You Should Host a Tea Party
This past father’s day, I felt like we needed a change of pace and something fun to do, so I decided we should have a tea party. The specifics were inspired in part by a tea party we go to most years at a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Williamsburg, VA, called Marscon. While theirs is Dr. Who-themed, I also wanted to keep our tea party fairly simple, so there was no theme, though that shouldn’t be hard to weave in if you feel so inclined.
My first step was to plan the menu, with suggestions from my stepdaughters. Much of our menu was inspired by Marscon’s, but I simplified it a bit, and added some things I knew my husband would enjoy. My aim was to have some homemade things, mixed with a few things from the store, and a few others that just needed basic construction. That way, we’d have lots of variety, lots of food, and some great teas. Of course, you can serve absolutely anything you like. As a rule, offer things in small amounts, like cucumber sandwiches cut into 4 triangles, because it’s fun to eat lots of different things.
How did I fail to get a decent photo of the tea party itself? It’s a mystery and a tragedy.
Our menu:
- Pimento cheese on celery: This is pretty easy to make if you have a food processor, though you can also buy it pre-made, at least if you live in the south. There are tons of recipes out there, but give this one a try if you don’t have a favorite. I do usually add more pimentos, because I love them! Then just spoon some into 2- to 3-inch sections of celery. Very tasty! The pimento cheese can be made a day or two in advance.
- Caprese skewers: Use bamboo skewers for grilling, or even toothpicks. Or just treat it like a salad. Add mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves to a skewer, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Our kids love them–and best of all, my oldest daughter made these herself. Don’t make these in advance–and don’t refrigerate fresh basil, or tomatoes unless they’ve been cut.
- Curry chicken salad on mini croissants: I found curry chicken salad at Trader Joes that was quite good, though possibly a little strong. You could also use any kind of pre-made chicken salad, or make your own. I found mini croissants at WalMart, but you could also cut up larger ones. (I actually cut the minis into two.) Or use crackers, or whatever else appeals.
- Ham and cheese biscuits: My husband loves biscuits and ham, so this was an easy choice for me. I wanted them to be fresh and good, without my having to bake them from scratch, so I bought one of those tubes of you-bake biscuits at the grocery store. I also got some thick pre-sliced ham, and sliced some extra-sharp cheddar. Offer condiments based on your crowd’s preferences. You might also brush the biscuits with butter and add garlic powder or whatever appeals before putting them in the oven.
- Deviled eggs: I love these so much, and the kids enjoy making them without supervision or assistance (!), so it was also an easy choice. If you hard boil and even peel the eggs a day or two in advance, these are pretty fast to make.
- Cucumber sandwiches: Use thin white bread, put a thin layer of spreadable cream cheese on each side, add thinly sliced, peeled cucumber, and cut off the crusts. (These are the only sandwiches I’d ever do that for, but they’re meant to be delicate.) You can also add dill weed or other things, to your taste. These are big favorites, and my youngest daughter made them perfectly.
- Mini scones with lemon curd and jam: During the plague, I have made scones twice, and both times they were dreadful. So, I started with a different recipe, but also one that was new to me. Risky, but it paid off. They were delicious! Leave out the vanilla, because that has no business being in scones, and add raisins or currants. Cut into small pieces to make mini-scones. (I also learned that you can freeze the dough, and they bake up perfectly later on. That was a wonderful treat–especially because the kids scarfed these up with lightning speed.) I found lemon curd at Trader Joe’s, but I understand it’s not hard to make. I also would have liked clotted cream, which is traditional on scones, but couldn’t find any. I’ve been told it’s not hard to make either, so maybe next time. I made the scones the night before, and they were perfect.
As for the tea, we had four different varieties. That’s one aspect of the Marscon tea that I’ve always enjoyed, though I often don’t like some of their teas. The solution to that is to understand your audience, and then offer them three new teas that you think they’ll like, plus one old standby for when they’re done being adventurous. That means no bergamot for us, but mint for my husband. First, we had Tazo’s Cucumber White tea, which is low caffeine. It has black tea and lime flavors, and it was good, though subtle. This tea made me wish I’d offered lemon or lime wedges at the table. We also had Teavana’s Peach Tranquility, which is decaffeinated. It has apple, pineapple, and chamomile flavors as well as peach. I quite liked it. The tea I enjoyed most was one I first tasted at the last (2020) Marscon, which was held shortly before the world went sideways. It’s called Williamsburg Port, from Discover Teas, and it’s a mix of black tea, apple chunks, cranberry, blackcurrant, hibiscus, and other flavors. It’s absolutely delicious, as well as a dramatic rich red color.
