• Cups, Cozies and China,  Enjoying Together,  Recipes,  Uncategorized

    Tea In A Box – put together a special gift

    February 24, 2020

    Ever want to share a special gift with someone special? A friend, a family member, or maybe someone just needing to be cheered up. Tea In A Box can be that special gift.

    I love to share tea with folks but if they are not able to attend a tea, then I will send them a Tea In A Box – a special gift. I have gifted friends, family, co-worker and others just to treat them, cheer them up, or even just to say thank you. In this post, I will outline how to put together what I call A Tea In A Box . Its a special gift and here is how you put it together.

    What goes in a Tea In A Box?

    When I started putting together Tea In A Box gifts, it was with the idea of equipping the recipient to have all the things needed to have their very own personal tea.

    • Scones
    • Lemon Curd
    • Jam
    • Utentils – knives, spoons
    • Napkins
    • Seasonal items
    • Of course…TEA!

    Tea In A Box can certainly contains the complete array of a full tea – scones, savories and sweets. Your ability to keep things fresh and the delivery time will impact this. I have done full teas this way and they are delightful. For this post, I have chosen to stick with a Tea In A Box theme with scones only.

    Tea In A Box – a sweet thank you for one

    Of course, this can be adjusted to what your reason for the Tea In A Box is. The above list is perfect for a single gift like a thank you. Here is an example of a single Tea In A Box. I was gifted a sweet tea cup holder by a friend who wouldn’t take any compensation. I gifted her a small bag of scones, curd and jam, and tea as a thank you. Tied up with a little tulle bow and she was delighted. Simple but special.

    Single Tea In A Box with 2 scones, curd, jam, knife and napkin.
    Single Tea In A Box as a Thank you

    Group Tea In A Box

    If I am doing a group gift, I will increase the number but be pretty consistent with the contents. Here for instance is a group box of scones, curd and jam, utensils, paper linens and of course tea. This was a seasonal tea with spices and was for Christmas. I tied the bow up with some green twine (from my tool box) and attached a small decorative pine cone. I like to include a menu along with instructions for preparing and storing the pastries and curd – that is if there are any leftover!

    • Contents for Holiday Tea In A Box
    • Holiday Tea In A Box wrapped up
    Holiday Tea In A Box

    Special Occasion Tea In A Box

    At times I have been requested to put together a special occasion Tea In A Box. This year, I put together a Tea for Two package. This was a bit more elaborate and included special items. The Tea In A Box was being raffled off to two deserving employees as part of a Valentine’s recognition. But you could do this for any special occasion – a wedding, baby shower, birthday surprise or Springtime! So I wanted to step up the contents a bit. Here’s what was in the box:

    • Strawberry Cream Scones
    • Toffee Scones
    • Currant Scones
    • Bittersweet Chocolate Quick Bread
    • Curd and Jam for all
    • Knives
    • 2 Vintage Teacups with tasting spoons
    • Chocolates
    • Napkins
    • Of course….TEA!

    Once I knew the contents, I wanted to make sure the guests understood the Tea In A Box and everything contained within. So I prepared explanations and well wishes, labels about the food items, steeping instructions for the tea, and even history about their teacups.

    Tea In A Box documents

    • Prepping the documents
    • Cutting out the documents
    Building the Tea In A Box documents
    Tea In A Box documents ready for use - welcome, menu, pastry information
    Tea In A Box Documents – welcome, menu, pastry information

    Vintage Teacups – a sweet keepsake

    Next I started pulling all the contents together. I decided to include teacups as special keepsakes for this basket. I went to one of my usual antique stores, Legacy Antiques https://legacyantiques.wordpress.com/, and purchased two vintage teacups. Now that was fun for sure.

    Here is how I packaged the teacups so they would be protected. You can see that the tasting spoon is included for each cup. I also included care of the cup and the history of the cup.

    • Two vintage teacups
    • Wrapping teacup
    • Single cup wrapped
    Two vintage teacups wrapped and ready for Tea In A Box
    Two wrapped vintage teacups with history

    The Curd and Jam

    For the curd and jam, I purchased single servings for the Tea In A Box. Though I delivered the Tea In A Box as close to presentation as I could, I wanted to ensure that the curd and jam would be properly sealed for safety. These were very inexpensive and are easily found online.

    NOTE: I have placed the links below – however the single 1 ounce sizes are not available for individual purchase only in bulk. I have both of these in bulk but use them quite a bit. I have also included a larger size but you may want to check out your local World Market or import stores who frequently has small serving items available. These are 1 ounce servings and provide just enough for 1 maybe 2 scones. So I included enough for ample topping.

