Hi, heloooo, Hiya!
So nice to be peeking in after voyages and tales and parties, oh my!
I hope you enjoyed the Mad Tea Party. It was a blast, and everyone shared so many incredible delightments. Always so wonderful to share as such, isn't it?
I loved visiting you all, such a joyous flurry of goodness, this Madness mixed with tea!!
Thank you all who participated and all who visited.
You make it what it is.
That's the plain truth🖤
(party giveaway info. at the end of this post)
I have returned from a small voyage, and have oh so many tales to tell about making, and baking and caking galore.
You see……
During the Mad Tea Party prep and party itself, there were some major harvests coming in.
Veggie and fruit madness for sure.
Mister Lovee kept bringing in basket, after basket, after basket, after basket of peaches from our tree.
Big huge juicy succulent peaches, which he took care of for weeks, and made sure they didn't get eaten by too many bugs or birds.
(he puts plastic shopping bags over clusters and ties them, as peaches get closer to being done)
He did waaaaay good because we ended up with over 200 ripe peaches.
There is nothing like letting fruit ripen on the branch.
But then, 200 ripe peaches means you better get baking and preserving more than pronto.
We chopped, ate, chopped some more and practically bathed in peaches for days. All the while, the Mad Tea Party was in full swing.
I was running back and forth, baking, taking photos.
Making my visits last Saturday night, because I had to get things baked and pack my car to head out of town.
Over the weekend of the Mad Tea Party I made…
Then I made more, yes more.
And got busy packing.
Packing ever so carefully to make sure everything would arrive in tip top shape.
I packed cakes and peach pies and peach crisps and flowers, and butter-cream frosting to frost items when I arrived at…
The family house.
Mom and Dad's.
Why?
It was Mombie's birthday!!! Hoooray!
I made her a special pie with a "Y" for the first letter of her name.
Yvonne.
And another with a peach motif.
There would be about 12 or 15 close family members gathering for Mom's very special b-day.
I was the dessert girl and the food making girl.
Packing it all was the most harrowing part, and I didn't frost any cakes until I arrived.
But once I arrived I had helpers.
Dad, sis and brother jumped in.
Even mom chopped before the guests arrived.
I brought lots and lots of crazy delicious tomatoes from my garden (why are they so intensely delicious when home grown?) and started with my red wine vinaigrette, with cherry tomato and basil bruschetta.
Then I got busy making 8 bowls of pizza dough.
Mom's request was 8 pizzas.
I had dough rising all over the yard in warm places covered by moist cloths, and my sis was running around with dough. Ordering it for 30 minute risings.
Then, it was time to roll them out and get making, just as people started to arrive.
My pizza dough performed sooo well, I must throw it it's own party.
It sponged up like a dream.
(thank goodness, I had nightmares of the opposite happening)
Then I took orders for pizzas.
Meat lovers.
Cheeseless.
Greek.
Veggie.
Everything under the sun pizza.
All sorts of pizzas were made.
My brother stood by the ovens (thanks goodness my Mom and Dad have 2 ovens).
He drank whiskey or something with my uncle, while helping me time and watch pizza baking.
It was great.
All the while my poor Dad washed his little brains out.
Everything I used he washed, and everything I needed help with, he did.
Dad was my right hand man.
He even suggested….
Feta, artichoke, spinach pizza.
He kept saying, more feta, more feta my love…
So many treats made…
Everyone had sooo much fun, it was a grand time.
My grandma kept kissing and hugging me, and clapping over the pizzas.
Sis requested cheeseless pesto pizza (oh ya, I made a huge container of pesto to bring with me as well), with large tomatoes from my garden, spinach, and mushrooms…
(I also brought mass amounts of fresh basil for everyone)
I didn't get to try very many pizzas.
I was just too busy, but I wish I had some now 😉
My mom browned some incredible sausage for topping the day before, which was delicious too, if you are a meat eater.
Veggie cheeseless below - pesto, tomato, spinach & mushrooms.
One of the fave pizzas was requested by my little cousin Carolina.
Just double cheese and pepperoni.
