Cookbook Book Club -- Tea Edition

It has been a strange year for the Cookbook Club

We had our meeting in February (here at Linderhof)

And then COVID hit!

We canceled March and April

Got together this summer OUTDOORS and masked

and our themes were outdoor food -- picnics, potlucks, BBQs

We social distanced but it was good to be able to get together with people and visit

Our last Cookbook Club of the year

(because we meet on the LAST Thursday of the month

and in November and December that's never doable)

It was at Barbara's

Barbara, who makes the trek to Fort Scott every month

It was our turn to trek to her!!!

It was inside, but we stayed masked except when we ate

Barbara had the food spread out

As well as our place settings

No big table (which is what we always did pre COVID)

but rather smaller tables set around her spacious living room

And there was another reason for Barbara to take a turn

She and her husband built a new house this spring

And got to take out of storage all of the things that were in storage

It was great to see Barbara's house and her lovely things

It was also great to get together with some great gals and discuss our favorite subject --

FOOD

The theme was tea -- a combination of high tea/afternoon tea

Her lovely English sideboard was one "station" for treats

At each place was her lovely Noritake china, a napkin in a ring, a matching tea cup

And the loveliest of linens on each table

We started with a carrot ginger soup 

Barbara's contribution

Which could be topped with cilantro, coconut cream and pine nuts

It was a great flavor combination and a wonderful soup

And a great way to start a tea!

Rhonda made sandwiches.

A tea must have cucumber sandiwches

And she found a ham, apple butter and brie sandwich as a second option.

Angela made sandwiches as well

(In fact, we had more sandwich makers than dessert makers --

that rarely happens!)

A tomato cheese mixture on bagle slices and a ham and cheese finger sandwich option

Rita had never made quiche.    Rita cooks a lot and I could not believe that . . . except Joe, her husband, doesn't like quiche (but how does he know -- she said -- he's never tasted it)

It was yummy with bacon and Swiss

And hopefully, she will make more quiche!

Barbara found a recipe in tea time magazines for the little phyllo pastry cups filled with cheese and a broccoli mixture.

(I think I ate more than one!)

One of the food "stations" 

My smoked salmon sandwiches are on the lower right

Another food table

with sandwiches, and quiche

Donna made pineapple upside down cakelettes 

They were good!

And Michelle brought "Costco's" raspberry crumble bars

as tartlets -- not from Costco but rather from an on-line recipe

that is a copycat of the bars sold at Costco

And, of course, Michelle would have leftover cookies to add to her dessert plates.

Since it was the eve of the eve of Halloween

 Barbara had treats for us to take home!

It was a fun evening

We're hoping that come January we can have a more normal 

Cookbook Club get together

We're already talking that one of the themes next year should be

"School Cafeteria Food"