Host a Holiday Tea Party, The Chew Style!

Have you ever watched The Chew on ABC? It’s an upbeat daytime talkshow that encompasses and celebrates ALL things food. I’m talking home entertaining tips, unique crafts, hot food trends, celebrity guests, tons of mouth-watering recipes and so much more!

The hosts (Carla Hall, Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Daphne Oz, and Clinton Kelly) are such a fun group of big personalities. Seeing them interact can get pretty hilarious which is one of the reasons why I love The Chew. Not to mention I’ve come away with some pretty good tips and recipes.

Did I ever tell you guys I was invited to be a guest on this show? I had just given birth to Ethan so I had to decline but when I was asked to write a blog post about The Chew I was all like “ uhhh heck yeah!”

It was such perfect timing. The Chew is always bursting out of the seams with amazing holiday tips, idea and recipes and  my annual holiday tea party is right around the corner!  I’ll be using some of my favorite holiday recipes from The Chew to pull it all together!

Bring out that tea set, it’s time to host a holiday tea party, The Chew style!!

Don’t worry, throwing a holiday tea party is super easy when you keep it simple and it can actually be very relaxing. Seriously. No decorating needed!

But hey if you’re just itching to get crafty and create a holiday tea party centerpiece then check out these gorgeous, easy cranberry topiary balls by the uber talented Clinton Kelly.

All you really need to have a great holiday tea party is some fun friends (bonus points if they are as down-to-earth as The Chew cast), a cute little tea set or mugs, some tea and a platter full of dainty little treats to enjoy.

Sounds easy enough right?

I seriously look forward to my annual holiday tea party with my girlfriends even if it’s only for a couple of hours. It’s just a time that we can catch up with each other, kick back our heels, relax from all the holiday shopping and simply enjoy some tea, snacks and lots of laughter.

It’s amazing the kinds of juicy convo that comes up over a hot cup of tea. Fun times!

Let’s talk tea….

For a holiday tea party, you’ll need some festive tea! You can opt to go with a variety of flavors for your guests to choose from or you can pick one flavor that you know everyone will love.

You can find a collection of delicious tea recipes on The Chew’s website like this spiced tea with pumpkin whipped cream.

For my holiday tea party the starring tea will be “Carla’s Di-Stress Chai Tea.” I absolutely LOVE her on this show. She’s such a funny and quirky lady and her calming Chai tea is so perfect for this time of year.

Bring On The Treats!

Food makes everything better and holiday tea parties begs for festive goodies! I’m skipping the classic cucumber cream cheese sandwiches and going straight to a holiday favorite, COOKIES!!

As a matter of fact, now would be a great time to add some festive and easy gift-giving to your holiday tea party by inviting your guests to participate in a holiday cookie swap. The Chew recently hosted their very own cookie swap, which resulted in some really great recipes, which I’ll be using.

When creating your treat platter aim for a variety of textures, colors and flavors that will complement the tea. When in doubt though, you can never go wrong with butter and vanilla flavors!

For my “The Chew” style holiday tea party, it’s only fitting that I go with my favorite cookies and treats from each host.

I’ll be whipping up these colorful sugar cookies by Carla Hall….

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Mario Batali’s gorgeous thin waffles cookies……

Michael Symons “fig chewtons“……

Daphne Oz’s Glazed Gingersnaps…..

and Clinton Kelly’s Stained Glass Shortbread!

Can you imagine how amazing the treat platter will look with all those textures, flavors and colors!?

That’s it!!! Now just throw a festive tablecloth on the table, set out your tea cups and invite your friends over for an amazing, relaxing & simple holiday tea party!

Need an ice breaker? Just turn on The Chew weekdays at 1e|12p|c on ABC! 

Happy Holidays!!!