Tea Party Menu

GARDEN TEA PARTY

As part of my birthday celebration this year, I decided to host a garden tea party. I invited about 20 lovely close women friends. This was my very first tea party and it was a success and it was quite pleasant. We were blessed with a beautiful and sunny weather and were joined by a few dozen birds chirping in the garden. A good indication that Spring is here to stay!

I prepared a very simple menu which I decided to share and blog and hoping to encourage more women to take some time for themselves and enjoy a cup of tea with some friends. I had a fabulous time with these women below and I am thinking of hosting a tea party quarterly now and my husband approved! See you again soon ladies!

TEA PARTY MENU

(Serves 10-12)

Minted Cream Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich

1 loaf of firm white bread (I used Hawaiian White Bread)

1 whole cucumber (peeled and sliced 1/8 inch rounds)

1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese (8 oz )

10 Fresh Mint Leaves (finely chopped)

Mix the cheese and mint together. Spread one side of each bread with the mixture. Top with cucumber then top with another slice of bread. Cut the crust off the bread and cut the sandwich into triangles.

INSALATA CAPRESE ON BAGUETTE

1 loaf of baguette (sliced about 1/2 inch thick)

4 medium size firm but ripe tomatoes (thinly sliced into 1/4 in)

Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella

1 bunch of fresh basil

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with good-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar

BRIE, FIG PRESERVE AND CAVIAR

A box of plain, multi grain or sesame crackers. Use a good brand of Brie, your choice of fruit preserve and caviar as an option. This appetizer will also make a great pair with champagne!

PROSCIUTTO BRUSCHETTA

1 loaf of baguette (sliced in 1/2 inch)

1 package of smoke or regular prosciutto (chopped)

1 jar of Bruschetta Topping

VARIETY OF DRIED SALAMI

Spicy, Peppered and Rose Salami is what I used for my party. They can be eaten plain or with  cracker and cheese

THE SWEETS!

VARIETY OF SWEETS

World Market Imports or Trader Joe's has a variety of European Cookies

CUPCAKES FROM OH CAKE!

VARIETY OF TEA

I served 12 assorted black, green and herbal tea to give the women options

I hope you enjoyed reading this special tea party blog and start planning your own! If you need someone to plan and cater it for you, EMAIL ME! I can cater a party of 25. 

Jack and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

One night, I was craving the cheese biscuits that they serve at Red Lobster Restaurants. My husband and my kids love those too. I have never made biscuits from scratch before this because its just easy to bake the store bought Pillsbury brand. I decided why not challenge myself again and try and make them myself! I checked out my old country recipe books and also some recipes online to find the easiest and less ingredients that I can try out with the ingredients I already have in my pantry. I found this easy recipe and added my favorite herb instead of using dill which I am not a fan of. I also used 2 types of cheese to make them cheesier! These biscuits turned out savory, soft and you can't have just one! Try making them tonight for your family.

JACK AND CHEDDAR CHEESE BISCUITS WITH ROSEMARY


Ingredients:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted cold butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup jack cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary, finely chopped


Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Blend the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Use your hands to mix and blend until the mixture has pea size chunks of butter left. It will be crumbly and that is a good thing. You want to see little pieces of butter. Don’t over blend.

Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon. Gently mix, just until the ingredients are moist. Gently stir in the cheese and rosemary. Don’t over mix.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a spoon, scoop the biscuits onto the baking sheet. Use about 3 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes. You want them to be golden brown on top and on the bottoms.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter. 

Turkey and Corn Enchiladas

Hello fans! It's been a while since I blogged but I'm back and I have a few recipe I will share this week. Thank you for your continued support and sharing my blog to your friends and family.


I've been stuck at home for a few months now and while I'm actively looking for a new job, I'm also being challenged at home on what to cook for lunch or dinner since I have plenty of time in my hands. A few weeks ago, I decided to clean and organize my lazy Susan and found items I can cook together and prepare some delicious meals. Here is one easy recipe I came up with. Try it yourself!


GROUND TURKEY AND SWEET CORN ENCHILADAS (serves 4)


Ingredients:


- 1 lb Jenny O ground turkey (any brand will do)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar)
- 12 pieces corn or flour small tortillas (6 inch)
- 2 10 oz cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (hot)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1 cup of sweet corn kernels


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 inch glass baking dish. In a skillet, cook and brown the garlic with olive oil then add the ground turkey. Cook the turkey until brown. Drain any remaining oil. Stir in 1 can of enchilada sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.


