Tea With Little Boys

What happens when you have an abundance of frilly little tea things and then you are blessed with little boys?  Who says little boys can't enjoy tea?

At our house, the boys out number the girls.  Over time, we have added some "guy" things to our tea accouterments.   

Hope you enjoy our "What Are Little Boys Made Of" tea.

Menu

Little Porker Scones

Strawberry Jam

Fresh Whipped Cream

Snips and Snails Sandwich Rolls

Wormy PB&J

Buggie Bites

Sailing Sammiches

Toasted Cheesy Triangles

Apple Race Cars

Strawberry Bugs

Puppy Dogs' Tails

Mud Pies

Dirt Pudding

Racing Bears

Our milk pitcher is a pig.  We also have a frog and elephant.  I have a lot of little girly teacups with butterflies and flowers.  I ran across these little boy cups several years ago at an antique shop.

When they lift up the cup, the saucer has another little surprise.

The mark under the cups and saucers are in a hunter's cap with a whip below it.  Copeland Spode England #4, "well cleared" and "first over" marks one set.  The other is #6, "the huntsman" and "the find".  

Several of the things on the menu are very easy for children to help make.  The puppy dog tails are from edible play dough.  The children can shape the tails while you are busy making some of the other items.  They love to cut out the round shapes for the worm sandwich.  And painting the bread for any sandwich is loads of fun.

Turn them loose with a paintbrush and several dishes of tinted milk.  The bread toasts to a lovely bright color.

How about a better look at some of our tea treats?

Little Porker Scones

These were made from my usual scone recipe.  Little triangles were added for the ears and rounds for the nose.  Currant eyes help our little porkers see.  I have also cut scones with various cookie cutters to fit my theme.

Wormy PB&J

I stood the round sandwiches to form the worm's body.  A cherry tomato, chives and hummus make his head.  He is crawling through a bit of parsley.

Boyish Sandwiches

Grilled cheese is always a favorite.  The snail roll ups have chive antenna, but the vinegar in the pickles cause them to wilt quickly.  Save it for the end of your tea prep.  I use a toothpick to poke them into the pickles.  Our bugs have a cheese and cracker base.  I use whatever the child likes, depending what is available in my fridge.  Our sailing sammiches are filled with tuna salad.  The cheese is held up with toothpicks.  

Every little boy's favorites

I usually plate the desserts separate from the sandwiches and bring them out when the healthier things are finished.  Worms and dirt is always on our menu.  The mud pies are no bake cookies.  The racing bears have a brownie base with gummy saver wheels and cherry tic tac lights.  Strawberry bugs have mini chocolate chip spots, a grape head and licorice legs.  Apple race cars are an apple slice with a couple grape wheels on a toothpick axle.  Peanut butter based edible play dough is made into puppy dog tails.

The handy little aluminum tiered dish was a Goodwill find.  It had the dingy and dull aluminum look.  Lots of elbow grease and Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish brought back the original shine.  (Well maybe not original, but a bit better than it was.) My husband commented that he used that polish on his car tires.  So another "guy" element at our tea party.  I love how the dish folds for storage.  Wish all my tea things would do that.  (Be sure to wash it really well after polishing.)

To help keep our little ones entertained at tea, Tinkerbell has been known to make an appearance.  She can only show up on "sunny days".  Little ones have to be very well behaved, napkins in lap, sitting up straight, elbows off table, and talking quietly.  She is so shy she usually flits in and out.  She helps remind little ones of proper tea behavior.  Just in case you have never met Tinkerbell, she reflects the sun from a nearby window with your spoon.  Sometimes it takes a bit of practice to make her fly across the ceiling.  The face on a watch will also work.  One cloudy days I have been known to keep a little flashlight under my napkin.

We hope you enjoy tea time with your favorite little guy!

I hope my children/grandchildren look back on today

and see a mother/grandmother who had time to play.

There will be years for cleaning and cooking . . .

for children grow up, while we're not looking.

Sips and Smiles,

Teresa