For some reason, it was realy really good and everyone loved it.
(that's my brother delivering it)
I made a few everything pizzas with ham and sausage and jalapenos (plus all the veggies like red peppers, garlic, onion etc.) and some others I can't remember now.
I didn't take any more photos as my brother was mortified that I had flour and dough all over my camera.
Being a movie maker, this freaked him out, as he is not as wacky with his cameras as I.
Mine usually have glitter and glue and flour all over them 🙂
As for dessert…
Let's see…..
I made a 4 layer lemon raspberry cake (my own sorta invention), but waited to frost it when I arrived.
I used Rosie's buttercream frosting recipe for all the cakes. I make it all the time and it's amazing.
However, I experimented a little this time for the lemon cake….
Instead of using vanilla or milk for the frosting, I used fresh squeezed lemon juice as the substitution to milk (3-4 tablespoons), and it worked beyond well.
It was lovely lemon frosting, with a little yellow food coloring.
(On the trip, I found out I am allergic to yellow dye, great. No cake for me, swollen lip after a taste, darn)
Hope Mombie loved it!!!
I got pink candles that claimed to burn in pink and purple.
And, they did!!
I also made some red velvet cupcakes, with frosting roses that I dusted with gold and silver edible petal dust.
And everyone dug in to an abundance of desserts.
Although, they couldn't move from all the pizza eating.
Peach crisp, peach pie, coconut macaroons, cake, cupcakes and ice-cream.
(Oh ya, I forgot about the coconut macaroons too)
Gobbled.
Munched.
Yummmms.
Everyone ate until they dropped.
Seriously.
No one could move.
🙂
I was a happy cook.
The next morning I got up, watered Mammie's plants, painted some giant angel heads that needed a little work here and there for her.
Went through an old trunk of mine and packed all my chilhood and tween records, to bring with me. Plus a bunch of other stuff.
Packed my car again.
Hello never-ending baking plates and containers.
(they are still in my car)
And came home to my babies and the Mister.
Boy were they happy to see me.
Wrestling.
Jumping around.
They make you feel soooo loved.
Love, love, love…
The last 9 days or so have been one big crazy blur.
I got home and mowed a ton of weeds, and am back to more harvests and garden work.
I left a mess in the studio with a painting I made for Mammie.
Which, I forgot to photograph.
Oh well.
I think I might need a vacation.
Only, I want a vacation in my own bed, in my room with some really good movies.
Now that is a vacation to me….
🙂
Looooove, V
PS: Mad Tea Party Giveaway results below!!!!
Druuum roooolll!!
Per random number generator….
1) #177 ~ Marilyn!!!
2) #126 ~ Denise Adorian!!!
3) #42 ~ William Charlebois!!!
Woooo hoooo!!
First person gets first choice, etc…
Please e-mail if you won, hooooray! 😉
🖤
Holy cows, you have been crazy busy! But it sounds like you’ve been having loads of fun too. ^-^
I’m glad all your cooking and baking made everyone so happy… I love to bake and watch everyone dive in, then sit back, smack their lips and pat their bellies… =D
XOXO
Oh yes… and now all I want is home made pizza and peach desserts… ^_~
XOXO
You always make everything seem so fabulous! Love your writing and your pictures! I wanted to be there! So glad your Mombie had a great birthday!Hugs! deb
Hi Vanessa,
I am glad you had such a good time during the mad tea party weekend. How could you not, with all those peaches? Must have been really nice hanging out with family and celebrating birthdays.
Wishing you well,
Jessica.
Wowweee Kazowweeee!!! My mouth is seriously watering!!! I soooooo love peaches! Fresh peaches! I’m in total peach envy -lol- :o)
What a wonderful daughter you are fixing your Mom the ultimate birthday dinner and party! A good time had by all.
Have a great day.
Always, Queenie
Everything looks so delicious, Vanessa! I curse this Celiac Disease when I see pies and pizzas in the same post! : ) I can’t believe how busy you have been AND you pulled off the Mad Tea Party, too. You certainly must be exhausted and I hope you take a day or two for yourself to just do nothing.
