Thursday | 17 December 2020 | La Quinta, California: This Cafeteria Lady has been so busy, she is very behind on her blog posts. My bad, but I promise to catch-up over the weekend.
If you recall, the grandchildren get to choose the lunch menu every-other day (Lucile on odd days - she was born on an odd day; Leo on the even days, as he was born on an even day). The other day, Lucile was asking if I could make a sandwich she once had at a friend's birthday party: a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich... ala tea party style. Well, one thing led to another as we were discussing the lunch menu and cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches developed into a full-blown tea party, with the entire family attending - in the dining room!
Cucumber - sliced on the mandolin - with cream cheese. We ended up using thin-sliced "White Done Right" bread, which I do not think tastes "right" at all, but was in the house.
The insides of cherry tomatoes were scooped-out with a melon baller, then stuffed with Boursin herbed cheese.
Another sandwich (same bread)! I made my usual tuna salad, but whirred it in the food processor to make a smooth paste.
Fruit platter! I've been watching Jacques Pepin Cooking from Home series (on Instagram) over the pandemic. One day, he showed how to make bunnies from grapes. Lucy and Leo loved this trick. Be sure to leave a bit of the stem to serve as the tail. (Sadly, Mr. Pepin lost his wife of 54 years, Gloria, earlier this month.)
And what kind of tea party would this have been without scones? Honestly, these were made with Lenny in mind. Lenny fell for scones when we were on the Alaska cruise last year, and I have made them for him several times since.
Someone received his Hanukkah gift early! Dave ordered a set of "youth" golf clubs for Leo, plus the required collared shirt, and they have been golfing nearly every day after school.
Until my next update, I remain, your tardy correspondent.
So glad to see your post. I hae missed your blogs. Loved the tea party luncheon. I am an avid fan of Jacques Pepin and felt for him in his loss of Gloria. Hopefully he will return with his daily presentations.
A favourite at Australian tea parties is curried egg sandwiches, using curry powder, and a little chopped parsley, lots of butter to mix.
I buy unsliced bread so that I can cut it thin. Sometimes I have taken a regular slice, and cut it thin to make two slices. I also keep some frozen bread dough in the freezer for special occasions, but it takes 24 hours to thaw and bake.
I too have missed your posts. I’m doing the online school with two grandkids twice a week. It’s hard! But the teachers are so patient, and I really enjoy spending the days with them.