Teatime recipes from Dexter restaurant

Once again I have an exciting new cookbook to share with you today. I received a copy of the "Teatime Friendships at Patricia's" cookbook while dining at Patricia's Tearoom and Gifts in Dexter, Mo.

Patricia "Patty" Shell is a Dexter native and is well known for her community involvement. Hospitality comes naturally to Patty, with extra detail paid to creative decorating and excellent food preparation.

Patty opened her tea room in 1996. The cookbook features recipes for many of the house specialties, such as the signature fruit tea, hot cashew chicken salad and the buttermilk muffins. The book is full of wonderful dessert recipes as well.

Burton House Tea

Patricia's signature fruit blended house tea.

1 gallon water

3 family-size teabags

2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup white grape juice

1 envelope unsweetened lemonade flavored drink mix

Bring water to a boil. Steep tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Serve chilled.

Miss Pat's Hot Cashew Chicken Salad

8 cups mixed lettuce greens

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

2 bunches broccoli, cut into medium bite-sized pieces

2 shredded carrots

1 cup toasted cashews

Leafy lettuce

Line salad plates with leaf lettuce. Cover with several handfuls of mixed greens. Top greens with adequate amounts of cubed chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and shredded carrots. Top each salad mound with toasted cashews. Serve with poppy seed dressing that has been heated in the microwave.

Buttermilk Muffins

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons solid shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

4 cups buttermilk

6 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Add buttermilk to cream mixture. Mix all dry ingredients into creamed mixture. If this is a little thick, add some more buttermilk. Fill nonstick muffin tins one-half full. You may want to spray muffin tins with a nonstick cooking spray, but they have found that the bottoms of the muffins get too brown. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Patricia's Chicken Salad

8 cups cubed cooked chicken

3/4 cup pickle relish

1 cup small diced celery

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup Miracle Whip

1 cup sour cream

Mix all together and chill. This recipe came about one day when the cooks were shorthanded in the kitchen and put the chicken in the food processor on medium. They received many favorable comments on the consistency of the salad and are still doing it that way today.

Tailgate Sandwich

1 package Hawaiian rolls

1 pound shaved ham

2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese

2 sticks melted butter

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Poppy seeds

Minced fresh onion

Split the package of Hawaiian rolls in half. Layer the shaved ham on top of the bottom half of rolls. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top of ham. Put top of rolls on top of cheese layer. Melt butter, add Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Place rolls in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Pour liquid over rolls. Sprinkle top with poppy seeds and minced onion. Let stand overnight or several minutes. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 25 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.

Rhonda's Baked Potato Soup

4 large baked potatoes cubed with skins left on

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 green onions, chopped

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

1 heaping tablespoon chicken base

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add potatoes, salt and pepper, bacon, cheese, and chicken base. Cook until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if necessary, for desired thickness. Garnish with green onions, bacon and cheese. For a speed up on this soup you can use frozen hash brown potatoes with the skins, but the soup does not thicken as well.

Strawberry Soup

4 cups frozen strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 cup vanilla yogurt

Fresh mint leaves

In the blender, puree the strawberries, sugar, orange juice and yogurt. Pour through a wire mesh strainer. Discard the seed and pulp residue. Chill for at least two hours. Serve in chilled bowls. Garnish with a fresh strawberry half and a mint leaf.

Enjoy these recipes, but you will want to get a copy of this book and try all of the recipes offered on the 90 pages. I'm out of room, so until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to smcclanahan@semissourian.com or to P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702. Recipes have not been tested by the Southeast Missourian.