Moist, Delicious Brined Roast Turkey

We've tried a number of different methods to cook up our holiday birds..deep fried, frou-frou herbs stuffed under the skin, cumbersome cooking bags, smoked out on the grill...but I believe we've settled on a favorite. Alton Brown over at the Food Network makes an absolutely fabulous fantastic Brined Turkey that will knock your socks off. Can't believe how moist it turns out year after year. I'm not going to type the whole recipe in, I'm just going to provide you the link so you can go see it for yourselves. Click here.

South Georgia alterations? Of course. No vegetable stock in the store. No matter. Making it from scratch is easy enough. I cut an onion in half, threw in four or five stalks of celery and a couple of whole carrots and boiled it all for about an hour in a pot full of water. You can throw whatever ends and scraps of veggies you happen to have laying around to make a stock, just remember the onion. At the end, for the purposes of brining the turkey, I did throw in a couple of chicken bullion cubes.

Andoille Sausage Stuffing

When this made its debut at Biggs Manor in 2003, we knew we had a winner. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas since, we have religiously made this stuffing. We chose it at first because it paid homage to our Louisiana roots, but since then have made it because it was so darn good! One year, we had a friend for dinner that had spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and insisted he liked his food spicy. I unloaded almost an entire bottle of Tabasco into a pan of this mad just for him, and we never heard that claim from him again!

I had to make a South Georgia alteration to my stuffing this year, as there was not an andoille sausage to be found at WalMart or Piggly Wiggly in the Southwest Georgia region. Spicy smoked sausage worked almost as well, and we were grateful to have found a few links amongst the selections. Without further adieu, here it is!

ANDOILLE SAUSAGE STUFFING

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 pound andouille sausages, cut into 1/3-inch pieces

1 12-ounce package breakfast-style bulk sausage

3 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped red bell peppers

1 cup chopped green onions

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 loaf cornbread, cubed

1 cups (about) combination of chicken broth and ham stock.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all sausages and cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up bulk sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery and red bell peppers. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Stir in green onions, thyme, hot pepper sauce and sage. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir cubed cornbread into sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

To bake all of stuffing in baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Add enough broth/stock to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

Holiday Cooking

I have been so darn busy cooking up fabulous holiday meals, lots (and lots) of cookies, and making heartfelt homemade Christmas gifts, I have neglected to put up a few posts this month. If you know me at all, you know I tend towards binge blogging anyway! Shortly, I'm going to attempt to put up recipes for all the fabulous things I cook over the holidays for you and yours to enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Souffle

One of my many many faults is that when I say Thanksgiving dinner is a 4pm, I mean it. So when my favorite neighbors were late for dinner one year by about an hour, but all was forgiven and then some once I wrapped my lips around these sweet potatoes. I coulda died—only wish they had shown up sooner so I could have eaten less turkey and more sweet potatoes! So thank, you Julianne, we plan to enjoy these for years to come!

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Ingredients:
3 large cooked sweet potatoes, pureed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup butter softened

Mix all potato casserole ingredients together in processor and process
until well blended. Put into a greased baking dish and add topping that
has been mixed together and crumbled over potato mixture. Bake at 350
for 25 minutes.

Going Global: Chicken Satay

We love Asian and Indian influenced dishes, so when I stumbled on this recipe (and doctored it) it was instantly a new family favorite. The spicy peanut flavor is delicious, and everything is more fun to eat on a stick. Needless to say, the kiddo even loved it.

This makes a perfect appetizer, and if you would like to serve as a dinner, the adjustments are pretty easy. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of the marinade, and stir fry whatever veggies you like and add the sauce at the end. Serve veggies over rice, satay on veggies and dinner is served!

Easy Chicken Satay

3 Tbsp natural peanut butter

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon or lime juice

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp curry powder

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp hot pepper sauce

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

wooden skewers soaked in water for at least 2 hrs.

In large bowl, combine 1st seven ingredients. Add chicken to mixture and marinade overnight. Weave the chicken on skewers and grill until done. Can also be baked in oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

What's in the oven?

