Tea Pot & Party Fascination

Did you have tea parties when you were growing, as my sister and I did with our dolls? I still have a few of these odds and ends of tea sets we used. Do you still have a fascination with tea pots and tea cups and trying various types of tea?

As writer Amy Palanjian says, “With a charming pot, teatime can be as magical as it was when you were six.”

My daughter and I collect teapots and teacups, but don’t have the place to display or store as I’d like. My aunt, I remember from childhood, collected teacups from her travels and displayed them in her china closet. (Do they still have china closets for “company” dishes nowadays?) Aunt Freda also placed the teacups on shelves with souvenir plates.

I like to find individual teacups in out-of-the-way places, antique shops and second hand stores. Some are delicate with saucers; others are mugs. I have one of my mom’s with “Mother” in flowery script.

Teapots to Delight and Make a Tasty Brew

Teapots come in many shapes and styles. According to Susan Clotfelter, author of the Herb Tea Book, when you choose a teapot, “There are only two cardinal rules: It must please you and it must not drip.”

So find teapots that you enjoy and like to look at and use. However, try the teapot out beforehand if you’re going to use it for making and serving tea instead of simply for adornment. Ask if you can pour water from it and see that it doesn’t drip.

Mary Engelbreit mentions, in her delightful book, Time for Tea, that lusterware for tea items is her favorite, particularly the art deco type with a glaze that gives it a metallic shimmering quality. Throughout her book, Ms. Engelbreit has sketches of various types of teapots, teacups and tea accoutrements.

For fancy, formal occasions, you’ll find tea served from silver teapots with curving spouts and handles. I remember from my days as a young Air Force wife attending teas where silver teapots adorned the table and ladies with gloves poured this beverage into dainty cups. (Perhaps that’s no longer the style, but these were occasions that have remained in my mind.)

Tea Party Recipes

What you serve depends on what you like and the theme of your tea party occasion. You can have dainty, exotic, seasonal, ethnic, or your favorite foods.

WALNUT CAKE is an old-fashioned family recipe.

Cream together 1/2 cup shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add sifted dry ingredients (2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder) and 3/4 cup milk alternately with creamed mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add 1 cup chopped nuts. Fold in 4 stiffly beaten egg whites.

Bake in well greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until cake tests done.

Top with frosting or powdered sugar when done. Cut into squares and serve with tea.

This article was taken from: citizen.com