Tuesday, November 21, 2023

November Tea and Treats Party



I was humbled to be invited as a guest contributor with Mary and Pam. 


What an honor it is to share Tea on Tuesdays with these two ladies who make teatime so enticing, beautiful,  and incredible.   Be sure to visit their teatimes at the bottom of the page for you'll be in for a treat.  



I used my Great Aunt Kitty's beautiful topper on my coffee table.  Aunt Kitty had so many pretty things and I was fortunate to receive so many of them.  I chose to do a softer side of Fall with my color choices.  




 Mary always has wonderful tutorials on creative flower arrangements, and I copied one by using some mums that I found on clearance from the grocery store.  I thought they matched my teacup fairly well.  You can view Mary's tutorial by going here, where she uses floral foam on top of the pumpkin.  For some greenery, I snipped some nandina from my shrubs.  I like the way it turned out!





I made this tea cozy to coordinate with my teacup, and it's reversible.  Trying new flavors of tea is always interesting, although it's always Irish or English Breakfast tea in the mornings for me.  In the afternoon, I like trying flavored teas, and today we are having Twinings Herbal Lemon and Ginger tea which aids in digestion.  We all might need some after our big Thanksgiving meal.   


This Royal Albert November teacup from the Flower of the Month series looks pretty with my tea cozy, don't you think?  I actually completed the entire set of the series and enjoy getting each new one out at the beginning of the month.



For our tea party we are having Baked Gouda, which is a longtime family favorite, and it's really easy to do.



Now that crescent rolls come in the sheet form, it makes this even easier.  I cut the gouda is half horizontally and cut the crescent rolls sheet in half, spread the middle with some of my homemade fig jam.  You can use any jam or leave it plain.


The gouda goes on top and then you bundle them up.  

With the excess dough on top, I formed some leaves and attempted to make a  pretty design.  The cheese gets all melty inside and you can cut wedges and serve as is or with crackers.  


start here
Yield: 8 as an appetizer; 4 as a snack
Author: Kitty
Baked Gouda

Baked Gouda

This recipe came from a co-worker years ago, and my family has always loved it.

Ingredients

  • 1 7-ounce round Gouda cheese
  • 1 8-ounce Pillsbury Crescent rolls (the crescent roll sheet is the best)
  • 1 egg
  • preserves, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut cheese in half horizontally to form two circles; remove wax if yours has it; some do not.
  2. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Place one rectangle on top of second; repeat with remaining rectangles, making two double-thick rectangles. If you have the crescent roll sheet, you can just cut it in half.
  3. Press each into a 6-inch square. If you want to add some preserves, add this to the middle. Place cheese circle in center of dough.
  4. Pull corners of dough to top of center of cheese. Press dough tightly against cheese. Twist dough in center to seal, twisting off excess dough. Press seams to seal.
  5. Repeat to make second Gouda wrap. If desired, press out excess dough. With canape cutter or paring knife, cut out decorative shapes; place on top of each Gouda wrap.
  6. Brush with beaten egg. Place 3" apart on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges to serve.
  8. Apricot Gouda:
  9. Coat the top of each Gouda cheese with 2 t. of apricot preserves & top with the dough. Bake as directed, omitting the egg wash. After baking, coat the top of the baked Gouda with 1 T. honey & sprinkle with 1 T. toasted, sliced almonds.





Our second teatime treat is one of my all-time favorites that my family has enjoyed since the 1980's. I could eat the whole plateful of these! 


Yield: 15
Author: Kitty
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

This is another favorite appetizer that my family has enjoyed since the 1980's. It's hard to believe how something this good has only three ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 can whole water chestnuts (my can had 15)
  • Brown sugar, a couple of tablespoons
  • Bacon, cut into thirds ( I used 5 slices)
  • Toothpicks for securing

Instructions

  1. Drain the water chestnuts, and place into a container. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and marinate for a bit.
  2. Wrap the bacon that was cut into thirds around each water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.
  3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place the water chestnuts on and drizzle with the marinade.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees until brown. Mine take about 25 minutes, but check to see how crispy you like them.
  5. Enjoy!

I know that you will enjoy visiting these lovely friends for lots of Thanksgiving inspiration.






