Marshmallow Teacup Cookies

I am making myself take a break from housework, packing, and planning to sit down for a few minutes, so I thought I would share another recipe from the birthday party yesterday.   I found this idea through a google search, and I think it might have originated (at least online) here.  I modified the recipe to be able to use ingredients I already had on hand.  The girls and I had so much fun and they were so fast and easy to make!

Marshmallow Teacup Cookies

Ingredients:

Round Cookies - We used Trader Joe's Triple Gingersnaps
1 Package Marshmallows
Sprinkles
Lifesavers
Cookie Icing
Cocoa and White Candy Melts

Directions:

Dip the top of each marshmallow into some melted Cocoa Candy Melts and then into the sprinkles.

Cut all lifesavers in half.  Dip the ends of each lifesaver half into melted White Candy Melts and attach one lifesaver "handle" to the side of each Marshmallow.  Hold for a second or two to make sure it adheres to the marshmallow.

Cover the bottom/flattest side of each cookie with a little bit of cookie icing.    (We used Trader Joe's Triple Gingersnap Cookies.   I had purchased a box of Vanilla Wafers, but they were too rounded on the top and kept tipping over.   Ours were a little too small, but they worked... A slightly larger sugar cookie, that is mostly flat on the top would have been perfect.)  

Place a marshmallow teacup in the middle of each cookie, pressing down lightly.

I think they turned out looking more like mugs of Hot Cocoa, but the kids all loved them and I thought they were a perfect addition to the Tea Party birthday menu!  They would also be a fun addition to the Little Flower Tea Parties. 

A Pretty Pink Tea Pot Cake Tutorial

The Tea Pot Cake was such a hit at my daughter's Tea Themed Birthday Party yesterday!  Since a few of you asked if I could share how I made the cake I will try and put together a little tutorial.  I hope this helps!  Please let me know if you have any other questions.   

Before starting on our cake, I searched google images for inspiration and was most inspired by this beautiful tea pot cake on Cake Central, though you'll notice that mine turned out quite differently...  

Supplies:

2 Boxes of Cake Mix - I used White Cake Mix, without the pudding in the mix
2 cans of Strawberry Frosting
White Frosting - I used the same recipe from the Castle Cake
1 package of Neon Pink Fondant
3 wooden skewers and 4 toothpicks
1 package of Necco Wafer Candies
3 White Icing Roses - since I happened to have three in the cupboard
Soccer Ball Cake Pan

Using the Soccer Ball Cake Pan, I baked the two halves of the cake.   (I actually made the cakes on Saturday, and stuck them in the freezer until Monday when I decorated them.   I usually put the cakes in the freezer for 20 minutes or so before frosting, but frosting this cake completely frozen was the easiest ever.   In fact, I don't think I spent more than 20-30 minutes decorating, from start to finish.)  Each half of the cake is made from one boxed mix.   I followed the directions on the cake pan, and it took about 45 minutes to bake each half of the cake.  

At this point, I was really worried about how on earth I was going to be able to turn these cakes into a tea pot!   I cooled the cakes in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Then, after taking them out, I trimmed the top off to create a flat surface, flipping them over to their now flat side to cool completely.   I saved the trimmed top of the cake to use for the lid of the tea pot.

Here is what the cake looked like, just before decorating.   I started with the bottom layer, holding the flat side on one hand and frosting with the other.   This was so much easier than trying to frost it on the cake platter, plus I was able to add a thin layer of frosting to the very bottom of the cake which secured it to the platter after it was refrigerated.

I continued by adding a layer of white buttercream frosting to the center, frosting the top half of the cake, and then adding additional frosting around the center to even it all out.   As you can see, I am awful about getting the frosting all smooth! 

Next I created the lid using the trimmed leftover cake and the circle cookie cutter from the Fox Run Tea Party Cookie Cutter Set, which happened to be sitting out on the counter!  I frosted the top pink and the sides white.   Most of the cakes I had seen online used balls of fondant for the ball on top, but I remembered that I had a few white icing roses leftover and thought I would try using one of those first.  I loved how it looked!  So I then added the two last roses to the base of the cake, as you can see in the completed photos.   

