Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles with cheddar cheese As with the Ginger Cake and Cucumber Sandwich recipes, this is also from “The Book of Afternoon Tea” by Lesley Mackey. 

 

Toasted Tuna and Tomato Triangles (makes 8 triangles) 

1 (5 ounce) can tuna 

3 medium-sized tomatoes washed and patted dry 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

4 slices bread 

Butter, softened 

 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung setting. 

2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

3) Drain tuna. Into a bowl, place tuna and flake. 

 

4) Slice tomatoes. 

5) Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter. Place buttered sides down on a baking sheet. 

 

6) Spread tuna over bread. Arrange tomato slices on top and cover with cheddar cheese. 

 

7) Bake in pre-heated 400 degree farenheit oven 8-10 minutes, until bubbling. 

 

8) Remove from oven, cool 1 minute, then cut each slice of bread across into 2 triangles. 

 

9) Serve hot.

Cold brew iced tea using teabags (makes 1 pint or 16 ounces)

One of my favorite summer time drinks is iced tea made with tea. As a child, my mother would buy instant iced tea mix which I could not acquire a taste for.

Several years ago, I decided to learn how to make iced tea using tea, not an instant iced tea mix. I found many recipes in my research and settled on this variation from epicurious website using empty pint-size glass jars with lids which have been cleaned. 
 
1 tea bag
16 ounces or 1 pint water either cold or at room temperature 
Lemon juice, optional
Sugar, optional

Place tea bag in cleaned empty pint-size glass jar. Pour water into jar covering tea bag. Affix lid to jar and place in refrigerator for at least 1 ½ hours.

Remove jar from refrigerator. Pour tea into glass or serving pitcher, diluting with water and adding lemon juice or sugar to taste, if desired. 

 

On left: jar ready to be put in refrigerator for cold brew tea. 

On right: cold brew tea ready to be served. 

Cucumber Sandwiches

This is a variation of the Cucumber and Dill Hearts recipe from “The Book of Afternoon Tea” by Lesley Mackey.

 

Cucumber Sandwiches

¼ cucumber washed and dried (optional to peel)

½ teaspoon red wine vinegar 

½ teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

4 slices white bread

Pepper

1) Cut cucumber into paper thin slices. Place in a colander and sprinkle with vinegar and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2) Pat cucumber dry on paper towles.

3) Butter bread.

4) Arrange cucumber slices on buttered sides of 2 bread slices. Season cucumber with pepper.

5) Cover with remaining bread slices, buttered side down. Gently press together.

6) Cut each sandwich into either 4 triangles or rectangles.

Cucumber Sandwiches ready to be eaten

Ginger Cake

 
I was recently going through my copy of “The Book of Afternoon Tea”by Lesley Mackey and found the page for this recipe dog-earred with hand written notations around the recipe which means the ginger cake recipe provide here is a varation.


Ginger Cake

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
5 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 teaspoon applesauce
5 teaspoons milk
pinch molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch allspice


1) Place oven rack on middle rung setting.

2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. 

3) Grease an 11-inch by 7-inch or 8-inch square baking pan and line with waxed paper.

4) In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs, syrup, applesauce, milk, molasses. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, allspice and beat until well mixed.

5) Pour batter into pan and bake 45 – 50 minutes or until well risen and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6) Cool in pan 30 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

“Crunchy” Granola Bars or What to do with One (or half) Ripe Banana

 This is another “What to do with One Ripe Banana” recipe which is a blending of my OneBanana Oat Cookie recipe with my Pecan Cranberry Granola recipe and an attempt to make a crunchy granola bar. This recipe can be used to make “loose” granola if you prefer or halved if all you have is half a banana.

Whole (one banana) recipe (makes about 20 bars)

1 ripe banana, mashed

3 cups quick cook old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans or chopped almonds

3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B or organic agave nectar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting.

2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.

3) Place the oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, nuts, salt, cinnamon, ginger (optional), turmeric (optional) in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

4) Add the mashed banana, olive oil, maple syrup or agave nectar. Mix until dry ingredients are coated. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before moving to next step.

5) If making crunchy granola bars shape into bars about 4 ½ inches long by 1 inch wide by 1/8 inch tall on medium- to large-size non-stick cookie sheet. If making “loose” granola spread mixture in an even layer on a medium- to large-size cookie sheet.

6) Bake 30-55 minutes until granola bars are toasty dark brown on the edges. If making “loose” granola, bake 30-55 minutes until a golden to toasty bown.

