Mad Tea Party 2011

Hello, all! And welcome to the tea party! Every year the Mad Tea Party is hosted online by the fabulous Veronica at A Fanciful Twist and this is my second year participating. As most of us who participate in the Mad Tea Party, I love all things Wonderland! This annual blog party gives me the perfect excuse to throw my very own tea party at home! So me, my two daughters, my son, and a couple of friends of theirs sat down to tea and we all invite you to join us. I'll be sharing photos of the table decorations and food, and the recipes (that did not originate with me) for the treats we are offering.

This is my dining table all decked out in Wonderland splendor and loaded with so many foodie goodies!

These are a few of my tea pots, each with its own tea. We have Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Green Teas here.

Another view of some tea pots and chess pieces.

Eat Me mini cupcakes. Four different flavors to satisfy every one's tastes: lemon, strawberry, red velvet, and chocolate.

Would you like jam on those cupcakes?

We have some Darjeeling tea in this tea pot.

My eldest daughter, Jane, and her friend, Hannah, enjoying some tea.

My son, Scott, and daughter, Kassy, enjoying some cake and sandwiches.

Golden Afternoon Lemon/Strawberry cake. This was made with boxed strawberry cake mix and store-bought lemon icing piped with a star tip.

Bread-and-Butterfly Pineapple Cream Cheese Sandwiches. I used rye bread for these but I think white bread would have been a better choice.

Bread-and-Butterfly Pineapple Cream Cheese Sandwiches

3/4 cup soft butter

1 tsp cinnamon

20 slice of bread (your choice)

1 1/2 cups soft cream cheese

1/2 cup pineapple, finely chopped and drained

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Combine the butter with the cinnamon and spread over 1 side of each slice of bread.

In a small bowl, cream the cream cheese, if necessary, and stir in pineapple and nuts.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over 10 slices of bread and top with the other 10 slices. Remove the crusts, if preferred, and cut each sandwich into 4 squares of 3 fingers.

Humpty Dumpty Deviled Egg Sandwiches. If you love deviled eggs, you'll love this sandwich!

Humpty Dumpty Deviled Egg Sandwiches

3/4 cup soft butter

20 thin slices of bread (your choice)

5 hard boiled eggs

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

Spread 1 side of each slice of bread with butter.

Place the eggs, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Whirl until a spread is formed (I used my potato masher instead). Add more mayonnaise, if needed, to bring it to spreading consistency.

Spread the mixture on 10 slices of bread and top with the other 10 slices. Remove crusts, if preferred, and cut into squares or fingers.

More Pepper Chicken Salad Sandwiches. These were a favorite, so you might want to make a double batch!

More Pepper Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground black pepper (I used more, hence the name)

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I used the kind you can find in a can)

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

1 stalk celery

bread of your choice

Place almonds in a frying pan. Toast over medium-high heat, shaking frequently. Watch them carefully, as they burn easily.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayo, lemon juice, and pepper. Toss with chicken, almonds, and celery.

Spread the mixture onto slices of bread and top with other slices of bread.

Very Merry Un-Pickled Sandwiches. Just another name for cucumber sandwiches, lol.

Very Merry Un-Pickled Sandwiches

2 medium size cucumbers

1 tub whipped cream cheese spread

shaker of dill weed

1 packets of dry Italian seasoning

your choice of bread

Peel cucumbers and slice thinly. Set aside.

In small bowl, stir together cream cheese and dressing mix; mix well.

Using a butter knife, spread the mixture onto the slice of bread; a very thin layer of this mixture is enough.

Lay one slice of cucumber in the middle of each bread (I laid four slices in the four corners of the bread and then cut them into squares). Add one shake of dill weed. One or two small shakes is enough.

Top the slices of bread with other slices and cut into squares. Remove crust, if preferred.

Here is Mr. Hedgehog taking a break from croquet.

The red queen; it's your move.

This is a playing card centerpiece I created for this event.

All Ways Are MY Ways Cake. This is the Queen's favorite recipe for cake!

All Ways Are MY Ways Cake

1 Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I used 2, 1 box, amounts of water, oil and eggs for each layer - I have a very deep heart baking pan)

3/4 cup water

1/3 vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 container (6 oz) Strawberry Greek Yogurt ( I used one to mix in with the batter and used another to layer in between the layers)

1 container  (12 oz) Whipped White Frosting (can be store-bought)

3/4 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping

10 fresh strawberries (I used more, because Hey, It's MY Way!)

2 tbsp of mini semisweet chocolate chips

Bake 8-inch rounds 27 to 32 minutes, 9-inch rounds 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from pans and put on cooling racks. Cool completely.

In medium bowl, add frosting; fold in whipped topping.

On serving plate, place one cake, rounded side down. (I spread strawberry yogurt over top of the layer) Spread with 1/3 cup frosting almost to the edge. Cut about 5 strawberries into slices and arrange on the layer. Top with second cake, rounded side up. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with about 5 halved strawberries in the center of the cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips around the outside edge of top of cake. Store loosely covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.

The inside of the delicious, delectable, and delightful All Ways Are MY Ways Cake.

It seems the Mad Hatter left his hat on the table. All the tea and cake must have been distracting!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you had a good time and filled yourself with tea, cake, and sandwiches. It was wonderful having you here. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses....

If you become a follower or an existing follower, please add that with your comment. I will be doing a random drawing on July 1, and announce the winner here. The prize will be a whole lot of scrapping and crafting goodies! Please check back to see if you're the winner and contact me. The winner will have 2 weeks to email me at forevervampress@aol.com , his or her address or will forfeit the prize. Thanks for visiting and playing along!