To a Tea

I'm certainly not the girliest girl by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love a good tea room. Especially during the holidays, some of my fondest memories are gathering with friends for lunching and shopping at places like Perry's Thymes Remembered Tea Room or Ivy's Tea Room/Shoppes on Grand in Ames -- both of which, sadly, are now closed. I found myself thinking about these places when I was invited to a potluck luncheon this week, so I decided to dust off THE Ivy's Tea Room chicken salad recipe and bring that as my contribution. The key ingredients are specialty items -- Cherchies champagne mustard and Lem'n Dill seasoning. And since Ivy's is now closed, I'm sure they don't mind me sharing their famous chicken salad recipe here.

IVY'S FAMOUS CHICKEN SALAD

4 c. cooked and chopped chicken
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. sweet pickle relish
2 T. Cherchies Lem'n Dill Seasoning
1 c. Miracle Whip
1/3 c. Cherchies champagne mustard
 Black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve on crackers, lettuce leaves, or tea rolls.

Top, if desired, with vidalia onion salad dressing.