    1 ounce servings of Black Currant Jam and Lemon curd for the Tea In A Box.
    Black Currant Jam and Lemon Curd – ready to be eaten!

    The Pastries

    The scones and bread were prepared ahead of time. I packed them in cellophane bags, included the ingredients, shelf life guidelines, and how to prepare and store (if there are any leftovers).

    • Scones ready for packaging
    • Scones being packaged
    Toffee scones in cellophance bag, sealed and with label of ingredients and shelf life information.
    Toffee Scone packaged, sealed and with label

    The Tea!

    And what about the tea? I selected a well known tea brand, supplied tea bags, and gave several servings of 2 different teas. I also included background on the tea and how to steep it.

    Tea bags in bags with information about the tea and steeping instructions.
    Tea in bags with information and steeping instructions

    Putting it altogether

    With everything prepared, it was time to put everything together for delivery. I opted to use a basket but you could use any number of containers, depending on the occasion.

    • Tea in a box items ready for packaging
    • Basket for Tea In A Box
    All contents of the Tea In A Box in the basket but not wrapped yet.
    Tea In A Box packaged but not wrapped
    Tea In A Box - a special gift completed and wrapped with bow.
    Ready for awarding
    Tea In A Box -a special gift

    The final Tea In A Box put together and ready for delivery. I am sure that the recipients will enjoy the treats, the keepsake vintage teacups, and the lavishing. Put your feet up, enjoy the moment before getting back into that busy schedule….this is Valentine’s and a time to remember that you are cared for.

    These instructions will help you put your own Tea In A Box together for any occasion and for anyone special. Have fun with it and know that you are giving someone a very special treat.

    The following products were used in this post

    This post contains affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you  Look through the products and enjoy!

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  • Recipes,  Uncategorized

    Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini Appetizer

    February 17, 2020

    If you are in need of an easy appetizer, then Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini Appetizer will be a great choice. I put this together when I needed a quick and easy appetizer for a party. I have used this for both parties as well as a savory for afternoon tea. You will be amazed at how simple this is. Let me walk you through the steps.

    Ingredients for Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini

    3 ingredients for Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini Appetizers.
    3 Simple Ingredient – Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives and Crostini

    You will need 1 jar of kalamata olives – pitted, 1- 8 ounce log of goat cheese, and crostini. I keep all of these ingredients in my freezer and pantry. The goat cheese in in the freezer and waiting to be used – it freezes well. I make my own crostini and also freeze them.

    Making the Crostini

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take one baguette and using a serrated knife, slice at an angle into 1/2 to 1 inch slices. The angled cut allows for a larger surface area. A 12 inch baguette will produce at least 12 and upwards of 24 crostini when cut in 1/2 to 1 inch slices. Lay the bread slices out on a cooking sheet. Brush a small amount of olive oil on each slice, both sides. Preheat your oven to 350. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Use immediately or let cool to room temperature, then bag and place in the freezer for future use.

    • Baguette cut and ready for the oven
    • Baguette brushed with olive oil prior to baking
    Preparing the Crostini

    Preparing the Olives

    This is so simple, anyone can do this. I use Kalamata Olives. I like the briny taste of the olives – it matches perfectly with the goat cheese. Drain the olives and place in a mini-chopper. Pulse until small pieces. You can do this step well in advance and have in the refrigerator or use immediately. No other additives to the processed olives.

    Mini chopper, Kalamata Olives, and chopped olives ready for Goat Cheese Appetizer.
    Kalamata Olives chopped and ready for the crostini.

    Assembling the Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini

    Again, this Olive and Goat Cheese Crostini is so simple. Have your goat cheese at room temperature. If your crostini are in the freezer, bring to room temperature as well. To assemble you simply take a crostini, spread 1-2 tsp of room temperature goat cheese, top with1 tsp of the chopped olives and that’s it!

    Goat Cheese, chopped Kalamata Olives and Crostini ready for assembling appetizer.
    Goat Cheese, Olives and Crostini ready for assembling appetizer.
    • Goat Cheese spread on Crostini
    • Olives on Goat Cheese Crostini
    Preparing the Appetizer

    Storing the Prepared Appetizer

    Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini prepared and ready for storage.
    Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini ready for storage

    Once prepared, you can store the appetizer in the refrigerator the day of your party or function. If you have a large party, you can also just serve the crostini in a basket and place the goat cheese and olives in separate bowls and allow your guests to prepare their own.

