A Nice Cuppa

If you’re a tea lover and fond of tea parties, then this might be the next book to add to your library shelves. Tracy Stern’s Tea Party: 20 Themed Tea Parties with Recipes for Every Occasion, from Fabulous Showers to Intimate Gatherings was just released and features menus, recipes and even decorating tips to make your next tea party the talk of the town.

Tracy Stern is no hack. She is, ahem, steeped in all things tea, having created lines of teas and tea-based beauty products and has hosted many, many tea parties to celebrate different occasions.

The 208 page book has tips on “choosing and brewing teas – from white and green teas to herbal rooibos and different black teas – Tea Party then shares more than seventy-five recipes, both savory and sweet, as part of twenty themed tea parties. Stern features classic tea accompaniments such as Scones with Clotted Cream and Cucumber-Mint Tea Sandwiches as well as novel recipes that use flavorful and healthful tea as an ingredient, including Homemade Potato Fries with Ceylon Tea Salt and Tea-Scented Chocolate Truffles. Above all, the focus is on fun, not fuss.”

“The party suggestions are perfect for afternoons with friends, bridal and baby showers, cocktail and dinner parties, picnics, and brunches. A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – for a birthday or an unbirthday – will delight kids and adults alike with tea sandwiches made with edible flowers followed by Eat Me! Cupcakes. Chai Breakfast Tea reveals a fantastic recipe for the sweetly spiced irresistible drink along with recipes for chai-scented pancakes and candied almonds. Ideas and inspirations abound for fabulous, easy, and affordable invitations, decorations, table settings, and charming party favors that tie into each party’s theme.”

This was just released yesterday, and is available from local bookstores and Amazon. If that super-cute heart-shaped sandwich on the cover is any indication as to what’s inside, I think we’re all in for a real treat.