One issue with this part of the shindig is that, as I realized very late in the planning (shortly before we were due to sit and eat), we didn’t have any teapots in the house. I have at least two or three, but most of my stuff is in storage right now for a variety of reasons (long story). So, please have teapots handy, or a reasonable substitute. (I used a glass 2-cup measure and it was not a reasonable substitute.) Note that they’re easy to find at thrift stores, which it will one day be safe to go back into. Heat the pots with hot water before making tea, to help keep the tea warm, and wrap the pot in a towel for insulation. Also, don’t over-steep the tea (leave the teabags in for too long), as it will tend to make the tea bitter. Part of the fun for us, once we’ve tried all of the teas, is going back for our favorites, so make extra. And if you have picky drinkers, keep some juice handy. Of course, incclude a sugar bowl on the table, and some honey if that’s your thing. Asking people to pass the food and the sugar and so forth is one of the charming aspects of the event, to me.
For next time, I’ve decided on a few changes. I will try to add one more item to the menu (though not sure what yet), and bring the food out in two or three courses, to slow things down a bit. If any of your partiers are the kind to wolf their food, I recommend this approach. We also ran out of a few things, so I will generally make more food–though we were also quite ravenous by the time we sat down.
I’m also going to try to bring in a theme in some way, if only in the form of trivia cards. We have Harry Potter trivia for sure, and probably Dr. Who, and maybe more. It’s key to pick trivia or another non-space-intensive game that everyone can play, or you will lose the kids. Consider a phone app for that as well.
I’ve already told my husband I want a tea party of my own sometime this year, so he’s ready for it. It’s a great opportunity to involve the kids in the prep, and it’s fun to use nice china if you have it. If you don’t: well, it’s easy to find china for cheap these days. Apparently the Millennials aren’t really into china. But it’s pretty, and fancy, and nice for special occasions. If you own a home and aren’t planning to move soon, maybe pick some up at a yard sale or a thrift store and have fun with it. Or check and see if your parents or grandparents have some they don’t use and would like to pass on.
In the end, though, it’s all about gathering at a table with friends or family to eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy it, as often as you (safely) can!
Meriah’s Kitchen Hacks Part 1: The Principle of Multiples
I have said for years that I want to cook more, and once I got married (July 27, 2020), both my husband and I committed to doing that. But, you know, life is busy, and often it was easier logistically to stop at a restaurant while we were out doing other things, or maybe pickup takeout on the way home. And then COVID-19 happened, and there wasn’t a lot of “on the way home” for me anymore—plus, I did my best to avoid even those quick interactions. That made cooking at home a way of life—and it’s been wonderful!
Along the way, I’ve learned a few things that have made my life a lot easier in the kitchen, and I wanted to share in the hope that they make cooking easier and more fun for you. First is the principle of multiples. This is something I learned years ago. I spent way too much of my life looking for a pair of scissors or a hammer, because I had only one, and sometimes someone would use it and fail to put it back where it belongs—assuming it even has a “place.” The solution, I realized during college, was largely to buy several of each. I currently have maybe five pairs of scissors: positioned in pen cups, that one kitchen junk drawer, a small bedroom drawer for things like nail clippers and razors, and one in my toolbox for good measure. Even if one gets put somewhere weird or ends up covered by a stack of papers, I can always find another one. I also have three hammers, four or five tape measures, and a similar number of fingernail clippers. It’s awesome.
This year, I put that rule into action in my kitchen. I’ve been gradually buying extra measuring spoons, often at thrift stores, but I picked up more tablespoons on Amazon, since I didn’t have enough of those. Bonus kitchen hack: the biggest problem with my large array of measuring spoons was that I always had to dig through the kitchen tool drawer every time I needed one, and sometimes at a critical juncture when I really needed to add a spice to a sizzling or bubbling pot quickly, or when my hands were coated with food. So, I did what I’d often considered in the past, but rejected because I didn’t think I’d use them enough: I put every one into a coffee mug to keep on the counter. It’s seriously the best. When we eventually go back to normal and my cooking reduces in frequency—though hopefully never back to pre-COVID-19 levels—I will find a cover for the mug to keep the dust off of them. But in the meantime, they are getting used, almost daily.
Another item that used to cause me problems was dish towels. I often spent too much time digging through clean laundry piles (not mine, you understand) and the dryer looking for one of the few we had—some of which really weren’t very absorbent—and realized I needed to apply the principle of multiples to this situation too. So I hit Amazon and looked at reviews, and selected this 12-pack of dish towels. Now we always have several in the linen closet ready to go. If I spill water, like yesterday, I can just throw a couple on the floor to soak it up and go grab another. I can use a towel for baking and wipe my hands and mop up spills with it, and go grab another. Etcetera. It’s the best. They also help cut down on paper towel overuse, which makes me crazy.
