Preparing a Christmas tea party

"Christmas is come, hang on the pot,

Let spits turn round, and ovens be hot;

Beef, pork, and poultry, now provide

To feast thy neighbors at this tide;

Then wash all down with good wine and beer,

And so with mirth conclude the Year."

Virginia Almanac (Royle) 1765

Each month on the 25th as we move now through the second half of the year, I will place a recipe on this blog to collect for the coming holidays. When you are finished, you will have a complete menu for a Christmas tea. Perhaps, this is the year you can invite friends around to celebrate an afternoon of holiday cheer accompanied with a pot of your favorite tea and a table full of wonderful treats.

This month's recipe is one of the easiest of all the Christmas cookies to make and yet they are very festive. They have a wonderful taste and I have had people who are not even big cookie fans tell me how delicious they find them. As you can see, I made some this morning for a photo. We will be able to enjoy them after our dinner tonight.

Russian Teacakes

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the flour, walnuts and salt until dough holds together. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 mintues until set (do not brown). Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm. Let cool and roll once more in powdered sugar. This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies.