A Harvest Tea Party

On Saturday, I had the delightful opportunity of being a guest at the Harvest Tea Party hosted by members of the Crossroads Garden Club, of which I am a member, at the home of our president, Deberah. With temperatures finally cooling off here in Georgia, this beautifully sunny Saturday was the perfect day for a fall-themed tea party!

Deberah and fellow club members Dianne, Sam (a woman) and Wilma prepared a wonderful spread and served a buffet-style tea that was stylish, tasty and quite filling. I had skipped lunch in anticipation of the 3 p.m. tea, and when I got home I ended up skipping dinner as well. Just look at all these goodies! And I know we're not supposed to covet, but let's just say I very much *admire* Deberah's black and white checkerboard flooring in her kitchen.

The scones, which you see at far right as well as on the tiered servers, were Cranberry Scones Deberah made from a recipe in the July/August 2012 issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine, which Deberah and I work on together. (She's the art director, I'm the editor.) The scone recipe, by our wonderful food columnist Amelia Adams, is here, and her accompanying essay is well worth a read if you have a moment!

Near the scones were many varieties of toppings, including Whipped Cream, Mock Devonshire Cream, Jam and Pumpkin Butter. And many of us stopped to admire Deberah's elegant Butter Curls. I had to ask how she made them so pretty. She says you let the stick of butter soften a bit, then drag a spoon along the top, making the curls. Must try!

The tea sandwiches were Chicken Salad and also a Cream Cheese, Chive and Cucumber sandwich.

There were tasty Lemon Tea Cakes, and of course I've been meaning to make Tea Cakes forever but have yet to try them!

There were Chocolate Truffles, and I went back to the kitchen to nab one after I realized I'd failed to add one to my plate. Two other ladies were reaching for them as well!

Deberah is a wonderful cake baker, and I must say this Caramel-Glazed Pear Cake was my favorite item, although everything I ate was simply scrumptious!

In addition to four different varieties of hot tea (Ceylon, Pumpkin Ginger, Peach and a Rooibos), there was a large punch bowl full of Cranberry Lemonade (at left). I actually sipped cold Cranberry Lemonade right along with my Pumpkin Ginger hot tea and enjoyed them both immensely! You can also see, to the right of the Lemon Tea Cakes, a tray of Brownie Bites. Nice and fudgey, just the way I like 'em! The lavish fruit bowl, at back, featured strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries

My plate is here. Hungry yet? And now I'm in great danger of afflicting you with image overload, so if you'll come back tomorrow I'll share some of the great teawares, linens and decor from the Harvest Tea Party!