Oops, forgot to say Congrats to the winners! : )
Oh what amazing adventures you’ve had since the Mad Tea Party! All those peaches…my oh my. What AMAZING treats you made from them!!!! Isn’t baking SO much fun??? And those pizzas…I love pizza. That veggie pesto pizza looked mighty yummy. 🙂 Is it hard to do pizza crust? I fear I don’t have the patience for it! So sorry you are allergic to yellow dye – maybe you can look into natural food dyes – they do exist. Then you can have as many brightly colored treats as you wish! 🙂 Furry baby love…there is nothing finer. 🙂 Relax and enjoy the weekend…and congrats to your lucky winners!!!
Whoa! Everything looks so delicious! I wish i was part of your family because I can put away pies (both pizza and fruit) like nobody’s business! Your post made me so hungry I am going to go eat something right now!
Everything PEACHY KEEN!! hehe Pesto, mmmmmmmmm can’t wait
to try that on a homemade pizza!! and that lemon cake, all
those peach pies, and those red velvet cupcakes!!O MY!!! and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Yvonne!!! Your dad, mom and clapping grandma must be beyond the moon proud of their Vanessa!! It sounds like YOU never wasted a single second with your mom and family and that is LOVE!!! I bet M&M missed YOU big time! Thank Goodness they had Mr. Lovee! Congrats to all the winners! That’s why I didn’t comment on your BEAUTY FULL!!! tea party since I wasn’t having a tea party, I wouldn’t feel right if I had won a prize!!!hehe Lovely post my dear as always! smooches to all
Oh my! Dear Vanessa…simply amazing!!! My mouth is watering now…but truly this is a post of LOVE. A labor of love this was, and it totally comes through to us!
Your family sounds beautiful….
The pies and pizzas are so pretty…everything is!!
That sounds like a great vacation…hope you get a chance to relax….and congrats to the lucky winners!
Sparkly blessings,
– Irina :))
Wow! You are truly amazing! I must ask if in fact, if you run off Duracell batteries.
You are like the Energizer Bunny!
What a wonderful family cooking affair making all those specialty pizzas! They all looked scrumptious, especially your Dads request! I am Ssooo dying for those mouth watering peaches you have pictured. Then, you go and make pie and peach crisp with ice cream Yikes! I too could have and would have sampled it ALL including macaroons and even cupcakes, (so pretty with the rose buds)!
It sounds like you had a wonderful family birthday visit even though you were sooo busy and had the mishap with yellow dye. My neice is allergic to certain colored dyes too, I have to check which ones.
Ohh, I Love your Sweet Moms name Miss Vanessa, it’s the same as my moms! Most people call my mom Vonnie!
Thanks again, for being sooo Fanciful! The tea Party was a Fabulous time and congrats to all the winners! You need to curl up with the boys and listen to your records! <3
Hi Miss Vanessa, What an amazing time I had at all the Tea Partys….and it was all because of your inspiration..Yea..
Thank you so much.
You have an amazing assortment of goodies and I am drooling as I type. Everything looks so very wonderfully delicious, and I know it is.
Thanks for sharing..
The food is beautiful and amazing! And it is amazing how you can pull so much together in such a short time frame.
Your elevation of desert looks much greener and therefore higher.
Would peach trees grow in Phoenix or is it just too hot?
I have a lemon and a tangelo.
Wow – is all I can say! I love peaches so much and that big basket of peaches just made my mouth water!!! And the peach desserts! I love fruit pies more than any other treat – I think they are the best. Yours look lovely! And the pizzas!!! You made your Mombie’s birthday extra special – you’re so selfless. And how sweet to share your peach delights with the neighbors! Your fur boys look adorable in the last picture. You never cease to amaze.
I enjoyed your 2012 Mad Tea Party and then perused the past parties(again – I think I saw most of them when they were originally posted, but the memory refresher was nice). So glad you posted those links – very interesting to see how your style has evolved and changed.
Your edibles look very tasty, indeed!!!
Vanessa:
I am utterly exhausted just reading this post. Exhausted in a good way, of course. When on earth do you have time to breath, dear heart?
