takes to make tea and why it’s important to spend the time!  At the end of this article I have some updates on ways to save time making tea.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see my personal list.

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As a tea lover, educator, and promoter, it’s amazing how often I hear from people that brewing loose leaf tea is too much work.

When I began to drink tea at home, I never gave the “work” a second thought.

Again, could this be because many, many Americans don’t know the great taste and experience of a brewed pot of loose-leaf tea?

The goal of enjoying a pot of properly brewed loose-leaf tea motivated me to learn proper brewing techniques.

Yes, brewing a decent pot of tea is more work than microwaving tap-water in a mug for a bag of herb crumbs from the grocery store. And yes, making dinner Rachel Ray style is more work than visiting McDonalds. (Rachel, by the way, claims to “hate” tea and I’m wondering what kind she’s drunk…herb tea bags, maybe?). But, oh the reward, the essence, the feast of the senses properly brewed tea brings!

For those of you who are brewing loose-leaf tea at home, here are my top five tips for great tasting, smelling, and “tempatured” tea:

1. Use filtered water. A decent cup of tea (and a lousy cup of tea) is made up with 95% water. The water taste makes a tremendous difference!

2. Don’t over-boil your water. All the steam pouring out of your tea kettle while you’re off getting the mail? It’s two part hydrogen and one part oxygen,right? Water without oxygen tastes flat.

3. Learn the correct brewing times for the leaves you’re using. Green tea, for example, cannot handle the heat of boiling water or long brewing times. If the green tea you’ve tasted is bitter, this is why. Brew green tea for 2 minutes at rapid steam but not the exploding steam of boiling water.

4. Throw away the mesh balls everyone owns and no one uses for brewing loose-leaf tea. They are only good for one cup of tea at a time. Tea leaves must have room to expand if they are going to release their flavor. Purchase a tea sock,sack, or pot with an infuser instead.

5. Choose a beautiful cup (try one with a thin-lip, they far surpass chunky dime-a-dozen mugs in experiencing beauty on your lips), fill it only 2/3 full so it doesn’t cool down before you finish, and try your tea with the sugar in your treat, not your tea. (For richer blacks, a touch of milk can hit the spot).

(Yes, I fit all my favorite tips over 5 into number 5…couldn’t resist!)

Don’t forget! Only brew tea that SMELLS great.

Embrace the “work” and learn the rich reward of brewing tea daily for your health and heart!

Meet Me For Tea at Three,

Jenny

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Dawnya’s time saving, tea making, suggestions.

If life has got you on the run adapt some new technology and keep using great loose leaf tea. 

The Steep and Go by Tea Spot 

 

#1  The K Cup Adapter -  While the Keurig is not the ideal or most flavorful way to make tea, it can be adapted in a pinch.  Don’t waste your time and money buying the K-cup teas.  They are junk.  Instead buy an adapter and choose a small cut tea such as an English Breakfast.  Buy the tea loose leaf and scoop 1 1/4 tsp into the K Cup Adapter.  In 60 seconds you have tea that while not as good as brewing correctly, is tolerable in a hurry!

 

#2  Personal Iced Tea - Here’s a great way to make custom iced to on the go.  Grab a bottle of your favorite water, put a pinch of your favorite loose leaf tea in the container and add this amazing filter.  In no time you will have fresh steeped, iced tea.  Easy to drink and easy to travel.

 

#3 Brew On The Go- These easy to use disposable filters work great for both coffee and tea.  Keep them in your desk along with a tin of your favorite loose leaf tea.  Brew your water in an electric kettle and “TaDah! you are done!”  These filters are affordable and easy to take with you.

 

Tea Party Girl asks:  What’s your secret for making great tea?

Filed Under: Tea Party Girl Thoughts, Tea The Beverage Tagged With: , , ,

Are You a Realistic Hostess?

August 9, 2012 By
tea party hostess

 

by Jenny Wells

 

You’ve been asked to host an event in your home. Maybe it’s a girl’s night out, direct sales party, or bridal shower. “We’ll take care of everything,” you’re told. “We just need a place.” And you think, “Great! I can do that. It should be a breeze.”

I have a question for you, Readers. Do you think this is realistic?

One of the reasons I have been unable to post to Tea Party Girl as often over the last few weeks is because I attended and helped host a number of events in real life. Each involved group efforts and I found myself asking this question off and on. Here’s my top three observations and it would be great to hear some of your perspectives in the comments below.

  • If you are hosting the event in your home people will use your bathroom, ask for your ice, and be afraid of your dog. In other words, there’s a certain level of prep, availability and clean-up that will be required of you. Unless you’ve hired a professional caterer, it is unrealistic to think that whomever is coming into your home to put on the event will remember everything and need nothing.
  • Because it is your home, you help set the tone. For various reasons, I assisted at two events in a row where at the beginning, everyone bunched together in a passageway and awkwardly stood around. It would have been a great help for the homeowner to direct people where to sit, turned on some music or even helped with quick glasses of ice water.
  • Someone has to be in the kitchen. Think of your warmest memories of events/gatherings that have taken place in homes. Whether it’s with friends or family, most likely someone spent a chunk of time in the kitchen. And they were relaxed about it. Maybe they poured you a glass of wine or cup of tea while you chatted with them from the breakfast bar. Usually the best home gatherings take place when the hostess is at ease sharing her role in the kitchen with others and conversations can happen while the food prep is taking place. If you are hosting an event in your home ask yourself how you can utilize your home’s center and heartbeat, the kitchen. If the kitchen is not a place you like to be, is it realistic to host events in your home?

Last Friday evening, my family and I experienced a home gathering that provided real refreshment for the guests. It was casual. People arrived at different times. Some were family, some were friends. The ages ranged from six-over sixty. Wine flowed, laughter erupted, and guests put their feet up. The kids swam and played basketball and hide-and-go-seek. Our hostess spent time in the kitchen making enchiladas and dishing up homemade ice cream. She seemed at ease with my husband constructing a huge salad for us all and her father’s wife making margaritas while her brother and I hung out in the kitchen discovering mutual friends and a fondness for classic literature. She even found time to sit and laugh with us on occasion.

But when all was said and done, she was the one who gathered up the abandoned drinks, discovered the muddy footprints in her guest bath from the numerous children, and swept under the table where we ate. I am guessing she and her husband didn’t calculate the financial cost, but willingly gave it. How I long to be a hostess like this to others.

So what do you think? What takes a home-based event from good to great? How much hinges on the hostess? Are you a realistic hostess?

Filed Under: The Tea Party Tagged With: ,
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