There was a creative wind blowing through Biggs Manor today...and the need to use up some freshly roasted and pureed pumpkin. What was supposed to be an hour effort ended up taking all darn afternoon, but the recipe had a nice little surprise--a marshmallow top between the cream cheese frosting and pumpkin goodness. I'd make them again, but I'd be sure I had the proper time to devote to them first. Brought them to the church function tonight, and every one of them dissappeared! See the full recipe here for Jack-O-Lantern Cookies.

Cinnamon Spiced Chili

Along with anything pumpkin, I think cool fall days scream for a nice hot bowl of chili. I especially like aromatic chilies--ones with lots and lots of good seasonings in them. While it will feel like you are dumping the whole of your spice cabinet into the pot with this recipe, I assure you, the results are worth it!

If you've been following this blog at all, you know I can't leave anything well enough alone. When I made this yesterday, instead of using three pounds of ground beef, I used one and the equivalent of four cans of beans. Or you can soak a bag of beans overnight, boil, and put them in.




CINNAMON SPICED CHILI

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3 lbs ground beef

48 ox tomato juice

3 T instant onion flakes

2 T garlic powder

1 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

1 T paprika

½ tsp thyme

1.2 tsp ground red pepper

¼ tsp marjoram

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp cinnamon

12 whole cloves

1 bay leaves

0-7 whole 1” dried chili peppers

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp rosemary

0-1 qt water

1 T salt

Brown ground beef and drain. Place back in stock pot and add al lthe remaining ingredients except the water. Cook for three hous adding water a little at a time as necessary. This chili should not be too thick. You can cook on the stovetop or in the oven at 350. Crock pot should also work well. Freezes extremely well and doubles well.

We love this with kidney beans served over spaghetti, chopped onion, grated cheese and oyster crackers. I also have a fondness for chopped avocado or guacamole and sour cream in my chili—a fondness not shared by Mr. Biggs!

Glazed Apple Bread

I really try to cook seasonally; when apples are $1 a pound, I can't help but buy them up. And then watch them sit on the counter because I forget they are there. When I do notice said apples, I am usually in a mad rush to use them all up before they go bad. And what better way to use up fruit then putting in a bread? I can't recall where this particular recipe came from, but I can tell you that I can't wait to make it again! This last time, I put it into muffin tins (makes a dozen) instead of a bread pan and didn't glaze them. They don't rise very much, so make sure you fill them up real full if you do it this way. If you're not one for sweets, you could easily half the sugar in these and still come out fine.



GLAZED APPLE BREAD

½ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups unbleached flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 T milk
½ c raisins
2 large apples, finely chopped
½ c walnuts, chopped

glaze:
½ c powdered sugar
1 T water
2 T melted butter

Combine oil, sugar and vanilla and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add milk, raisins, apples, nuts and dry ingredients to mixture and stir only until flour is well dampened. Bake in well-greased loaf pan for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool; remove from pan. Combine glaze ingredients; mix well and pour over loaf. Let glaze set before wrapping loaf tightly. Best if made day prior to serving.

Aunt Phyllis’ Phantastic Crawfish Pie

My Aunt Phyllis is my father's twin sister, and the idyllic Southern lady. I love listening to her soft, genteel southern draw, great stories, and so enjoy the sense of welcome she always exudes. She's one of those people you want to be around because they always make you feel so special! She's also a great cook on top of being a great hostess; this recipe comes from her kitchen. I even watched her make this one day, crust and all!

Now, here in middle-of-nowhere Georgia, crawfish are a might hard to come by, seeing how they aren't stocked in Wal-Mart. I had to make a few adjustments on my own: you can substitute two good sized chicken breasts and half a pound of smoked sausage (both fully cooked and finely diced!) for the crawfish if you can't find them. I KNEW this one was good when the hubby insisted I put this one up for everyone to see! While I was lazy and used a frozen rolled crust, there is a phabulous recipe from my Grandma Nita included as well for the pie crust.

