Anniversary - High Tea

My parents celebrated 24 {wonderful} years of marriage this last Monday, November 11th. Instead of going away to celebrate, they decided to stay home this year, however, we kind of "make pretended" that we were a hotel, making fun {favorite} meals for them.. I don't have pictures, but we had a lot of fun..omelets, shrimp, orange chicken, and today, we made a High Tea for them.

1989

Mama has been collecting Royal Albert's Old Country Roses for years now, and in the past, Papa would get her new pieces at Christmastime because Costco always had a sale. Well, I found some great deals on Ebay, one of which was a 5-tier hors d'oeuvres tray! He asked that we make a surprise High Tea highlighting that and the other pieces he got her....so, this is what we came up with:

The place settings

Mama (and Papa's) First Look

My little brother photographed last minute for us, but unfortunately the photos didn't turn out like we wanted..anyway, they show a glimpse, though the roses blurred up top.
We are relaxed health nuts, and so I tried to make the tray semi-healthy. (As you can see, we are not huge chocolate fans here...) It was such a big hit--especially the cucumber-radish appetizer, that I thought I'd copy recipes down below.
Top Tier: Chocolate-dipped Strawberries, with Rose garnish
2nd Tier: Costco Cheesecake Squares (Cranberry and Blueberry), with wildflowers.
3rd Tier: Deviled Eggs and Radishes with Chive Butter (recipes below), with Parsley garnish
4th Tier: Bruschetta and Quiches, thanks to Costco
5th Tier: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches, Herbed Cream Cheese Cucumber-Radish Appetizer, Tea Crackers (recipes below)

I thought it incredible how many flowers are still in bloom here even after the first snow!!

Deviled Eggs
I kind of just throw my deviled eggs together..have since I can remember.. Add cayenne pepper for a bite. =D

Eggs (preferably at least a few days old, to insure easy peeling)
Salt, a couple dashes (to help water boil faster)
Apple Cider Vinegar, A couple dashes (helps the peels come off easier)
Mayo, a Tablespoon or more, depending
Mustard, lots ;)
Relish, lots ;)
Pickle Juice, a Tablespoon or more (I like to use the pickle juice more than mayo, because it adds more flavor)
Salt (Himalayan =D), to taste
Pepper, nothing but fresh ground will do, to taste
Paprika, to garnish
Parsley, to garnish

Boil eggs with salt and vinegar. Once at a rolling boil, boil for around 10 minutes, turn off stove and let sit. After a while (5-10 min?), empty off water, and run cold water on for a few minutes, and let sit.
Peel eggs by taking a chopping knife, and using the back side (hopefully 1/8" thick), crack the shell around in a circle. I find this way a lot faster and more effective than the "drop and roll" egg peeling.
Cut each egg in half - long ways, removing the yolk, and placing in a bowl.
Add Mayo, Mustard, Relish, Pickle Juice, Salt, and Pepper.
Stir until smooth.
Using a sandwich bag with a small hole cut in corner, squeeze egg yolk mix back into the egg white.
Garnish with more fresh ground pepper (can't live without it!), a dash paprika, and parsley, if you like.

Radishes with Chive Butter
8 T. salted butter, softened
2 T. fresh chives, finely chopped plus some for garnish
Dash of Garlic Powder
Pepper, Fresh Ground
2 bunches radishes, 1 lb, washed, trimmed, and halved lengthwise
Coarse Himalayan Salt

Combine all and use a leaf icing tip inside of a sandwich bag corner to apply on radish. Garnish with more chopped chives, pepper ;), and himalayan salt (tiny bit)

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
10 sandwiches
Bread, sliced
1 large cucumber, (peeled, if desired) and thinly sliced
8 oz. whipped cream cheese (OR Herbed Cream Cheese recipe below)
Cut crusts off of each slice.
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on 2 slices of bread.
Place 2 or 3 cucumbers on 1 piece of bread.
Make into a sandwich, repeat, making 10 sandwiches.
Cut into halves.

Herbed Cream Cheese Cucumber-Radish Appetizer
12 Appetizers                           Total Time: 25 minutes
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 T. fresh mint, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tsp. fresh chives, snipped, divided
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest, divided
English cucumber, sliced 1/8" thick
3 sm. radishes, sliced 1/8" thick
Sea Salt for sprinkling (if desired)

In a small bowl, combine cheese, fresh mint, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Add 2 tsp. chives and /2 tsp lemon zest reserving the remainder for garnish.
Stack a cucumber and radish slice together with a dab of cheese mixture between to hold slices in place, then top each with 1/2 tsp. of the cheese mixture. Garnish with the remaining zest and chives, place on a platter, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve immediately.

Herbed Cream Cheese on Crackers
Simple as that--spread the herbed cream cheese (above) on crackers, and use parsley, chives, and or lemon zest for a garnish.
(Great for gluten-free)