Spoon enchilada meat filling onto tortillas and roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Arrange them side by side. Pour remaining 1 can of enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese all over them. Bake 20 minutes or until all cheese is melted and they are hot!

Coconut Garam Masala Crab

I love crab and I can eat them everyday if I want to! I'm always trying to find other ways to cook them. Tonight, I decided to prepare them using my Indian spices. This is another simple recipe that anyone can enjoy. I took pictures step by step so that you can easily follow the cooking instructions. Prepare to get your hands dirty! This is one messy delicious meal!

Ingredients and Preparation:
1-2 serving

1 large fresh dungeness crab cleaned, legs and body chopped
1 cup of coconut milk
1 tbs garam masala powder
1/2 tsp ground red chili pepper
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
6 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1 medium sliced yellow or white onion
3 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Pre-heat the wok and add the oil; when the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry until golden brown

Add the onion and stir fry for about 3 minutes until they are limp

Add the garam masala, stir and cook for about 1 minute

Add the cumin seeds, stir and cook for about 1 minute

Add the coconut milk

Stir well and cook for about 2 minutes

Add the crab pieces and coat well with the mixture

Add the basil leaves, stir, cover and cook in low heat to prevent from burning. Cook and let it steam by not removing the cover for about 25 minutes.

The crab is ready to be served with some hot steamed rice! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies

As I mentioned before in this blog, I don't have a sweet tooth but my husband and my kids are a big fan of anything baked sweets! I have been experimenting a lot lately with all kinds of ingredients to come up with a recipe that I can also enjoy. One night, my son asked me if I can bake some cookies for a change instead of a cake. My daughter arrived a few hours later and I asked her what kind of cookies she prefers. Her response was a question! "Have you ever heard of cookies with sweet potatoes?" My son heard that and said "EWWW! I hate sweet potatoes! Please just bake chocolate chip cookies." Then my husband made his own suggestion. He requested oatmeal cookies.

After a few minutes of listening to their request, I decided to search online and found exactly what they all want in one cookie! I showed them the recipe but they did not like the idea of combining the 3 main ingredients into one cookie. Well, I did not want to take a chance of wasting some of my ingredients and did not feel like making a trip to the store so I decided to make 2 types of cookies to please everyone. The classic chocolate chip and sweet potato oatmeal. I took some of the information from the recipe I found and made some substitution of the spices. I  used allspice instead of ground cardamom and I added more ground cinnamon in place of nutmeg. I also omitted the chocolate chips and nuts but I doubled the amount of pureed sweet potato. I was quite surprise on the outcome of the sweet potato oatmeal concoction. The cookies are very moist! It's like a cake cookie. This is one cookie I can truly enjoy with the family. Try the recipe for yourself!

Ingredients and Preparation:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Peel, cut in half and boil 2 large sweet potato. When they are soft enough to mash, take them out of the boiling water and mash in a bowl. Set aside and let cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until fully incorporated. Beat in the egg, followed by the sweet potato puree and vanilla extract. Working by hand or a large flat spatula, stir in the flour mixture, then mix in the oats thoroughly.

Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet with parchment sheet. Bake for 15-18  min, until cookies are set. Let cool on sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately  or store in an airtight container to enjoy later.

Mini Vanilla and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Caramel Sauce

After watching Food Network all day, I felt inspired to bake something yummy again and surprise my husband and kids tonight. I saw a few recipe and noted them down but I was too lazy to go to the store and get the ingredients. I decided to check my pantry and grabbed what I have and searched for a recipe online that consist the ingredients in front of me. I found a simple recipe and I modified it a little by adding a few more ingredients in it. You really can't go wrong with chocolate chip morsels!!

Ingredients and Preparation:
6 Mini Bundt Cakes

- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chip morsels
- pinch of salt
- Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Syrup or other glaze

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the eggs and the sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed for about 8 minutes or until it is fluffy and has volume. Slowly add the cream, salt and vanilla extract in the mixture. Finally, slowly add the flour. baking powder and the chocolate chips. Beat well until all ingredients are incorporated. Scoop the dough with a 1/3 cup measuring spoons and pour into the non stick mini bundt molding pan. Bake for 20 minutes. After they are cooked, let them cool before unmolding. When you are ready to serve them, unmold and glaze them with caramel sauce or with melted chocolate syrup or just top with fresh fruits and whipped cream. ENJOY!