PHYLLIS' PHANTASTIC CRAWFISH PIE

2 lbs. boiled and peeled crawfish tails

1 large onion, shopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

8 toes garlic, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can evaporated milk

5 Tbsp. corn starch

Tony Chacachere”s seasoning to taste

3 generous shakes of Worchestershire Sauce

1 can corn, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make your pie crust using your favorite recipe, frozen, or pre-made sheets. Drain the water out of the crawfish if you’re using frozen making sure the bag is totally defrosted. The pie will be too soupy if you take this precaution. Chop the crawfish tails into small pieces. Saute’ onions, bell pepper, and celery. This combination is called the “holy trinity” in Louisiana. Add the garlic. Add milk and mushroom soup; bring to boil. Add crawfish and bring to a medium boil. Add corn starch to thicken and cook for ten minutes. When the mixture thickens to correct consistency, pour into 9”pie shell; bake for 30 minutes. Serves six.

ANITA'S PERFECT PIE CRUST

3 cups flour, sifted

1 cup Crisco shortening

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 egg added to milk to make ½ cup

Use the blades of an electric mixer to cut the flour, baking powder and salt into the shortening. Add the egg/milk mixture stirring gently with a fork. Chill before rolling out for pie tins. Makes four 9” pie shells.

What to do about those Gators...eat them, maybe??

Aside from my love of cooking and driving need to share good food with those I love on a very public forum, I'm writing this blog to aid in publication of my cookbook that I distribute to friends and family every few years or so. We've got a lot of family that likes to dabble in the kitchen...and they were nice enough to send me recipes for said cookbook. I'm sharing them here, even though I won't be making some of them--Scott's allergic to shrimp. He about died when it happened. Not literally, but he is really really upset he can't eat shrimp anymore.

This particular morsel comes from my cousin Scott from the Louisiana contingent. It looks like a mighty fine example of southern cooking, and I believe it would even do Paula Deen proud!


ALLIGATOR SAUSAGE AND SHRIMP CHEESECAKE APPETIZER

Servings : 12
Yield : 1 Pie

1 1/3 Cup Plain Bread Crumbs
2/3 Parmesan Cheese (I recommend you grate this yourself)
4 oz. unsalted butter (melted…slowly – don’t let it break)
1 ½ pounds Cream Cheese – softened
3-4 eggs (use 3 if they are really large 4 if they are smaller)
2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 Cup Smoked Gouda Cheese (Grated)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
½ ea. Green Bell Pepper finely diced
½ ea. Yellow Bell Pepper finely diced
½ ea. Red Bell Pepper finely diced
½ pound Alligator Sausage. Diced (You can sub Andouille or other smoked sausage if you can’t find Alligator sausage)
1/3 Can Green Chili Peppers diced (I use the 4oz cans)
½ Pound Gulf Shrimp diced
Pinch of Salt
½ Tbs. Fajita Magic (or any other Southwest Fajita Seasoning)
½ Tbs. Chipotle powder

1. Mix breadcrumbs and Parm cheese, add melted butter and mix well. Press into a 10 or 12 inch spring form cheesecake pan. Bake 10 min in a 400 degree preheated oven to set the crust. Remove and set aside.

2. Whisk cream cheese until smooth, add eggs, whisk, and add heavy cream and Grated Gouda. And set aside.

3. Saute vegetables with spices until soft. Pour off excess liquid if any. Add shrimp and cook until just done. Add Sausage and chili peppers and cook for 1 min. fold this into cream cheese mixture. When done – pour this into the spring-form pan. (Wrap foil around the pan to prevent leakage)

4. Bake in a water bath (a 2 inch hotel pan filled approx 1/3) in a 450 degree oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

5. Remove from oven when and inserted knife is clean and the filling is set. Cool to cut

6. Remove from spring form pan – unlatch and VERY slowly twist as you lift – it should come right off with minimum tearing. Cut into 12 pieces.

ZUPA!

And no, not the gumbo variety. Although I promise, soon. I have been trying to make these recipes before I post them, and well, gumbo is a big job. I'm going to have to have a ham and a turkey for dinner before I start making it and I just haven't been motivated!

This is a two for one post, as I have two very similar recipes to share. Several years ago when the South Beach Diet thing was all the rage, I was poor and trying to diet along with some of my nearest and dearest (sister-in-law.) The original pepperoni bean soup was a huge huge hit for economy, flavor, and the fact that it conveniently fit into the diet plan. Although we've reintroduced too many carbs to our ongoing diets, we still love to make this soup when there's a chill in the air. Fills the belly and warms the soul.