7) Remove granola from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet. 

8) Store granola in airtight container. 

Half (one half banana) recipe (makes about 10 bars)

1/2 ripe banana, mashed

1 1/2 cups quick cook old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans or chopped almonds

3/8 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B or organic agave nectar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting.

2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.

3) Place the oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, nuts, salt, cinnamon, ginger (optional), turmeric (optional) in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

4) Add the mashed banana, olive oil, maple syrup or agave nectar. Mix until dry ingredients are coated. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before moving to next step.

5) If making crunchy granola bars shape into bars about 4 ½ inches long by 1 inch wide by 1/8 inch tall on medium- to large-size non-stick cookie sheet. If making “loose” granola spread mixture in an even layer on a medium- to large-size cookie sheet.

6) Bake 25-45 minutes until granola bars are toasty dark brown on the edges. If making “loose” granola, bake 25-45 minutes until a golden to toasty bown.

7) Remove granola from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet. 

8) Store granola in airtight container. 

Crunchy Granola Bars Cooling on Cookie Sheet

Peanut Butter Criss Crosses

I originally learned this recipe from my mother's “Better Home and Garden” cookbook which was a five-ring binder, 8 ½ inch by 11 inch hardcover meant to be used.  It always easy to know which recipes were used frequently as their pages are dotted with stains, partially or entirely missing from this cookbook.  The latter is the case with this recipe.  I'm not surprised the page is missing from this recipe book as there was time when I knew this recipe by heart.  Thankfully, the paperback version of this same cookbook which I acquired in 1995 contains this recipe.  

½ cup (1 stick) butter softened/at room temperature 
½ cup sugar 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 egg
½ cup peanut butter 
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour plus 1-2 extra tablespoons for making criss cross 
½ teaspoon baking soda  
½ teaspoon baking powder   

Place oven rack on middle run setting. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.  

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended.  Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix.  Add peanut butter.  Mix.  Add flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix.  

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  

To make criss cross design put 1-2 tablespoons flour on a small plate.  Gently tap back of fork tines against dough to prepare fork for first time use.  

Gently dip back of fork tines in flour to coat as this will keep dough from sticking to fork as you make criss cross.  Partially flatten rounded teaspoon of dough with back of fork in one direction and then the opposite to make the criss cross.  Repeat until all teaspoons of dough on cookie sheet complete.  

Bake in oven for 7 – 9 minutes or until bottoms appear lightly browned.  

Cool cookies on wire rack.  

Irish Oatmeal Muffin or Bread (makes 24 muffins or 4 mini loaves)

On recent perusal through my revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, I came across this recipe in the muffin section. Not being in the mood to bake 24 muffins but needing to use up 2 cups of milk before it spoiled I chose to make mini-loaves of bread with the intention of freezing one or two of the loaves for later.

This recipe requires soaking of rolled oats for according to my Fanny Farmer Cookbook, “The Irish cook their oatmeal all night long for a rich and creamy effect. These muffins take on that same flavor from soaking the oatmeal overnight in buttermilk.”

I found the end result to be perfect for toasting and topping with butter, maple syrup, applesauce or strawberry jam. Needless to say, none of the 4 mini loaves made it to the freezer.

Irish Oatmeal Muffin or Bread

2 cups buttermilk or 2 tablespoons lemon juice and scant 2 cups milk
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs
½ – ¾ cup dark-brown sugar (if you like your muffins sweet, use the larger amount)
1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt or ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

 

In a large bowl combine the oats with the buttermilk or lemon juice and milk. Stir well. Cover. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight before mixing and baking the muffins.

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Line with paper liners or grease two 12-cup muffin tins if making muffins. If making mini-loaves, set aside 4 non-stick mini-loaf pans.

Remove milk-oatmeal mixture from refrigerator. Add eggs to this mixture and gently beat. Gradually add sugar and gently beat until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, salt and oil. Beat until batter well blended.

If making muffins, fill muffin tins about three-quarters full with batter and bake for about 20 minutes. Start testing for doneness after 15 minutes. Remove muffins from the cups and cool on racks or serve hot.

If making mini-loaves, fill pans three-quarters full with batter. Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. The cookie sheet is to catch any of the batter in the event it bakes over the top of a pan. Remove pans from oven, loaves from pan and cool on rack for at least five minutes before serving.

Store any leftovers in air-tight container. 

 

Two mini loaves done 

and 

cooling on rack