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Tea Time Recipes
By Tamera Bastiaans
Since a full tea is served in three courses, here are some recipes to be served with each course.
~ Savories ~
Baco-Dilly Sandwiches
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
5 Bacon slices (finely chopped)
1 tbs. Chopped green onion
1 tsp. Dill weed
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1 c. Toasted slivered almonds
Mix ingredients until well combined. Spread half of the bread with a thin coating of mayonnaise. Spread the other bread with the cream cheese mixture. To make each sandwich, cut off crusts, and cut into three parallel sections, or four triangles.
Cheesy Bacon Bites
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. cooked, finely chopped bacon
2 tbs. finely chopped onion (I use green for color)
1 pkg. Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 c. cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Separate crescent rolls into two rectangles. Spread cream cheese mixture on each rectangle and roll it up like a cinnamon roll, starting at the longest side, and then seal the edge. Cut each roll into 16 slices. I start by cutting it in half, then each piece in half again and then again and then one last time. Than should give you sixteen even pieces. Place the slices cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake them for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 32 appetizers.
~ Scones ~
Dried Fruit Scones
1/2 c. Butter (cold)
2 1/2 c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Orange zest
1/2 c. Currants (or raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries)
1/3 c. Honey
1/2 c. Sour cream
1 Egg, beaten
1 Egg white (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until it forms small pea sized clumps (this is important--don't use a mixer or your scones will be tough!). Add the currants or raisins. In another bowl, combine honey, sour cream, and lightly beaten egg with whisk. Stir honey mixture into dry ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. Add more flour if necessary. Knead dough on a floured board 10 times. Shape dough into an 8" square. Cut into 4 pieces then into triangles. Brush with egg white using pastry brush. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Easy Devonshire Cream
1 c. Heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. Cream of tartar
1/2 c. Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla (or vanilla powder)
Beat all ingredients until stiff. Refrigerate and serve with scones and jam.
~ Dessert/Sweets ~
Orange Cream Cheese Cookies
1/2 c. Butter
1/2 c. Sugar
1 1/2 oz. Cream cheese
1 Egg yolk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tbs. Frozen orange juice
Zest of one orange
1 1/2 c. Sifted flour
1/4 tep. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
Preheat oven 350° degrees. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in cream cheese and egg yolk. Add vanilla, orange juice and orange zest. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder; fold it into mixture. Chill the dough for one hour. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Variation: lemon rind and lemonade concentrate.
Tamera is a stay-at-home-wife who loves to cook, read, write, garden
and craft. She has a free email newsletter called Tamera's Tea Time
Talk and Culinary Chatter.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
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Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing