Tea Sandwich Saturday #53 - Cornbread Madeleines with Black-eyed Pea Hummus & Hot Collard Dip

Having grown up in the South, I am of course accustomed to eating traditional New Year's foods such as greens and black-eyed peas. Legend has it you're supposed to eat lots of greens to represent the "greenbacks" (dollars) you will see in the new year, and the peas represent the coins—so make sure you eat many more greens than peas! Ideally you should have some of both, so I have incorporated these foods into my final tea sandwiches of the year.

First, I made a small batch of cornbread mix that I spooned into my madeleine pan. Whatever cornbread recipe you have will be fine, just make sure there's enough milk added so the mixture isn't too stiff.

Then, I made my version of a recipe I found in Southern Living a few years ago for this Hot Collard Dip. I substituted collards for the turnip greens they used, and it is quite amusing to me to watch people who declare they *hate* greens scarf this down because they think they're eating spinach dip and not collards. If you add enough cheese and bacon to anything, it has to be good, I suppose!

And this isn't the first time I've made a tea sandwich with hummus this year, but it is the first time I've used a Black-eyed Pea Hummus. These "spreads" are both, obviously, designed to be dips, so if they don't find a place on your tea table, perhaps they are something you might want to try for a New Year's buffet. Here are the recipes.


Hot Collard Dip

5 bacon slices
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup apple juice
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen chopped collards, thawed
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into squares
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook bacon in a large pot oven over medium-high heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving a tablespoon or so of drippings in pot. Sauté onion and garlic in drippings for 3 to 4 minutes, then add apple juice and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring well. Add collards, cream cheese, sour cream, pepper flakes, salt and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring often, until cream cheese is melted and mixture is thoroughly heated. Garnish with crumbled bacon and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese before serving. You can also keep this in a crock pot on low if you'd like to keep it warm for a party!



Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon cumin seed
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)

Pour drained black-eyed peas into the food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil and process until well-blended. Add the cumin seed and tahini and process until combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process until it reaches desired consistency. Serve on tea sandwiches or with chips, pretzels, etc.

And finally, I wanted to say thank you for reading along this year and for your encouragement with this particular project! You friends are an adventurous bunch, I'll sure say that. Also, some readers have asked if I might consider publishing these recipes together in a printed form. I'm trying to find an affordable way to do that (without printing a full-fledged book), and I'll let you know once that's done. Meanwhile, please drop by next weekend to find out what my "Saturday tea project" for 2012 is going to be. It's something I've been eager to try for a while now, and I think you just may approve! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #52 - Lobster & Sun-dried Tomato

Christmas calls for foods a bit more festive than usual, so I got a bee in my bonnet to make something with lobster this week. I decided to make a simple spread, and then I used my Linzer cookie cutters to make sandwiches with Christmas cutouts. Neat and easy, just like I like 'em!

Before I chose to use lobster, I had mentioned to my friend Maureen (ParTea Lady) that I wanted to make a new Christmas tea sandwich recipe, for which I would obviously need a speck of something red. She offered the idea of sun-dried tomato. I LOVE the taste of sun-dried tomato and can't believe I haven't incorporated that into my sandwiches this year! Here, you can see the pretty red and green colors from celery and the chopped sun-dried tomato pieces. So here you go, an easy, last-minute recipe for Christmas tea sandwiches.

Lobster & Sun-dried Tomato

1 teaspoon sun-dried tomato pieces
1 celery rib, cut in large pieces
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 (6.5-ounce) can lobster meat
1-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2-3 drops red pepper sauce
Dash of chili powder
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Place first three ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse til combined. Remove to a small mixing bowl. Boil lobster meat for about five minutes, then strain and place in food processor, pulsing until light and fluffy in consistency. Add to mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and combine, adjusting seasonings as desired. Yields about 1/2 cup spread. (Expensive to make, but once a year I figure it's worth it!)

And finally, I'd like to point out that yes, today is Tea Sandwich Saturday #52 even though there is still one more Saturday in the year. I counted, and there are indeed 53 Saturdays this year. A minor point, but worth a mention in case like me you're wondering if the numbering got off one week!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #51 - Oh, Christmas Tree!

A few weeks back when I made Christmas wreath-shaped tea sandwiches, I was pondering how to decorate them when a helpful reader sent me an e-mail and suggested sliced olives. Now how did I miss that! Yes, olives are perfect to serve as "ornaments" on a tea sandwich because they're the right color and the two-tone palette is already there. So this week's tea sandwiches are simply to show you some ideas for "decorating the tree" on your tea table!

You could use any spread you might have, or plain cream cheese, but I used some of the leftover Olive-Walnut dip from the office party the other day. A few slices of olives and voila, a nice little tree!

If you want a more classic look, you can top your tree sandwich with another slice of bread and line up three slices of olive. (Shamelessly stolen from my sister, who did this with her egg salad tea sandwiches last weekend!)

And last but not least, I liked this idea I saw in the Christmas issue of Tea Time magazine: use cucumber slices to decorate your tree!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #50 - Sakowitz Ham Salad

Earlier this week a co-worker mentioned having dined at the Sakowitz department store in Houston, Texas, a store I wasn't familiar with. Naturally I went online to see if any Sakowitz recipes are around, and I found this one, which I tweaked just a bit.

