“Lovely dresses and pretty pearls, Lady B. is having a Mary Engelbreit tea party just for the girls!” Lady B. hosted the last VTS tea of 2019 with an autumnal tribute to one of her favorite artists, Mary Engelbreit.
Lady B. explained the inspiration behind her Mary Engelbreit tea, starting with these two Engelbreit illustrations which embody the ritual, charm, elegance, friendship, and time-honored tea traditions that make us all so fond of afternoon tea!
These two Mary Engelbreit fabrics set the stage for the main themes that Lady B. wanted to impress upon us.
As you will see, Mary Engelbreit’s “cherries” were the creative juice behind her decorations and menu, as cherries or cherry tomatoes were featured in every dish on the menu. A “cup of kindness,” an overall theme carried throughout the tea, inspired a plant-based menu that was both kind to animals and to our health 🙂 and a request to share our own stories and experiences of kindness (given or received).
Upon arriving at Lady B.s’, I was thrilled to see that her house was decked out not only in Mary Engelbreit but also in Victorian Halloween! 🙂 What a treat for me! (photo by Lady J.)
Lady B.’s beautifully set tea table
Cherries, cherries, cherries!
Lady B. made the tablecloth!
Complete plant-based menu! (click to enlarge)
Blue Ribbon Split Pea Soup with teapot shaped toast (by Lady B.)
Chickpea salad (by Lady B.)
Chunky Cashew “Egg” Salad Sandwich (by Lady MH)
Ultimate 4-Layer Vegan Sandwich (Toasted sprouted grain bread with hummus and homemade sun-dried tomato hemp pesto, topped off with sliced avocado, tomato, and red pepper flakes) (by Lady ML)
Curry Chickpea Sandwiches (by Lady J.) (photo by Lady J.)
Vegan Sandwich with Walnut veggie Spread (Lettuce wrap with walnut veggie spread, carrots, tomatoes, and avocado) (by Lady K.)
Walnut veggie spread
(from VegNews)
1 cup walnuts
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced carrot
¼ teaspoon dried dill
Add walnuts, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Transfer to bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.
To serve, spread a piece of bread or lettuce cup with approximately 2 tablespoons of walnut veggie spread. Garnish and serve with salad greens, grated carrots, tomatoes, and avocado.
Vegan crustless veggie quiche (by Lady Henni)
Easy Vegan Crustless Veggie Quiche
(adapted from PNW MountainLife)
1 14 oz. firm tofu, drained
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence (or your favorite herbs)
1/2 tsp. black salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric
3 c. chopped veggies
(e.g., Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc.)
1 c. diced tomatoes
1/2 c. scallions, sliced
Blend the tofu with spices, herbs, nutritional yeast, garlic, and salt until smooth and creamy.
Saute the veggies until soft and release water. Drain and fold into the tofu ‘egg’ mixture.
Grease a muffin tin (or use paper baking cups) and fill cups with mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 mins.
Pistachio Black Cherry Scones (by Lady S.)
Lady B.’s plant-based tea menu was a big hit with everyone! Everything was delicious but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the scones made by Lady S. She substituted pecans for the pistachios which paired nicely with the cherries but the highlight was the almond flour! The scone was nutty, biscuit-like, cookie-like, and simply delicious. It’s not quite a traditional scone (Lady T. makes the best traditional scones in our group!) but still soooo good in its own right!
Coconut clotted cream, vegan lemon curd, cherry preserves (by Lady B.)
Here is Lady B.’s special cake, made without any refined sugars, sweetened only with bananas and cherries, and frosted with coconut cream.
Vegan chocolate cherry cake (by Lady B.)
Keeping with Lady B.’s theme, “A cup of kindness,” each of us took turns sharing stories of kindness. Lady B. mentioned the time she stood in line at the grocery store and someone let her go ahead of them, asking only that she pay it forward. The idea of “paying it forward” touched her so much that she started performing random acts of kindness because it gave her such joy!
Lady K. mentioned that she experienced kindness everyday from her mother “who is the most generous person with her time and energy.”
A few of the ladies mentioned the kindnesses they experienced when strangers welcomed them with open arms: Lady T. mentioned she made 5 life-long friends on a recent trip to Iceland. Lady MH, Lady ML, and Lady S. described the kindnesses resulting from their introduction into the Victorian Tea Society (Lady MH declared it “life-changing”!).
A couple others related their joy at being kind to others in the form of mentorship, buying lunch for a stranger, and even the simple gesture of sending an email, to let someone know you are thinking of them.
Mary Engelbreit inspired tea bag cross-stitch by Lady B.
After the tea, many gifts (kindness in material form!) were exchanged.
Lady B. is looking forward to 365 days of Mary Engelbreit!
Lady S. gifted Lady B. with a mug bearing this illustration!
Tea favor bags for all the ladies!
Inside the tea favor bags: All kinds of Mary Engelbreit goodies!
Of all the Mary Engelbreit goodies, this handmade quilted teacup rug (AKA mug rug) by Lady B. was the most coveted of all! I was so excited when she announced she had made one for each of us.
Teacup rug by Lady B.
The teacup rug is perfect for my tea ritual at work! Love and kindness for my ceramic mug and Dounguri bamboo tea strainer tumbler
Thank you Lady B. for hosting such a lovely and special afternoon! Living in the trying times that we do, I’ve found that a small random act of kindness is enough to make a difference between having a good day or a bad day. It was an encouraging reminder that we can help foster a kinder world by practicing kindness daily and embracing the joy that comes with it.
Lady B.’s favorite “Words to live by”
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