5 ways to enjoy Tea with your quarantine Time
How is everyone doing today? We are in our 6th day of quarantine from COVID-19 and some of us (like California) are in a mandatory “safe at home” quarantine with no business opened anywhere except really to get food. I know so much good will come out of this because God is just putting this backdrop into place so He can really show off some miracles. I can not wait for this to happen but until then, we will be safe and stay with our closest family members and try to keep busy. So now that we have all of this “time” on our hands, what are we to do? I have cleaned my house, cleaned out some closets and watching the Hallmark Chanel Christmas movie marathon right now as I write this but I have to admit, I am getting really antsy. How can I contribute to all of you and my community? Well, last night a put together some tea gifts for my wedding industry peeps to send out on Monday. We have all had a very busy week rescheduling our Spring weddings and I know the wedding planners all over the country are having a tough time reworking entire vendor teams not to mention soothing emotional brides. My heart breaks for our brides and then I started thinking… I am a wedding planner known for bringing a sense of “calm” to a wedding day and I attribute this all to my tea! So I am giving out my “calm” to my brides and my planner and vendor friends! I hope it does just a little bit of good and brings some smiles.
So what can WE all do at home to enjoy some tea with all of this time we have acquired? Here are 5 suggestions to do with or without the kiddos……. things that you have always been saying to yourself “when I get some free time, I will do………”. So here we go!
Tea, Bible Study and Prayer - I do like to start my day every morning with my bible study and most days I do. Sometimes though my phone will begin to ring before my feet even hit the ground. Now I am in full blown work mode not realizing the time slipping by until at least lunch. Last week was a bit crazy with rescheduling weddings but the phone has been eerily quiet this weekend. Bible study is always something I wish I had more time for. Our country is in need of prayer right now more than ever. So let’s take some time with our tea to pray for those who are sick, for those who are healthy to remain healthy, for our president, our country, all the health care providers working endless hours, grocery store and take out restaurants who are serving us daily, for our communities and our families. The unity I see in our country right now is so heart warming and prayer is a good way to spend some of this time we have.
Picnic Outside With The Kiddos - When my boys were younger, they would love when we read Winnie the Pooh books together. A lot of the stories from Winnie the Pooh involved tea time and they would always be outside playing. This gave me the idea of having a Winnie the Pooh picnic outside in our backyard. We would bring all of our stuffed animal friends and sit on a blanket on the grass with crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Oreo cookies and tea. I would be drinking the tea and the boys would be sipping their apple juice. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate picnic and sometimes you can do the exact same things you would be doing inside the house. It’s a different scenery though and getting some fresh air at the same time. So bring some puzzles out, read some Winnie the Pooh books (or whatever books the kids like), coloring books and crayons, trucks and cars, dolls and stuffed animals and a nice fluffy blanket. Somehow PB&J and Oreo’s just tasted good outside!
Do some Baking with or without the kiddos - After I work a heavy week of wedding planning and then execute the wedding day, Sunday’s are for rest. I don’t any wedding related things but for some reason I love to do normal household things like laundry and cooking. Baking is something that I love as well and love to try out new recipes. This has been something on the back burner lately with Spring wedding season starting but then coming to a halt quickly. Now we all have the time to bake up some goodies. The kiddos may like to get in on this as well so make some cookies, bake a pound cake or try out some other yummy dessert you have been wanting to try. I usually have lemon bars individually wrapped in my freezer at all times along with some other treats that I can easily take out one at a time to enjoy with my tea especially when my neighbor drops by. I would see her coming to my back door and before she has time to say “hello” I am getting out two of whatever I have in my freezer and filling the tea kettle with water for our tea time. Those were some of my very favorite memories when we were all raising the littles. Here is the lemon bar recipe from Paula Deen I use for a tea time treat!
Paula Deen’s Lemon Bars - anytime I try a Paula Deen recipe it turns out delicious.. This is not a low cal dessert and the ingredients are good and full of fat but you don’t have to eat the whole pan either. Just a square (or two) with your tea is enough to give you a joyous tea experience!!
4 large eggs 1 cup confectioners sugar
6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 3/8 cup flour
2 sticks of butter, unsalted 2 cups granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees - Lightly grease a 9x13x2 inch pan
Make the crust by combining 2 cups flour, confectioners sugar and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter to make it a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
While the crust bakes, mix the filling by mixing the eggs, granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons flour and lemon juice. When the crust is finished, pour the filling over the crust and put back in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Dust with confection sugar before serving.
