Moms' Tea - Butterfly Garden

This past weekend, I hosted the 3rd annual "Moms' Tea" at my place - my mom and MIL come over for some appetizers and lunch, followed by tea. I always look forward to this soiree because it's fun to plan for a ladies afternoon, and the moms get to catch up. I really love to entertain, so it's perfect. I prepared goat cheese tarts, some cantaloupe and prosciutto hors d'oeuvres, a cheese platter, & some lemon and blueberry cookies. The moms brought a salad and some individual blueberry cheesecakes, as well. And - the piece d'resistance were my butterfly cupcakes. They came out great!

I had a butterfly theme for the day, and the genesis of this idea is pretty ridiculous: A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in the food court at the mall, eating my Chik-Fil-A kids meal (what can I say, I wasn't really that hungry). The meal came with a toy, which happened to be a packet of trading cards with different animals on them. I was going to give the toy to a co-worker's kid, but I'd already opened the toy bag to see what was in it. Mainly cards with creepy, crawly critters, but one card had a photo of a beautiful monarch butterfly on it. And I actually though of my Monarch Handmaiden Yarn that I'm knitting the clapotis from! I thought that I could make these monarch cupcakes and wear my clapotis for tea!

I don't know why I quite often times set these ludicrous expectations on myself! I calculated that I'd need another 20 knitting hours to finish the clapotis. There's no way I can finish it anytime soon! But..... it did motivate me to progress on it, and make the chocolate butterflies, and the menu for the tea! So it all worked out! I had a great time at tea, and I think the moms did too!

The recipe for my tart is here, along with a little butterfly poem below!

I've watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
~William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"