Wanted: Hams, Drama Queens, Divas, Social Butterflies and anyone who longs to “Act Out” in a group.
Theme:” Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling?” … a mystery tea time.
Grab a group of your “gabbiest” girlfriends (6-8 will do) and host a mystery tea party they will be talking about for years to come. Follow this step by step article for a successful event.
Step #1: Order the Instant Down-loadable Kit
Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling ? is an awesome tea party waiting to happen. You can download the full kit with scrips, characters, recipes and more for only $24.95 You can also order a hard copy mailed to you for $33.30. The kit includes place cards, invitations and nametags as well.
Go to: http://mysteryteaparties.com/darjeeling.htm
Step #2: Choose Your Guests
Think about your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Who needs a chance to be someone else for a day? Invite guests that you know will put effort into creating an outrageous costumes and giving an over the top performance.
To present the Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling you will need 6 to 8 guests to play the following crazy characters:
Rose T. Cups – An obsessed horticulturist convinced that the Duke stole her prize rose
Paris Hall – An avid teapot collector who had shun the Duke’s offer to buy her best pot
Lacey Frills – The sweet, innocent and jilted bride to be!
Fancy FrouFrou– A shockingly glamorous woman with a dark past.
Vicki Torian– The Duke’s executive assistant with a well earned grudge
Lady Tipton– Heiress of the Tipton Tea Fortune
Earlene Grey – A woman driven to a life of poverty at the hand of the Duke
Devon Shire – A Duchess who became a social outcast.
Step #3: Read the Kit and Plan Your Food
You have heard it said “when all else fails read the instructions,” and hosting a mystery tea party is no exception. Start by reading through the entire kit from start to finish. Imagine each character being played by one of your guests.
What will you wear as the hostess? Who do you want to be? Create a character in your mind’s eye. You want to participate in all the fun!
Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling scripts are divided into three courses. You will need a scone course, a finger sandwich course and a dessert. Here are a few fun suggestions:
Crazy Easy Scones
1 3/4 cup pastry flour
1/4 cup bakers sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees FThis is my personal (Dawnya) recipe that I have been making with rave reviews for years. If you don’t have pastry flour use cake flour. If you don’t have bakers sugar grind regular white sugar until it is very fine.
Mix all the ingredients carefully, turn onto board. Pat into flat circle about 1/4 inch thick and cut into triangles or use a cookie cutter. Let rest in the freezer for at least 5 minutes on a baking tray and then pop into a hot oven.
Bake 10 -12 minutes. Yum.
Delicious Devonshire Cream
(recipe from Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling? )
8 oz. Cream cheese-softened
3 Tbsp powder sugar
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup Cool Whip-thawedMix all ingredients with electric mixer till fluffy. Refrigerate till serving time.
Fancy’s Finger Sandwiches
(excerpt from Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling?)
Choose your favorite sandwich fillings (egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad,etc.) and a variety of breads. Spreading the bread lightly with butter first helps prevent the bread from getting soggy. Trim off crusts and cut into small rectangles, squares or triangles. Small crescent rolls, bagels, or crackers can be spread with cream cheese and other toppings to add variety.
You might want to round out this course with a quiche, salad, or fruit.
Raspberry Trifle
1 box white angel food cake mix
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups boiling water
1 box (8-serving size) sugar-free raspberry-flavored gelatin
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
3 containers (6 oz each) red raspberry yogurtMove oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350°F.
In extra-large glass or metal bowl, beat cake mix and cold water on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan. Do not use fluted tube cake pan or 9-inch angel food (tube) cake pan, or batter will overflow.
Bake 37 to 47 minutes or until top is dark golden brown and cracks feel very dry and not sticky. Do not under bake. Immediately turn pan upside down onto glass bottle until cake is completely cool, about 1 hour. Run knife around edges; remove from pan. Tear cake into about 3/4-inch pieces.
Pour boiling water on gelatin in large bowl; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add raspberries. (If desired, remove several raspberries and reserve for garnish.) Refrigerate gelatin mixture about 15 minutes or until thickened but not set. Layer half each of the cake pieces, gelatin mixture and yogurt in 3-quart glass bowl; repeat. Garnish with reserved raspberries. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm. Cover and refrigerate any remaining dessert.
Step #4: Buy The Gift
“And the Oscar goes to….” At the end of your mystery tea your guests will vote on the criminal. Who will the winner be? Whoever your guests vote for as the most convincing “criminal” in your midst.
As hostess you will be expected to award your “criminal” with your own version of the Oscar for “Best Performance In The Part Of A Murderer.”
Here are a few fun ideas:
Plastic Oscar Trophy – “Best Actress In A Mystery Tea Party”
Prisoner Ball and Chain – “For Crimes Committed Against A Duke”
http://www.partycheap.com/Prisoner_Ball_and_Chain_p/nc695.htm
Crime Scene Blanket “X Marks The Spot.”
http://www.perpetualkid.com/crime-scene-fleece-blanket.aspx
Of course, a nice teapot, tea selection or gift basket would be appreciated too. But a bit of comedy is always fun and you are sure to have a great time posing for outlandish pictures. (send me one!)
Step #5 Now You Are Ready
If you follow all of these steps you are ready to host a fantastic mystery tea. Be warned! Your guests are going to LOVE this and have so much fun they will beg you for MORE.
Luckily there are more mystery tea party kits available at http://www.MysteryTeaParties.com .
I recommend you peruse their list of kits prior to hosting Who Killed The Darling Duke of Darjeeling. At the end of your event ask each guest which “theme” they might be interested in for your next round of fun.
Whether it’s a girl’s night out, a reunion, a kids party or a red hat meeting, having a mystery tea party is quick, easy and just a lot of fun!
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