Pies and peachy goodness and pizza, pizza, pizza…all send me over the moon! I am fainting and running and flapping my arms in wishful thinking…wishful that I could have some of that yumminess right now.
and…Happy Birthday to you dear Mombie. What a special day you all had.
Vanessa…get some rest. Plop down in your bed and watch a good movie, please!
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
Oh My Dearest Sweet Whirl-Wind of Creativity!
How do you do it?!?! You make so many people happy! What an amazing party you orchestrated for your Very Dear Mombie! I wish her a belated Happy Birthday! So many yummy peach desserts (and others too) and I really think your Daddy had the very best pizza combo of all!!!
Congratulations to all of the give-away winners, but especially William ’cause he’s a new blog friend and I’m sure he must be super excited to have won!!!
Thank you again for hosting the amazing, super-fun Mad Tea Party! I’m already working on ideas in my head for Halloween!!!
Please take some time off for yourself!
You deserve it!
Biggest hugs,
Betty
Oh my… I think I gained 20 pounds just reading your post! Yum! You are a true baking goddess, I bow before greatness (actually I am looking for crumbs 🙂
Thank you again V for the most wonderful, fabulous, delicious, supercalifragelisticexpealidocous party ever!
Tricia aka Aunt Thelma
Mmm…those peaches look so lovely! And love your idea of a vacation- breakfast in bed with movies and books! Thanks for sharing V 🙂
Congratulations to the winners!
Miss V, thank you again for a fabulous party.
Have you heard there are several circus themed parties coming up on the web. I would love to see what you pull together for either (please BOTH) of those.
Travel is nice, especially with family and best friends, but coming home has its own rewards.
I just sent you an E-mail My Dear.What a gorgeous post. Full of fun family activities.Like I told you in My e-mail,Your God given talent for so many things is amazing.Glad to be #2 winner.Thank you so much-hugs to you-Denise
Vanessa, I could read this post 100 times. Sounds like a scene from a Woody Allen movie, and I LOVE his movies. Lemon cake is my absolute favorite, and I’ll take one slice of each pizza. I must try making your red wine vinaigrette. Looks so beautiful too.
By the way, your kind of vacation is exactly my kind. I could watch movies all day.
Thank you for sharing with us, love. Loads of laughter and good health to your mom.
XOXO’s,
Marcia
Oh, and congratulations to the winners. YAY!!!!!
Oh my goodness! I never win any of the big give aways! How exciting. Can I have a peach pie please, just smiling. They look delicious!
That sounds like an excellent (and delicious) party!! Now that’s what I want on my birthday!! Trouble is, around here, I’d have to make it all for myself…haha!
You are amazing 🙂
The peaches look beautiful. Lucky you to have all that wonderful fruit. All the food looks wonderful too. Sounds like you had such a good time at your parents’.
Hope you get your movie vacation soon. I know how busy all that preserving and baking kept you.
Beautiful pics.
Fabulous-ness! ‘Just do not know what else to say. It all looks beautiful and scrumptious. I feel as though I was at the party with you!
Happy Summer Vanessa!
Ciao bella,
Suzanne
Gee! What a birthday feast for you Mombie! Gosh, all of those pizzas look so scrumptious. And the cakes and pies! And all of those peaches you baked up into pies and crisps…
There is nothing so delectable as eating a fresh peach! It is a heavenly taste made for the gods. If you know what I mean. Thank you for sharing all of your awesome photos.
I was looking at one of your very, very old posts of 2008 with your wee elves and Red Riding Hood and the Wolf…and the Cypress trees…time flies way too fast as I remember that post as if it were yesterday.
(There is a sore, scratchy throat going around…I was hoping I wouldn’t get it, but I did and I’m consuming hot tea and honey). I don’t feel too bad, it’s just annoying.
Congratulations to the winners in the Mad Tea Party giveaway! I wish I had fifty giveaway prizes to give everyone who came to my blog but only one lucky winner gets the prize. It was fun traveling around blogland seeing old friends and meeting new ones for the tea party.
Cheers!