Yesterday I ran across the turkey sausage with beans recipe and couldn't help but dink with it (because I was out of stuff and couldn't find other stuff locally.) Anyway, we ended up with a very different recipe from the printed version, but one that strangely reminded us of the pepperoni bean soup with fewer ingredients and a nice flavor twist. And again, tastes great, cheap to make, and good for your waistline!


PEPPERONI BEAN SOUP

2 cans Kidney Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 can White Beans
1 15oz can Chicken Broth
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can Rotel "Chili Fixins" (tomatoes and spices)
1 package Hormel Turkey Pepperoni
Italian seasoning to taste
Tony’s seasoning to taste
Garlic to taste
Shredded Mozzarella for garnish

Dump it all in a pot, heat it up, serve it with a little shredded mozzarella on top.


SAUSAGE WITH BEAN SOUP

1 lb turkey sausage, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
2 T minced garlic
1 15-oz can canelli beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes OR 3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 package fresh spinach
salt and pepper

In a medium-large pot, brown the turkey sausage and garlic on medium-high. Add the canelli beans through red pepper simmer for 1 hour on low heat. Add the spinach, salt and pepper to taste and cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes until the spinach is thoroughly wilted. Serves 6 with some crusty bread as an accompaniment.

Spinach and Ham Quiche, eh?

Around our house, if you want Maddie to eat something, you put it in a quiche or a quesidilla. At 2 years old, this was her hands-down favorite dish, and to this day you ask her what she wants for dinner and she says "quiche." I'll raise a foodie yet. :)

*If you want to make this one lower fat, do a phyllo crust. One sheet of phyllo in the pie pan, sprinkle on some bread crumbs, another sheet turned 90 degrees...repeat 5 times.

SPINACH AND BACON QUICHE

1 pre-made 9" deep dish pie crust, thawed (I prefer the rolled variety)
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 T minced garlic
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup canadian bacon, cut into small pieces (a whole package usually does it)
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (usually determined by the amount of salt in the bacon)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. When fragrant, add the onion and garlic; saute until translucent and set to the side. In a large bowl, mix the eggs and milk together. Add the italian seasoning, bacon, spinach, cheese and onion/garlic mixture and combine. Pour this into the prepared pie shell and bake for 1 hour or until the center no longer jiggles.

BEST Ever Banana Bread

This was the first recipe I ever developed on my own. It's definitely a keeper...my husband to this day refuses to eat the bananas I buy just so they'll rot on the counter so I'll have to make banana bread!


PAULA'S BEST-EVER BANANA BREAD

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 mashed bananas
½ cup sour milk (use 1 T white vinegar to sour, or use buttermilk)
2 c flour
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Combine milk and bananas with mixture. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and blend well. Bake in 1 loaf pan for 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makin' Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

It's another pie! Today the weather here in by-God Southwest Georgia has turned a bit nippy. By that, I mean the mercury dipped under 80 degrees for a good portion of the morning. The air just felt a little crisper, and to me that always means cooking with pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and of course, my favorite little treats, pumpkin whoopie pies. You've probably seen these cream-filled concoctions in chocolate and vanilla, but the pumpkin spice and cream cheese in this variation just calls for a nice fall day. I will put up a picture as soon as I whip myself up a batch...likely tomorrow!

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, ½ stick softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling)

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt

1 2/3 cups flour

4 ounces cream cheese, chilled

1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

In large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and ¾ teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Make sure you drop equal amounts of batter, or else your pie halves won't match up. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt an ½ teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Shepard's Pie

I seem to be on a roll with the pies, so why not? While on the surface it doesn't seem elegant, a forkful always seems to wrap you in warmth and comfort...and is bound to be a dish that your children remember eating at mom's table as an adult. It's also great for getting rid of leftovers, as I often find myself in a position to do. Yesterday's pot roast and mashed potatoes can easily be reinvented into this yummy dish. It is also a recipe that is extremely flexible...substitute mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes, peas for corn, ground beef for whatever you have on hand that can be chopped into small pieces. I usually use half turkey half beef for all my hamburger recipes; just stick the halves you aren't using in the same Ziploc bag and throw them in the freezer for the next meal.


