Tea Station - Alhambra

Speaking of tea, I recently checked out the new Tea Station location in Alhambra.

Tea Station is the cafe side of Ten Ren Tea, which because they use freshly brewed tea, offers a higher quality milk tea and other assorted boba drinks. You do get what you pay for though. So a drink here will run about $5 compared to $1.99 at Tapioca Express or Lollicup chains.

Tea Station also sells Ten Ren Teas for $3.50 to $5 for a 1-lb canister of quality whole leaf teas. My favorites are the rose tea, jasmine tea, gunpowder green tea, and monkey pick also known as ti kuan yin, a type of oolong.

Would You Care for a Spot of Tea?

Potstickers + wontons + cucumber sandwiches = an Asian-inspired tea party. Part of the appeal of an afternoon tea is the chance to use my lovely teapots and teacups. So recently when my cousins were over and I was in the midst of making potstickers anyway, I decided to turn it into an impromptu tea party. I chose a lovely whole leaf green tea. (To keep green tea from tasting bitter, boil water, turn off burner and let rest until water is no longer bubbling, and then pour almost-but-not-quite-boiling water over green tea leaves.) Now, you know how much I like having lovely things in my kitchen. I love a bargain even more. I've simply collected them throughout the years, and occasionally I meet someone who loves bargains and lovely girly things as much as I do. The teapot was $9.99 from TJMaxx. The sugar and creamer were $5.99 from Target's Rachel Ashwell Simply Shabby Chic collection. The dipping saucers and chopsticks rests were about 10 cents each, souvenirs from my month in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2005. This teacup and saucer set was 75 cents from a thrift store. I've got three of these sets of slightly different flowers.

The tea party was inspired by a recent slew of good finds at the thrift store. This Wilendur dogwood tablecloth was $6. I've seen it sell on eBay for $30 and up. This set of teacups and saucers was $3. The porcelain is so fine that I can see the light shine through the teacups. The Churchill Blue Willow design transferware teacups and saucers were $2 apiece. According to Amazon, the two birds represent Chinese star-crossed lovers. This set of plates was $3.

This set was $2.50. I couldn't resist sharing my display of recent treasures and I hope you liked it too. Isn't there a little girl inside of you who loved to play tea party? On the way out, one of my cousins asked for crumpets and scones for our next tea party. Hmm. Must find some good recipes to try before then. In the meantime, would you care for a spot of tea? Other tea party posts: Afternoon Tea in the Garden with Portland from Glendora and Angel Face Roses Thanksgiving Leftovers Afternoon Tea

Cucumber Sandwiches

The first time I made cucumber sandwiches was for a friend's bridal shower several years ago. She wanted an English tea theme. I had served my mom's homemade banh pa te so (Vietnamese pate chaud), mini muffins, cake, tuna salad sandwiches, and cucumber sandwiches.

The cucumber sandwiches were a sidenote, a nod to the fact that we were having an afternoon tea and I didn't think much of it. Little did I know they ended up being the most popular item. Apparently the following day, my friend's future sister-in-law brought her mother over so she could sample some too, but there weren't any leftovers.

Cucumber Sandwiches

For 8 small sandwiches, you'll need:

4 slices of white bread, crusts removed (I prefer potato or buttermilk bread for softness.)
A couple inches of seedless English cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible.
Butter
Cream cheese

After slicing the English cucumber as thinly as possible, lightly sprinkle salt over the slices and set aside.

Butter one slice of bread. Apply cream cheese to the other slice.

Layer the cucumber slices on one slice of bread, and place the other slice over the top. Trim the crusts.

You can cut the sandwiches into rectangles or squares. I like slicing mine on the diagonal in half and then quarters to create little triangles.

Didn't my cousin do a lovely job of making these sandwiches while I directed her?