Thank you Mary and Pam for inviting me to join in!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, whether you be a virtuous friend or a virtual friend, for I am truly blessed by your friendships.  xo





20 comments:

  1. Your fall colors coordinate beautifully Kitty! Love the munchies too-Happy Thanksgiving Week:@)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning, Kitty, your Aunt Kitty’s embroidered table topper is a beauty! I love your pretty mum topped pumpkin with nandina foliage. Your tea cozy (reversible!) is a perfect match for your Royal Albert November teacup and mums. I know your Baked Gouda with fig jam is delicious! I haven’t had Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts in years…they are such a tasty little bite. Thank you so much for joining us for tea today. Wishing you and your beautiful family a wonderful Thanksgiving week! 🧡🦃

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning, Kitty. Your coffee table with the embroidered table topper from your Aunt Kitty is beautiful. I love using things that have a memory attached. You are so talented to make tea cozies and reversible is even better. The color is so pretty and matches the Royal Albert November teacup. What a wonderful collection of all twelve of the teacups. The pumpkin topped with mums is a lovely addition to your teatime. The baked Gouda looks delicious and I must try your recipe. I make the baked Brie but have never tried baked Gouda. I must also try the bacon wrapped water chestnuts, anything that has bacon as an ingredient has to be good. It is a pleasure to have you join us for Tea on Tuesdays. Wishing you a most blessed and happy Thanksgiving with your family!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Everything!! And thanks for the baked gouda recipe! Loks too pretty to eat!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    hugs
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your tea table is so pretty Kitty, I love the colors you chose and how your beautiful tea cup matches your flower topped pumpkin! Your baked gouda with fig jam sounds amazing, I can't wait to try that! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your beautiful family!
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kitty, your table is lovely with Aunt Kitty’s table topper. How wonderful you made that charming tea cozy. The color is lovely and goes perfect with your tea cup. Your treats are looking so delicious. Love the baked Gouda cheese idea and those fun little leaves on top.
    Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kitty, you are so talented! I love the pretty pumpkin floral arrangement and the tea cozy you made. The dishes you made look so good and thanks for sharing those recipes. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Grateful for you … Happy Thanksgiving, Kitty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Everything looks beautiful, Kitty! You are an amazing decorator and an amazing cook. I love your Aunt Kitty's topper! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Kitty. I like your softer side of fall in this post. Beautiful! The baked Gouda looks scrumptious. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Thanksgiving, dear Kitty. Love your pretty tea with the soft colors and your aunt's beautiful tablecloth. The flowers and tea cozy turned out so nice and the baked Gouda looks so fancy and delicious. Love how easy it is, too. Hugs xo K

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kitty, what a beautiful presentation for the sifter side if fall. Your cozy, cup & saucer and floral arrangement are all so nicely coordinated and pretty!
    Both treats look enticing to me, and I could make a meal of plates like these. I've had those bacon wrapped chestnuts before, but have never made them. Thank you for sharing your recipes. HappyThanksgiving to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *softer, of I should never comment while using my handheld. I should know by now!

      Delete
  13. Such a beautiful post! All of your pretties are smile bringers. I just fixed a wheel of brie wrapped in puff pastry for guests. Oh so tasty! And those chestnuts are to die for!!! Happy Thanks-LIVING to you and your precious family! XO

    ReplyDelete
  14. Everything looks yummy to me! Such a pretty table all ready for hungry people.....sure to please.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Everythng looks so yummy. I'd love to go to a tea like this. I'm going to do the Baked Gouda for tomorrow. I can't have brie and this looks like a great subititute for it. Can't wait. Thanks for sharing.
    Jacquie Gariano

    ReplyDelete
  16. It is very lovely to see your tea table. Congratulations on having such a fantastic Thanksgiving with your lovely family!

    You are welcome to read my most recent post.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kitty your tea time is just lovely, as usual. Love your mum floral design. Boy you are SO right- Mary is an amazing floral artist. You copy-catted (?) her design very well and it looks just perfect with your colors, too.

    Your bacon wrapped water chestnuts and baked gouda look soooo good. My daughter Katie always makes those bwwc every year and they're always gone in no time at all!!

    I am glad they invited you to be a guest blogger at their tea time. You post tea time all the time - hope one day you become a regular.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Two of my favorite 'oldie but goodie' appetizers! I've never tried the baked cheese with gouda but usually use brie. Next time I'll try your version! I'm getting hungry looking at those bacon wraps. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Dear Kitty, I was SO happy to see you on Pam's blog! You are so deserving of all good things, sweet friend. Your recipes look amazing! God bless you always.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...