3 Easy To Make Dessert Recipes For Your Tea Party

When it comes to hosting a tea party for a few friends, often times we stress over what type of foods to serve. During a party, you want to stick with light finger-style foods such as: tarts, fancy cookies, biscotti, muffins, pastries, cake and scones.

My guests have often told me that these 3 recipes that I make for my parties, are their favorites. I like to line my platters or dessert-style serving plates with lace doilies before arranging the food goodies on top. It just makes for a nicer presentation.

Tea Time Tassies

1 (3 ounce) block cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour

Filling:

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Let cream cheese and butter soften to room temperature, then blend together. Mix in flour. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove and shape into 2 dozen 1-inch balls. Place balls into mini greased muffin cups. Press dough on bottoms and sides of each cup.

To make filling: Beat together egg, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Divide half of pecan pieces among pastry-lined muffin cups. Add egg mixture, then top with remaining pecan pieces. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

Mini Tea Cake Balls

1 cup butter
1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Bake in a 350 degree oven on a ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes or until set. Do not let them get brown. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. After they have cooled, roll the balls in powdered sugar again.

Lemon-Butter Snowbars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling:

2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients, blend thoroughly. Pat dough into an ungreased 8" square baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients, blending well. Pour filling over partially baked crust. Bake for 18 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and let cool.

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Lobsters for Special Occasions

Luxurious, opulent, and lavish may be some of the adjectives people think of on behalf of lobster. With such a rich connotation, lobster is perfect for telling that special someone you love them. Whether for anniversaries, birthdays, the birth of a child, or holiday celebrations, lobsters are the coup de grace.

Perhaps you, like many other people, have avoided cooking live lobsters because it seems complicated. Say no more; if you can boil a pot of water, you can cook lobster. Wouldn’t your significant other be surprised if you presented them with a full lobster feast to commemorate a special occasion? Some people worry about hurting the lobster, since it is cooked live for sanitary reasons. Let me assure you, lobster’s nervous systems do not sense pain. Another old wives’ tale about live lobster is that they scream when you put them in the pot. Lobsters do not have vocal cords and any noise you hear is steam escaping from under the shell.

To prepare lobster, simply bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Snip the bands off the claws and carefully drop the lobsters headfirst into the water. Boil for about fifteen minutes until the lobster are red and the internal temperature is 180 degrees. Lobster is divine served with drawn butter. Drawn butter is prepared by slowly heating it until melted and then skimming the froth off the top and discarding the fatty sludge at the bottom. You can add lemon juice, spices, garlic, onion, or whatever else you like (hot sauce anyone?) to the drawn butter. Champagne, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc are three wonderful drinks that compliment the rich taste of Maine lobster.

Martha Stewart suggests using red and white striped towels as generously sized napkins for a lobster feast. Combine with white floating candles and red roses for a gorgeous romantic presentation. Quiet music of your choice playing in the background is much more soothing than the noisy chatter of a restaurant. The comfort and intimacy of your own home cannot help but make a Maine lobster dinner a memorable delight for you and your loved one.

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How to Use Sandwiches as a Main Course

Sometimes we are in a hurry or it is just too hot to cook. And sometimes, let's face it, we are just too tired to cook. Never fear; sandwiches to the rescue. I'm not talking bologna between two pieces of bread. I'm talking Tuna Salad Pita Pockets which give you tuna, veggies, cheese, and grains all in one handful. The Ham Salad atSandwiches have meat, eggs, and relish. With either sandwich, serve some fresh veggies and or fruit. You will not be cheing your family, they will be getting a decent meal.

TUNA SALAD PITA POCKETS

1 can (9-oz) water-packed tuna, rinsed, drained, flaked

1 cup chopped peeled cucumber

1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tbsp sweet pickle relish

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 cup alfalfa sprouts

2 whole wheat pita breads, cut in half crosswise

In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, cucumber, cheese, mayonnaise, vinegar, onions, relish, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend the mixture well. Divide the alfalfa sprouts evenly among the pita bread halves. Spoon tuna mixture evenly into the pita halves over the sprouts.

Serves 4 at 209 calories, 22 g carbs, 22 g protein per serving making them a perfect sandwich for diabetics as the carbs and proteins are equal.


HAM SALAD SANDWICHES

1 lb lean ham, finely chopped or minced

4 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1 1/2 cups lite mayonnaise

Chop boiled eggs into small pieces and add to ham. Using a large rubber-type spatula, mix in relish. Add mayonnaise and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on whole-wheat bread or toast, if desired.

Note: This makes an excellent sandwich spread made with bologna in place of the ham.

Enjoy!

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