Dear Reader,
The heatwave has continued, which is really normal for this time of year. Currently, we have fire weather watches in place from the heat and mild winter, so I made the choice to stay inside as much as I reasonably possible. However, I did get a lot accomplished and have pictures to share from the tea party and my garden.
The tea party was last Saturday at 9:30am PST, and was my friends’ child’s first tea party. I went thrifting to see if I could find an espresso cup and saucer set that she could use, because giving my favorite tea cups and saucers to a two-year-old seemed unwise. I found a set of two little espresso cups and saucers with poppies on them and was so excited. I made two kinds of cookies, three kinds of scones (but only served two), and I made tea sandwiches with turkey, Swiss, and Colby Jack cheese. For tea, I served chai, oolong, raspberry herbal tea, and apple juice. As the little one is allergic to eggs, sesame, and nuts, I got to try egg substitutes in the cookies, and I’ve got to say they have really improved in the last 20 years. There was no noticeable difference in flavor or texture for either cookie.
I served Pink Lemonade cookies and Chocolate Chip cookies, and both turned out pretty well. I was really anxious about the Pink Lemonade cookies because they didn’t turn out exactly the way I wanted them to (slightly misshapen), but they tasted delicious and my friends seemed impressed. I also tried my hand at making scones for the first time. I started by making Raspberry Oatmeal scones, but they turned out really dry so they did not make it onto the menu The chocolate chip scones turned out perfectly and were delicious, and I picked a savory scone purportedly from Mary Berry, that was full of cheese. They also turned out really well, but were much fluffier than I expected, so if I were to make them again, I would probably reduce the size of the scones. They would also make more sense served later on in the day. Then, I used bread, turkey, Colby Jack cheese, and baby Swiss cheese to make sandwiches. I cut them out with a fluted cutter so they would look like flowers, and used little picks I had bought for bento-style lunches when my son was little. The Pink Lemonade cookies and the sandwiches were the little one’s favorites. We wandered in the backyard for a bit and then went back inside. We also went for a walk, and took two of my dogs, and then we got to read stories before they went home. Overall, it was quite lovely, and I can’t wait to host again!
As for my garden, I spent an hour pulling weeds, and was attacked by the blackberry bushes. I need to get them moved to their new homes as soon as possible so they won’t rip into my skin anymore while I”m pulling weeds. The ever-bearing strawberries have started to ripen, and the tomatoes are green on the vine. I also saw the scarlett runner beans are up and blooming, and they are so bright and cheery!
In this week’s pictures, I’ve included photos of the tea party layout and the state of the garden. I hope you enjoy them, and I am looking forward to other activities this next week (like baking bread and strawberry scones and tarts (using a combination of my berries and store-bought). Until then, I hope you can stay cool.
Sincerely,
Cyndars
chocolate chip mini-scones pre-baking
chocolate chip mini-scones post-baking
Frosted Pink Lemonade cookies (and chocolate chip mini-scones cooling)
Chocolate chip cookies pre-bake
Chocolate chip cookie dough
chocolate chip cookies baked, and setting (2mins)
4 different teacups and the start of the tiered set up
Sandwiches
all laid out
What guest would see when they arrived
scarlett runner beans (you can see the little red flowers if you look closely)
They’ve started to grow above the stakes.
corn and beans
carrots
tomatoes on the vine
zucchini or watermelon (I forgot which was where).
lemon balm
nasturtiums
ever-bearing strawberries
more strawberries
salad
The blackberry bush that attacked (you can see the thorns)
