Tea Time

I’ve been working on a lot of projects lately and have been listening to my favorite book series on CD to make the time go by easier. My favorite author is Elizabeth Peters. I’ve been re-reading re-listening to her Amelia Peabody series. It takes place in Egypt (mostly) around the turn of the century. The series follows a British lady archaeologist and her family and their exploits excavating in Egypt and foiling criminal plots. There are 19 books in the series! I love books that belong to a series! I hate committing to a book and loving the characters only to find out it’s a stand alone book. Most of my books are still in boxes but I would guess that I have about a dozen different series. Maybe more.

But this one is my favorite. I’ve been reading and re-reading it since I was in high school. In fact, I love it so much that I named my daughter after the main character. People usually assume she’s named after Amelia Earhart because I am a pilot. Nope! She’s named after Amelia Peabody Emerson.

Anywho, Amelia (Peabody) loves cucumber sandwiches. They seem to have them with tea every other chapter! And I think I’ve mentioned before that I am an extremely suggestible person. I’ve been through 3 books on CD in the last month and finally couldn’t take it anymore! I had to have cucumber sandwiches! My friend, Claudia, makes hers with goat cheese, which is absolutely fantastic. Knowing my kids probably wouldn’t eat straight goat cheese, I mixed mine with cream cheese. Yummy! Reese and Amelia are going to be having a few friends over for a tea party next week and I think these will be on the menu! (Along with good ole’ PB&J, just in case!)

By the way, Amelia (Peabody) probably wouldn’t approve of my cucumber sandwiches. I did a little wikipedia-ing and learned that traditionally they are made with the thinnest cuts of bread, spread with the thinnest layer of butter and layered with the thinnest slices of cucumber. Not mine ;) Mine are a little more, um, rustic.

 

Cucumber Sandwiches

6 slices of white bread

4 ounces of goat cheese, at room temperature

4 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced

salt and pepper

 

In a mixer, beat the goat cheese and cream cheese until well blended.

Spread mixture onto each slice of bread.

Layer 3 slices of bread with cucumbers.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I like lots of pepper)

Top with the remaining 3 slices of bread.

With a serrated knife, remove the crusts and try to make the sandwich into a square.

Cut the square into 4 triangles. Then cut each triangle in half.

Brew some tea and enjoy!