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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 6:18am | IP Logged
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I'm not sure this is the place to put this so if it isn't please feel free to move me!! With the birth of our newest little one I see the need to get things back to our normal routine around here - big time! One of the things that has fizzled since the end of spring is our daily tea time. I've been trying to get back to it as it is such a nice ritual and it seems to say to the kids "see, just like before, everything is getting back to normal now". (They've been a little hyper lately which tells me they are insecure.) ANYWAY, I need some inspiration. I hate to keep giving them store-bought cookies and junk each day, but at the same time, it's the "treat" that makes this such a special time of day for them. What do you give your kids at tea time? I think, for now, I need easy ideas. It gets pretty warm these summer months so a lot of baking isn't that appealing to me. Plus, with new baby, and a healing incision, my energy level is a little low. (I'm not complaining, really! Just being realistic.)
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Becky
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nissag
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 6:55am | IP Logged
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Becky,
Tea time at our house is literally supper time. However, I am understanding that you are doing something like a cream tea, or a morning tea which would include lovely nibbles. My mother and I used to have a tea late in the evening before bed, with nibbles - usually Pepperidge Farm cookies/bisuits.
For cream teas, I love to prepare little cakes (in small tins so they get eaten in one go). When I was on chemo several years ago, I discovered the delights of bugs in a boat for our afternoon snack. Slice apples, remove core, spread on nut butter (using a baby spoon really made that part easier) and sprinkle on raisins or dried cranberries. My husband made snack one afternoon and it was a hit. He took crackers (Late July, Ritz, or water crackers will work) spread with nut butter and sprinkled little mini chocolate chips on top. PBJ sandwiches cut with a cookie cutter, pieces of fruit cut into pretty shapes with small cutters, strawberries dipped in a nice yogurt dip... Hmmm, yogurt sundaes with a ginger snap on top, bananas and cinnamon. Not very elegant, but easy even for the children to prepare.
For fresh baked cookies, try using mixes until you are feeling better. It's lots of fun for the children and if you use baker's parchment or foil in the pan, there's no clean up for you. You could squeeze on some ready-made icing (you can sometimes get better stuff at a cake decorating shop) and decorate with a cherry or with an icing rose. Or with one of those frosting letters you find at the grocery.
I think that the children probably feel that the ritual is more important than the treats. I know how you feel about store-bought. I'm the same way. Give yourself a bit more time. Maybe you have a lovely local baker where you could pick up a special treat every week? Or a fab neighbour who can offer some help?
Maybe the children can come up with a tea time treat and do the clean up for Mama...
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 11:38am | IP Logged
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Here are some mixes I got years ago from Suz in Frog Pond on the FIAR board. I have never tried them but I keep hoping to sometime. I need to dig around my computer to see if I can find some of the other recipes she sent out using mixes.
Cookie Mix
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
3 cups shortening
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients until well-blended. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles corn meal. Store in a large airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use within 10-12 weeks.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
OVEN=375
3 cups cookie mix
3 TBS. milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chips
Grease baking sheets. In a large bowl, combine cookie mix, mild, vanilla and egg. Blend well. Stir in chips. Drop by teaspoonsful onto baking sheets, at least 1 inch apart. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Makes about 24 cookies.
BANANA – COCONUT COOKIES
OVEN = 375
2 cups cookie mix
1 cup coconut
1 medium banana, mashed
1tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
½ cup oats
Grease baking sheets. In a medium bowl, combine mix, coconut, banana, vanilla and egg. Beat well. Stir in oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are brown. Makes about 36 cookies.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
OVEN =375
3 cups cookie mix
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup peanut butter
Grease baking sheets. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Blend well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on baking sheets and flatten with fork tines. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are browned. Makes about 30 to 36 cookies
SNICKERDOODLES
OVEN = 400
2 ½ cups cookie mix
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
In a medium bowl, combine mix, soda, cream of tartar and egg. Mix well. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl or baggie. Shape dough into 1 ½ inch round balls. Roll or shake in cinnamon-sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with bottom of glass. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until slightly browned with cracked tops. DO NOT OVERBAKE, PLEASE!! Makes about 24 cookies.
TROPICAL MACAROONS
OVEN = 350
2 Cups cookie mix
2 egg yolks
1 ¼ cups coconut
1 8.5 oz can crushed pineapple
Grease baking sheets. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking pans. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are golden. Makes 30 to 36 cookies.
