The music studio I work at is having our semi annual Showcase extravaganza! Instead of giving flowers, parents are ordering a musical treat that can be personalized for their little star. 
I love the idea of celebrating two of my great passions with this joyful blend of musical sweetness! It's going to be so fun spending an evening listening to all our students showing off their talent. What better way to top off all the fun then nibbling a music themed cookie when the show is over?
As far as I'm concerned, any occasion deserves a cookie to celebrate. 

My mother has a lovely collection of antique costume jewelry and I wanted to find a way to incorporate some of the unique designs into my cookies. For my wedding I had purchased food grade mold making material in hopes of using it to design my wedding cake but with time crunches and so many other details, this never happened. However, all that perfectly good mold plastique was sitting on a shelf in our laundry room collecting dust and that was just not ok. Yesterday I went to work making molds of six gorgeous brooches and this is the first completed cookie inspired by my mom's favorite brooch. I used fondant, also saved from my wedding, to get the mold impression. More to come :)

These are just a few of my favorite finger sandwich recipes!


Cucumber Sandwiches
Serves 1
1/4-1/2 of a cucumber
fresh dill
1/4 cup of cream cheese
2 slices of white bread
salt

In a small bowl whip the cream cheese and dill together. Thinly slice the cucumber and salt. Spread the dill cream cheese on both pieces of bread and arrange the cucumbers on one side. Press the bread together and then slice the crust off and cut the sandwich diagonally. Garnish with sprigs of dill.

*Gluten Free Option
Eliminate the bread and dollop dill cream cheese onto the salted slices of cucumber. Can be served open-faced or topped with another cucumber slice. Garnish with sprigs of dill.

Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich
Serves 2
1/4 cup grapes quartered 
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 an apple (of your choosing)
1/4 cup of walnuts or almonds or both
1 chopped celery stalk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
black pepper
opt. poppy or sesame seeds
4 slices of bread or two croissants or rolls
2 leaves of lettuce

In a bowl toss all the ingredients minus the bread and lettuce and mix well. Load one slice of bread with half the mixture and top with one piece of lettuce and the other slice of bread. Cut off crusts and slice diagonally. Repeat. 

*Gluten Free Option
Load a lettuce leaf up with some of the salad, roll shut, and hold with a toothpick or just chop up the lettuce and top with a big spoonful of chicken salad.

*Vegetarian Option
Replace the chicken with tofu or just eliminate it altogether and add more fruits and nuts.

Turkey Revisited 
serves 1
1/4 cup-1/2 cup sliced, pulled, or deli Turkey
1/4 cup of cranberry or lingonberry sauce
2 slices of provolone or swiss cheese
dash of finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of butter

*optional dipping sauce
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon brandy or sherry
1/4 stick of butter
dash of vanilla

In a sauce pan, simmer cream over medium heat while stirring. Add the sugar and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients

Prepare your sandwich with all the ingredients minus the butter. Spread the butter on the outside of both slices of bread. Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Once sizzling/bubbling subsides place your buttered sandwich in and grill til golden brown. Flip and repeat. Remove from pan, cool slightly, then slice in half diagonally. Dip in sauce and enjoy!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely adore Tea Time. I always have but after visiting England, it became a serious addiction. American Tea Time had never risen to the refined deliciousness of a genuine English Afternoon Tea and once I participated in this delicate and exquisite ritual, I was hooked! Like a true Englishman, I believe tea really is the answer to every problem, in at least a small way. 
There's just something unspeakably soothing about tea. It's a kind companion when you're all alone and when shared with others, it has an uncanny way of loosening tongues and bonding friendships. 
If you've never had the delight of being served an Afternoon Tea, I highly recommend indulging as I do, at least every few months. However, as this can be a bit of a monetary splurge and sometimes requires travelling miles to find a decent Tea Parlor, I get my in-between fix with homemade Tea Time. It is one of my life's greatest pleasantries and provides me instant stress relief as well as rendering a more amiable human.


How to do "Homemade" Afternoon Tea 
what you will need:
a hot pot of tea (my personal favorites are Early Grey and Vanilla Almond)
tea cup & saucer
strainer (if you use loose tea)
spoon
sugar or honey
milk or lemon (never both)
finger sandwiches
scone
clotted cream or devonshire cream
jam or preserves (any type will do)
small desserts (Lizbeth's tea time cookies would be a great addition)


At a Tea Parlor,  tea and scones are served first, then finger sandwiches, and finally desserts, but when I set out my tea at home, I just have it all on the table at once. If you own a fancy tiered stand, it's fun to arrange your desserts, sammies, and scone on this. Personally, I just pile up my tea tray with all the goodies and indulge. As I'm often home alone in the afternoon, I like to enjoy my tea time while watching a British film or show; it makes the experience feel more "authentic." For more tea ideas and recipes, keep an eye on this blog.


Much Sweetness
~Lizbeth