High Tea for the Holidays |

If you have never hosted a high tea before, now is the time to jump in with both feet and host one for your friends to help celebrate the upcoming holidays. I try to have a holiday luncheon for my girl friends each year, where we reminisce about all the good times and memories we are grateful for. It also gives us the opportunity to spend a minute or two on throwing away any of the negative vibes, and ensure they don’t roll over into the new year. My luncheon menu varies from year to year and has ranged from Baked Artichoke Lasagna, French Quiché Lorraine, Sandwich Loaf, Lobster Bisque served with Mandarin Orange and Toasted Almond Salad, and Tea Sandwiches and Scones. Today my girlfriends and I visited our friend Kathy, recently home from the hospital and brought tea sandwiches, salad, and scones and had a fun day visiting with each other. Nothing like a good cup of tea and a few cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches with your best girl friends!

Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches                  Level: Easy

Ingredients:
English Cucumber
8 oz cream cheese
Garlic powder
Worcestershire Sauce
5-6 Tbl milk or cream 
8 white bread slices

Preparation:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove skin from the cucumber every 
   1/2" which creates stripes.  Using a sharp paring knife, slice thin
   slices and thin slices and lay out on layer of paper towel.  Top with
   another piece of paper towel and press lightly to "dry" the slices.
2. Place the cream cheese in a food processor, add a dash of garlic powder
   and Worcestershire Sauce and the milk.  On low speed process the
   cream cheese till silky smooth and firm (don't let it get too thin).
   Take 1/2 of the cream cheese and set aside to be used for the 
   Deviled Ham sandwiches.
3. Set out the bread slices and spread the cheese mixture on each slice.
   Top one slice with about 6 or 7 cucumber slices.
4. Place bread slice on top of the cucumber slices and trim off the edges
   with a sharp knife.  Cut the sandwiches into 4 wedges cut on the diagonal.  

Yield:  16 tea sandwiches

Egg Salad Sandwiches                                       Level: Easy

Ingredients:
4 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
Onion Salt
2 Tbl fresh chives
6 medium-size green olives with pimento
8 White bread slices

Preparation:
1. Using cold water, fill a medium size pot and boil 4 eggs for 
   about 15 minutes until they are hard-boiled.  When done, remove
   from pot and place in a bowl filled with cold water.
2. Once eggs are cold, peel them and place in bowl - using a knife
   and fork, mash the eggs until both the whites and yolks are
   pea-sized pieces.
3. Add the onion salt, chives, green olives, and mayo to the bowl
   and gently mix till well blended.
4. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise on the 8 slices and
   place 2 tablespoons of egg salad on one slice of bread and cover
   with another slice. Cut off the crusts of the sandwich, and
   slice the sandwich into 3 sections (finger length).

Yield:  12 tea sandwiches

Deviled Ham Sandwiches                               Level: Easy

Ingredients:
1 can of deviled ham mix 
1/2 slice of pre-cooked ham (3 oz) Hormel
Cream Cheese (use the 2nd half of the cream cheese made
for the Cucumber sandwiches)
3 Tbl of cream cheese mixture
8 wheat bread slices

Preparation:
1. Using a food processor add the 1/2 slice of ham and chop it up 
   on low-speed.  
2. Add to a medium size bowl and add in the deviled ham and the 
   cream cheese - mix till well blended.
3. Spread out the 8 slices of bread and lightly spread each piece 
   with the cream cheese you set aside.  Place a heaping tablespoon
   of ham mixture on one piece of bread and top with another.  
4. Cut off the crusts from the sandwich and cut into four pieces on
   the diagonal.  

Yield:  16 tea sandwiches