Cucumber Sandwiches - 2 options

What would a proper tea party be without cucumber sandwiches?

Below are two recipes I've used and liked:

1 Loaf Cocktail Rye Bread or 1 Bag Bagel Chips

1 - 8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1/8 cup sour cream

1 envelope dry Italian seasoning

1 cucumber, sliced thin

Mix Italian seasoning into softened cream cheese. Spread onto bread slices. Top with cucumber slice and garnish with spring of parsley if desired.

I also like this recipe:

1 medium cucumber with seeds removed

1 tsp. VERY finely chopped onion

12 ounces cream cheese

2 Tbls. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce (be sure to measure it ;-)

Cocktail Rye bread

Peel and grate the cucumber. Put cucumber into a strainer that has been lined with cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl and refrigerate for an hour. Wring as much liquid as possible from the bag. Combine all ingredients, adding more mayonnaise if necessary to get a spreading consistency.

Either way, I use a double batch for my 100 person tea party and I make the spread part several days ahead of time to allow the flavors to blend. Sandwiches are assembled the day of the tea.