Party Ham Sandwiches

1 package small butter crust rolls
1 lb. sliced/shredded smoked ham
1 package thin sliced Swiss cheese

4 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 stick of butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine mustard, butter, poppy seeds, and onion in a small bowl. Mix well to form a paste.

Separate tops and bottoms of dinner rolls and arrange bottoms of rolls on a baking sheet. Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of the sauce on each bun. Top with some ham, a slice of cheese, and the top of roll. Spread another teaspoon of sauce on the outside top of bun.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Don’t cover.

Serve warm.

Iced Tea Punch

Makes about 1 gallon.

1 gal. water
4 family size tea bags
1 handful of fresh mint, leaves pulled from stems (about 6 or 7 sprigs)
2 -2/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 liter ginger ale

Bring water to a boil and add tea bags. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Add mint leaves and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Just before serving, add the ginger ale.

Best served over crushed ice.

Can be made ahead and frozen in large baggies. When making ahead do NOT add the ginger ale prior to freezing. Add ginger ale just before serving as specified in directions.

Gin Lemon Tea Fizz

1 cup of water
4 tea bags of black tea (such as Darjeeling)
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 cup of gin
2 cups sparking water

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add tea bags and remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Chill overnight.

Strain tea mixture into a pitcher and discard tea bags. Add lemonade concentrate and gin, stirring lightly to combine. Add sparkling water and stir. Serve over ice. This recipe doubles easily.

Crispy Spicy Snack Mix

2 cups crisscross corn and rice cereal (like Crispix)
1 cup tiny pretzel twists
1/2 cup wheat crackers (such as Wheat Thins)
1/2 cup cheddar crackers (such as Cheez-It)
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon ginger stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Combine cereal, pretzels, and crackers in a bowl. Combine butter, stir-fry sauce, powder, cumin, and salt. Drizzle this over the cereal mixture and toss to coat well. Spread cereal mixture onto a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes or until crisp, stirring twice.

Hot Jezebel

1 12-oz jar apricot preserves
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
Crackers

In a medium size bowl combine preserves, horseradish, mustard and black pepper. Taste the mixture and add more horseradish, mustard, or pepper to taste. Cover and chill mixture overnight.

When ready to serve, place cream cheese on a serving plate and pour apricot mixture over the cream cheese. Serve with a basket of your favorite crackers.