By: Laurie Stevens
Each year, my sister Debbie and I host a high tea we call (drum roll, please) A Two Sisters Tea. The price of admission is at least one new book for children or teenagers. Anywhere from fifty to seventy-five people attend, so we end up with a nice pile of books. Debbie and I donate these books to the Literally Healing program of Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles.
About the Literally Healing program
This program not only runs a library within the facility but distributes books to hospitalized kids. The last time we dropped off books (pre-pandemic), I saw a teenaged girl being wheeled on a gurney. Her long, dark hair hung over one side and reminded me of my daughter’s hair. You can imagine the stab I felt in my heart.
The Gabriel McRay series
Why does an author of dark, psychological thrillers give back by way of children’s books and tea parties? You may not believe it, but both have much to do with my book series. The main character in my books is Detective Gabriel McRay, a sufferer of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on by a childhood trauma. PTSD is more common than you think, and it can affect every aspect of your life (relationships, self-worth, career, etc.)
Each book in the series chronicles Gabriel’s road to recovery. Each case he solves triggers a key point in his healing process, which makes him face that particular issue head-on. Gabriel copes in a number of ways. He goes to therapy, but he also cooks.
Preparing for the tea party
Like Gabriel, my sister and I love to bake and find that it eases tensions and frees our minds. We bake and prepare every item at our tea parties (even the lemon curd and Devonshire cream). We do present some Walkers Shortbread cookies. My sister can make a mean shortbread, but I still love the Walkers.
Debbie and I choose a theme each year for the parties. One year, we modeled everything, food and décor, after Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We hung frames from the chandelier, and put out odd shaped cutlery and tea pots to give guests the feeling they’d fallen “down the rabbit hole.” We styled a Mad Hatter’s hat as a centerpiece.
Stalled by COVID-19
In 2020, we were just about to launch a fairy woodland themed party when COVID-19 shut us down. That “magical” event will take place in 2022.
Because my main character’s problems originate from a childhood trauma, donating to a children’s charity seemed logical. In addition to the tea parties to benefit Literally Healing, I run a toy drive each year in my community, and all the toys are donated to the San Fernando Valley Community Center for Mental Health. I’ve always been interested in psychology and the workings of the human mind, and the childhood years are so pivotal. This past year, with COVID-19, the Center has been overrun with people in need.
Favorite recipes
The nice thing about blending one of your interests (baking) with a charitable organization is that everybody benefits. Now, you’re going to benefit because I’m going to share a couple of my go-to recipes.
One classic is Pillsbury’s Chocolaty Caramel Pecan Bars.
Let’s not forget lemon bars. Martha Stewart (yes, her) offers the best recipe of all the ones I’ve tried.
A sample menu we’ve served includes
Mini-cupcakes (themed)
Lemon bars
Mini-gingerbread
Bread pudding
Chocolaty caramel pecan bars
French macarons
Toffee Wedges
Scones (variety)
We also present a number of savory items such as tea sandwiches (curry chicken, turkey, cucumber and mint, egg salad), beet soup in little teacups, miniature beef wellingtons, and also my favorite quiche recipe, which I’m going share. You can serve it in a pie plate, but I prefer to serve them as mini quiches baked in a mini-cupcake pan. Small things are such a delight!
Quiche Lorraine
1 tube of refrigerated Crescent rolls
1 can of evaporated milk
½ package of shredded gruyere or swiss cheese (Trader Joes has shredded gruyere)
1 egg
½ package of frozen chopped spinach
1 container Crispy Fried Onions (French’s Original are the best, in my opinion)
A few slices of not-too-crispy bacon. (optional, but delicious)
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Let the spinach begin to defrost. You can use fresh chopped but it doesn’t work as well.
Wring out the moisture from the spinach.
Line pie pan with crescent roll wedges. You can press the seams together.
Pour some of the fried onions on top – no need to be heavy-handed.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg. Add the evaporated milk. Whisk again.
Add the cheese and spinach. Mix well.
Add spices of your choice. I use 2 tsp tarragon, black pepper, a dash of salt (the cheese has salt). To me, it’s the tarragon that makes the difference.
Pour into the pie pan.
Dice or break the bacon apart into little pieces and place them on top.
Add the rest of the crispy onions. You may opt to not use the entire onion container.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. If you are making mini quiches, put them in for 20 minutes.
I hope you host a tea of your own sometime. Consider having the guests bring a book that you can donate. Thanks, Laura, for letting me share my books and my tea parties.
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This is such a fun idea and we love that they donate books!