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For Cheerwine, the future looks, well, cheerful. Yesterday: a grocery-store basement. Today: the Solid South. Tomorrow: the world?

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WATERCRESS FINGER SANDWICHES

MAKES 26 TO 28 SMALL SANDWICHES

“Finger sandwich” is just another way of saying “tea sandwich,” meaning that the sandwiches are dainty enough to be picked up with the fingers and eaten in one or two bites. Like cucumber sandwiches, these are tea party staples; rare is the southern hostess who doesn’t serve them. Note: Because of the saltiness of the cream cheese, the filling is not likely to need additional salt, but taste to make sure. Tip: So that the filling isn’t watery, pat the watercress leaves as dry as possible on paper toweling before mincing.

One 8-ounce package “light” cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature

2/3 cup finely minced tender young watercress leaves (see Tip above)

1 large scallion, trimmed and finely minced (include some green tops)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (about)

1 teaspoon finely snipped fresh dill

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

One 1-pound loaf thinly sliced, firm-textured white bread, crusts removed

1. Place the cream cheese in a medium-size bowl; add the watercress, scallion, mayonnaise, dill, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce, and cream until smooth. If the mixture seems stiff, beat in an additional tablespoon or so of mayonnaise. Taste for salt and add, as needed. Note: The filling can be made a day ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until soft enough to spread.

2. Spread half the slices of bread with the watercress mixture, then top with the remaining slices, pressing down lightly.

3. With a sharp knife, halve each sandwich on the diagonal so that you have two small triangular sandwiches.

4. Arrange on a colorful plate and set out on a buffet or tea table. Or pass with cocktails.

LITTLE TOMATO TRIANGLES

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN SMALL OR 6 DOZEN BITE-SIZE SANDWICHES

One blistering summer night when I stopped by Crook’s Corner, a favorite Chapel Hill restaurant, chef Bill Smith sent out a plate of bite-size tomato sandwiches as an appetizer—the best I’ve ever eaten. Bill made them especially for us because one of his staff had brought in some tomatoes from her own garden. There are five ingredients only: bread, tomatoes, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. I now make these dandy little sandwiches whenever I find plum tomatoes full of flavor. They’re the best variety for this recipe because they have firmer flesh and fewer seeds. I quarter each tomato lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then slice each quarter into long strips 1/8 to ¼ inch wide and cut the strips crosswise into fine dice. Note: Southerners insist upon Duke’s mayo, but any good commercial brand will do. Tips: Much to my surprise, these sandwiches can be made several hours ahead of time—something I learned after shoving a plate of leftovers into the fridge. I’d layered the sandwiches between sheets of paper toweling, then draped the lot with plastic wrap. And here’s another plus: These sandwiches slice more cleanly when cold, so make the diagonal cuts (Step 3) after their stay in the fridge.

4 firm-ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and finely diced but not peeled (see headnote)

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup firmly packed mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon black pepper

One 1-pound loaf firm-textured white sandwich bread (18 slices, not counting “heels”), crusts removed

1. Place the tomatoes in a large fine sieve, sprinkle with the salt, and let stand for 1 hour, shaking the sieve now and then to extract as much juice as possible. Pat the tomatoes dry on paper toweling, transfer to a small nonreactive bowl, and mix in 2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise and the pepper.

2. Using the remaining mayonnaise, skim-coat each slice of bread, then spread the tomato mixture over half of the slices. Place the remaining slices on top, mayonnaise sides