How to Throw a Valentea Party

I’m not one of those people who likes to take their holiday decorations right when the holiday ends and set up for the next one. I also celebrate Valentine’s Day until February, but last year I threw a Valentea party in two weeks and wanted to share it with you all. However, I know people need more time than that and wanted to share it with you all.

Christmas 2021 my friend was given a book that had ideas to hold a tea party every month. She held the first party on January 29th and no one wanted to do the next one, the Valentine’s Day party. I agreed and of course had to change the direction to Valentea and Jane Austen.

Invitations:

So the first thing you need for a party is invitations. I like to make my own cards and sent everyone a Valentine. I used romantic and love quotes from my favorite books.

Decorations:

After planning that came decorations. I’m lucky that I still have the ones from my bridal shower. I have reused those so many times! Yep, I used my pink floral table runners, framed Jane Austen quotes (which can be purchased from this shop); along with pink and white flowers.

Menu:

I was able to figure out my menu pretty quickly as I have a Tea Time magazine subscription, a Betty Crocker holiday cookbook, a Nancy Drew Cookbook, etc. I had a lot of recipes to choose from.

Tea Choices:

I wanted everything to be pink and red as it was a Valentea party so I had MadsenCreations make a Red Chai and Pink Moon Tea. I also picked Tiesta Tea Nutty Almond Cream Tea (which turns the water pink).

Food Menu:

We made Teatime Magazine Orange Cream Scones, Tea Time Magazine Lavender White Chocolate & Cranberry-Raspberry Scones, Tea Time Magazine’s Triple Stack Red Bell Pepper and Cream Cheese Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches, French Onion Soup, Tomato Soup, a tart, and Heart Shaped Rice Krispy Treats.

Tea Time Magazine Orange Cream Scones

Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold heavy whipping cream, divided
• 2 large eggs, divided
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest until combined. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup cold cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a 1-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch fluted round cutter dipped in flour, cut 13 scones from dough, rerolling scraps as needed. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon cold cream and remaining egg until combined. Brush egg mixture over tops of scones.
6. Bake until edges of scones are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 21 minutes. Serve warm.
7. Optional: Add a glaze.

Tea Time Magazine Lavender White Chocolate & Cranberry-Raspberry Scones

Ingredients

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavender
5. ½ teaspoon salt
6. 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces
7. 1 cup chopped dried Cranberries and Raspberries
8. 1 (4-ounce) bar white baking chocolate, such as Ghirardelli, chopped
9. 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
10. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, lavender, and salt, whisking well.
4. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries, strawberries, and chocolate; stirring until combined.
5. In a liquid-measuring cup, combine cream and vanilla extract, stirring to blend. Add to flour mixture, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut 12 scones from dough. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle tops with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
7. Bake scones until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Games:

Game 1: Who Said It?

For this game I took all the romance quotes I had used on the Valentines and people had to match up the quote with who said it.

Game 2: Who Can Name the Most Romance Movies?

For this game I had everyone turn their sheet of paper over and write down as many romance films they could think of in a minute. This was a ton of fun as afterwards we all talked about which ones we liked and what films were our favorites to watch.

I had a lot of fun with our tea parties, and I hope this helps if you want to plan a Valentea party.

Valentea food also doesn’t count.

For more party posts, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party Music & Party Review

For more Valentine’s Day posts go to, Jane in Love

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Alley Cat Cafe

For more recipes, go to Dragon Cheddar and Tomato Scones

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Easy Fruit Tarts

 

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). The first week we had NovelTea Tins The Picture of Earl Grey, Haarlem Tea Room’s Cheddar Scones, Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Brisket and Slaw Roulades, and Fruit Tarts.

I couldn’t share the recipes but now I’m trying my best to catch up.

This comes from Jenny Cookies. 

