Take time out this week with a tea party!

Photo: Nikolay Dimitrov. www.e-Cobo.com

Most of us across the United States are gearing up for Thanksgiving in the next week.  A quintessentially American holiday, with a profoundly religious background, the Thanksgiving feast, shared with as many friends and relatives as possible, can be a very stressful project.  It's easy to get hung up on the details and forget the purpose of the holiday: to set aside the difficulties and celebrate the blessings of family, friends, food and good deeds for an entire day.  Celebrate those who have provided for you and helped you to become the person that you are today.  Keep yourself in an attitude of gratefulness and appreciation by delegating some work to those who will share the meal with you, and put your feet up once in a while with a cup of tea! 

You can "taste-test" some of the treats for the big day by making them ahead of time and enjoying them before the frenzy of preparation.  A Thanksgiving High Tea is also the perfect way to use up leftovers after the holiday!  Here are some recipes you might want to add to your tea table; they would also make great additions to a special breakfast on Thanksgiving day.

Cranberry Orange scones
Butterscotch-Ginger scones
Cream scones
Pumpkin butter
Apple butter
Mock clotted cream
Spiced-Tea Cranberry Sauce

Mushroom Croustades
Pumpkin Fritters
Maple Shortbread

Interesting links:
“Thanksgiving tea ideas”
“Thanksgiving meal tea and food pairings”
“Hostess a Thanksgiving Tea Party” by Sheila Kosmicki
“A Thanksgiving Tea Party, Relax and Enjoy!”

Scones for Easter!

image from AntiqueClipArt.com

Here is a recipe for Easter Scones. I'm not sure what makes them more appropriate for Easter than for any other day in the year, but here's the recipe. I will be baking this morning anyway, so I may whip up some of these!





Easter Scones
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb unsalted butter
2 cups oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter. Blend well. Then place in a bowl and add oats and spices and raisins. Mix gently. Add the buttermilk and mix gently. The dough will be somewhat crumbly. Put onto a board and roll the dough into 1" thickness and cut with cutter or just with a knife into the shapes you want. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Dust the scones with sugar before baking for a little extra sweetness. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen scones.
-- from Source: www.canada.com

Gluten-free scone recipe!

My aunt and cousin are allergic to wheat, among other things, and they're not really enjoying their new (they were just diagnosed) wheat-free diet. They're going to be visiting us for Christmas, and I know they would be thrilled to be able to have scones with their tea! Here is a recipe posted to the Afternoon Tea Across America list (on Yahoo! groups) that I will probably try to make for them,if I can get to the health food store and gather the ingredients:

Mocha Teff Scones [gluten free recipe]
2 1/2 cups of teff flour
1/2 cup of coffee
1 tbsp. of arrowroot
1 tbsp. of baking powder
1 tbsp. of vanilla
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of maple syrup
3/4 cup of dried fruit such as unsulphured apricots
(cut up into small pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Shape the dough into round patties, about 1/2" thick. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 1 dozen scones. *Variation: use jam, instead of using dried fruit. Gently press your thumb into the center of the scone before baking them. Fill each with 1/2 tsp. of jam.
-- adapted from recipe posted to SoFlaVegans list.

I think my relatives can have all of the ingredients! They also can't have dairy or cane sugar, so I'll have to find something other than clotted cream and jam for them to put on the scones, but it's a start!