Because she loves tea parties.

Sara likes tea parties. She loves “hosting” them. Most afternoons after school she likes to make tea for me. Sometimes her dolls join us too.

Often there are sandwiches, cookies and a pastry or two. I get directions on how to hold the cup, “with your pinkie out because a princess ought to behave like a princess”.

While “drinking” our tea I ask her how was school? There are days when she has a lot to tell. There are days when she doesn't. "It was good", she says. Then there are days like yesterday when she said, "Oh! it was very exciting". "Wow! Tell me all about it Sara", I said.

“I can’t remember what we did. But I remember it was very exciting!”

Umm. Alright.

But I digress.

I can’t remember if as a kid I loved tea parties as much as she does. Perhaps it has got to do with overdose of all the princess books she has been reading. Alice in Wonderland too.

A couple of weeks back she got back from school and asked if she could have her friends over for a tea party. "Tomorrow evening mamma. Like real tea, mamma. Wearing princess gowns".

"I will need to make invitations", she added. "They need to go out today. I will give it to them at the park this evening".

With very little time on hand we downloaded this free printable and she wrote out her friends' and her own name in a “Royal” font no less (Read: curly plus wiggly handwriting equals royal)

"But what will we serve Sara"? 

"It is my tea party, can I cook"?, she asked. "There has to be tea and cookies and those tomato squares that we made the other day".

We agreed. I did a little prep work the next morning so that she could “cook” after school.

Chocolate milk for tea in “royal” cups: Years back I was gifted these dainty china cups which I always ended up using for dips and desserts. We took them out and she helped me fill each one with some “tea”.

Teabag cookies: Because to make tea we need teabags and we also need cookies to go with it. I had been waiting for a chance to make these ridiculously cute teabag cookies ever since I saw them everywhere and now was my chance :) I prepared the dough in the morning and kept a teabag stencil ready for her to cut them out. From there on it was easy. While she dipped each teabag into the warm chocolate ganache I tried very hard to be okay with it not being “perfect” and not dipping it back in. For my little chefling's cookies were more than perfect in every way. I attached the tea bag labels (free printable) and she squealed with excitement.

Tomato, basil and goat cheese squares: These happen to be Sara’s favorite and I feel they are a nice change from the usual pizza/pasta for a kid’s party. Since they have both the tomato and the cheese the children are willing to try. Plus they look like “grown up” food which was perfect for her “grown up tea party”.  

I prepared the dough and sliced the tomatoes before she got back from school. We then cut them into squares and she adorned each square with tomatoes slices, a generous sprinkle of  basil and goat cheese. We painted them with egg wash and they went into the oven.

We also had some gooey brownies which were a surprise for the chef who had spent all afternoon cooking for her friends.

The girls had so much fun that evening. They sat on the chairs wearing their pretty dresses and dipped their teabags into their tiny cups. They drew teacups and kettles and milk pots and sugar pots and played some more pretend tea. They talked. They laughed.

My little girl was exhausted by the end of it all. "Was I good hostess mamma"?, she asked.

"The best", said her proud mum.

Does your little one like playing “tea party”?

For us this party was much more than just a game. See for yourself.

Sara learnt:

• It is nice to invite friends over and it is even nicer when the invitation is handwritten. It makes our friends feel special.
• There is a lot of work that goes into cooking for friends and family. It is exhausting but there is no greater joy than feeding your loved ones.
• Toys when shared with friends multiply your happiness.
• When you take care of your little guests you go on to become a great little hostess and get many many hugs from all of them.
• Lastly, when we pour too much of chocolate milk into a tiny cup we get a chocolate puddle on the kitchen slab which then trickles down to the floor and that means lots of cleaning :)

I learnt:

• All get togethers needn’t be planned. Yes, I am Monica types. Sara taught me a great lesson. Sometimes impromptu plans are way more fun than planned ones.
• What they make doesn't have to look "perfect". What is important is leading them to the kitchen and allowing them to touch, feel and see where their food come from. Trust me whatever they make with their two little paws will be beautiful and will leave you teary eyed. 
• You don’t have to necessarily DIY each little element of your party. Didn't I already mention I am Monica with a DIY obsession? It is okay to take help from others. These two ladies helped us with invitations and tea bag labels and tons of you inspired us to try out your super creative tea bag cookies.
• I love having her with me in the kitchen. The questions that she asks, the advice she gives me, the talks we have, the mistakes she makes and the mess she makes, All of this and more makes my day brighter.

