Herbal Blessing: TOP OCTOBER RECIPES

October is the month for pumpkins – patchwork, burlap and chalk painted! Pumpkins are featured in this month’s tablescape with fall leaves and our signature country-coastal decor!

Here are the links to the top three October recipes plus some additional new recipes:

Seafood Tea Sandwiches

Crab Tea Sandwiches: Combine 1lb crabmeat with 2 finely diced celery stalks and 1Tbs minced green onion then mix well. Add 8oz softened cream cheese, 8oz sour cream, 2Tbs hot sauce, 1tsp brown mustard to crab mixture and mix thoroughly until well blended then season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight then make sandwiches, remove crusts and cut into desired shapes.

Shrimp & Dill Tea Sandwiches: Combine 8oz cream cheese, 4-6oz cooked shrimp, 1/2c finely chopped celery, 1Tbs DELIGHTFUL DILLY, 3Tbs mayonnaise, squeeze of lemon and dash of Worcestershire sauce in a food processor. Refrigerate overnight. Spread on Party Rye Bread slices and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.

Lobster & Sun-dried Tomato Tea Sandwiches: Combine 1tsp sun-dried tomatoes, 1 chopped celery rib and 1/2tsp lemon zest in food processor and then remove to bowl. Pulse 6-8oz cooked lobster until light and fluffy in consistency and then add to sun-dried tomato mixture with 1-2Tbs mayonnaise, 2 drops red pepper sauce, dash of chili pepper and salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight then make sandwiches, remove crusts and cut into desired shapes.

Tuna & Goat Cheese Tea Sandwiches: Combine 2-6oz drained water-packed tuna, 1/4c mayonnaise, 1tsp LEMON PEPPER and 1/2c crumbled goat cheese. Refrigerate overnight then make sandwiches, remove crusts and cut into desired shapes. Make sandwiches, remove crusts and cut into desired shapes.

Salmon Tea Sandwiches: Combine 1c salmon, 1/4c mayonnaise and FISHERMAN’S CHOICE until creamed. Spread on bread slices and top with fresh dill and very thin slices of cucumber, remove crusts and cut into desired shapes.

Thumbprint Cookies

BASIC THUMBPRINTS: Mix 1c butter, 1/2c powdered sugar and 1tsp vanilla until fluffy then add 1/8 tsp salt and 2 ¼ c flour. Refrigerate for a hour. Roll dough into balls then place on greased cookie sheet and press centers with your thumb to make an indentation and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 mins. Cool and then fill with jam or jelly.

Spice: Add 1 ½tsp SWEET SPICE gourmet blend and roll in powdered sugar before baking
Filling: Blend together 4oz cream cheese, 1/3c powdered sugar, 1/2tsp vanilla and 1tsp SWEET SPICE.

Russian: Add 1/2c chopped pecans and roll in powdered sugar before and after baking
Filling: raspberry jam

Almond: Add 1/2c finely chopped almonds
Filling: melted chocolate & finely chopped almonds

Lemon: Add 1Tbs lemon juice and 1Tbs lemon zest
Filling: raspberry jam or lemon curd

Red Velvet: Add 1Tbs red food coloring and 3Tbs cocoa powder
Filling: cream cheese icing

Samoa: Roll balls in lightly beaten egg and dip in a combination of 2c toasted coconut and 1c shredded sweetened coconut.
Filling: caramel drizzled with chocolate

SAVORY THUMBPRINTS: Combine 8oz grated cheddar cheese, 1/3c butter, 1/2c grated Parmesan cheese and 1 egg yolk in a food processor until blended. Add 1 1/4c flour, 1/4tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4tsp salt until dough forms a ball. Chill 1 hour then roll into 1” balls, dip in beaten egg white and roll in 1 1/4c ground toasted pecans, place on greased cookie sheet and press centers with your thumb to make an indentation. Fill indentation with jalapeño pepper jelly and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 mins. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Decorated Tea Cakes

MARSHMALLOW FLOWERS – Cut marshmallows diagonally,
dip in sparkling sugar
and push into icing with colored side up from outside to center.

STRAWBERRY BUTTERFLY – Cut strawberry into slices and
cut a slivers from the outside edges.
Arrange sliver in center for body and use 2 slices to form wings.