Sunday, March 22, 2009

Let's talk Tea!



Saturday afternoon my friend Janet and I attended one of our favorite annual events:
LOCKE & NOBLE TEA COMPANY'S
High Tea and Tea Talk.

The guest speaker Natalie Meyer is a member of the Local Costumer's Guild and gave us an informal lecture on Fashion Silhouettes from 1660 to 1910.
While attending my many years in community college I took a class on History of Costume so it's always fun to see what I remember...or don't :0!



Here I am all dressed up for tea.
See my little friend at my feet? This is what I deal with on a daily basis...
"No! Don't go! PlEaSe Don'T LeAve Me here with HER!!!!"
The "her" would be none other than Princess Cupcake or as we call her Coco Loco, but you didn't come for puppy antics did you? No, I didn't think so, but I still need to finish this little tale of how I begin each day, so please bear with me just a little longer...thank you!
Each morning it's the same routine. I get ready to leave and I'm met with those pleading brown eyes that always make me feel so guilty for abandoning my sweet baby boy, but when Tea Time calls I must answer..."see ya Elmo! I'll let you know what I ate when I get home.



Here's Janet and I seated at our table eagerly awaiting our delicious, delectable tea treats.
The couple that host this event do all the cooking and baking in their kitchen. The living room furniture is moved out to the side porch so the tables can be set up indoors.
They have some gorgeous antiques.



Is this not the prettiest China pattern that you've ever seen? I think so too! In fact I'm so in love with it that I think I need to find a few pieces to add to my collection...I'm sure hubby won't mind in the least.



Second Course:
Ooh! This was so delicious!
Gingered Carrot Soup and the little crackers are Asiago Sables. They were so crisp and flaky with a strong cheesy flavor. I could have eaten an entire bowl.
The soup was filled with chewy chunks of ginger that made for an interesting combination...interesting in a good way :).



Janet and I just playing around. She's my Faerie Tea buddy.
When ever we get together there's always tea or faeries involved...and Pink Flamingos.



Third Course:
Potato Leek Tart with Chived Bearnaise Sauce.
Such a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. I'm not really a Leek person, but this was delicious and the crust was so buttery. I wish I could describe just how wonderful this was.
Third course was also served with: Decadent White Chocolate Chip Scones
with clotted cream and jam.



Janet and I ordered different teas so we could sample each others. I ordered the Mid Summer's Peach while she ordered the Keemun. I have to admit that while mine was delicious hers was rather odd. It had a strange smokiness to it which is apparently its appeal. "Why would someone want to sip smoke?" I asked myself. I politely sipped my cup until it was gone then went back to my Peach. But isn't that a darling tea pot? There were so many different styles and shapes.



Fourth Course:
Chicken Pot Pie with Creamy Veloute.
The ingredients were all rolled up in these perfect little balls. Tucked neatly inside were chunks of chicken, peas, carrots, and celery.
The creamy veloute was so rich with just a hint of Rosemary.



Did you see the movie, "The Age of Innocence?" It's always been one of my favorites and Michelle Pfiffer was simply stunning in all her Bustle Gowns. This is my favorite era from the 1880's.



Natalie shared many interesting facts about each era that I wanted to pass on to you, but my pen ran out of ink at the beginning of the lecture. Did I ask Janet to borrow a pen...NO! Sometimes I don't use my brain to well.
Any way, here she was demonstrating how the corset works and telling us about how girls were corseted about the age of 12. As they continued to grow their corsets remained the same size which caused all sorts of internal problems as rib cages were deformed and organs were squeezed into other locations. Sounds fun doesn't it? It's not that bad, but then I didn't try on one of these lovely contraptions until the age of 33.



Janet was our lovely model for the 1855 petticoat and caused quite a stir when she asked if she had to lift her arms to get into it. For some reason all the women at the table behind us started talking about the fact that she couldn't lift her arms. "Is her blouse to tight?" I heard one say. After several comments about her arms not being lifted over her head one of the ladies tapped me on the back of the shoulder and asked "why?" Janet is recovering from surgery and is on pain medication. Lifting the tea pot was a challenge we weren't sure she was up to, but she wasn't about to allow anyone to keep her from taking tea...You go Janet!!!
Isn't she darling?



Fifth Course:
DESSERTS!
If you spell it backwards it spells Stressed
so the next time you're stressed just flip it over and have desserts.
For the last course we were treated to Chocolate Cheese Bites,
Lemon Curd Sandwiches
Carrot Whisky Cake,
Sara Bernhart Cookies...YUM! These had a layer of marzipan!!
and Strawberry Walnut Gateau.
Everything was so completely wonderful that I can't wait until
next year!