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Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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Lillian
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 12:25pm | IP Logged
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Nissa,
Those were some GREAT ideas!! We are starting tea time this school year (our first one was yesterday, they couldn't wait for school to start) and it was a hit. We made peach cobbler and I was already starting to stress about being able to keep up with the snacks. Thanks for the WONDERFUL ideas!! 
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Blessings,
Lillian
Isabelle 9, Anna 7, Sophia 5, Kolbe 4, Catherine 2
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Meredith
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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I just posted this about our yummy Teat we had on Monday! Enjoy!
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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nissag
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
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Oh, Meredith! What a lovely recipe - as always! Delish!
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Nissa
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ann@home
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| Posted: July 18 2007 at 1:28pm | IP Logged
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for hot weather to avoid the oven how about dipping fruit in yogurt? Each child could have their own little yogurt cup and you could have a pretty array of fruit for them to pick from.
How about just using little cookie cutters (I got some small ones from Pampered chef) and use it on cheese. The kids love it. I get the block cheese, slice it, then use the cutters. I still use the scraps later of course.
Makes cheese and crackers seem quite grand.
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 12:33am | IP Logged
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Oh lovely ideas! We're going back to having tea times this year too. My older boys liked it somewhat but not too often so we sort of phased it out. Now that my girls are older they LOVE the idea. And knowing my 11 yr. old dd I won't have to do much - she'll have it all set up and ready to go at the appointed time (I told dh tonight that she is like my second brain - always one step ahead of me. . .she is even starting to finish my sentences!) 
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Eleanor
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 12:42am | IP Logged
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You can make cookies in a microwave, if you want to avoid heating up the house. They don't get very crispy or brown, but they taste fine. Just make a roll of any type of refrigerator cookie dough, around 1 1/2" in diameter, wrap it in wax paper or parchment, and chill it for several hours at least. Cut some 1/4" thick slices, arrange them in a circle on a plate, then microwave them until they puff up -- it will just be a matter of seconds. (The exact timing varies a lot, so until you have it figured out, the best way is to keep an eye on them.)
You can only cook maybe 6 or 7 cookies at a time -- unless you have a big microwave, and a suitable platter -- but they're done so quickly, it's no trouble to make multiple batches. The rest of the dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days, so you can have fresh cookies every tea time. 
Certain types of moist cakes and squares, such as brownies, also work very well in the microwave. So do muffins (which you can make in small Pyrex custard cups). Any library will have a selection of microwave cookbooks, probably dating from the 70's or 80's. Thrift shops also tend to have a plentiful supply of them.
It's funny that I've turned into such a fan of the microwave. We actually gave ours away a couple of years ago, because we weren't using it much. Now that I'm cooking for young children in the summer heat, though, we've ended up buying another one, and it's been a huge help. (I know some people think there are health risks to microwave ovens, and perhaps there are... but I've never seen them substantiated, so we're willing to take our chances!)
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 6:57am | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the great ideas ladies!! I was mostly thinking about the "necessity" of returning to tea time, for my kids. Now I am quite excited about it myself! It's interesting to me that when I decided we needed some "normalcy" around here the first thing I thought of was tea time. I think my mom, who is staying with us for a couple weeks thought I was nuts, but even she is noticing how 3 hyper boys, a very emotional 8 yo girl and a frazzled momma all regain some sanity for tea time!
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rashfordmom
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| Posted: July 21 2007 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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Becky
We've also fallen out of the tea time routine with the summer vacations and visiters in town. I agree that all these ideas are great.
We often do popcorn or pretzels for tea time and we don't even always serve tea! When we first started the routine, I "hooked" them with something sweet but found that 3:00 in the afternoon wasn't the best time to pump them full of sugar  So we try to alternate sweet and salty. What stays the same is reading a good picture book and we try to pray a chaplet. Don't feel like you have to give them something sweet.
Blessings,
Amanda
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marihalojen
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| Posted: July 22 2007 at 1:39pm | IP Logged
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Dd and I were housesitting last week and so had access to an oven. We popped open a can of biscuits and smushed a mango up to top the baked biscuits with. It was like a delightfully fresh mango shortcake minus the whipped cream  and so very easy. She did all the work! Kid prepped treats taste the best, don't you think?
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nissag
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| Posted: July 22 2007 at 2:15pm | IP Logged
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Oh that reminds me of something my mother used to make for a treat once in a while. She'd buy a tin of guava paste to spread on crackers - graham, water, saltine... Whatever we had. It's delish! And it was very exotic for us. I bet it would be lovely on shortbread, too!
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Nissa
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 22 2007 at 5:32pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the input ladies! My grocery list is getting longer and longer!
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Becky
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Topic: Tea Time treats
