Mom's 80th Birthday Tea Party

We three sisters decided to throw mom a tea party for her 80th birthday.  She did a great job of letting us do the work.  She seemed very happy to watch us work and not have to lift a finger, lol.

I've always been told you need to have flowers for a tea party.

These flowers came from my garden.  This year I planted a wild flower garden.

I made a Twinings iced tea for the party.  A note when serving a large amount of tea, is to pour tea into a tea mold and freeze for ice.  This is a great way to keep it cold and not dilute the tea.

 

Recipes from this tea party are in my new book, Let's Do Tea.

We had egg tarts topped with raspberries.

Tea biscuits and macarons. 

We made clotted cream.

I made pimento cheese sandwiches. 

I tried to use cookie cutters, but since did not use cold bread it did not really turn out well.  I ended up cutting the sandwiches in rectangles.

Cucumbers

Scomes

Lemon Tarts

Tomato, Basil, and Mozella

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

They all humored me with wearing fun glasses and tiaras. 

Since it has hot outside, we did the an indoor tea.

                                          

   One of mom's baby butterflies hatched  this weekend. too 

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Korean Jelly Tea

 I have to admit I wasn't too sure about this tea.  Seemed a bit unusual to me.  But, my friend said when they lived in Korea her mom really enjoyed it.

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1580 E 30th St, Cleveland, OH 44114

I found it on Amazon and it was more expensive.  I wanted to try something new.  As a tea lover I am always up for trying something new.  There seems to be a flavor for everyone.

I have to say it was easy to make and I enjoyed it!

 2-3 T jelly tea                    12 oz water

 Place jelly tea in a glass, add some hot or cold water, stir and drink.

I liked it over ice.

 Tea jelly is a thick marmalade like preserve made from citrus fruit yuja (Yuzu), honey, and/or sugar.

I actually found this to be a bit like a lemonade.

Jelly Tea started in Korea from the preservation of the Yuja fruit.  Yuja is a tart and bitter fruit.  To overcome the bitterness, they would preserve the fruit in sugar or honey and turn the fruit into a marmalade. They would enjoy the tea in the cold winters.

The legend goes that a man carrying the trees by boat was caught in a storm and the trees were destroyed.  The man had some seeds on his coat. Some of those seeds fell into the Korean soil and trees grew up.  The man from China told the Koreans the fruit helps combat the common cold. It is unknown when this tea originated, but possibly in the 14^th century.

Koreans they took tea influences from Chinese Buddhist traditions. Tea was introduced to Korea around the 7^th century.

This one will be in my recipe book, Let's Do Tea.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

Peach Matcha with edible flower garnish

Sift matcha if you have a sifter- it helps get rid of clumps

 

Dissolve matcha in hot water- less than 185 degrees.  Add just enough hot water to cover the matcha Use a whisk if you have it, or a fork (a fork is a last resort- lol). Whisk until dissolved.

Pour into a cup, add ice cubes and oat milk.

garnish with edible flowers.

Matcha is super easy to make, especially if you have the correct tools.  I would say invest in a whisk.  And get a fun bowl.  It doesn't have to be a specific matcha bowl- mine came from a thrift store.

And try different milks.  See if you like oat or almond milk better.  Try adding cold foam toppings.  Don't be afraid to play with your tea!

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Yixing Purple Clay Teapot

 Yixing clay teapot, also known as a Zisha teapot, which is a traditional style of teapot originating from China. 

I was so excited to see this teapot come up on my Marketplace feed.  I have always looked at these pots and thought they were too much.  But, here was one for $15!  And in Huron...and I was going to be in Vermilion - just 20 minutes a way for the day.

This one for $79 is about what I have seen them run.

The man I bought this from said he used to live in China and his wife was Chinese.  The tea pot is so fun and unique.  It works with magnets.  There is a magnet in the base of the tea pot and a magnet in the base of the teacup.

You fill the teapot with your tea. I went with an iced tea.  When you put your cup on the teapot base, the tea flows.  It is so cool!!!  I took it work and I did tea shots all day.

There is writing on the one side, so I was using google to help me translate the meaning.  It appears to mean Harmonious. 

It is such a fun novelty item. 

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Strawberry Matcha

Fresh Strawberry Jam

Matcha

Coconut Milk

Whipping Cream

Freeze Dried Strawberries

You can see I forgot my match whisk at home...there are clumps.  Matcha does not mix well with a fork!

I put a scoop of matcha in the bowl with enough hot water to cover- water temp around 175 degrees.  I whisked the matcha.

I put strawberry jam in the bottom of the cup

Then ice

Then I added the matcha and coconut milk

I whipped the whipping cream with some strawberry jam juice, added the froth on top.  

Then I crushed freezer dried strawberries on top.

This matcha is super easy to make and so very delicious!!  You can easily change the fruit for the season and mix and match.  Get creative and have fin.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Lavender, Basil, Mint Syrup

                                                            Lavender, Basil, Mint Syrup

I am loving making my own syrups for tea.

         Mint                                                    Basil                                            Lavender

2 c water

1 1/2 sugar

Handful of lavender

Handful of mint

2 sprigs of Basil

Heat the water 

Add ingredients 

Simmer 20 minutes 

Let cool and bottle 

Good for two weeks

 Also remember to take the mint off the stem.  Leaving the mint leaf on the stem makes it bitter. 

I like my syrups in plain black tea and plain green teas.

I do go lighter on the sugar for most of these recipes. This Syrup has no fruit in it, so I didn't drop as much sugar as I would if there was fruit in this recipe. But you could always add blueberries or strawberries, pineapples or something to replace the sugar and still have the sweetness.

destem the mint leaves.  The stems make it bitter.

The aroma is incredible!!!

This one is really good too, but don't add too much basil.  I like a little bit of the savory from the basil, but not too much.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.