Next I had to figure out how to make a handle and spout...   I almost opted to just make them out of card stock, but since I had a Multi Pack of Neon Colors Fondant (a gift from my mother-in-law), I decided to attempt making them with the neon pink fondant package.   As I stood staring at the cake, trying to figure out how to accomplish this - with one hand on my hip, unconsciously forming a handle - my sister Mary made he laugh as she started singing "I'm a little tea pot, short and stout..."    I love it when my sisters visit!! 

I didn't end up using the fondant roller pictured above.  What I did was break the fondant block in half, rolling half of it into a long roll and then creating a handle by rolling the edges, like a cinnamon roll.   I then made a long rectangle block for the spout, using my finger to create an indentation on the end.   To attach them to the cake I ended up using a combination of wooden skewers and toothpicks.  You can only see one toothpick on each end of the handle, but what I ended up using was a shortened skewer and two toothpicks on each end, sticking them into the cake to secure.   For the spout I molded the rectangle block to the shape of the cake, sticking a wooden skewer through the top of the spout and covering the end with a little dot of extra pink fondant.   Here are a couple more pictures that I took the following morning: 

Tip:  I probably should have made the handle and spout at the same time that I baked the cakes, allowing them to dry.   When the fondant is fresh and moist, it is very easy to mold, but when allowed to dry it becomes hard and won't fall apart or lose it's shape.

To complete the cake I used some white Necco Wafers (another thing that I just happened to have in my box of decorating supplies) and added "pearls" of white icing using a round icing tip to the base and the bottom of the lid.    

I was a bit worried about how I was going to cut the cake, but even that wasn't as hard as I envisioned, and it held up beautifully.  When I got to the last few pieces it did want to tip over, so at that point I laid the rest on it's side.   There wasn't much left at the end of the party!

I have so many pictures that I am dying to share with you all, but I will have to come back to that later.   Hope you are all having a great day!  

Our Little Flowers' Tea Party 2010 ~ The Games

After each course of our Tea we had a game for the girls to play, while the tables were being reset with the next course.  At last year's Tea Party we played Setting the Table for Tea, The Tea Tray Memory Game, and She Loves It, She Loves It Not. They were all very fun, however I decided to change it up a bit this year and came up with a few new games at the very last minute, while waiting for paint on the favors to dry.  ;)

Here are the games we played this year:

~ Tea Party Bingo ~ 

In between our first and second course, we played Tea Party Bingo!   I found this game over at The Tea House Times.  (Here is a link to the pdf.)

Each girl was given a Bingo card and instructed to fill in the squares with the words from the provided list in the empty boxes, mixing them up so each player would have a different card.

When they were all done I read them the story.  When they heard a word that was on their card they marked it off and the first 4 girls to get Bingos were given a small prize! 

"Dear Party Guests:

Thank you for coming to our Little Flowers Mother/Daughter “Tea” today. What better way to celebrate the completion of Wreath II than by having a “Tea Party” among “Friends.”

“Tea Time” was very popular during the Victorian Era. Tea Time became a way of life. It was Anna Maria, the Duchess of Bedford (one of “Queen Victoria’s” ladies-in-waiting) who left the most memorable impression of tea-drinking habits. Hunger between the midday and evening meals gave way to her new found custom of eating “cakes” and “sandwiches” with Afternoon Tea. The Afternoon Tea experience delighted Anna Maria so much that she repeated it daily. The Queen embraced Anna Maria’s ceremony of Afternoon Tea which became a much loved activity.

Traditionally, Afternoon Tea is served between three and five o’clock and includes several kinds of finger “sandwiches”, “scones”, mini desserts, “sweet breads”, and fancy “cakes”. The Victorian Hostess set out her finest china and silver for Tea. Nowadays, many of the fine Tea Rooms offer “Afternoon Tea” at any time of the day.

