How to Transform Your Tea Time with Easy Sweet and Savory Shortcuts

Transform your tea time, with less time in the kitchen and more time for enjoying tea and treats. You’ll find quick and easy shortcuts for sweet and savory treats with a minimum amount of hands-on and prep time.

Welcome to the May edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month!

Pam and I are excited to welcome back a special guest,

Sarah, from Hyacinths for the Soul.

We’re glad you’re here, pour yourself a cuppa or glass of iced tea and join us!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy. 

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We’re sipping

Taylors of Harrogate China Rose Petal Tea,

a China Congou black loose leaf tea layered with pink rose petals.

It’s a mellow, sweet-tasting tea with a wonderfully perfumed aroma,

ideal for serving with sweet treats or pastries in the afternoon.

It can be enjoyed hot or as a refreshing iced tea for the summer.

Sweeten your tea with DIY Flower Sugar Cubes!

Easy to make, adding a floral note and nod to spring blooms for a tea party.

These decorative sugar cubes are a fun project and come together with a

hands on time of less than 10 minutes, requiring just three ingredients

and a silicone mold.

Store your sugar cubes in an airtight container or jar until ready to use.

Use within two weeks, or keep in the freezer for longer storage.

More details to make your own, including molds found, HERE.

Join me for tea on the porch and an assortment of sweet and savory treats!

Offering an assortment of sweet and savory treats for teatime

doesn’t have to require a lot of work or time in the kitchen.

You can throw an impromptu tea party with the help of your grocery store bakery!

This tea party was easy to prepare with some shortcuts and a just few finishing touches,

like piped frosting roses, chopped herbs and a lemon-confectioners’ sugar glaze.

Black & White Cookies are an iconic New York cookie with a soft, cakey

 texture, topped with half vanilla and half chocolate glaze.

I found Black & White Cookies at my local Harris Teeter but Publix also carries them.

I love the cake-like texture of these cookies and thought they would be pretty

with my floral black and white plates and some piped roses!

I gave the cookies an embellishment of blooming roses using a Russian piping tip.

The trick to using Russian piping tips is in the frosting, which has to be stiff enough to hold its shape.

You need to use an American-style buttercream frosting which has a 1:2 ratio of butter to powdered sugar.

If your frosting is too soft, the piped design will look like a blob instead of a flower.🌸

Place the tip at a 90° angle to the surface of the cookies (or cupcakes),

then pull the bag straight up slowly releasing the pressure at the same time.

Practice on a plate so you know how much pressure to use.

I used a leaf tip to pipe some green leaves.

For more sweet treats, help yourself to a Strawberry Cheesecake Madeleine and

Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Scone, from Target’s bakery.

You can find a variety of mini scone flavors at Publix too.

I gave the mini scones a drizzle of lemon-confectioners’ sugar glaze for some additional lemon flavor:

Start with 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and add 1 – 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.

Mix sugar with lemon juice, adding 1 tablespoon of juice at a time until reaching desired consistency.

Drizzle glaze over top of scones; allow glaze to set before serving.

For savory teatime treats, we’re nibbling on Cheese Straws,

Pimento Cheese Tea Sandwiches and Chicken Salad Mini Phyllo Cups.

Pick up some ready made cheese straws or you can find a recipe for

Cheddar Cheese Wafers with Pecans.

Your food processor does all the work and they can be baked ahead and frozen for up to 3 months.

I always have a couple of trays of Athens Phyllo Shells

in the freezer for easy entertaining.

They’re fully baked and ready to serve with sweet or savory fillings.

For best texture, crisp the shells prior to filling by baking 3-5 minutes at 350ºF.

Allow shells to cool before filling.

We’re fans of Palmetto Cheese and always have a container (or two :) in the fridge.

It has the taste and texture of homemade pimento cheese, born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina,

with the recipe originating in Pawleys Island, SC at the historic Sea View Inn.

Palmetto Cheese is now available 10,000+ locations in 45 States and Washington D.C.

If you’re a fan of pimento cheese and haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat!

 It comes in Original Flavor, with Jalapenos, with Bacon and in a Pepper Jack Palmetto Cheese flavor.

To make your tea sandwiches, spread your pimento cheese

on Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread.

I like to spread a layer of mayonnaise on the bread first to help

 the pimento cheese spread more easily, or if you’re anti-mayo {*gasp*} use softened butter.

Trim the crusts, cut on the diagonal (or in rectangles) and dress your tea sandwiches

up with chopped fresh chopped herbs of choice . . .

parsley, tarragon and chives or a combination.

 Dredge your tea sandwich edges in the herbs, turning sandwiches

on each side to lightly coat pimento cheese mixture.

Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 12 hours.

Details:

  Taylors of Harrogate China Rose Petal Tea 

Tablecloth  / April Cornell ‘Felicity Rose’

Dinner, Salad Plates and Teapot / Grace’s Teaware, HomeGoods

3-Tier Server

Floral Teacups / Gracie China, similar

Victorian Tart Server

Mini Serving Tongs

Quilt / Bed, Bath & Beyond, many years ago, used HERE

Floral tea spoons / gift, thank you, Sarah ♥

“Teatime is a chance to slow down, pull back, and appreciate our surroundings.”

 – Letitia Baldridge

I hope these suggestions and shortcuts help you transform your teatime! ☕💗

 Join Pam and Sarah for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Metamorphosis Monday