Also, by the time you read this post I will be getting ready for the Christmas tea I am hosting later today for my sister and some of her old high school classmates. I still think of them as "my little sister" and "the girls," even though they're 38-year-old wives and mothers now! And for their tea, I decided to use Pepperidge Farm Bread and my Linzer cookie cutters to add Christmas tree shapes to the bread for these ham sandwiches. You cut out a design in one color of bread and simply pop it into the other color of bread. Kind of like a puzzle. (A very easy puzzle.)

Or, you can leave the cutout out and let the Ham Salad peek through. Here's the ham salad as I made it.


Sakowitz Ham Salad

3 cups cooked ham, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or as needed)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and blend well. You may add more mayonnaise if needed.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #49 - Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread

This time next Saturday I will be getting ready for a very special Christmas Tea I am hosting, so I've already started thinking about what special shapes of tea sandwiches I can make. This week, I experimented with a Christmas wreath shaped cookie cutter. I used the cutter to slice the bread into the wreath shape, then I used a smaller circle-shaped cutter to cut out the inside of the wreath. The two green ones are covered with a spinach spread (all I could think of for a green filling). The top right sandwich is cranberry cream, and the bottom left one is Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread.

The easy Three-Cheese Pimiento Spread was a simple way to use up small amounts of some cheeses I already had on hand. Into the food processor went 4 ounces (one-half block) of cream cheese, 2 ounces of Swiss cheese, 2 tablespoons of gorgonzola cheese and a tablespoon of pimientos. I processed it all for several minutes until it was a nice, creamy consistency. The gorgonzola definitely makes this a strong tasting spread, which I like, but I might use a milder third cheese depending on what else I'm serving at teatime. My theory is that cream cheese mixed with any other two cheeses in the world can only be good!

And let me be quick to add that I'm still experimenting with these shaped sandwiches! Green bread would be ideal for the wreaths, but the last time I saw some was in a grocery store near Green Bay, Wisconsin a few weeks ago, and I don't have time to fly up there before the tea party!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #48 - Thanksgiving Leftovers

My husband walked in the kitchen just as I was finishing up this week's tea sandwiches. "Those look almost like turkeys!" he said brightly. "Almost?" I said. "ALMOST?" Being the smart man he is, he immediately changed his tune. "I mean, they look JUST like turkeys! Exactly like turkeys!" Indeed.

Actually, I do realize my artistry here could use a little finessing, but I absolutely *love* sandwiches made of Thanksgiving leftovers and didn't see why they couldn't be adapted for teatime.

I first discovered the turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce sandwich several years ago at a Boots drugstore in London, of all places. I couldn't imagine why you'd want to pile all that between two slices of bread, but out of curiosity I got one of the sandwiches and loved it! The only problem is, only once a year do you have all the proper ingredients. Fortunately for me, my sweet sister, who hosted us for Thanksgiving on Thursday, let me take home some of her (wonderful!) leftovers so I could try to make tea sandwiches.

The "leftovers" tea sandwich was made with white bread, and for the other two I used the Pepperidge Farm cranberry swirl bread with cranberry sauce on one, almond slices on the other. I tried to completely outline one whole slice of bread with almonds, but it ended up looking like a lopsided heart so I ditched that idea. So if you haven't eaten up your Thanksgiving leftovers just yet, give the "leftovers" sandwich a try. You just might be surprised!

Tea Sandwich Saturday #47 - Cranberry Pecan

A few weeks ago when I wrote about finding that Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread, a reader named Marie noted that they also have Cranberry Swirl Bread near the holidays, so I've been on the lookout and the bread has arrived at my local Publix.

To go on it, I decided to make an easy spread that would make a nice sweet type of tea sandwich suitable for serving at a Christmas tea party I'm planning. This recipe really couldn't be any simpler: cream cheese, dried cranberries, pecans. (And Swirl Bread.) That's it.

I made triangle-shaped tea sandwiches, but this bread is so pretty (and tasty!), I think it would look nice in any shape you decided to use. The spread ends up being a soft pink shade, and you can clearly see pieces of the cranberries and pecans, which I think play nicely against the Swirl design of the cranberry bread.

Cranberry Pecan Spread

1 (8-ounce) block of cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixture has a light, whipped texture. Yields 1 cup of spread.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #46 - Chicken Salad with Dill

When it comes to chicken salad I agree with my friend Linda, who says she is on a mission to try all the chicken salads she can in her quest to find the best one. I agree! This year I've tried quite a few chicken salad recipes including one that featured pecans and black olives, one with sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing, one with almonds and sweet pickle relish, and more recently, I was having lunch in Alabama when I had a dill-flavored chicken salad that was quite tasty.

Now here's a question for you: What consistency of chicken do you prefer in your chicken salad? I've had it (and made it) with huge chunks of chicken, with finely diced chicken and with chicken highly processed in the food processor. I guess the finely diced chicken would be my favorite, but I'm open to them all.