Ingredients:

• Angel Food Cake Cups
• 2 Cups of Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Teaspoons of Butter
• 2 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten
• 1/3 Cup of Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
• Mint Leaves
• 1/2 Cup of Raspberries
• 1/4 Cup of Blackberries
• 1/2 Cup of Blueberries
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 1/4 Cup of Corn Syrup

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. 
2. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. 
3. Boil and stir 1 minute. 
4. Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. 
5. Boil and stir for 1 minute; and remove from heat.
6. Stir in butter and vanilla.
7. Store covered in refrigerator. 
8. While waiting for pudding to cool, rinse fruit and place in a bowl.
9. Pour corn syrup over fruit and gently stir until coated. 
10. Pour 1/2 Cup of sugar over fruit until coated in sugar. 
11. Using a cookie scoop, place pudding in angel food cake cups. 
12. Use a spatula to smooth out the top of the tarts. 
13. Finish tarts by adding fruit and mint.
14. Place larger berries on the tarts first, staying on just one side of the tart and fill in the spaces with the smaller berries.
15. Store in fridge until ready to serve. 

These were extremely delicious, and we gobbled them all up. I unfortunately didn’t get a better picture of them then this one of the whole table. 

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Brisket and Slaw Roulades

For more recipes, go to Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches

For more Earl sandwiches, go to Mini Pumpkin Créme Brûlée

For more tea posts, go to Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Brisket and Slaw Roulades

 

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). The first week we had NovelTea Tins The Picture of Earl Grey, Haarlem Tea Room’s Cheddar Scones, Eating Well‘s Radish Tea Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine‘s Brisket and Slaw Roulades, and Fruit Tarts.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfst IX, but I’m trying my best to move along through them all.

 

This comes from Tea Time Magazine. 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons of Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Cups of Finely Chopped Purple Cabbage
• 1/3 Cup of Finely Chopped Carrot
• 2 Large Multigrain Flatbreads
• 1/2 Cup of Chopped Brisket

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Add carrots and cabbage, stirring until combined.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
4. Stir slaw again, and drain well. 
5. Spread an even layer of slaw onto flatbreads. Scatter brisket on top of slaw. 
6. Starting at one short side, roll up flatbreads firmly and evenly to encase ingredients and form a cylinder. 
7. Tuck ends under. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. 
8. Just before serving, remove plastic wrap.
9. Using a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion, trim and discard ends. 
10. Slice roulade into 12 (1/2 inch) slices. Serve immediately. 

 

These were very good, I love purple cabbage.

 

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

For more recipes, go to Tomato Hummus Salad

For more Earl sandwiches, go to Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches

For more tea posts, go to I Tried Madsen Creations’ Reusable Cloth Teabags

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). The first week we had Cederberg Tea Company Rooibos + Ginger Tea, Cranberry-Spice Scones with Maple Cream, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches, Cucumber-Four Peppercorn Goat Cheese Canapés, Fotina & Pork Puffed Pastry, and Mini Apple Pies.

The second week we had Chami Spice Ginger Plum Tea, Dark Chocolate Ginger Scones, Curried Egg Salad Triple Stacks Sandwiches, Turkey-Apple Tea Sandwiches, Fotina Flower Puffed Pastry, and Lemon Gingerbread Cake.

The third week we had Organic India Tulsi Masala Chai Tea, Parmesan and Chive Scones, Cucumber Aioli Canapés, Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches, Cranberry, Brie, and Rosemary Bites, and Mini Pumpkin Crème Brûlée.

And now to the fourth week. This week we had Tiesta Tea Victorian Earl Grey, Lavender and Earl Grey Scones, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Tomato Hummus Salad, Cranberry Feta Pinwheels, and Triple Berry Salad.

Week five we had NovelTea Tins The Picture of Earl Grey, Haarlem Tea Room’s Cheddar Scones, Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Brisket and Slaw Roulades, and Fruit Tarts.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfst IX, and as I am using a scone and sandwich recipe from before, I’m skipping right to the sandwiches.

YUM!

 

This comes from Eating Well although I did make a few substitutions. 

Hmm…

Ingredients:

• 4 Ounces of Chive and Onion Cream Cheese
• Chopped Fresh Dill for Garnish (They were out of dill so I used chives)
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Pepper
• 12 Thin Small Slices of Pumpernickel or Rye Bread 
• 6-8 Medium Radishes

Directions:

1. Mash cream cheese (or goat cheese) pepper in a small bowl until well combined. 
2. Spread two teaspoons of the mixture on each piece of bread.
3. Top each with a few radish slices, a sprig of dill, and a generous grinding of pepper. 

 

These were extremely delicious and healthy.

 

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

For more recipes, go to Tomato Hummus Salad

For more Earl sandwiches, go to Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches

For more tea posts, go to I Tried Madsen Creations’ Reusable Cloth Teabags