    Final Presentation

    Prepared Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini on plate ready for presentation
    Prepared Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini on plate

    Presented at a party on a platter or individually for an afternoon tea savory, these little Goat Cheese and Olive Crostinis will delight your guests and yourself. They won’t last so savor and enjoy!

    These product were used in the making of this recipe:

    This post contains affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you  Look through the products and enjoy!

    Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini on plate
    Print Pin
    5 from 8 votes

    Goat Cheese and Olive Crostini

    A simple appetizer of Goat Cheese and Chopped Kalamata Olives on a crostini
    Servings 12 servings

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounce goat cheese at room temperature
    • 1 baguette made into crostini. A 12 inch baguette will make 12 or more slices when cut into 1 inch slices.
    • 1 kalamata olives

    Instructions

    • Drain olives and place in mini-chopper. Pulse to small pieces. Set aside.
    • Spread 1-2 tsp of room temperature goat cheese on crostini.
    • Take 1 tsp of chopped olives and spread on top of goat cheese.
    • Store in covered container until you will be serving.

    Preparing Crostini

    • Preheat oven to 350°
    • Using a serrated knife, at an angle cut 1/2 – 1 inch slices
    • Lay sliced baguette on baking sheet. No need to prepare baking sheet. You want the crostini to toast.
    • Brush each slice, on both sides, with olive oil. Don't drench the slice.
    • Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

    Notes

    • The olives can be pulsed and prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator like any other olive product.
    • The crostini can be used immediately or frozen and then thawed to room temperature before preparing.
    • The goat cheese needs to be at room temperature to spread evenly.  This too can be frozen until you are ready to use.
    • Serve plated for a party, individually for a savory at afternoon tea, or allow your guests to put their own together with the crostini in a basket and the goat cheese and kalamata olives in bowls. 
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  • Entrance to the tea party
    Cups, Cozies and China,  Enjoying Together,  Memories,  Recipes,  Uncategorized

    How to have a Valentine’s Tea Party

    February 10, 2020
    Ready to serve you!

    This is a special time of year and having a Valentine’s Tea Party can show your friends just how much they mean to you. In this post I will outline the steps that I use in putting a Valentine’s Tea Party together and just what it looks like when put it altogether. Included are some free planning tools for you to use. These are hints, helps and steps that I have developed. You will find them helpful for your Valentine’s tea and any afternoon tea that you hold.

    How to begin the planning

    Once you have decided that you want to have a Valentine’s Tea Party, there are some simple questions you will want to ask to determine how the party will go. These are guidelines and considerations for you. Most importantly, you want to make your Valentine’s Tea party special for both you and your guests.

    • Pick the day and time of day you want to have your tea party. If you are having an afternoon tea, this will include savories, scones and sweets. So your guests will want to come prepared to enjoy a full serving of treats. The time of day helps to determine your tea choices. Frequently, late teas include decaffeinated teas.
    • Determine how long your tea party will be. My tea parties are generally 2 hours long. This gives each course about 30 minutes to enjoy and then some time for guests to settle in and service to begin.
    • Determine how many guests will be coming to your party. This will impact your location and your menu development. I will address the menu development later in the post. Afternoon teas are generally fancy but you can make the menu to reflect your style. You will want to make sure you understand your guests’ food needs – are there any allergies or food preferences that you need to address?
    • Pick out your invitations. Will you use email? Text? General mail? I generally use either email or text and there are many vendors that can provide you with easy electronic invitations such as Smile Box http://www.smilebox.com or Evite http://www.evite.com. You will want to send out your invitations 2-3 weeks ahead of the party. This is not only for your guests but also for your planning. Make sure to have an RSVP and ask if there are any food allergies or food preferences (gluten free for example).
    • Outline if you are going to have any activities. There are several tea party games that you can use. My guests generally are just full of conversation and we don’t have games. But I have attended many teas that do, so choose what works for you and your guests.
    Valentine's Tea Party planning with tools
    Planning for the Valentine’s Tea Party

    Menu Development

    I like to do a traditional afternoon tea. This includes 3 courses – savories, scones and sweets. The courses are presented in that order.

    The savory course consists of individual servings or “finger food”. I like to have 4-5 savories during this course. The savories can be cold or hot. I usually have a combination of both. I love to serve a Spinach Ball with Marinara Sauce. This recipe can be made well in advance, easy to put together and freezes well. The link to this recipe is at the end of this post.

    Champagne glass tipped with red crystal sugar.
    Champagne Glass Tipped with Red Crystal Sugar

    I will frequently offer a champagne cocktail with my special teas. So check with your guests if this would be acceptable. I like to serve this with the savory course.

    Here you can see that I chose to dip the edge of the champagne flute with red crystal sugar – just an added touch of specialness!

    The scone course consists of breads or scones. You can serve one scone or two. I like to serve 2 and have one reflect the season or event. For the Valentine Tea Party, I serve a Strawberry Cream Scone. I also serve a Currant Scone at all my teas (just a little tradition I like to have). Its during this course that you would serve a curd and cream. I like to serve Lemon Curd and Devonshire Cream. The scone and curd recipes are listed below.

    The sweet or dessert course is the final course. I like to have 4 items for this course and similar to the savories, are small servings.

    Part of my menu development is also the tea pairing. What teas will go best with what course? There are guidelines that help you select appropriate teas but to me, bottom line is what tastes best and what you and your guests like. But no tea bags – only use loose leaf tea in tea pots.

    Valentine’s Tea Party Menu

    Here is the menu. You can see all the items listed along with the tea that has been chosen for the course.

    Valentine's Day Tea Party menu

    Preparing Ahead

    Critical for your tea party is to plan ahead. I develop the menu with this in mind. A lot of the items on the menu can be prepared in advance and put in the freezer (one of my favorite kitchen tools). For example, all my scones are prepared and frozen unbaked, just waiting to be baked the day of the tea. In this particular Valentine’s Tea Party menu, 8 of these items can be made ahead and in the freezer just waiting to be baked or reheated for service. That’s a huge time saver. So planning out your schedule is critical.

    Getting the other tea party items together can also be done ahead of time. Menus printed off, teapots and teacups pulled. I even make up tea bags ahead of time so I can steep the pot and not make my guests wait.

    This can seem overwhelming and that’s why using planning tools is so important. Download my Teas The Season Tea Party Planning Toolkit .

    Tea-Party-Planning-ToolkitDownload

    Setting the Stage

    Setting the stage for you Valentine’s Tea Party is part of the experience. It makes your guests feel pampered and very special. Valentine’s provides the perfect venue for this. You can go all in from an expense perspective or on a budget as well. With little effort and resources,, you and your guests will feel special. Just let your creative talents flow!

    Putting it Altogether

    I recently had the opportunity to host a Valentine’s Tea Party for 6 ladies. It was delightful. Here is what it looked like when put altogether.

    Entering and Greeting the Guests

    • Entry table greeting guests
    • Another greeting for my guests
    Setting the stage for my guests. Valentine Themed Vignettes

    You can make your guests feel special by having little vignettes around your home. I like to have something at the entrance to my home that highlights the theme. I will find quotes on-line and incorporate them into frames. These frames were simple Dollar Store frames that I burnished with gold to give a vintage look. I will use inexpensive tulle to help embellish the tables and LED lights to help set the stage.

    Entrance table Valentine quote in frame.
    Valentine quote in frame greeting my guests

    Place Setting

    Each place setting has a plate, silverware, napkin and cup. For this Valentine’s Tea Party, I used a red napkin and a ceramic bow napkin holder (a gift from one of my sisters). Instead of going with red cups, I went with floral and pink cups for the table setting.

    For the silverware, I used a small demitasse spoon for the tea, a small cocktail fork and then a small butter knife. Both the spoons and folks can be purchased in many places. World Market carries both the spoons and forks for a reasonable price. You can also find them at your local restaurant supply store. I have listed these in the product selections at the end of this post. These particular knives I have collected over the years from different vintage stores. Each place setting has a menu. The menu becomes a nice keepsake for your guests to remember how you gifted them with such a great tea party.

    Individual place setting for Valentine Tea Party. Includes cup, silverware, plate, napkin and menu.
    Valentine Tea Party Place Setting

    Table Setting

    Table setting for Valentine's Tea Party

    This is a setting for 6 people. I have carried the theme in through the table using the same tulle and lights. You can see the different cups and the food tiers. Each chair is adorned with a red ribbon to add to the flair. I like to have a center runner of color for the table. Here I have used red for that Valentine’s theme along with tulle, little lights, and fabric rose petals. The flowers, lights and rose petals I purchased at my local Dollar Store. I have the food tiers on the table and test how they sit in line with the decorations, but nothing else higher so that my guests can have great conversation.