I used the finely processed chicken in this dish because I wanted a very spreadable chicken salad. I also added chopped almonds to give it a little crunch. This recipe has a mild dill flavor because I didn't want to go overboard on the dill. This recipe got it just right for me—but feel free to add more dill if you're the adventurous sort!

Chicken Salad with Dill

2 large boneless chicken breasts, fully cooked (about 1-3/4 cups chopped)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons nuts, optional

Cut chicken into chunks and place in bowl of food processor. Pulse until all chicken is chopped and of a very fine, light consistency. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, dill, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
Add chopped chicken and combine well. If desired, add nuts (I used chopped almonds). This chicken salad is good served hot or cold! Yields about 2 cups.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #45 - Cashew Curry Tea Sandwiches

This week's recipe is inspired by one I found in a tea cookbook a decade or so ago. I've since lost the recipe, but I remember the main ingredients were cream cheese, curry (a little too much, as I recall!) and cashews.

I think it's unfortunate that so many people today have nut allergies, and my condolences if you are one of them! I absolutely love nuts, from peanuts and cashews and almonds to hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts and Brazil nuts. There's nuttin' a nut won't make better, in my opinion. So here's the recipe I made for Cashew Curry Spread, which I believe is a lighter version of the one I made years ago. (But if you have a tea cookbook with that old recipe in it, please share!)

Cashew Curry Spread

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese
1/4 cup cashew nuts (reserve a few whole ones for garnish)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Add all ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse until combined into a nice thick paste. Yields 1 cup of spread, enough for about 24 small tea sandwiches.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #44 - Pear & Gorgonzola

This week I wanted to try a pear and cheese pairing of some sort, and what I ended up making was so easy it's almost a stretch to even call it a recipe! I simply creamed butter and Gorgonzola cheese, then spread it onto slices of bread and topped it with super-thin slices of a Bartlett pear that I got by using a vegetable peeler!

I used white bread to make open-faced sandwiches, topping them with a few crumbles of the cheese as a garnish.

I used that Very Thin Pepperidge Farm whole wheat bread to make stacked sandwiches, which I then cut into rectangular fingers. I love the salty bite of the Gorgonzola paired with the light sweetness of the pear.

Pear & Gorgonzola Tea Sandwiches

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 heaping tablespoons Gorgonzola

Blend well and you're done! This small amount yielded enough spread for seven tea sandwiches, and yes, I ate one that didn't quite make it on the plate! If you used an entire stick of butter and a 4-ounce container of Gorgonzola, you should have plenty for a tea party.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #43 - Dill & Crab Salad

Isn't it funny how our taste buds can shift gears at a moment's notice? My fixation with pumpkin flavors has gone bye-bye, and this week I wanted something savory and decided to look for a new seafood salad recipe.

One of the great things I've learned during this year of tea sandwich experimentation is that it's perfectly OK to look up recipes on the internet or in magazines and then add and subtract ingredients at will. Once I noticed that the basic ingredients in many seafood salads are imitation crabmeat and mayonnaise, I realized that endless variations can be made. I liked the sound of dill, so that's what I focused on in this recipe.

Dill and Crab Salad

8 ounces imitation crabmeat
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh onion
Dash of white pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until mixture reaches desired consistency. Tastes great served on sourdough bread! Yields 1 cup.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #42 - Almonds & Spiced Cream

Determined not to let my Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice bread go to waste, I decided I could get one more tea sandwich out of this loaf before it's time to move on. So this week, I decided to experiment with some cream cheese I had in the fridge.

I ended up mixing the cream cheese with some favorite fall spices, and then I topped the Pumpkin Spice bread with the spiced cream and sliced almonds.

Would the swirly bread cut out OK with my leaf-shaped cutters? Yes!

My husband especially liked the lightly sweet flavor of this cream cheese mixture, which we both agreed would also be good as a dip served with, say, vanilla wafers. Or gingersnaps. Here it is!

Spiced Cream

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Soften cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, then add sugar and spices. Combine well. Store in refrigerator. Yields 1 cup of spread.

Tea Sandwich Saturday #41 - Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches

Several years ago I helped with a church Christmas Tea where we served Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches. I've been thinking about them all week, so when I got to the grocery store I decided it was time to make some for this week's tea sandwich.

As I recall, we actually used raisin bread to make the sandwiches, and I was reaching for my usual loaf of Pepperidge Farm raisin bread when I saw this "limited edition" Pumpkin Spice flavor! Yum!

These are definitely more about "assembling" since there is no actual cooking involved, but here's what you need:

Harvest Apple Tea Sandwiches

Apples (I used Granny Smith)
Lemon juice
Raisin bread (or other flavored bread)
Creamy peanut butter
Nuts (I used walnuts)

Cut the apple into thin slices and soak them briefly in lemon juice to prevent browning. Spread two slices of bread with peanut butter, then layer with the apples. Once sandwich is assembled, use a bread knife to cleanly slice off the crusts, then cut into triangles.

On two of the triangles, I spread one edge with a thin layer of peanut butter and dipped the edge into chopped walnuts. I can't think of an easier, better or more delicious fall tea sandwich!