Tea Parties with the Cuz

Right -- this update is another week late. I've had a number of post ideas buzzing about my brain during the past seven days, so I'll be playing a touch of catch-up as a result.

On Sunday, August 16, I had my Cousin over for an epic tea party/film fest/fan fiction memory tour that turned out to be a brilliant afternoon/evening.

She spent the week here in our hometown, a brief break from the translation world of Ottawa, ON. As I referenced in an earlier post, I decided to throw all my energy into the menu I prepared for our tea party.

Thought I should share the items with you all, just in case you're planning a quiet get together and brewing a pot of delicious tea with a friend.

Epic, Tea Deluxe Menu

• Rosemary Butter Cucumber Sandwiches
• Dill-Basil Cream Cheese Cucumber Sandwiches
• Avocado and Black Bean Hummus Rolls
• Shish Kabobs with an Asian-Inspired Orange Sauce
• Bruschetta
• Maple/Oatmeal/Red Currant Scones
• Caesar Salad (with some homemade croutons)
• Graham Cracker Dessert Squares: One of them was a little strawberry cheesecake square and the other was a rocky road square)

Am I awesome, or what? It was entirely too much food for two people to eat, but my family sampled quite a few of the items and folks seemed to agree that it was a success. I'm always nervous to cook for people. I mean, I cook for myself all the time (it comes with the territory of being the only vegetarian in the house), but for others...? I'm always nervous of negative responses, especially from the meat enthusiasts of the world. But yeah, I got favorable reactions from the lot of 'em. 

My Cousin told me she thinks I found my calling in life -- a caterer for large-scale events. I think I've got the enthusiasm for food, for sure. But I certainly do not have the draw to go through culinary school or anything of that ilk. As for entertaining friends, I'm thrilled to start exploring this area. And heck, who can turn down a tea party?

Had an excellent time with my Cousin overall. We watched Help! starring the Beatles, our favorite episode of M*A*S*H* ("The Smell of Music"), a selection of Monty Python episodes, and a handful of Harvey Birdman clips. 

And OH, the fan fiction. When we were thirteen-years-old, we actually wrote M*A*S*H* fan fiction. I mean, I know I've always been a nerd, it's just amazing to see how far back it actually spanned. We even wrote M*A*S*H*-themed dialogues for our grade school French classes. 

Mmm hmm.

We had another evening full of writing and tea on Friday, August 21, while the boys of our family had their band practice. (Oh, yeah, FYI -- my Dad, my brother, my uncle, and my other cousin are all in a band together and play at charity events across the GTA. Hey, I wasn't joking when I said music is in my genetic code.)

It was refreshing and inspired me (yet again) to pick up a pen or take to my laptop with a new writing fury. I think that might explain the two entries from this very day.

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P.S. -- I re-branded my blog. I found "Queer in Canada" was a little... broad, perhaps. I'm still open to trying new titles, not quite sure what will fit best. I like the sound of "Cute, Queer, Canadian," though. We shall see.