Would you like to have a cup of tea?

Tomato, basil and goat cheese squares.

Ingredients

• 450 grams puff pastry (readymade is fine) I use this recipe
• One egg, beaten
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp of dry basil plus more for sprinkling later
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Salt
• 4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 100 grams goat cheese, cut into tiny wedges

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with some parchment paper.
2. Roll out the puff pastry thin and cut it into squares or any shape that you like. We made ten medium squares.
3. Put them on the baking sheet and fold the sides of each of the squares to make a sort of slightly raised border (about 1 cm). Brush these borders with the egg wash.
4. Mix the garlic paste, olive oil, basil and salt together and brush all the squares with it.
5. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on the squares, overlapping a bit. About two to three slices per square. Bake for about 15 minutes. The tomatoes will be tender and light brown.
6. Take the baking sheet out and add a wedge or two of the goat cheese and sprinkle some basil on to each square. Return to the oven for another 7-8 minutes. The cheese will  be melty but will still hold shape.
7. You can serve it both hot or at room temperature.

Images : Personal Album. All images belong to orangekitchens and are subject to copyright. 

Food for thought : Games she plays.

Like all children, Sara too likes to play a lot of games. 

Playing Kitchen, Setting up her own restaurant and hosting her food show are three of her favourites.

And then there are these. None of these involve real toys. But interestingly food happens to be integral part of all of them.

Please note these games can be used only for personal use. Selling these ideas to companies or people can attract penalties. You don't believe me? Trust me or wait for Sara's lawyers to come and sue you for they have all been patented by her under her brand "Jolliest Junior". I swear! She has a brand. She also makes brand catalogues. A story I promise to share another day.

Game one: 

What: Being the principal cum teacher of her very own school. In this game she teaches ballet, sword fighting, flying and handwriting. The school also has a kitchen where students go for a quick bite.

Why: Because "I am a magical girl musketeer and I need to teach this to other girls. And it is important for a real musketeer to know all four. Ballet for grace and style, sword fighting for fighting obviously mamma, flying when you need to attack bad people in the air and beautiful handwriting to take notes in the classes".

How to set it up: 

• Take out the many tutus that you literally live in and hundreds of magic wands (she has four and there are numerous that she has made or her mother has been asked to make),
• All the pairs of fairy wings that you wear to the park every day (sometimes to the mall too)
• All of your footwear for all the students to wear, plastic bats/rulers/ empty tissue/foil rolls (that you don't let your mum throw for you "like to reuse" things) for swords, 
• All the pens and pencils from all the corners of your house for about a 100 imaginary students will be attending this graduate program. 
• A mini pantry of sorts needs to be set up for the snack break that the students will get after the first two classes.

How to play: 

• Your mum/ dad needs to play music from the Swan lake for the ballet class.
• This needs to be followed by jumping around with the sword. This part of the game also need to be accompanied by some really funny Eeehaaan-Eeehaan  & Oooohaaan- Ooohaan sounds. Cartwheels are compulsory.
• Time for a food break. The students are given fresh orange juice, cucumber sticks, dates and oat cookies. It is healthy and no one can say no.
• Then you need to climb on your bed and jump from there (wearing wings ofcourse) and "fly".
• Lastly, copious pictorial notes need to made and shared with all the students.

Time taken to put this whole thing together: One hour

Time taken to play: About 30 minutes

Time taken to put back things and clean up: One and a half hours.

Game two:

What: She is the owner of her very own book club cum cafe.

Why: "Because I love reading and everyone should love reading and when you read sometimes you also get hungry and then you need food and Book Munch also has a cafe, right?"