    Long view of table setting for Valentine's Tea Party

    You can see that I like to use the black metal tiers but you can use whatever presentation you like and what fits your guests. I also make sure to have plenty of creamers and sugars available. For the lemon curd and the Devonshire cream, I am using Moonstone vintage china – an inheritance from my mom. Always a sweet memory.

    Food tier rack, creamers and sugars, and curd and cream dishes for the Valentine's Tea party

    Finishing up…..

    The party was a success! The hostess and guests were pleased with their Valentine’ Tea Party. They were able to step back from the stress of life and enjoy each other’s company. Along with their empty plates and cups, the ooohs and aaahs intermixed with their constant conversation were the measurements of my success. They felt lavished and refreshed….and I was blessed! Cleanup was done, I finished the champagne and put my feet up!

    • Stacked and ready for cleanup
    • Cleanup done!
    Feet up after the Valentine's Tea Party. resting after the cleanup.
    Feet up!

    Tools and Recipes

    Here again are the FREE tools for you to download. These are guidelines to help you have a successful tea party and can be used for really any function. I have used these for simple 4-6 people as well as upwards of over 20 guests, so they have been well tested.

    Tea-Party-Planning-ToolkitDownload

    Here are some of the recipes listed on the Valentine’s Tea Party menu. These have been published in my previous posts. There will be several additional recipes in future posts highlighting other items off this menu.

    Lemon Curd https://teastheseason3.com/lemon-curd-its-all-about-the-curd/

    Spinach Balls with Marinara Sauce https://teastheseason3.com/spinach-balls-an-easy-savory-treat/

    Strawberry Cream Scones https://teastheseason3.com/strawberry-cream-scones/

    These products were used in this post:

    This post contains affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Look at the products and enjoy!

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  • Enjoying Together,  Memories,  Uncategorized

    Planning a Little Girls’ Cocoa Tea Party

    February 5, 2020

    The envelope arrives and their little hearts leap with excitement. Its a Tea Party – A Cocoa Tea Party! What a precious time for a little girl. Little girls getting together and enjoying each other’s company, the treats, and all the embellishments. Let’s talk about planning your little girl’s first cocoa tea party!

    So how do you bring together all the pieces of a tea party for little girls and with little stress? Here’s some how-to’s and helpful hints to entertaining on a shoestring and yet sure to bring all the enjoyment to your little girls.

    Checklist on how to put Cocoa Tea Party together:

    To help the process, here is a checklist to put your little girl’s party together.

    1. Determine the when, time, where and how many will you want at the party.
      • When is important to consider for days available. Holidays are fun but can be tough. Schedules are busy. Invite early to make sure your guests availability.
      • Time will determine food choices for your guests and how long. Adult teas generally are 2 hours long.
      • Where and how many help to determine location of your tea party
      • Are you going to invite parents or just the girls? Sometimes parents will be fine with a drop-off but if they are not familiar with you, they might want to stay around.
      • Remember that these are littles…so there attention span is limited. Activities indoors and outdoors will be helpful.
    2. Once you have the pieces of #1 identified, there are some things you will want to consider –
      • Will you have games, crafts or activities?
      • Its a tea party – will the girls wear hats or dress up?
    3. Menu preparation
      • Check on allergies for your guests and adjust as necessary.
      • Keep in mind the time of day you are having this and any seasonal preferences. If in the afternoon, your guests may have already eaten – so a light menu might be appropriate.
      • What equipment will you need – how will you set the table and present the food. It’s a tea party! Have fun with it!
    4. Putting the invites together
      • Choose an invite that is friendly and inviting
      • Determine when the invites need to go out
      • Be sure to include RSVP
      • Include the parents to make sure those invites get home if delivered to school
      • Here’s some examples of printable invites
    5. Setup and Cleanup
      • Make sure you have a plan around your setup. Give yourself enough time to take a deep breath before all the fun starts.
      • And include your daughter in the prepping! She will love being a part of the whole process.

    For a great tool, CLICK DOWNLOAD for my free Checklist For Little Girls’ Tea Party

    CHECKLIST-FOR-LITTLE-GIRLS-1Download

    So here are some examples for you to consider – invites that can be colored in, simple hats made by your guests, Tea Party Bingo and coloring pages. I have included some Pinterest links for you to browse.

    And Christmas games…..so many to choose from, but the infamous “Would You Rather Christmas Game” is here for you to have fun with. I know the girls did at this party.

