Hosting a Mother's Day Tea

By Nicole Spain, Registered Dietitian

Mother’s Day Tea is a fun way to celebrate Mother’s Day! She will most definitely enjoy spending an afternoon sipping tea and other delicious treats that are easy and fun to prepare. You may want to make two kinds of tea for your party. One with caffeine (for Mom!) and the other an herbal or caffeine-free blend that is ideal for children. If it’s a sunny day, you could also try making sun tea with the directions below. Read on for some tea recommendations, as well as some healthy snack recipes!

Varieties of herbal or caffeine-free blends:

Lemon Herbal Tea
Peppermint Tea
Black Cherry Berry Hibiscus Tea
Raspberry Zinger Hibiscus Tea
Honey Vanilla Chamomile
Red Rooibos Tea

Red Rooibos comes in a variety of flavors. Some that my children enjoy:

Cherry Apple (Republic of Tea)
Strawberry Vanilla (Republic of Tea)
Strawberry Pomegranate (Stash)
Madagascar Vanilla (Celestial Seasonings)

Sun Tea:

Grab a 2-quart pitcher or jar (with a cover) and fill it with water.  Add to it eight teabags (choose a decaf blend so the children may enjoy it as well). Bring it outside to sunny location.  Cap your pitcher and leave it in the sun for 2 hours. Afterwards, store it in the refrigerator to finish steeping. You can add in lemons, oranges, raspberries, or limes to give it a little fruity flavor!  

Small Bites

Make these mini treats to accompany your tea. To cut tea sandwiches into different shapes use these guidelines:

Triangles:  Cut the assembled sandwich in half on the diagonal. Then, cut each diagonal in half.
Squares: Cut the sandwich into quarters. This means you'll cut each sandwich in half, then, cut each half in half crosswise!
Rectangles:  Cut each sandwich into three narrow strips.
Rounds: Use a decorative cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter to cut out shapes from the slices of bread. Note, you will probably need double the bread if using this method of cutting. Depending not the size of your cookie cutter, there will likely be lots of wasted scraps.

Lemon Dill Cucumber Sandwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
½ Tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
½ clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dill
1 English cucumber, sliced thin
1/3 lb loaf wheat or multigrain bread, sliced & crust removed

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except cucumber and bread to a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.  This can be made in advance up to 2 days if kept refrigerated.
3. To assemble the sandwiches, spread a tablespoon of the dill sauce across each of the slices of bread. Divide the sliced cucumbers over the bread slices, slightly overlapping. Top with the remaining bread slices and cut into triangles or rectangles. 

Recipe adapted from: https://www.theanthonykitchen.com/cucumber-sandwich-recipe/

Carrot & Raisin Sandwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, grated
2 Tbsp raisin
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped mint
4-6 slices wheat bread
3 Tbs hummus

Direction:

1. Mix the carrots, raisins, olive oil, & vinegar. Season and add mint. 
2. Spread 2-3 slices of bread with hummus, top with carrot mix and sandwich with 2-3 more slices of bread. 
3. Press down slightly to secure.  Trim off crusts.
4. Cut into desired shapes.

Recipe Adapted from: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/carrot-raisin-sandwiches

Red Pepper & Pesto Tea Sandwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4-6 slices of wheat bread
½ C pesto
1 jar (8 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

Directions:

1. Lay out 2-3 slices of bread and spread each with a heaping tablespoon of pesto.
2. Sprinkle with chopped red peppers & top with remaining 2-3 slices of bread.
3. Press down lightly to secure and trim off crusts. 
4. Cut into desired shape. 

Recipe adapted from: https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/red-pepper-and-pesto-tea-sandwiches/

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
Serves 4

Ingredients:

10 large strawberries
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp strawberry jam
1 ½ Tsp powdered sugar
1/8 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1. Place softened cream cheese, jam, sugar and extract in a small bowl; stir until well combined. Chill for 10-15 min.
2. While cream cheese chills, rinse strawberries and pat dry.  Leaving leaves on, slice each strawberry in half lengthwise and set aside on a plate or serving platter with cut side up.  (If the berries do not sit very level, cut a small slice from the rounded side of the berry half to create a flat spot). 
3. Spoon cream cheese into Ziploc baggie (cut off one of the bottom corners.)  Pipe cream cheese mixture onto each of the strawberry halves.
4. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 hours.