How to set it up: 

• Drag four dining chairs from the dining room and put them in the middle of your room. 
• Empty your ENTIRE book shelf and arrange the books on and under them. You also need to put your photograph at the entrance to show the people coming it is your cafe!! 
• Put in random stuff like notepads, pens, markers, etc. 
• Get all the paper bags that your home contains and make them stand straight in a single file. If they fall, cry till your mom fixes them. The bags are for people who want to buy books. 
• Set up a mini kitchen with pretend food and pretend utensils. 
• Take all the cushions from all the rooms in your house and turn them into cafe tables.

How to play: Mommy and daddy need to visit the book cafe several times and pretend to read and order. Sometimes imaginary guests also come. Together with them we read, order food, read, order food, buy and bye bye.

Time taken to put this whole thing together: One full day! Really! And then she is too tired to play and says, "I will play this game tomorrow". So I politely ask her, "Are we going to have to eat dinner standing"? She says, "There are six dining chairs, remember. I can always stand and eat"!

Time taken to play: One hour, the next day.

Time taken to put back things and clean up: About two days. Yes!

Game Three:

What: Making magical potions 

Why: For "I am REALLY a magical fairy, you know sort of like Matilda. Only she can't fly. I can. Also, I need this magic spell to make our home beautiful, for punishing that bad boy who hid my bottle at school, for my friend Oorvi wants to fly like me and only my potion can help her, for making this flower live longer...."

How to set it up? : Please note this is both an outdoor and indoor game. Gasp! 

• Make your mother call/ text your friend Oorvi's mother several times. This is to confirm and reconfirm and re-re confirm if Oorvi is carrying all the things that we have "discussed and decided" to.
• Get your little backpack and proceed to fill it up with a pair of binoculars, a magnifying glass, colour pencils, markers, papers, scissors and erasers.
• Also carry your big beach bucket.
• Walk down to the park with the bag on your back and bucket in your hand as if going for a ten day trek.
• Once you come back home, you will need the biggest bowl from the kitchen, several spices and a jug of water.

How to play:

• At the park collect all the fallen leaves and flowers and sticks in your bucket. Also yucky sticky things that your mothers asks you to keep away from.
• Look around for interesting stuff with the help of your binoculars and magnifying glass.
• See if you can catch the wicked butterfly fairy that is currently in the garden. Exchange hi-fives on trapping her (This step is only in imagination)
• Sit down and write the recipe for the potion. Ingredients, instructions, et al.
• Come back home and get the biggest bowl and empty the contents of your bucket into it.
• Next add one full jug of water to it.
• Nag your mom till she gives you one dry red chilli, a pinch of turmeric, another pinch of red chilli powder, one star anise, two olives, a pinch of salt, a stick of cinnamon and four peppercorns. She will shout you are wasting stuff. Ignore. Also don’t try and change this recipe. Sara has worked for many “years” perfecting this potion.
• Now ask her for whatever your mum is chopping for dinner as well. Onion peels, coriander stems, potato skins...get the idea?
• Throw everything into that bowl carrying your loot from the park and the water.
• Give it a good mix.
• Marvel at how it is now yellow and red and so magical. “Turmeric and chilli powder are my favourite spices because things can become sunny with it”, she says.
• Whisper a magic word into it.
• Leave it to stand for 2 days. Your mother will still be shouting, “It is smelling and dirty and needs to thrown”. Ignore.
• Magic potion is ready.

Time taken to put this whole thing together: One hour plus two days for marinating.

Time taken to play: One hour at the park and one hour at home

Time taken to put back things and clean up: Ten minutes

Best game ever! Did you notice that it took all of ten minutes to clean up!

Does your little boy or little girl  like to play make-believe games? Do they pretend to be a sailor or an astronaut or a mouse or a bear? Do they too live in a magical world like my little chefling? Do you think encouraging them to play these games nurtures creativity or you are not entirely comfortable with them living in this pretend world?

And more importantly,does food play an integral role in all of those games too? The kind of of food they "cook, buy or serve" in these games, does that tell you something about the eating habits of your family? I'd love to hear. 

On other days when she is not "really busy" coming up with such complicated games she likes to climbs trees or to simply lie down on the grass and pretend to sleep.

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.