OPEN HOUSE TEA AND EASTER EGG HUNT

Okay, I admit I am a southern girl, and as such, I love to entertain! Down here in the south, we love our iced tea sweet, our chicken fried and our desserts rich. Us southern girls love entertaining and do it in a big way, but there are times that we like things simple, even if we do break out the fine china for "dinner on the grounds".
For Easter Sunday, or even the Saturday before, consider gathering friends and family together for an afternoon of fun. The recipes today are simple yet delicious (and oh so southern) and can be made ahead of time, so plan a brunch on the lawn, a formal dinner outside on the patio, or just a simple, plain picknick lunch on a blanket under a tree. Whether it's setting up a simple folding table and decorating elegantly or throwing a beach blanket on the lawn for the kids to kick back on, it can all be done easily and made special. A little imagination goes a long way, so dig through the drawers and pull out that special linen table cloth, the fine china, or simple pastel paper plates and have fun with it.

Try this recipe and I promise you will give rave reviews!

**CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD TEA SANDWICHES**

**Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped
3 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped.
1/2 cup sweetened, toasted coconut flakes
6 green onions, minced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 (2 1/4 oz.) pkg. slivered almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
48 whole grain bread slices

Preparation:

Stir together first 11 ingredients. Spread mixture evenly on one side each of 24 slices of bread; top with remaining bread slices. Trim crusts from sandwiches and cut each sandwich into 4 rectangles with a serrated knife.

How easy was that? And to keep them fresh and moist, just stack sandwiches in an airtight container covered with a sheet of wax paper and then a damp dish towel on top of the wax paper. Cover container with lid and store in frig for up to a a day ahead. Makes about 25 servings.

Enjoy!

Erin