Cooking Show: January Soirée for the Downton Abbey Premiere!

I'm still trying to extend Christmas through this week.  I'm not ready to take down my trees, lights and decorations!

Smack dab in the middle of all of our holiday preparations, my friends and I still managed to find time to plan our upcoming soirée to watch the Downton Abbey premiere!

Counting down the days now (FIVE!!) until the premiere.

Here's a shot from last year's get-together.  Canapés, tarts, scones and tea.

And here's a shot from the cooking show that we filmed earlier this month.  My friend, Trish, cooked with me and we attempted some new recipes as well as a few tried-and-true favorites.

We started with Sloe Gin Fizzes.  To help us cook, you know.

How does this drink fit in with the Downton theme, you ask?  The sloe fruit is native to Britain.

Then we prepared our tea sandwiches.

Shrimp Canapés, since Trish and I both love shrimp.  Shrimp on top of melba toast spread with seasoned butter, what's not to love?

Then we moved onto Cinnamon-Raisin Toast Points with Pear and Gorgonzola.  If you prefer your tea sandwiches on the sweet side, then these are for you!

Turkey and Cheese Rollups with Arugula Pesto.  Out of everything we prepared, I think these are the most manly.

I say that because the men seemed to like these best.  I kinda got the impression that men don't really like tea party food.

How did I get that impression?  Because Mr. Terrific made himself a cheeseburger after we finished our tea party.

And our soirée wouldn't be complete without Gayle's Cucumber Sandwiches.  Out of everything we prepared, these are my favorite.  They are so simple to make!  I will give you the recipe in Gayle's own words:  

*********I'm sure you could use another type of bread, but i don't like to vary from the original. i use a round cookie cutter to make circles in Arnold's oatnut bread. Then i spread on a little bit of Hellman's mayo. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Pardon, that was me falling asleep. Top each circle with a slice of cucumber and sprinkle with a little Lawry's salt. Voila! Enjoy!*************

My apologies to Gayle, but those of you who know me probably already know that I almost always improvise when I'm following a recipe.  I used a different brand of mayonnaise than the one Gayle recommended, and I didn't use the seasoning that she recommended, either.  I made my own (1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon celery salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and a pinch EACH of turmeric, onion powder and garlic powder--this will make more than you need).  I also chopped up some watercress and sprinkled it on top as a garnish.

And because no tea party is complete without a sweet ending, Strawberry Scones with Lemon Curd and Lemon Tea Cakes with Lemon Glaze.  

And...I took that picture before I added the lemon curd.

Here you go!