SHEPARD'S PIE

8 quartered red potatoes, skin on
1 T olive oil
1/2 lb hamburger meat
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 T minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 14 oz can tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
4 oz cream cheese
2T butter
2 T minced garlic
1 cup Bisquick (optional)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water. While waiting for the potatoes, heat olive oil on medium high heat until fragrant then saute garlic and onion in the oil until translucent. Add ground meat, salt and pepper and cook until done. Drain any fat then add the can of tomatoes. Put meat mixture into the bottom of a 2 quart (or 3 quart) casserole dish. Top with frozen veggies.

When the potatoes are fully cooked (soft when poked with a fork), drain and return to pot. You can make traditional whipped mashed potatoes with a blender if you want, or take the lazy way and do it like this: add cream cheese, butter and garlic, mash with a potato masher until all ingredients are combined. Makes one pot to clean instead of two. Spread potatoes over top of vegetables.

To top the casserole, you can do a biscuit topping by combining 1 cup water with the bisquick and pouring over the top (in which case, the cook time will be around 45 minutes), or you can simply add shredded cheese over the potatoes. Both are great.

Cook in oven uncovered for 25 minutes.

Perfect Chocolate Pecan Pie (Me-Oh-My!)

I had never been a fan of pecan pie until I tried this one. The recipe originally called for hazelnuts, but it works equally well with pecans. It is firm enough to cut into squares and serve as cookies if you so desire.




Chocolate Pecan Pie

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped, and toasted hazelnuts
8 ounces chocolate chips (bittersweet or semi-sweet is best!)
1 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 frozen pie crust, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the flour. Add the eggs, hazelnuts, chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 1 hour.

Spicy Blueberry Pie

I have been a baking fool this week...likely a result of some pent up creative energy. This blueberry pie comes from my sister-in-law, Holly, and it is a summertime favorite in our house. Really, my husband practically begs for it when blueberries are in season.

Couple of tips:

• This calls for allspice. On occasion, my allspice has played hide and seek with me being the loser and we've gone without. The pie loses its edge and uniqueness a bit, but still tastes fantastic.
• I usually use 4 cups of blueberries in this recipe, although it calls for 5. Why? Because the store sells them in 2 cup boxes.
• The pie crusts: for this particular pie, make sure you get the rolled crusts in the box. It's near impossible to make a pretty lattice top with pre-formed crusts. Trust me, I've tried!

Aunt Holly's Spicy Blueberry Pie

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

5 cups blueberries (I always use fresh berries...)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon sugar

-Combine first 8 ingredients, tossing gently

-Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pieplate according to package directions. Spoon blueberry mixture into pastry shell.

-Cut remaining piecrust into 6 (2 1/2-inch wide) strips. Arrange strips in lattice design over filling; fold edges under, and crimp. Brush pastry with milk; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar

-Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden, shielding edges with strips of aluminum foil during last 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.

Cool as a Cucumber. Sandwich.

I hate to say it, but I think I enjoy tea parties more than my daughter. Maybe I am just having too much fun reliving my childhood vicariously? After searching through many a website and book about throwing the perfect tea party, I discovered the quintessential ingredients to make it proper: tiny desserts, dress-up fun, tea and tiny little cucumber sandwiches.

At today's tea party, the cucumber sandwiches were a huge hit; so much so they got me off my duff to write down the recipe and FINALLY start this blog I've been talking about for ages. I am a notorious dash of this, pinch of that chef and use recipes more a guideline than de facto rule. Given that, adjust all my approximations at will.


CUMBER TEA SANDWICHES

Marinade:
1 cucumber (large), peeled and thinly sliced*
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. chopped minced garlic
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Spread:
1/4 c. room temperature butter
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 T. snipped chives

8 slices white bread

For marinade: Toss all in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

For spread: Combine all in a bowl and use while soft. It keeps well in the refrigerator, but won't tear the bread when it's a little more pliant. This spread is also good with chopped fresh basil, if you have it available.

To assemble: Spread cream cheese mixture on bread (both sandwich pieces). Top with marinated cucumbers. Make sure to cut the crusts for a proper tea sandwich!

*English cucumbers without seeds would probably be best here, but I regularly make them with the regular kind with no problem.