Aah! Now I'm back home and fully satiated from my delicious Tea and delectables and yes, Elmo is sitting right beside me trying desperately to sniff what I ate.

OH! Locke & Noble host several Tea's throughout the year so if you're interested and live in my area leave me a comment and I'll email you their phone Number. They have all the dates listed on their answering machine.
Now I'm off to take a nap.

I hope you have a lovely rest of the evening!

13 comments:

pam said...

Thanks for the introduction to a world I do not know. That all looked so wonderful. Makes me want to pull out all the boxes of antique dishes I inherited and have never used. Somehow I need to revamp my dining room built in buffet area with all it's storage. hmmm, might have to actually consider buying some wonderful cabinets to show all the pretties off. This was so fun...well, the clothes made me want to gasp for air.... :o) Thanks for sharing all your fun!

Joanne Kennedy said...

Looks like a wonderful time! Everything there looked so yummy... even the chicken pot pie ball. But of course I couldn't eat that. Yet if I ate meat I'm sure I would have loved it!

You both looked so pretty dressed up too.

I would LOVE to know the phone number. This looks like a fun place to go and to learn some very interesting things.

Hugs,
Joanne

One Shabby Old House said...

That looked like great fun. Maybe one day you and I can share tea somewhere. Wouldn't that be fun.
Hugs
becky

Tara said...

Cori

What a wondeful event! Wish I could have attended! The potato-leek looked yummy and the teas sounded dainty and delicious! What a pleasant afternoon for two lovely ladies!

I am back to blogging, I just needed a little time off! Missed you!
:0)
Tara\xo

Deborah said...

How Fun! How Pretty! How spectacular! My little girl chihuahua, Office Bill, will actually try to grab my ankles if I have been so rude as to leave the house, and attempt to go out the door again. Thank you for taking us to tea with you! **blows kisses** Deborah

Anonymous said...

OHHH I look like Wicked... I am so green with envy...

What a wonderful time!!!

Thanks for sharing...

Just A Gal...

Just A Girl said...

Hi Ladies,
It was a fun time indeed and thanks for coming along!

Joanne, the # is 714.992.2680
I was on line this afternoon and they have a Mystery Dinner? coming up in May. They cater events as well. Most of the tea's they host at their home are free, but the one we attended on Saturday was $30. Well worth the price and Oh what fun!

Pam, you've never done tea? It's all about girly girl fun and what a way to spend the day!

Becky, that would be so much fun! Maybe I could come to your house and we could sit on that big beautiful porch of yours and sip sweet tea.

Deborah, oowwie! Dog's are funny aren't they? I used to have a Dobie that loved to chase me down the hall and nip my heels. The first time she did it I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

Justa, I was green too by the time I got done eating all that yummy food. All I could do was sit on the couch and be a vegetable...aaahh! But what bliss!!!

Tara, WeLcOmE BaCk!! I've missed you and am on my way over to read your post.
Have a fun evening ladies!!!

xoxo Cori

Seawashed said...

That pink rose tea cup, saucer, and tea pot are my favorite! I would love to have them. Looks like a very lovely day. The chicken pot pie in a ball was most intrigueing to me. I love pot pie. I actually have some of that mid summer peach tea in a cute little pink tin. It is delicious.

Sandy~Romantique Inspirations~ said...

Cori, Your a big tease with your dog, aren't you? I do hope you have given him a treat after you came home. You girls look like you had a wonderful time together, and the food look scrumptious delicious. By the way I love leeks, and I didn't know until a year ago when I tryed them. My husband made potato leek soup that was out of this world. Now I'm hooked on leeks. Really enjoyed your post today. Catch ya later-

bj said...

Oh, my....what a delightful tea..all the food looks just delicious, you two ladies looked fit to kill and your writings made it all so much fun....
xo bj

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a wonderful tea party fashion show --it's all so YOU. Cori! You must have been enjoyed that so much!

The food was so elegant --do you have any recipes to share?

I'm glad your friend was able to pour her tea ... it must have been good therapy.

I can't belive how behind I am. Too much going on in my life these days and not enough play time.

Hugs, Pat

Moorea said...

Yum, yum, and again, I say YUM!
What a fun day. You friends sure are fun!Thanks for sharing. I will have to try to find Age of Innocence. I really like Michelle Pfifer. (sp?)

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

Oh, I would so love to have their phone number - planning a visit out that way...this would be fun to include if it works. Can you send their number please??

Donna (cityslickers@hughes.net) TX