There are many ways to enjoy Afternoon Tea. Some like their tea with “milk” and “sugar” while enjoying a “scone” with “clotted cream” and “jam”. Some like to wear fancy “hats” and pretty “gloves” to tea. No matter how you enjoy tea, be sure to take out a pretty “tea cup” and “tea pot” often. Use a “strainer” for loose tea. Use a “tea cozy” overtop of your pretty pot to keep it warm while you enjoy time spent with friends & family. Get out your finest “silver”, your mismatched “china”, pretty linen “napkins” and favorite “teaspoon”. Appreciate the luxury Afternoon Tea brings along with the chance to linger with friends. Enjoy!"

It was very fun and a great way for the girls to learn a little bit about Tea Time! 

~ Tea Tray Memory Game ~ 

After the second course, we started the Tea Tray Memory Game.  

The girls were all given plenty of time to study the tray of items that Marci had put together.  We decided to wait until after the next game AND the third course of our tea before seeing what they could remember.   I was so surprised that a few of the girls were able to remember all 18 items! 

Here is a link to the page I created to go along with the game, in case anyone would like a copy.

~ Wreath II Virtue Word Search ~ 

As soon as we covered up the Tea Tray the girls moved on to a Word Search I created, using the Virtues from Wreath II.  It actually started to rain for a few minutes, so the girls all headed inside for this game.  Thankfully it cleared up quickly so we could all go back outside for the last course of our tea.

The Word Search was quite challenging for some of the girls, but I think they all enjoyed it just the same! 

I uploaded the Wreath II Virtue Word Search (plus solution) to Scrib to share, as well as another one I created using the Flowers from Wreath I.    Both of them were created using an online generator that provided text to create your own document.

~ Croquet ~ 

After our third course, and finishing the Tea Tray memory Game, the girls all played Croquet and Tic-Tac-Toe in the beautiful garden.

It ended up being such a beautiful and fun filled day! 

Our Little Flowers' Tea Party 2010 ~ The Menu

This year we had our Mother/Daughter Tea Party in the home garden of the grandmother of one of my Little Flowers!  Our menu was almost the same as last year, with just a few changes.

~ Drinks ~

Tea served with Cream and Sugar

Ice Water

~ The First Course ~

Grapes ~ Strawberries ~ Scones

Served with Whipped Cream, Apricot Jam, and Lemon Curd

Oh, YUM!!  I had been craving Kathleen's Lemon Curd since last year!  

~ The Second Course ~

Tortilla Roll Ups ~ Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Salami and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

~ The Third Course ~

Brownies ~ Cream Puffs

Lemon Tea Cookies

Just like last year, my friend Trina (who is due next month with her 7th!) also volunteered to coordinate and supervise the servers for us, and we were served by four very sweet girls who are also all Little Flowers! (Two are Trina's daughters and two are older sisters to two of our own Little Flowers!) Thank you all so very much for your help!!

Well, our contractors just arrived and I have a mountain of laundry to get started from the past few days, so I'll be back later today, or perhaps tomorrow, with a few more pictures and our Tea Party Games.  

I hope you all have a great day! 

Our Little Flowers' Tea Party 2010 ~ The Attendees

♥ The Little Flowers ♥

♥ The Mothers ♥

Me, Amy, Erica, Marci, Julie

DeeDee and Kathleen

♥ Me and My Girls ♥

♥ The Babies ♥

"Bump" and Rose...

...who were both barely on their way last year!

I'll be back soon with more pictures from our Tea Party, but right now I am off to try and get some sleep...  It has been a busy weekend!

She Loves It, She Loves It Not

I saw this game idea in my last issue of FamilyFun and thought it would be such a great game for out tea party. We played it in between the girls looking at the tea tray and writing down what they remembered.

A bouquet of flowers can do more than brighten a room: used in this activity, they can spark some intriguing conversations. One player holds a daisy (or another flower with lots of petals) and plucks off one petal as she names something that her mother or daughter loves. The next player shares something her mother or daughter loves -- not. The flower continues around the table, with mothers talking about their mothers and daughters, and daughters talking about their moms, until the flower runs out of petals.

Here are some pictures I took during the game:

It was so much fun to hear what all the mothers and daughters love, and love NOT!

I promise not to bombard you with any more tea party posts, this should be it! ;)
I hope you have all enjoyed seeing the pictures.