Sunday-I go over some ideas for the high tea with R2.0 and my Mom. R2.0 decides that she will buy a cake. My Mom suggests that I get a sandwich tray to make life easier for myself. I scoff at this idea because I believe I can do a better job of making sandwiches. R2.0 and Mom say I shouldn't take on too much for myself because I'll just get stressed out and go crazy. I remain determined.
Monday-I come up with the following menu:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Chicken Club Sandwiches
Cold Roast Beef Sandwich with Onion Jam
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Cherry Scones
Raspberry Breakfast Bars
Rice Krispies Treats
Pistachio Shortbread Chocolate Sandwiches
I decide to work on the Pistachio Shortbread Cookies first. Rather than typing out the whole recipe, click here. I essentially did Martha Stewart's recipe and rather than using jam, I planned to dip them in semi-sweet chocolate (mmmmmmmmm pistachios and chocolate).
I bought unshelled pistachios. I began un-shelling them when I realized I was going to be late for my gym date with my friend. Got home and continued shelling them after a shower and dinner. Never again will I sit there and un-shell damn pistachios. I tripled the recipe and I tell you that was a lot of cookie dough to mix. By the time I finished shelling those damn pistachios and mixing up that damn cookie dough, I was ready to pass out. Granted, I did work out beforehand to the point where I felt light headed and nauseous, thus adding to my fatigue. When it came time to roll the pistachios into logs, I didn't give a crap what they looked like. I just wanted to finish. They looked like awkward sausages. I quickly wrapped them in saran wrap and threw them into the freezer.
Tuesday- I make strawberry vanilla jam as gift give aways. Please see previous post on my jam making experience. This time though, I was super careful. I also asked P to help. As per usual, he takes over the project. I tell him that I am going to hot water process the jam so that it lasts for a year. P says I am crazy and not to bother hot water process the jam and just write on the label a best before date. I stand firm that I will hot process the jam because I don't want the guests to feel pressured to eat the jam in three weeks. I want them to eat the jam when they're ready. P again reiterates I am crazy. I begin to think I am. I begin to curse myself for taking too much on...as usual.
Wednesday-Went to a bread making class and didn't have time to make anything for the tea party. Admit to myself that maybe I have taken too much on.
Thursday-A day off from work! I finish off the rest of the jam. I start cleaning the apartment like a mad woman. Need a bit of music to motivate me. My music of choice: 90's hip hop and R & B obviously. Belt out some K-Ci and Jojo while scrubbing the toilet. Living the dream baby!
I bought unshelled pistachios. I began un-shelling them when I realized I was going to be late for my gym date with my friend. Got home and continued shelling them after a shower and dinner. Never again will I sit there and un-shell damn pistachios. I tripled the recipe and I tell you that was a lot of cookie dough to mix. By the time I finished shelling those damn pistachios and mixing up that damn cookie dough, I was ready to pass out. Granted, I did work out beforehand to the point where I felt light headed and nauseous, thus adding to my fatigue. When it came time to roll the pistachios into logs, I didn't give a crap what they looked like. I just wanted to finish. They looked like awkward sausages. I quickly wrapped them in saran wrap and threw them into the freezer.
Tuesday- I make strawberry vanilla jam as gift give aways. Please see previous post on my jam making experience. This time though, I was super careful. I also asked P to help. As per usual, he takes over the project. I tell him that I am going to hot water process the jam so that it lasts for a year. P says I am crazy and not to bother hot water process the jam and just write on the label a best before date. I stand firm that I will hot process the jam because I don't want the guests to feel pressured to eat the jam in three weeks. I want them to eat the jam when they're ready. P again reiterates I am crazy. I begin to think I am. I begin to curse myself for taking too much on...as usual.
Wednesday-Went to a bread making class and didn't have time to make anything for the tea party. Admit to myself that maybe I have taken too much on.
Thursday-A day off from work! I finish off the rest of the jam. I start cleaning the apartment like a mad woman. Need a bit of music to motivate me. My music of choice: 90's hip hop and R & B obviously. Belt out some K-Ci and Jojo while scrubbing the toilet. Living the dream baby!
After my mad cleaning, head over to R2.0 to help my Mom babysit Put-Put. Decide to start on making the paper pom poms. My sister in law has a few of them she uses to decorate for her parties, so I wanted to make them too.
Here's what they're supposed to look like:
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| Image taken from marthastewart.com |
I throw it in frustration and Put-Put comes by and adds more insult to injury by stepping on it. I begin to curse party planning.