I similarly realized that what the kitchen was missing was dishrags. We didn’t use them at home growing up, but my grandmother did, and now I appreciate their value. I also discovered that you can get them with a layer of plastic scrubby stuff on one side. They’re perfect for countertop cleanup, in particular when you don’t want to use the kind-of-gross scrubbing sponge you use to get food off of dishes. And, look, a 10-pack!
Other multiples that I appreciate are cutting boards, glass baking dishes (with lids!), silicone scrapers, spatulas, and mixing bowls. Most of these things are quite inexpensive, and they have more than earned their place in my kitchen. Best of luck to you in yours!
[Top]The Truth about Tabbouleh
I’ve always believed that most people who don’t like champagne (not counting people who don’t drink) really just dislike crap champagne: the cheap bottles that people usually buy and serve for New Years and other celebrations, with more of a sense of obligation than a desire to pop open something tasty. My theory has been proven valid on many occasions, when I’ve offered up the good stuff to haters and turned them into champagne fans.
Well, it turns out my crap theory of champagne also applies to tabbouleh—at least for me. I’ve never liked it. It’s always struck me as something I would like, but no matter how many times I try it: ugh. Gloppy, oily, and lacking in flavor. And then I went to Lebanon, and WOW. Turns out the real problem is that Americans suck at making tabbouleh. And it’s not just that it tastes so good: it makes me feel good when I eat it, like Popeye with his spinach.
This has a bit more bulgur than I was intending, but it was SO good. The sundried tomato-herb goat cheese was a wonderful addition.
To be honest, I didn’t even recognize it at first, when it was placed on a restaurant table next to me. It was so…green. But real tabbouleh isn’t supposed to be bulgur salad with some parsley. It’s supposed to be parsley salad with some bulgur. It’s typically dressed with lemon juice and high-quality olive oil, but not too much! Additions like chopped tomatoes and either finely chopped onions or sliced green onions were often on the side. And I like to eat it with crumbled herby goat cheese. It’s not much more complicated than that—or it doesn’t need to be. If a bowl of chopped parsley doesn’t sound appealing to you, just take my word for it–it’s fantastic. Give it a try.
Shortly after I returned from my trip I started looking at recipes online, and I was struck by the variety. Some recipes call for mint leaves, diced cucumber, garlic, couscous instead of bulgur, lime juice instead of lemon, and a variety of seasonings, though usually salt and pepper. The photos almost all show far more bulgur than was included in tabbouleh I was served in Lebanon, where I typically had to look closely to see if it was there at all. And once, while on a side-trip to Jordan, the taboula (as they spelled it) seemed to have none. I ended up picking a recipe that looked fairly good, and simply ignoring parts of it that didn’t appeal to me. And I made it with more bulgur than I met with in Lebanon, because I like it. Give this a try and see what you think.
Meriah’s Tabbouleh Recipe
Start with about a quarter cup or so of fine or extra-fine bulgur. I found this in an international food store, but you can also get it online. Regular bulgur is too large/present for this dish. If that’s all you can get, you might try running it through a food processor. Or just go for it—I won’t judge you. (Much.) Pour a half cup of warm water over the bulgur and let it sit. (If you’re not using fine bulgur, follow the instructions on the package.)
Meanwhile, get a whole ton of flat leaf parsley. OK, maybe not a ton. Recipes usually call for two bunches, but no two bunches are ever the same size. (Two bunches of parsley should make a nice side dish for four to six people, depending on how much they like it.) Get a bag and a bowl and make yourself comfortable. Remove most (nearly all) of the stems from the parsley, and discard the stems. I did this in bed while watching TV, and I recommend that approach. Also works well for preparing basil for pesto.
Rinse the parsley and mince it fine.
No—finer than that.
Chop a large tomato into small pieces. Use any kind of tomatoes, in a volume to suit you.
Mince four green onions—both the white and green parts. Feel free to use white, yellow, or red onions instead, and these can also be served on the side. My household onion hater didn’t complain about them, so use more if you’re a fan.
Drain the bulgur if needed, and mix all this stuff together.
Juice a large lemon into a bowl, and fish out all the seeds. Add a similar amount (or a bit less) of fruity extra-virgin olive oil. Because of the nature of the dish, people will be able to taste the oil, so quality matters here.
Mix that in, taste, and adjust as desired. Add salt and pepper if the spirit moves you.
Serve it, if that appeals to you, with herby goat cheese. Enjoy!
Note: Because of the lemon juice and its effect on the parsley, this won’t last long. Either make only as much as you’ll eat within about a day or so, or only add the juice and oil to the portion you’ll be eating that day.
It also occurred to me how easy it would be to mess with the recipe in rewarding ways. In fact, there are probably an infinite number of variations you could try. Go for it! Report back.
This article was made possible in part by support from the VCU Global Education Office, which sponsored the amazing trip to Lebanon.
[Top]