    So here is what it looks like put together!

    We had the perfect opportunity this season to have a first cocoa tea. And it was delightful.

    All the details were worked out and everything was planned. The excitement was more than a little girl could hold in – squeals were everywhere.

    Once the details were outlined, the invitations were selected. A black and white invite was selected and the little hostess was in charge of coloring in the details and making the invitation personal to her guests.

    The menu was developed and our little hostess was set to making sure items were getting prepared and ready for her guests.

    Hostess checking off completed items on the Cocoa Tea Menu
    Perfect Party Planner –
    Checking off the menu to make sure everything is ready

    About the cocoa cups!

    Small vintage teacup to be used for cocoa tea

    To make this a special treat for the party, mom opted to purchase some little sweet tea cups. The beverage of choice was going to be cocoa but the little cups would be perfect. So off to the local vintage antique shop to select some cups. Its how some of us get started in our teacup journey and brings a lot of joy when you find these treasures. Little expense but pure luxury for the little girls. If you aren’t able to find a vintage or antique store, there are plenty of alternatives. Just look for demitasse cups or espresso cups. These are small little cups perfect for little hands. I have listed some below in the products section.

    Line up of small vintage teacups to be used by guests at Cocoa Tea Party
    Little cups in a row ready for the guests

    About the table setting!

    Now for the table setting. This was a cocoa tea and had a seasonal Christmas theme to it. The tablecloth was purchased at a discount store and was vinyl – just perfect for little ladies and their table skills with hot cocoa. This was also going to be great for any crafts that were planned. You can find these tablecloths online – I have posted one in the product section. They are easy to clean and if you can’t find the size you want, just trim to fit. Now this was for Christmas, but the options are endless.

    • Vinyl tablecloth
    • Table set for Cocoa Tea Party guests

    Each place setting had a plate, the special cup paired with a small spoon and topped with the menu for the day. Those little spoons are called Demitasse spoons or coffee spoons – sometimes hard to find but easy online. When mine aren’t being used for a cocoa tea, they are my tasting spoons when I am cooking. The link is included below in the product section.

    The menu was developed with little palates in mind, along with the ease of preparation and in tune with a budget friendly approach.

    Cocoa Tea Party place setting with vintage tea cup, spoon and menu

    About the food!

    Here is the menu that was developed ~

    • Emma’s Tea Sandwich
    • Cheese and Salami Skewers
    • Christmas Colored Veggies
    • Mandarin Orange
    • Present Petit Fours
    • Glazed Spritz Cookies
    • Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows

    The food could all be prepared ahead of time – a great option for mom. Like these Present Petit Fours – done and waiting to be served.

    Present Petit Fours prepared and ready for serving
    Make ahead Christmas Present Petit Fours – ready for service

    And here’s the recipe for the Petit Fours….so easy to adapt to any party and only limited by your imagination. Made from store-bought pound cake, these are easy to put together.

    Prepared petit fours
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/100768110390976982/

    And for the hot cocoa, a warm sweet treat for the girls. Prepared by mom, served in her teapot and accompanied by marshmallows. Here’s an easy recipe to follow. And remember to save yourself a cup to enjoy.

    Two mugs of cocoa
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/107945722304467041/

    The food was served on plastic food tiers. These are economically friendly and reusable. Some of the crudites are cut out using shapes to add whimsy to the snacks.

    • Savories
    • Sweets

    About the fun!

    Soon the guests were arriving and the party was in full swing. The girls enjoyed themselves dressing up in hats and gowns. Food was served in their full regalia. Oooohs and ahhs and giggles were all around. The hostess chose to play a fun word game with her guests – asking questions like “Would you rather sing Christmas Carols for a month or laugh like Santa?” And yes, there was a craft – something the girls could do and then take home for their own enjoyment. Small fabric bags, puff paint and all sorts of decorations was just the ticket.

    Craft box ready with bags, puff paints, and embellishments - the take home gift from the Cocoa Tea Party

    The girls played dressup, dined on the delights, played a few games and completed their craft bags. Then to the outside for some outdoor play and run off some of that delightful energy.

    A page from My Very First Tea Party thanking the host for asking them to their first Cocoa Tea Party

    The cocoa tea party was a success! All enjoyed the party and left full in their tummies and in their hearts as little girls do.

    Cover of the book My Very First Tea Party.

    Here is my Little Girls’ Tea Party Planning List and Tools

    These products were used for this Cocoa Tea:

    This post contains affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Look through the products and enjoy!

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