Hi, heloooo, Hiya!
So nice to be peeking in after voyages and tales and parties, oh my!
I hope you enjoyed the Mad Tea Party. It was a blast, and everyone shared so many incredible delightments. Always so wonderful to share as such, isn't it?
I loved visiting you all, such a joyous flurry of goodness, this Madness mixed with tea!!
Thank you all who participated and all who visited.
You make it what it is.
That's the plain truth♥
(party giveaway info. at the end of this post)
I have returned from a small voyage, and have oh so many tales to tell about making, and baking and caking galore.
You see......
During the Mad Tea Party prep and party itself, there were some major harvests coming in.
Veggie and fruit madness for sure.
Mister Lovee kept bringing in basket, after basket, after basket, after basket of peaches from our tree.
Big huge juicy succulent peaches, which he took care of for weeks, and made sure they didn't get eaten by too many bugs or birds.
(he puts plastic shopping bags over clusters and ties them, as peaches get closer to being done)
He did waaaaay good because we ended up with over 200 ripe peaches.
There is nothing like letting fruit ripen on the branch.
But then, 200 ripe peaches means you better get baking and preserving more than pronto.
We chopped, ate, chopped some more and practically bathed in peaches for days. All the while, the Mad Tea Party was in full swing.
I was running back and forth, baking, taking photos.
Making my visits last Saturday night, because I had to get things baked and pack my car to head out of town.
Over the weekend of the Mad Tea Party I made...
Then I made more, yes more.
And got busy packing.
Packing ever so carefully to make sure everything would arrive in tip top shape.
I packed cakes and peach pies and peach crisps and flowers, and butter-cream frosting to frost items when I arrived at...
The family house.
Mom and Dad's.
Why?
It was Mombie's birthday!!! Hoooray!
I made her a special pie with a "Y" for the first letter of her name.
Yvonne.
And another with a peach motif.
There would be about 12 or 15 close family members gathering for Mom's very special b-day.
I was the dessert girl and the food making girl.
Packing it all was the most harrowing part, and I didn't frost any cakes until I arrived.
But once I arrived I had helpers.
Dad, sis and brother jumped in.
Even mom chopped before the guests arrived.
I brought lots and lots of crazy delicious tomatoes from my garden (why are they so intensely delicious when home grown?) and started with my red wine vinaigrette, with cherry tomato and basil bruschetta.
Then I got busy making 8 bowls of pizza dough.
Mom's request was 8 pizzas.
I had dough rising all over the yard in warm places covered by moist cloths, and my sis was running around with dough. Ordering it for 30 minute risings.
Then, it was time to roll them out and get making, just as people started to arrive.
My pizza dough performed sooo well, I must throw it it's own party.
It sponged up like a dream.
(thank goodness, I had nightmares of the opposite happening)
Then I took orders for pizzas.
Meat lovers.
Cheeseless.
Greek.
Veggie.
Everything under the sun pizza.
All sorts of pizzas were made.
My brother stood by the ovens (thanks goodness my Mom and Dad have 2 ovens).
He drank whiskey or something with my uncle, while helping me time and watch pizza baking.
It was great.
All the while my poor Dad washed his little brains out.
Everything I used he washed, and everything I needed help with, he did.
Dad was my right hand man.
He even suggested....
Feta, artichoke, spinach pizza.
He kept saying, more feta, more feta my love...
So many treats made...
Everyone had sooo much fun, it was a grand time.
My grandma kept kissing and hugging me, and clapping over the pizzas.
Sis requested cheeseless pesto pizza (oh ya, I made a huge container of pesto to bring with me as well), with large tomatoes from my garden, spinach, and mushrooms...
(I also brought mass amounts of fresh basil for everyone)
I didn't get to try very many pizzas.
I was just too busy, but I wish I had some now ;)
My mom browned some incredible sausage for topping the day before, which was delicious too, if you are a meat eater.
Veggie cheeseless below - pesto, tomato, spinach & mushrooms.
One of the fave pizzas was requested by my little cousin Carolina.
Just double cheese and pepperoni.
For some reason, it was realy really good and everyone loved it.
(that's my brother delivering it)
I made a few everything pizzas with ham and sausage and jalapenos (plus all the veggies like red peppers, garlic, onion etc.) and some others I can't remember now.
I didn't take any more photos as my brother was mortified that I had flour and dough all over my camera.
Being a movie maker, this freaked him out, as he is not as wacky with his cameras as I.
Mine usually have glitter and glue and flour all over them :)
As for dessert...
Let's see.....
I made a 4 layer lemon raspberry cake (my own sorta invention), but waited to frost it when I arrived.
I used Rosie's buttercream frosting recipe for all the cakes. I make it all the time and it's amazing.
However, I experimented a little this time for the lemon cake....
Instead of using vanilla or milk for the frosting, I used fresh squeezed lemon juice as the substitution to milk (3-4 tablespoons), and it worked beyond well.
It was lovely lemon frosting, with a little yellow food coloring.
(On the trip, I found out I am allergic to yellow dye, great. No cake for me, swollen lip after a taste, darn)
Hope Mombie loved it!!!
I got pink candles that claimed to burn in pink and purple.
And, they did!!
I also made some red velvet cupcakes, with frosting roses that I dusted with gold and silver edible petal dust.
And everyone dug in to an abundance of desserts.
Although, they couldn't move from all the pizza eating.
Peach crisp, peach pie, coconut macaroons, cake, cupcakes and ice-cream.
(Oh ya, I forgot about the coconut macaroons too)
Gobbled.
Munched.
Yummmms.
Everyone ate until they dropped.
Seriously.
No one could move.
:)
I was a happy cook.
The next morning I got up, watered Mammie's plants, painted some giant angel heads that needed a little work here and there for her.
Went through an old trunk of mine and packed all my chilhood and tween records, to bring with me. Plus a bunch of other stuff.
Packed my car again.
Hello never-ending baking plates and containers.
(they are still in my car)
And came home to my babies and the Mister.
Boy were they happy to see me.
Wrestling.
Jumping around.
They make you feel soooo loved.
Love, love, love...
The last 9 days or so have been one big crazy blur.
I got home and mowed a ton of weeds, and am back to more harvests and garden work.
I left a mess in the studio with a painting I made for Mammie.
Which, I forgot to photograph.
Oh well.
I think I might need a vacation.
Only, I want a vacation in my own bed, in my room with some really good movies.
Now that is a vacation to me....
:)
Looooove, V
PS: Mad Tea Party Giveaway results below!!!!
Druuum roooolll!!
Per random number generator....
1) #177 ~ Marilyn!!!
2) #126 ~ Denise Adorian!!!
3) #42 ~ William Charlebois!!!
Woooo hoooo!!
First person gets first choice, etc...
Please e-mail if you won, hooooray! ;)
♥
