Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi Everyone, I hope you had a happy and lovely Valentine's Day! I did! Some of my best friends got together for a tea luncheon. We all brought something and went to one friend's house. It is really unusual because it is not a house she lives in, but a house she plays in!!And believe me, we are all grown women and some of us are even old women!Of course this friend is not old and she is quite the decorator, too. I will call her Lady Hostess in this blog. Lady Hostess gave me the above handmade card, in fact.

I was really in a party mood when I left my house because my true love had given me these gorgeous roses as well as a Pug Puppy. Not a real one, mind you, but a cute stuffed one that will not chew on our slippers! I thought that was extremely thoughtful and romantic, so I skipped away to Lady Hostess's home as happy as could be.

Upon arriving I found my buddy Happy Helen and her sister Little Miss Kentucky, already there. My sidekick, Miss Beth, arrived bearing her famous chicken curry sandwiches on croissants . I had made the popular veggie pizza, which is canned crescent rolls spread out on a cookie sheet, topped with cream cheese mixed with dry Ranch dressing  and then topped again with chopped mixed raw veggies. Happy Helen and LMK brought desserts.....chess squares topped with fresh homegrown strawberries from Happy Helen's garden and a strawberry trifle. I forgot to mention that Miss Beth also brought a delightful salad of mixed greens, strawberry slices, dried cranberries, sliced almonds and feta cheese with raspberry vinaigrette. Oh, My. We could have called it a Strawberry Tea. In fact, I did make my renowned Strawberry Tea.

You simply must try it! It is made as follows:: Pour 2 cans of strawberry/kiwi nectar into a big pot. Add 2 quarts of boiling water. Add strawberry cool-aid (enough to make 2 quarts). Put 6 tea bags in. I use Nambarri tea from Northern Ireland, but you can try Red Rose tea. I wouldn't waste my time with Lipton, as it is suitable only for iced tea, in my humble opinion. Anyway.  That is it, steep your tea and remove bags. Pour hot water in your teapot to temper it and fill with strawberry tea. The secret ingredient is the cool aid. Everyone in this town requests me to make it. I used to mash up real strawberries and strain, etc, etc. until I decided to create a simpler recipe. It really is delicious!

I gave all my friends a heart to keep and of course Lady Hostess presented each of us beautiful gifts to take home. I got a lovely heart necklace and a box of candy and my very favorite was a pair of lips attached to a sucker!! Well, it is time to cook my hubby a bite to eat. It has rained here all day and we really need it. So we are staying home tonight and  will enjoy listening to the rain all cozy and dry inside! Also, thanks everyone who sent us such pretty cards and treats....you know who you are. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.