Vision Board - So this is something I have been really wanting to do and has been on my “New Year’s Resolution” list since December 31st but I have yet to get to this…. A vision board is a visual board we can look at all the time and have it in full view to remind us what our goals and dreams are. This is the chance to dream big, dream way outside the box as if these dreams have already happened to us and it is all right there in real time and real life. Get creative and get detailed. The more details the better. I have had dreams of my future tea room for years but have it all on Pinterest and have not yet put this into a visual that I can see everyday when I get dressed and ready for the day ahead, when I get ready to put my head on the pillow and anytime in between. This is the vision you have for your future. We now have some time to really dig into our dreams and put it into action by making the vision come to life!
Polish Your Silver Tea Set - I know, I know…. polishing silver is not my favorite thing to do either. But doesn’t your silver tea set just sparkle when it’s all cleaned up looking shiny new? I should polish my silver so much more than I do but never really have the time to dedicate to this. So here we go! This doesn’t have to be just for your silver either. If you have some fine china tea sets or the pretty things that sit in your curio cabinet that you love to look at but never use so it is probably pretty dusty by now, here is your chance to make all of it shine. Maybe it will even motivate you to use these pieces and enjoy them more than just looking at them!
Photo by Kelli and Daniel Taylor Photography
I pray all of you stay safe, healthy and keep looking towards a very bright future ahead when we can all be together again and enjoy tea in the same room with each other…. until then my tea friends, prayers and blessings to all of you! Cheers!
Special thanks to the additional sweet vendors for your contributions in these images:
What is the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea?
Welcome in tea lovers!! I am so excited you have joined me here for a cup of tea! I have always had this dream of a tea business and it is now a reality and so exciting to see so much hard work come to fruition! Blogging about tea has also been an item on my goal list as well and now I get to talk to my friends about the experience of tea and all the fun and pretties that come with it! As a full time wedding planner of 20 years, I do assist my brides with their bridal and bridesmaids’ teas. One question that is often asked is the difference between a high tea and afternoon tea. Let’s talk about this!
Cream Tea
A cream tea is considered a very light meal consisting only of your tea blend, scones and clotted or Devonshire cream and jams. This is a lighter tea compared to Afternoon Tea where you might enjoy sandwiches as well. A cream tea only consists of the tea and scones but the clotted cream is your main ingredient giving it this appropriate name.
There are several wonderful recipes for a good clotted cream. A good basic 3 ingredient recipe from my very favorite publication Tea Time Magazine consists of 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 Tbsp sour cream. You can always add a little of your own flavorings and I even like to add a bit of cream cheese. A dollop of clotted cream followed by some yummy fruit preserves or jam or maybe some lemon curd is what completes your cream tea!
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is taken in the afternoon and is typically served on the three tiered tea tray you see most often in tea rooms. Protocol when served the tea tray is to start from the bottom plate and move upwards towards the top. The bottom tier will have your scones, served with clotted or Devonshire cream, preserves and jams and lemon curd. I have sometimes seen the bottom tier begin with the finger sandwiches as well which I actually prefer. The middle tier will have your tea finger sandwiches, no crust. This can be a variety of sandwiches for each guest. The top tier will have your desserts of cake, pastry, chocolate, etc. The afternoon tea is really a lighter meal just to hold you over until dinner time but I promise you this is plenty of food and will usually satisfy any hunger pangs you may have in the afternoon.
High Tea
I hear my brides and others refer to the High Tea as a very formal tea. The High Tea actually refers to the meal it represents and not the formality at all, although I do believe all tea experiences do have a some level of formality and elegance to them. The high tea is usually served at dinner time so this should be a full meal, including meats, heartier savories, tea sandwiches, soups, scones and desserts. It is called “high tea” referring to the table guests will enjoy this type of tea experience which is usually the dining room table. Other teas are taken at lower coffee tables or sitting rooms. This meal is served family style and serving platters are passed around the table although I do like to include the three tiered tea tray with my high tea when serving or presenting the sandwiches, scones and desserts. I have done a high tea starting of with a plated served salad followed by a hearty soup. Next would be a savory and/or a meat on smaller rolls or served with a type of bread. Finally I like to bring out the tea tray with sandwiches, scones, clotted creams, jams and lemon curd and a variety of desserts. This is a very full meal and meant to be enjoyed slowly, as is all tea experiences.
What I find most enjoyable with tea is to present beautifully including the tea table and the elegant food selections, the company you choose to share this experience and time with whether this is with several of your closest friends or all by yourself and finally to enjoy your tea and elegant experience slowly savoring all the quiet moments you create with deep thoughts and conversation. Enjoy friends!
xoxo~ Anita
Special thanks to:
Photographers - Eric and Jamie Photography
Tea table ware - Tea and Old Roses
Catering - Kathy G & Company
Floral Design - RD Designs
Custom Teas provided by Tea and Time