Originally I had planned to make a Banh Mi sandwich, but realize that it's cray cray to even think about making a meat sandwich from scratch with the bazillion things I already have on the go. Get angst-y about buying roast beef from the deli, but think if I jazz it up with some nice condiments, maybe I could get away with it. I always liked the taste of carmelized onions with beef as well as horseradish and beef. Decide to throw all these things together into a sandwich.
In the evening, I start the French Onion Marmalade.
Friday-It's crunch time. I am in denial that there's a lot to do and take my time shopping at H& M. I head over to Target and leisurely buy the rest of my ingredients. I head home and I quickly make Rice Krispies Squares (won't post the recipe. Buy a box of Rice Krispies and the recipe is on the box). I am laughing inside. I can do this! I eat my take out dinner (no way in hell was I going to cook dinner on top of baking) and move onto egg salad.
I make cherry scones and my Dad comes by to pick them up and put them in their freezer (I've run out of room in mine at that point). However, I flub up and add waaaaaaay too much buttermilk. I decide to make it again, but P stops me saying I have officially gone insane and nobody gives a poop about the scones. People will just be grateful to eat. I decide to move on.
I start to work on decorations and cleaning up. Finish that up and move onto the cookies. I melt the chocolate for the pistachio cookie sandwiches and begin dipping. It's now 11:00 at night. I turn on Breakfast at Tiffany's on Netflix to keep my motivated. I take stock of the things I still needed to do and start to get nervous. I pull up my recipe for raspberry breakfast bars and think screw it, I am buying desserts for tomorrow. I recall watching Laura Calder of Food Network Canada's French Food at Home and how she said French women have no shame in buying store bought desserts and in fact take pride in knowing where to buy the best desserts. I decide to adopt this attitude.
Saturday:
It's hammer time! Mom and I head to Costco bright and early to avoid the lineup. Made no difference. It was lined up like a hot night club. I'm on a mission and walk with purpose. Pick up salmon and enough bread to feed an army along with others niceties.
Head home and begin making sandwiches. I won't put exact recipes, but I will tell you the gist of the filling for each sandwich with.
Egg salad:
Eggs
Green Onions
Celery Salt (my secret ingredient...not so secret anymore)
Fresh cracked black pepper
White bread
Chicken Club
Bacon
Chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and basil
Spring Mix
Mayo
(Kept it simple for the kids. What kid doesn't love chicken or bacon)
Demi Ciabatta loaf
Salmon Sandwich
Actually followed the Barefoot Contessa's Grilled Salmon Sandwich recipe
Roast Beef with Onion Jam
Deli roast beef
Onion Jam
Mayo
Horseradish mustard
French baguette
So those were the sandwiches. We were in the process of making cucumber sandwiches, but at this point I was flustered and exhausted, so we said screw it and didn't make them. Mom and Dad also forgot to bring the scones I made. I try to get my Dad to go back to their place and bring the scones over, but I get talked out of it. Thank goodness!
Since it was High Tea, I served English Breakfast Tea. But, I'm not a huge hot tea drinker myself, so I made Ina Garten's Iced Tea. They didn't have Red Zinger tea, so I made it with President's Choice Raspberry Pomegranate tea. I think you could make this tea with any tea that has Red Hibiscus as their main ingredient. Red Hibiscus tea is so refreshing!
R2.0 and Dad were designated decorators while Mom and I made sandwiches like nobody's business. Had everything ready and waiting by 1230.
Mission accomplished.
Some photos from the Baby Sprinkle:
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| Jam for one and all! |
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| Some success with the pom pom |
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| Okay...I bought one bite brownies. So what! |
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| R2.0's cake with chicken club sandwich in the background |
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| Put Put partakes of some tea as well (no not really...It's empty. Hot liquids and squiggly, squirmy babies don't mix) |
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| The set up |
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| Top to bottom: Salmon sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, chicken club sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches |
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| DIY Baby Onesies |
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| Another pic of the set up |
Yes, I could've ordered a sandwich tray and made life easier for myself or had it at place that actually hosts high tea, but I really wanted to put in the effort and show myself that I could do this. The praise and thank you's everyone gave me at the end made the blood (not really), sweat, and tears worth it and only confirmed that I should keep on with my cooking.
Update: This baby shower happened a month ago (yes I am majorly late in posting). My sister had Put-Put 2.0, a healthy baby boy, on June 10.
