Everybody loves a tea party but who wants hot tea when the temperature is high enough to melt plastic? We like to mix things up around here so why not have an afternoon tea-style party with ice cold lemonade instead?
Here are a few ideas to make your party cool. All you have to do is decide who to invite.
Menu
Homemade lemonade with berry ice cubes
Fresh strawberries
Blueberry and lemon scones
Lemon curd
Recipes:
Homemade Lemonade
6-7 large lemons
1 cup sugar (or more to taste)
2 quarts cold water
Slice lemons in half (ask a grownup for help) and squeeze the juice into a large measuring cup. Remove any seeds. In a large pitcher, combine the juice and sugar and add the cold water, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Berry Ice Cubes
1 can frozen concentrate strawberry juice
Fresh strawberries
Pour the juice concentrate into a pitcher and then fill the can once with cold water, adding it to the concentrate. Stir. Pour the juice into two ice cube trays. Wash and slice strawberries and place one or two slices into each cube. Freeze.
Blueberry Scones or Lemon Scones
Buy fresh scones from the bakery or use a mix and follow package directions. If you want to try making scones from scratch, they’re really easy and there’s a great recipe here:
Lemon Curd
You’ll find lemon curd in the sauces area in your grocery store. Give each guest individual sauce dishes with a few dollops of curd and a knife to spread the curd on scones. This is the taste of summer you’ve been waiting for!
If you’d like to make lemon curd from scratch, find a kitchen-helper grown-up and try this recipe:
Decorate your table
Placemats are easy and add a splash of color to your table.
You will need:
One white or colored 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper for each placemat (computer paper works fine)
Fancy-edged scissors
One lemon
Yellow acrylic craft paint
Paintbrush
Paper towels
Begin by trimming the paper with your fancy scissors. Work close to the edge so that the placemat stays rectangular and you are only trimming off about ¼ inch. Hang on to those trimmings because we’re going to use them later.
Next, on a washable painting surface, paper towel or a plastic tarp, lay out your placemats. Pour some yellow paint into a container. Slice the lemon in half and slice one half into a thick wedge. On a paper towel, dab off excess juice.
Apply paint lightly to the lemon, working from the rind inward. Press paint-side down on practice paper, using just enough pressure to create an impression but not so much that juice runs from the lemon. When you’re ready, stamp the placemats, creating a whimsical pattern.
Let placemats dry and press under books to flatten if edges curl.
Centerpiece
No Lemonade Party table is quite complete without a centerpiece. If you’re lucky enough to have flowers in your yard, fill a Mason jar with colorful blooms and some greenery.
Cut a yard of ribbon for the Mason jar. Now, remember those scraps you trimmed from your placemat? Curl them around a pencil or your finger. Bunch the trimmings together and wrap a small piece of scotch tape around the center. Tie the ribbon around the Mason jar, making a knot in the front, gathering the trimmings into the knot. Tie a bow.
(If flowers are not an option, a bowl of lemons is a lovely centerpiece. Weave wired ribbons through the lemons and drape them over the edge of the bowl.)
Napkin rings
Dig around in your junk jewelry for beaded bracelets on stretchy thread. Fold either paper or cloth napkins into a cone. Wrap the bracelets around the napkins twice (as if they were rubber bands) and gently move halfway up the napkin. Cute!
You’re now ready to set your table and serve your guests!
