Tea party details

For today's tea party wrap-up, let's begin with a few words about ... cupcake wrappers! I learned of these through the Paper Orchid stationery website but they were offered only in large quantities at the time. I fell in love with the teapot wrappers and eventually found some on eBay for about $12 a dozen, and I'm happy to see Paper Orchid now sells them in smaller quantities as well. They also have cake wrappers that work in a similar fashion, and I just *love* these elegant paper accessories. (I do wish I'd made my cupcakes taller, because I misjudged the height I needed, but the effect was still pretty good for a first-timer!)

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes: There are a variety of recipes online, but I didn't find one that was just what I wanted. Instead, I used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe (for 12 cupcakes) and added a single, small packet of Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid powder mix to the batter. I purchased white frosting in a plastic can and likewise added a single packet of the Kool-Aid to it as well. Pretty and pink and easy!

Homemade Sugar Cubes: Sandra and Beth have had these before, but I didn't realize they were new to my friend Liz. Couldn't be easier to make: Take a cup of sugar. Add one drop of food coloring and about a tablespoon of water, just enough to give the consistency of wet sand. Mix. Pack into those plastic candy molds from Michaels (they're about a dollar or so), and immediately turn out onto waxed paper or a plate to dry overnight. Took me about 20 minutes, start to finish, to make a few dozen of these in yellow and pink. I actually ended up with two sugar bowls on the table (including this vintage vase I used as a sugar bowl) because I made so many of the sugars.

Shrimp Salad: Again, I couldn't find the perfect recipe that used lemon, which I wanted to feature, so I improvised and really liked the result. I made these with the butterfly garnishes using the Pepperidge Farm butter crackers I once wrote about here. Here's the recipe:

Lemon-Pecan Shrimp Salad

1 (14-ounce) bag frozen, pre-cooked shrimp (thaw and remove tails before using, or use equivalent amount of cooked fresh shrimp)
1/2 cup pecans
2 ribs celery
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each of white pepper, salt and garlic salt, or to taste
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise (just enough to hold mixture together)

In bowl of food processor, add shrimp, pecans and celery. Pulse a few times until pieces are small enough for salad consistency. Pour into mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and combine. Season to taste. Yields approximately 2 cups of mixture.