=^..^=
The Cheshire Cat
Wow, that’s a lot of baking! I’m totally craving fresh peaches and homemade pizza! All the food looks so delicious. Sounds like a great time at your Mombie’s!
You had me at “red velvet cupcakes.” Congrats to the winners. So glad I linked in. I found one of my first toadstools. The collection of props for next year’s post has already begun!
thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
I’ll never get to sleep now. I already tried once, and got back up. I shouldn’t keep my computer so close to the bed, because I immediately checked to see if I had any email. What a surprise! There was an email waiting to tell me I had won a surprise! Oh my. Then to make matters worse, pizza is my absolutely favorite food. I was recently put on a gluten-free diet, but fortunately, several of the pizza places by us now make gluten-free crust. They definitely don’t look anything like yours, though. Oh how I want a piece of pizza now. I guess I’ll have to settle for looking at the pictures one more time. Hey. If I try really hard, maybe I’ll dream about peach cobbler. I love peach cobbler! I love anything with peaches in it. I love winning surprises, too. Thank you so much! This was almost as fun as Mad Tea Party day. :^)
I wanted to come and say ‘Thank you, Vanessa!’ for all the fun I had during the Mad Tea Party. It was a wonderful occasions and I met a lot of interesting people and ate a lot of cake and drank a lot(a LOT) of tea. Thank you so much.
Those pizzas look wonderful. Fresh and tasty and really good!
As for the peaches, I’ll have to get my tree to talk to your trees, because all I got this year was one peach. One!
Congratulations to the winners. Well done!
You’ve been one busy lady Ms. Vanessa! I don’t know how you’d keep all that baking and cooking and harvesting, plus the Mad Tea Party straight! That lemon cake looks amazing and your roses too. The pie’s, oh my…I now have a sweet tooth 😉 Happy belated birthday to Mombie, so glad the day was so wonderful!
Hugs,
Jamie 🙂
love
LOVE
that you did all this baking
for your mom !!
{{it melts my heart
in the best way,
the pie with the Y
on it!!!
i nearly cried
as
~~Yvonne~~
is my mom’s name,
too,
and
she will B 90
in january!
i am thinking
of making her
Such as Pie,
but clearly
there will B no fresh peaches…}}
You are crazycreative in the kitchen!!!
I know your family LOVES it. The pizzas look amazing.
Did you make your own crust for the pies? I haven’t mastered the lattice top yet!
And if I haven’t said so, you are so very lucky/blessed to have your parents. Don’t miss a single joyful time with them…soak it up and cherish it all.
hola to Carolina!
Oh my goodness everything looks so good!!!
I can almost taste and smell it.:)
Happy Birthday to your Mom!
Tracy
Amazing job, Vanessa! What a huge amount of work, but done with such exuberance! Love it! I hope you’ve been finding cozy comforts in bed with good movies : )
~Kim
Heloooo Shablita!!! Can i still call you that? Pretty please?
Yes all my own crusts and doughs, etc. I think I should share the
perfected recipe and show the lattice tops, whatta ya say???
Much love, V
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 8/5/2012 2:28:29 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
SPF we both have Yvonne moms??? OH!!! How wonderfully
fantastically curiously coincidental!!! I love that!! xoxoxxx
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 8/5/2012 12:26:40 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
I knew you’d offer to teach me 🙂 I say yes.
I told my own mommy today about your peach pies and your mom’s bday…she was smitten. She is 84 and is spending the night with me. I cooked salmon that my kids caught in Alaska two weeks ago!
Love,
Shabbilita
Congratulations to the winners…This post was beautiful..Made me sooo hungry..The pizzas look delish…And the peaches..My favorite!!
OMG… you are tremendous at cooking. Specially loved your invention of 4 layered lemon raspberry cake. I am mouth-watering now. Can’t wait more for pizzas.
Miss Vanessa pie, YOU are too much. I love these photos, and that Lovee picked the peaches and that you made a cake and that the cake had LEMON FROSTING!!! (love) and that your pups were too happy when you got home!
I came to find more tea party links, but I saw PASTRY PICS!!
xox