The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). I also need to catch up on these recipes. Week three we had Organic India Tulsi Masala Chai Tea, Parmesan and Chive Scones, Cucumber Aioli Canapés, Ham and Green Apple Sandwiches, Cranberry and Brie Bites, and Mini Pumpkin Creme Brulee.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfest IX, so I am catching up and of course next is sandwiches.

Tea first!

This comes from Tea Time Magazine’s Teatime Celebrations. I couldn’t find my cutter, and instead used my knife and cut the sandwiches into triangles instead.

Emma (1996)

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices of Pumpernickel-Rye Swirl (I couldn’t find any and instead used a light rye bread), frozen
• 1 Tart Apple, such as Granny Smith
• 2 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons of Spicy Brown Mustard
• 6 Slices of Thin Deli-Style Smoked Ham
• 6 Slices of Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
• 1/3 Cup of Baby Arugula ( I substituted with Baby Spinach)

Directions for Sandwiches:

1. Using a 2-inch square cutter, cut 12 shapes from frozen bread, discarding crusts.
2. Cover with damp paper towels, and let bread thaw (about 15 mins).
3. Core apple, but leave whole and unpeeled.
4. Cut 6 (1/4-inch) crossway slices from apple. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and mustard, stirring well.
6. Spread mayonnaise mixture in an even layer on each bread square.
7. Using 6 bread squares (mayonnaise side up) as a base.
8. Assemble 6 sandwiches, stacking ingredients in the following order: arugula/spinach, ham slice (folded into quarters), cheese slice, apple slice, and another bread square (mayonnaise side down).
9. Garnish each tea sandwiches with arugula or spinach leaves, if desired.

These were delicious and a wonderful addition to the night’s tea.

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Cucumber Aioli Canapés

For more recipes, go to Parmesan and Chive Scones

For more Tea Time Magazine Recipes, go to Heirloom Tomato Tart

For more sandwich recipes, go to Turkey-Apple Tea Sandwiches

For more ham sandwich recipes, go to Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches

For more tea posts, go to How to Clean Your Tea Infusers

 

 

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). The first week we had Cederberg Tea Company Rooibos + Ginger Tea, Cranberry-Spice Scones with Maple Cream, Cucumber-Four Peppercorn Goat Cheese Canapés, Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches, Fotina & Pork Puffed Pastry, and Mini Apple Pies.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfst IX, so I will be starting now-and as I started with scones, I’m moving on to sandwiches.

And eat sandwiches!

This recipe comes from Tea Time Magazine Annual British Issue.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Pound of English Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons of English Mustard
• 8 Slices of Firm Honey Wheat Bread
• 8 Large Slices of Deli-Style Ham

Directions:

• Using a cheese slicer, cut very thin slices of cheese horizontally from a cheese block (I picked up cheese from the deli so it was already sliced thin.)
• In a small bowl combine mustard and mayonnaise, mix well.
• Spread a layer of mayonnaise mixture onto 8 slices of bread.
• Arrange 2 ham slices on 4 bread slices.
• Place cheese slices over the ham and top with remaining bread slices, spread side down, to make 4 sandwiches.
• Using a serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion, trim and discard crusts from each sandwich to create 4.5×2.5-inch rectangles.
• Cut each sandwich into 3 (2.5×1.5-inch rectangles).
• Serve immediately, or cover with damp paper towels, place in a covered container, and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

So my sandwiches didn’t come out quite right, I don’t think I cut the bread as thick as it should have been, as they kept toppling over.

I’ve noticed that a lot of these English recipes want you to use mustard and mayonnaise, not my favorite condiments. I usually half the amounts as that is more to my taste.

Otherwise they were pretty good and very easy to make.

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Cucumber-Four Peppercorn Goat Cheese Canapés

For more recipes, go to Cranberry-Spice Scones with Maple Cream

For more sandwiches, go to Cucumber Sandwiches

For more tea posts, go to Mug o’ Tea Treats Christmas Gift

They’re Alive!

Day 18) Your Favorite Disney-Pixar Film

So I have to say that I think that this is one of the best Disney-Pixar films. It has a great cast of characters, an amazing storyline, and I thank Disney for bringing to light something that all us children thought growing up; that our toys would come alive when we left the room or turned our backs. I know I was convinced this growing up, as there were times when I would  leave a doll or stuffed animal somewhere only to turn back and find it in a completely different place.

