Tea For Two-sday ~ Tea With a Twist Review

Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to review a book about tea.  The book is called Tea With a Twist: Entertaining and Cooking With Tea by Lisa Boalt Richardson, certified tea specialist.

Photo by Lauren Rubinstein. Used with permission for promotional purposes only.

This book is delightful!!  It's a pretty book to look at - you'll enjoy all the pictures of tea party ideas.  The tea party ideas are different from your standard tea parties.  These ideas will appeal to all sorts of people and make your tea parties fun!  A tea party doesn't have to be only for the ladies all dressed up (though that's fun too)!

Here are a few of the tea party themes that Lisa covers:  Flower Power Tea Party, Bubble Tea Party, Mexican Fiesta Tea Party, Under-The-Table Tea Party (for children), and All About Chocolate Tea Party (hello - you know that one's my FAVE!).  Just look how fun the Bubble Tea looks:

Photo by Lauren Rubinstein. Used with permission for promotional purposes only.

Each tea party has a menu with recipes and finishing touch ideas.  You could easily follow these ideas to throw a fun tea party for your friends or family! 

I received the book right before helping out with a ladies' tea party for church and quickly added one of the recipes to my menu!  I decided to make Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Sandwiches.  They were delicious and cute!  I forgot to get a pic of them, but here they are from the book (the ones with the tomato in the middle):

 Photo by Lauren Rubinstein. Used with permission for promotional purposes only.

Lisa Boalt Richardson kindly gave me permission to share the recipe with you!  Thank you Lisa!

Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Sandwiches

8 oz. softened cream cheese

3/4 cup shredded domestic Asiago cheese

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

2 tablespoons sweet onion, finely chopped

1 14-oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry, and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

cherry tomato slices for garnish

fresh white bread

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes and bread, together in a large bowl and refrigerate  for 1 to 2 hours.  Spread mixture onto fresh white bread and cut into flower shapes using a flower-shaped cookie cutter.  Garnish with a thinly sliced cherry tomato in center.

I did use pickled asparagus spears to look like flower stems, similar to the picture. 

Tea With a Twist is such a lovely book and I look forward to trying more recipes and tea party themes!  If you enjoy tea and tea parties, you'll love this book.  It would also be a wonderful gift for a tea-loving friend.  You can buy the book through Barnes and Noble (they have a cute trailer for the book that you can watch) and through Amazon (just click the links to get more info).  I do suggest checking it out!

Find out more about Lisa Boalt Richardson by stopping at her website: www.lisaknowstea.com or at her blog: www.lisaknowstea.blogspot.com (hint: she has some recipes listed there!). 

Disclosure:  I recieved a free copy of Tea With a Twist to review on my blog.  My opinions are my own, as always. 

I hope you enjoyed the book review and that you get to try the yummy sandwich recipe!  I'll leave you dreaming about an All Chocolate Tea Party with Triple Chocolate Scones, Chocolate Strawberry Salad, Chocolate Tea and Spice-Encrusted Wild Salmon with White Chocolate Green Tea Sauce, and easy Microwave Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles...

 Photo by Lauren Rubinstein. Used with permission for promotional purposes only.

Have a lovely afternoon friends and enjoy a cup of tea - iced if it's hot where you are!