BLESSING TEA

“Jesus performed many other signs
in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book. 
But these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that by believing
you may have life in his name.”

John 20:30-31

Today was our last group fellowship as part of Bible Study Fellowship this year.  I wanted to bless the ladies for such an amazing year together studying the book of John, despite all the craziness such as a hurricane.

I set the table with my Mom’s china and my Mother-in-Love’s linens in honor of Mother’s Day Weekend, but each teacup and saucer was different. Each member was instructed to choose wisely, since they would take home their teacup and saucer afterwards! 

We had such a great time fellowshipping with one another, I completely forgot to take any pictures of the food!  Here are the recipes:

SAVORIES

AVOCADO EGG SANDWICHES: Hard boil 6 eggs, shell and cool. Finely chop eggs and combine with 1 ripe avocado, 2Tbs Greek yogurt, chopped green onion, salt & pepper.  Spread between 2 slices wheat bread, trim crusts and cut into 4 triangles. 

DILLY CUCUMBER SANDWICHES: Peel and dice a cucumber, then salt and set aside to drain overnight in refrigerator.  Blend 8oz cream cheese & 1 tsp DELIGHTFUL DILLY gourmet blend and spread mixture between white bread slices, trim crusts and cut into 4 triangles.

CHICKEN TARRAGON CUPS

1 1/2c cooked chicken, finely chopped

1/2c chopped roasted almonds

6Tbs mayonnaise

1 chopped green onion

4 sprigs of TEXAS TARRAGON, chopped

salt & black pepper
            Combine all ingredients and fill phylo cups.  Garnish with edible Texas tarragon flowers.

STUFFED TOMATOES

grape tomatoes
4 ounces cream cheese
1tsp GARLIC HERB
1Tbs snipped fresh chives
            Combine 40z cream cheese with GARLIC HERB.  Cut off top of tomatoes, remove seeds and stuff with mixture.  Garnish with snipped chives.
NOTE: The organic tomatoes I found at a local farm were so yummy, I didn't even end up stuffing them!

SCONES

BASIC SCONES: Combine 2 c flour, 1/3 c sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt in a mixing bowl.  Cut in 8Tbs butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Combine an egg and 1/2c sour cream until well blended, and then add to dry ingredients until they are moistened.  Knead on floured surface until dough holds together.  Divide dough in half and pat out each into a 1/2 inch thick circle and cut into 6 wedges.  Place on greased baking sheet, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 mins or until golden brown.

EASY LEMON CURD: Combine zest of 3 lemons and 1/2c fresh lemon juice in a 4-cup microwave safe bowl.  Whisk in 3 eggs, 1c sugar and 1/2c melted butter until well blended.  Heat in microwave for 1 minute then whisk again and repeat 3 times so that it has cooked a total of 4 minutes.  The curd will thicken and puff as it cooks.  Cover and chill in fridge where it will keep for a week.

FROG JAM: Combination of Fig, Raspberry, Orange and Ginger!  This was a gift from a friend, no recipe available.

DEVONSHIRE CREAM: Beat 1c heavy cream past creamy but before butter!  Blend in 1c sour cream, 1tsp vanilla extract and 1/2c powdered sugar.  Chill and serve.

  

SWEETS

BANANA BALLS:  Cut bananas into bite-sized pieces, then dip balls in plain yogurt and roll in shredded coconut.  Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

MINTED MELON SKEWERS: Combine 1c water and 1/3c sugar and bring to a boil.  Cool and combine with 1/2c fresh SPEARMINT in food processor until finely chopped.  Toss mixture with 1 1/2c each of watermelon, honeydew & cantaloupe.  Chill at least 30 minutes.  Place melon on a skewer to serve.

FRUIT & NUT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: Place 12oz semisweet chocolate chips in bowl.  Bring 1c heavy cream to scalding point and add to chocolate and allow to set 1-2 mins before stirring.  Gently whisk until smooth.  Add 1/2c dried cherries and 1/2c roasted pecans.  Pour into small bowl, cover and refrigerate several hours.  Roll into 1” balls and roll to coat in cocoa powder.

                                                                                                   Joyce