Our Christmas Tea was filled with so many tasty treats!! Seasonal teas, chewy rich chocolate cookies, paleo style pumpkin muffins and cookies, raspberry and white chocolate scones, meats and cheese with crackers. Let's not forgot our second annual Crazy Socks Exchange!! I made out with these cute Reindeer slipper socks, love <3

Our November Gathering has been rescheduled for our December one! Please mark your calenders and plan to join us!

RSVP and all inquiries, please contact Andrea. See you there!

A foggy morning gave the perfect atmosphere for our Gathering. Duchess Grey Tea, Sparkling Cider, Twice Baked Potatoes, Caprese Skewer Bites, Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips, Pumpkin Biscuits with an impromptu Pumpkin Honey Butter and two ultra cute babies. A wonderful intimate gathering indeed!

How delicious does this recipe from Food Network sound?!

 

Directions

Mash 6 canned peach halves with 1 1/2 cups of the juice, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon grated ginger in a pitcher. Add ice and 6 cups cold English breakfast tea.

Hi gals... I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. It turned out awesome so I thought I'd share..

Low fat carnitas tacos

2-3 lb pork roast
1 med onion diced
3 carrots diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 chipotle chili's in adobo sauce, chopped and 2T of adobo sauce
2 cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 can roasted diced tomatoes
3 T tomato paste
11/2 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 tsp each cinnamon and cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
And crumbled queso fresco

Add all ingredients except cilantro and queso into crock pot add roast cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred meat and add cilantro right before serving in corn tortillas with queso fresco.

Tuesday was the perfect day for our tea gathering. It was raining and soup was served!! Carrie made a delicious all vegetable soup with fresh baked sourdough bread to accompany it (cravings creeping up as I type this)! Along with new teas to try (like Ambrosia Plum), it was all very nourishing and warming. I was happy that Casey was able to join us and she brought along a little 'peanut' (as I like to call Camden) to the party. He filled the shoes as the only boy at the party while Jesse stayed home with his Daddy.[[posterous-content:pid___0]] I made Chewy Ginger Biscuits (cookies, to you and me), Carrie had her awesome scones with whipped cream and strawberries along with molasses cookies and Wendy made the best chocolate glazed brownie EVER!

And here, our little baby troop!

Wendy's 'Bella Lottie' Pamela's 'Scoochie Luchi' Casey's 'Peanut' (all tuckered out from the ladies talk!)

 

We came. We ate. We sipped. We talked. We laughed. We ate more!

The day finally came and we celebrated not only our Kindred Gathering but the Royal Wedding at Wendy's house. Or should I say that I had tea with my 'Hen Party' for the Royal Event! Both my mom and my daughter were able to join us for the day also. I am especially happy that my daughter Natalie was with me to enjoy this royal and historical event.

As (wonderfully) expected, Wendy had the place so nicely decorated with Royal Wedding paraphanelia and her beautiful china. I applauded her for everything looking so lovely and for wearing regal purple as well ;)

We appropriately had Prince of Wales tea, a lighter variation of Earl Grey along with Duchess Grey, another more lemony Earl Grey variation from Trader Joe's which was quite a hit and Pomegranate Green tea.

Our spread consisted of strawberry parfaits, mini cottage pies, Scottish shortbread, scones (plain and chocolate chip!), jams, lemon curd (my new favorite thing), lavender fairy cakes, starfruit, raspberries, french bread and brie.

As we indulged and drank, we watched the TLC coverage of the event. We all couldn't wait to see Kate come out with her dress so we could all ooohh and aaahh over it. We all said how it was the perfect choice, very classic and still modern.

Natalie had some fun taking pictures with both my phone and her Nana's. I loved having her next to me, drinking tea and eating from pretty china watching a Westminister Abbey wedding. We also had sweet babies Bellalottie (Wendy's Isabella, as I call her) and Scoochie Luchi (Pamela's Luciana with her adorable sit-down-and-one-handed crawl) and her big brother Jesse join us.

We talked about classic princess bridal gowns, crazy hats and how we should start wearing them (way to go Wendy for having one!), how good looking Kate's family is, God's word and truth being said and sung and how the world is hearing it, trying to read Prince Harry and Prince William's lips and what they wear saying, etc. etc.

We finally saw the kiss as well and now it is all over. I had a blast being with my friends, with my daughter and my mom too. I love my get togethers with my Kindred Gathering Hen Party! ;)

Andrea