My Tea Party!

This past Saturday, I had a few of my favorite girls over to drink tea, eat some yummy snacks and celebrate the end of school! Some of my friends are just graduating from their Bachelor's and it was so fun to hear about what they are doing next! The Bean had a tea party for her birthday back in March and I have been chomping at the bit to have one of my own ever since!

Much like my Stars on Ice post yesterday, I should mention that I struggle to find a balance between truly enjoying the moment and taking pictures to share on the blog! I took some pictures at first but then I put my phone down and just enjoyed my friends! So, I have a few pictures to share along with a couple recipe ideas!

Just like the Bean's tea party, I got to use my grandmother's tea sets and I could not love them any more! I set each place with a tea cup and saucer, a heart doily, a gold spoon (my favorite spoons ever!!) and a matching napkin. I printed off my friends' names on brown cardstock and folded them into little place cards - super easy!

At the Bean's party we served tea sandwiches (ie. lots of gluten and dairy!) and I had to work around that for my party! I have one friend who is vegan, so I decided to make everything vegan and gluten free (with the exception of one thing!). Here is a little recap of what we served:
- Pesto & Roasted Red Pepper Bites: Gluten free cracker topped with vegan pesto and a slice of roasted red pepper.
- Mediterranean Tortilla Bites: A slice of gluten free tortilla, tahini spread, a piece of romaine lettuce, a cherry tomato and a black olive.
- BTL Bites: A slice of lettuce, topped with a piece of bacon and half of a cherry tomato (not vegan! But gluten free!).
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus & Avocado Bites: A gluten free cracker topped with roasted red pepper hummus, a slice of avocado and half of a cherry tomato.
- Hummus & Caramelized Onion Bites: A gluten free cracker topped with some hummus and some caramelized onion (these were to die for! Even if you aren't having a tea party, I recommend making these asap!)
- Some sliced strawberries and some grapes (these got eaten right up, I was surprised!).

So despite not everyone being vegan/gluten free, everything seemed to go over really well! I loved that these bite sized recipes made the food accessible to everyone!

For dessert, I served Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars (these were so good! I'll post the recipe tomorrow!) and Snicker's Pie Bars (recipe HERE, just made in a rectangular dish instead of a pie plate!). Again both of the dessert are completely vegan and gluten free, but they went over so well with everyone! 

I think it's safe to say that I'll be having monthly tea parties now - ha! Yes, I love them that much! I love the dresses, the little snacks and of course, the tea! 

Stay tuned for the fabulous vegan pecan pie cheesecake recipe tomorrow (ouff that's a mouthful! You might be able to make the recipe faster then you can say it!)