Cranberry Orange Scones with Lemon Curd

Me, my Fairy Godmother, her best friend, and my best friend host a Mother-Daughter Tea Party every other year for a big group of our good friends. We've been doing it for 12 years now and go all out for the ladies. We serve a 3 course meal with 3 different teas, we have waiters (my brothers, dad and my best friends brother and dad) dress up super fancy, we have hats for all the ladies to wear and games for the ladies to play in between the 3 course meal. Last year we had over 100 women show up! Mothers, daughters, grandmas,grand daughters, aunts, nieces, friends of friends of friends...it's so much fun!

So, for the Mother-Daughter tea parties, we make Cranberry Orange Scones with Lemon Curd for the first course! It's my favorite course out of the 3. We've made this every year except one, and the year we didn't make it, we had a lot of woman ask for us to bring the Cranberry scones back! Thank goodness. There's just something amazing about Cranberry Orange and Lemon Curd together. Mmm!!

Cranberry Orange Scones

2 cups flour
2 1/2 Tbls. Sugar
5 1/4 Tbls Orange Rind, grated
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup butter, cold
1 cup cranberries, dried
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup half 'n half
1 egg
Glaze:
2 1/2 Tbls. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tbls orange juice

In a large bowl combine flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt, baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs, set aside. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, orange juice, half and half and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until soft dough forms. On a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times. Pat dough into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Separate wedges and place on a ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk, sprinkle with more sugar. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over scones. Serve warm. (Dough can be frozen)

Lemon Curd

1 cup sugar
6 Tbls butter
3 tsp lemon zest (about 3 or 4)
6 Tbls lemon juice
3 eggs, beaten

In the top of a double boiler, combine sugar, butter zest and lemon juice. Over simmering-not boiling water, stir mixture until butter has melted and sugar is dissolved. Stirring constantly, spoon a little of the hot butter mixture into the beaten eggs. Pour egg mix into hot butter mixture, stirring constantly to blend. Cook over simmering water (medium heat) until it has thickened 20-30 minutes. Remove lemon curd from heat. Cool and refrigerate. Will keep in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Here are a few pictures of the tea parties we've hosted :) Enjoy!

The dessert. The 3rd course. This was a 'Fairy Tale' themed tea party :) 

This was maybe 5-6 years ago. All the servers and my best friend in the front on the left and me on the right. :)

This is our cheat sheet for who is sitting where, and what tables we were in charge of taking care of. This was at the end of the party, I look tiiiiiired!

My Fairy Godmother and her best friend getting one of the courses ready

Close up of one of the dessert courses. Mmm! My best friend and I colored in the 'card' cookies!

Happy all dressed up and ready to serve! The ladies swoon when they see the guys all dressed up like this and waiting on them! Who wouldn't!

All the tea pots lined up and ready to be filled and delivered to each table.

After each tea party, we have our own little party with all the guys that helped serve! My super awesome sisters-in-law, Pocahontas, Belle, and Ariel and a few other ladies serve us and clean up a little, while we relax and enjoy the left overs from the party! Can you tell we look exhausted?! :) So worth it! 

Blogs I'm linked too: Sweet Boutique, Six Sisters' Stuff, Diana Rambles,The Weekend Kitchen Creations, Michelle's Tasty Creations, Mommy's Sweet Confessions, Life On Lakeshore Drive, Mom's Test Kitchen, Couponing & Cooking, This Gal Cooks, Plaid & Paisley Kitchen, Feeding Big, Mandatory Mooch