Radish Chive Tea Sandwiches with Sesame and Ginger

Not very long ago, I wasn't so sure I liked radishes. Luckily, my friend Bridget surprised the tea party committee with this intriguing tea sandwich recipe and everything I thought I knew about radishes vanished into thin air. Every one of us loved the slightly spicy taste of these and the general prettiness of the radish rounds decorating the top. It was a perfect addition to our tea menu this year!

Radish-Chive Tea Sandwiches with Sesame and Ginger

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Yield:  Makes 16 servings

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons minced chives, divided

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

¾ teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon Asian sesame oil

salt and pepper, to taste

3-4 radishes, thinly sliced

Mix butter, 2 tablespoons chives, sesame seeds, ginger, and oil in small bowl; season with salt and pepper.  Spread butter mixture over each bread slice.  Trim bread into desired sandwich shape, such as squares or rounds. Top with radishes, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with remaining chives. Serve sandwiches open-faced.

Recipe adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Radish-Chive-Tea-Sandwiches-with-Sesame-and-Ginger-241846

Yeesh.

You're gonna have to excuse me and my computer issues...I've got some technical glitches and I'll be back (with all the catch-up work - ha!) in a couple of days. =)
Happy Fourth! ;)

July 2: A Delay. I Know...

Yeah, Day 2 of my July blogging challenge and I have a perfectly good post saved as a draft...and no pictures showing up, so here's a promise for two posts tomorrow. Now = time for sleep. Past time.

July 1: You, Too, Miiight Be Able to Grow a Pineapple

Well, borrowing the idea from Kristi Montague, I decided I needed a swift kick in the pants to get back on a decent blogging schedule...which means that I have big plans to blog for the 31 days of July. (Be sure to check out Kristi's Indian-inspired photoshoot for July 1st.) I've got so, so, so much to tell you this month...I mean, seriously.

I need to ask you...do you live in Hawaii? Yeah, I don't either. When you live in Tennessee, you don't see many pineapple plantations scattered around, BUT...you can still grow a pineapple - because obviously we live in an almost tropical climate ourselves. (O.K., not really, but it certainly feels like it.) When I found this out (thanks to my Aunt Becky) I became Very Excited. We tried it - and it works. Well. I mean, we haven't *eaten* the pineapple yet, but it's coming along.

See? Is that not one of the cutest plants you've ever seen?? You cannot dissuade me from thinking so. Don't even try.

All you do is twist off the top of a pineapple (you *do* have to buy a pineapple to get a second FREE pineapple) and remove any fruit bits (or it could cause the plant to rot) and plant it in a pot with well-draining soil. You may also want to root it in water first if you prefer. In the colder months, keep it inside near a window with plenty of light and water it about once a week. When it gets warm, move it outside and water more frequently. It does need to be able to dry out between waterings or the leaves start to turn yellow. (Not that we have any experience with that.)

Here's the catch...it may take up to TWO YEARS to grow a pineapple. So, if you were ever wondering why pineapples are so expensive, well, there's your answer. We've been growing this one for a year - or maybe a year and a half...we really can't remember. Over a month ago, we noticed that teeny-tiny pineapple starting to form. It was an exciting day and I almost couldn't believe our good fortune.

I don't know exactly what's up with it right now, but it looks healthy, if very stemmy. According to some "very scientific" journals on the subject, we might call this a teenager pineapple.

Since I don't have much interest in eating the top part, though, I certainly hope the fruity part has a growth spurt soon. I'll keep you updated.

P.S. Ms. Ethel, a lady we go to church with, has planted two pineapple plants in the past and says the pineapples she got from them were SO sweet and so much better than the ones from the store. Crossing my fingers that I can soon say the same!