Wedding Day Scones

I included a tropical menu for my brides because a. lot of them forget that they are not only planning a wedding day, but they are also about to go on a fabulous vacation with the love of their life - their honeymoon!! The tea blend I serve to brides is also a tropical blend of kiwi, papaya and mango with hints of coconut. Theses scones have a little bit of pineapple which you can also substitute for any dried fruit of your choice. Apricots or peaches would be just as tasty! I always serve with some preserves or lemon curd but honestly, these scones are so light and delicious all by themselves, I think I only want to serve them with some clotted cream or with some fresh fruit on the side! Your choice but either way, these will be one of your favorite scones! Enjoy!

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup chopped dried pineapple (or fruit of your choice) 1/3 cup heavy cream

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add cream cheese and pineapple, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 3/4” thickness. Using a 2 1/2” wedding bell cookie cutter (I just used a round cookie cutter), cut scones and place them on prepared baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Orzo Salad

I love a yummy tasting Summer salad and this Orzo Pasta Salad is perfect for that hot summer day. Using fresh ingredients and fresh herbs from my garden enhanced all the flavors so nicely. I do recommend making this salad several hours before serving or even the day before serving to give all the fresh ingredients plenty of time to marinate together. I also highly recommend making another batch of the dressing, or at least half a batch, if you do serve this the next day. The pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid ingredients the longer it sits, so adding a fresh dose of the dressing right before serving along with some additional chunks of feta is delicious!!

My kids drop by the house “just because” and it’s one of my very favorite things being an empty nester. The day I made this salad, my son did just that as he just appeared in my back door! He wanted to show me his new truck he just bought and since he lives about an hour away from me, he usually stays for awhile so we can chat for a bit. We drove around in his new ride for awhile and when we came back to the house, I served this salad, very impromptu, along with some warm pita bread and some fresh fruit as we had a lovely visit over a nice light and summery lunch. It was absolute perfection on such a hot summer day. I kept this in my fridge for about 5 days and it was very filling and so yummy!! I hope you all enjoy!!

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup extra light olive oil

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper

1 (1 pound) box orzo pasta, cooked and drained 1 Seedless Cucumber, diced

1 Pint grape tomatoes, halved 1 (14 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 (6 oz) can whole pitted black olives, drained 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Garnish with fresh oregano

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice (I just used bottled lemon juice) olive oil, oregano, chives, salt and pepper, whisking to combine; Set aside

Cook your pasta, adding salt to the water. Drain but do NOT rinse all that yummy salt flavor out.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives, and feta cheese. I used a whole 14 oz can of black olives because that is what I happened to have in my pantry and it was great. I also buy block feta in the brine and crumble by hand. I like a really chunky salad and the feta chunks were perfect! Add your cooked orzo pasta

Pour lemon juice mixture over pasta mixture, stirring to combine well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Garnish with more feta cheese and fresh oregano.

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Orzo Pasta Salad

Author: Anita Casano

Delicious Orzo Pasta Salad is a dish I serve at family gatherings throughout the year because it feeds so many people! It's delicious and tastes even better the next day!

Ingredients

Orzo Pasta Salad

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice - or bottled
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbls fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 Tbls fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb box orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 1 seedless cucumber, diced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 16 oz can whole pitted black olives, drained
• 4 oz feta, crumbled (honestly the more feta the better this will taste)

Instructions

Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, chives, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Set aside
2. Cook the orzo pasta according to package directions. Add salt to the water as it's cooking. Drain, but do not rinse the pasta.
3. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives and feta cheese
4. Add the cooked orzo pasta to the cucumber and vegetable bowl
5. Pour lemon and olive oil dressing over the salad and mix well.
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Longer is better.
7. Garnish with more feta cheese and fresh oregano and serve

Snickerdoodle Tea Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup butter, cubed 2 (4 oz bars white chocolate, broken in pieces or chopped)

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided

6 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbs ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter and white chocolate for 30 seconds at a time (about 2 1/2 minutes total) until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes. In another large bowl or mixer, beat 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Gradually beat in flour until combined. Stir in butter mixture until smooth. Spread half of the batter into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture onto the batter in the pan. Top with remaining batter. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture, and bake for 10 more minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. I like to individually wrap each bar with Saran Wrap and freeze. Take out an individual bar while you are preparing your tea and it will be ready to eat with your favorite tea blend! Enjoy!

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Snickerdoodle Tea Cake

Author: Anita Casano

Snickerdoodle Tea Cake is one of the easiest cakes I have ever made and the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and cozy spices makes this cake one of my Fall Favorites!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, cubed
• 2 4oz bars of white chocolate, broken into pieces or chopped
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tbls ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9" baking pan with cooking spray Set aside
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter and white chocolate together for 30 seconds at a time for a total of about 2 1/2 minutes until melted and smooth and stirring occasionally
3. Let butter and chocolate mixture cool for about 10 minutes
4. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium high speed until fluffy - about 3-5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl
5. Gradually beat in flour until combined. Stir in butter and chocolate mixture
6. Spread 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar
8. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on to the batter in the pan
9. Pour remaining batter on top of cinnamon mixture
10. Bake for 25 minutes
11. Add remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the cake and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean
12. Let cool completely on a wire rack
13. Cut into bars. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. I wrap my bars in Saran Wrap and freeze them for up to 6 months. Ready for tea time anytime!