Travels of Jackie and Randy: Tea Party Themes

I recently learned that we are near the Charleston Tea Plantation, which is supposed to be the only Tea Plantation in the Continental US. So I decided that since we have a local tea here, we should have a Southern Hospitality Tea Party at the RV Park. I made two pots of the tea served it with some Southern classics: Cheese Straws, Pralines, and Old Fashioned Ambrosia (all made by Randy, of course!). Southern Ambrosia is nothing like the Ambrosia I used to have in Illinois. That was a fruit salad of crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows and mandarin oranges in whipped cream, and always topped with maraschino cherries. Southern Ambrosia is a lot simpler - less ingredients and never any whipped cream. I used the oldest recipe I could find, which was just oranges slices with a bit of sugar and fresh coconut sprinkled in, and marinated overnight.

I found the picture frame that is on the table at the "Worlds Largest Yard Sale" last Saturday. I couldn't pass it up, since it cost just a quarter. So I printed a copy of the painting "Southern Belle" by Erich Correns and put it in the frame as a centerpiece. The funny part is that although Correns called the painting "Southern Belle", it's really a portrait of the famous Swedish coloratura suprano, Jenny Lind. I guess that just proves we can all be Southern Belles if we try!

I thought the tea itself tasted pretty good. Not as good as my favorite, Marks and Spencer's Tea. But enjoyable. That's a good thing, because American Classic Tea has been the official tea of the White House since 1987.

I served my beloved Marks and Spencer tea a couple of weeks ago when I hosted a Low Tea. Although High Tea is much more common, I really like Low Tea. It's not as fancy as High Tea and there isn't as much food, so for me, it's a perfect little tea-time. For that party I served miniature scones with clotted cream and jam, cucumber and mint sandwiches and frosted lemon cookies. As always, Randy came through, making everything just the way it should be.