Anyways, I just love this movie A lot. I had a toy Woody, Buzz, and Ham piggy bank. Yeppers, I was a huge fan. In fact, it makes sense that this is one of my favorite films and that I absolutely love Woody, as we are so much alike.

To find out who you are, go here.

So the story is about a child, Andy, who has a great imagination:

And different toys that he loves to play with. His favorite is a cowboy, Woody. On Andy’s latest birthday everything changes. His gifts are all spacemen; making his room go from a Western paradise to place beyond the milky way. The other really interesting thing about this film is that it actually gives a pretty good summary of the death of the Western. With the rise of the anti-hero and space being the “final frontier”in the 1960s-80s, Westerns lost their hold of being the King Genre, ruler of all.

There is no middle ground.

 

To be honest most Sci-fi films were just Westerns in space (such as Star Wars and Star Trek). In fact Star Trek was actually proposed as being a tale of cowboys set in space.

Anyways, back to the film. So Woody begins to get jealous of all the attention that not only Andy gives his new Space toy, Buzz, but how everyone else treats the “new guy”. No one cares about Woody with the new boy in town. To make things even worse for Woody, Buzz thinks that he is the real Buzz and not a toy, no matter what Woody says.

Everything comes to a head when Andy is going out for pizza with his mom and can only take one toy. Woody wants to be the chosen one, and plots to knock Buzz behind the desk, but instead actually knocks him out the window.

 

All the toys think he murdered Buzz and are about to send him out, when Andy comes in, taking Woody with him as he can’t find Buzz.

Buzz, very much alive, sneaks onto their car, and when Andy’s mom stops for gas confronts Woody. The two get in a huge fight in which they say some of my favorite lines.

The two manage to sneak onto a Pizza delivery truck and get back to the restaurant. Woody tries to get Buzz onto Andy’s sister’s stroller, but he jumps into a claw machine that’s in the shape of  a rocket.

The two end up being picked by Andy’s evil neighbor Sid, who likes to torture and chop up his toys. There Buzz has a existential crisis after watching a Buzz Lightyear commercial. He tries to prove he isn’t a toy  by flying, but falls and breaks off his arm. Sid discards him, but his sister Hannah finds him and plays with him. Her attentions furthers Buzz’s depression and identity crisis.

Woody tries to get him to escape with him, by using Christmas lights to get across to Andy’s house. However, he can’t get Buzz to show the other toys that he is alive, so they won’t help him. Sid’s toys, who look really creepy as Sid destroys them and reconstructs them, but they end up healing Buzz and reattaching his limb.

Sid comes home and attaches a rocket to Buzz, hoping to blast him off, but is stopped by the rain. Woody sets out to help him, breaking a few rules along the way.

Buzz and Woody, now friends, try and get to Andy’s house before his family moves. They miss the truck and car, but Sid’s dog Scud chases after them. Buzz jumps on him to save Woody. And Woody goes into the moving van to get Andy’s R/C car. The other toys thinking Woody is still evil, knock him off the van. But he and Buzz join up and take off in the car. The car’s battery dies, and the two light Buzz’s rocket, flying off into the car.

So there you go. An amazing film, with great characters, lines, and one amazing story. 🙂 Love it!

For more on Toy Story, go to My Favorite Movie Lines

For more on Quizzes, go to Belle of the Ball

For more on Disney, go to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

For more on Star Wars, go to Happy Father’s Day

For more on Cowboys, go to Fashion Show

For more on Westerns, go to At the End of the Rainbow

For more on imagination, go to Belle of the Ball

For more on identity theft, go to The Two Witch Sisters

For more on pizza, go to Pink Elephants

For more on best buds, go to Best Friends

 

Worst Proposal Ever

Isn’t it ironic how Darcy is seen as the most romantic man of all time, yet his proposal is the worst? I mean nothing he says makes you want to say yes. If it was me, I probably would have socked him in the jaw.

Laurence Olivier, you’re cute but not cute enough with that proposal.

He can’t even make eye contact with Elizabeth and sits so far away from her.

But it just goes to show you, that if you fail to just try again. Improve yourself and what you say and you can win over the girl.

I wish he would say that to me! So much more romantic the second time. *Sigh*

How romantic

You just want to cry when you hear him tell her he still loves her. He sounds so heartbroken and dejected! But then blissfully happy when he realizes that she loves him. 😀

So romantic!

But you know what, as bad as Mr. Darcy was at least he was by far better than Mr. Collins

For more on Mr. Darcy, go to How to Catch Mr Darcy

For another Pride & Prejudice post, go to The Evolution of Darcy’s Views