Tea with Edgar Allen Poe

It's that time of year for trips to the pumpkin farm, the carving of jack o lanterns, and children dressing up to "trick or treat".  While I don't get overly excited about Halloween, I must say our Tribute to Edgar Allen Poe evening tea party was a great success. 

 My son J is an avid reader, a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe and can recite nearly the entire poem "The Raven".  All the books stacked on the table are his.  My future daughter-in-law C is very talented when it comes to decorating and the final results of her tea table were spot on in capturing the essence of mystery and macabre in a fun and light way.

I believe I mentioned in my last post that we were using my grandmother's tea set.  She loved giving tea parties.  I know she would be thrilled to know that we were using her set and carrying on the tradition of serving tea to friends.

 

Six guests came knocking on my chamber door. Not a one was named Lenore!  It was great fun getting to know these young ladies, many of  whom will be a part of the wedding next summer. C is the third from the left.

My future DIL is diabetic and has several food allergies as well.  Even so, she made some delicious food and her presentation was lovely. With the exception of the frosted cookies, every other baked good was gluten free.  There were scones with orange glaze, apple muffins and pumpkin pie bites.  We made deviled eggs with vegan mayonnaise and chicken salad to spread on gluten free crackers.  I love the pumpkin shaped cheese ball C made. My son J even had a hand in making homemade caramel sauce that was poured over cream cheese and used for dipping apple slices. Yum! Sweet and healthy at the same time.

The girls talked and laughed for hours as they enjoyed their tea and goodies.  I  think the food looked as picturesque on the plate as it did on the serving board. 

Several mornings have passed since our night of revelry. Our raven has flown away to return "nevermore".  Autumn has taken over my dining table where it will remain until after Thanksgiving, not quite as exciting as Poe I'm afraid.

~~

Changing the subject, there were a number of folks who asked about my recipe for the apricot shortbread bars. Here it is. 

 

You can use any flavor of preserves you like.  Sometimes I make half raspberry and half apricot. By the way, they freeze nicely too.

Happy Baking!