Here we will give you our latest "Tea Tips of the Month" where you'll find helpful hints on preparing not only your tea, but great ideas for your own tea event.

This Month's Tip:

RE-HEATING SCONES:
When transporting already baked scones to a tea event and they have gotten cold re-heat them in a crock pot. Take a dry tea towel and put in bottom of pot, add scones, and place another dry tea towel on top. Turn temperature to medium when you arrive at your site and the scones will heat through by the time your are ready to serve your guests.
(Thank-you Laura Leathers, Pickens, Mississippi
www.teatimetreasures.com)

DEVILED EGGS:
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag and seal it. Mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal. Keep mashing and mixing thoroughly. Cut tip of the bag and squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when finished and no clean up.
(Thank-you Linda Demarjian, Canoga Park, CA)

Healthy Choice:
Faced with tea guests who couldn't have heavy cream, I created a "healthier" version of clotted cream. I used fat free vanilla yogurt and added Cool Whip Lite to taste, but not so much that it lost the yogurt "bite". Put in covered bowl in the frig for a day or 1½ days, pouring off the separated liquid. This version allows us to slather the cream on the scones without guilt and everyone enjoys it. It is now a regular on our tea table.
(Thank-you Shirley Koch, Rahway, NJ)

Milk Jug:
To keep your milk pitcher from dripping, put a smear of butter just under the lip. Not a gob, just a smear and no drips.
( Thank-you Mary Holschlag, Iowa City, IA)

Tea Theme: Friends, Fruits and Flowers
Put small flower plants in old tea cups as the party favor. Everyone shared their favorite fruit, flower and why. Serve a fruit pizza and other fruity things, and of course a fruit flavored tea.
(Thank-you Carolyn Berry, Santa Clarita, CA)

Sipping Tea:
When lifting the cup to take a sip of tea, look into the cup not over it. If you look over it, no telling where it might spill.
(Thank-you Susan Thompson of Frazier Park, Calif.)

Stirring the Tea:
While stirring the tea in the cup, move the teaspoon in a small circular motion in the center so as not to tinkle the sides and make a noise. When finished stirring, place the used spoon behind the cup on your saucer, only a clean spoon is placed in front of the cup. By using this method you always know if your spoon is clean or has been used.
(Thank-you Mary Standley, Akron, Ohio

"We live in stirring times, tea stirring times."

Past Tea Tips:

Tea Sandwiches :
When making those cute little "tea" sandwiches, always butter both pieces of bread to seal it so that no matter what filling you are using, it won't make it soggy. It is also easier when using day old, frozen bread. No tearing and easier to slice. Remember to remove crusts first.
(Thank you Karen Gillis of June Lake, California for this tip!)

To Decaffeinate Your Own Tea :
Put tea leaves into the tea pot and pour boiling water over the tea leaves. Let it sit no more than 35 to 40 seconds. Then pour off the water and fill the pot again with boiling water leaving the leaves in. This process removes 90% of the caffeine.
(Thank-you, George Damarjian of West Hills, California for this tip!)

We'll be adding future Tea Tips as time permits, but if you have one you think would be helpful for others to know, please email us at: teagraces@earthlink.net and we'll include it here.