From the Herb Garden-Tablescape Thursday

From The Herb Garden Tablescape Thursday..

Spring is in the air…well at least on the way. My Tablescape Thursday is From the Herb Garden. I have been collecting bits & pieces of Fitz & Floyd for a long time. They drift my way as gifts, as great buys at Flea markets, yard sales or TJ Maxx. I love their whimsical animals-especially the rabbits-did I mention I love rabbits. So here is my breakfast room table set for a leisurely lunch. With bread & brioche with chocolate & strawberry butters followed by a plate of home made chocolate chip scones. Fresh fruit & turkey tea sandwiches with cranberry chutney.

The woven chargers are Pier 1, but I got them at a yard sale for $8.00 for a set of 10. The original price tag of $15.00 each was still on the bottom! The tablecloth is a Raymond Waites fabric remnant I bought at a local co-op. I got the lovely green woven placemats at Target marked down to $2.47 for a set of 4. The butter-yellow napkins were a steal at $1.74 for a four-pack & the fruit plates were under $5.00. The nifty butterfly plates I bought at a church thrift sale for $2.00 & then found a second set of four at Goodwill for $6.00. The ceramic fruit & vegetable boxes I collected years ago. They just tickled my fancy at the time & usually parade across the bottom of my Irish dresser in the kitchen.
The flatware is an old Rogers pattern in silver plate called “Vintage”. I picked it up as a service for six at a flea market years ago.

Don’t the flowers look real? The centerpiece is one of my latest arrangements. Too soon for the real thing from my garden. The roses are silk in faux water. The yellow rose napkin rings are a package clip-on I bought at a local dollar store. The petals look & feel real. I tied the napkin with a plaid, wired ribbon bow & just clipped them on. The candlesticks are Victorian spatter glass-another co-op find.

Try some flavored butters for your next brunch or tea. My favorite is the chocolate!

Tea Butters

For chocolate butter-melt ½ cup chocolate on low in microwave-I like to use Wilbur buds in dark chocolate. Allow to cool, but still workable. Have about ½ cup butter at room temp. Slowly with a hand mixer, blend chocolate into butter. If it is too runny refrigerate till easier to spread.

Fruit butters-For each fruit butter you will need ½ cup whipped butter at room temp & ¼ cup of your favorite flavor of jam-strawberry, raspberry, orange marmalade, blueberry….the combinations are endless.

With a hand mixer, blend jam into butter. Transfer to a pretty serving dish. Try the orange on a cranberry scone. Mmmm…

Here is a close-up of the napkin ring.

Thoughts of Spring

For the past several days temperatures here have been in the 20's. It snowed Monday & even though the sun has been shining, with the cold temps, the snow has lingered. The pond is frozen over completely, when only last week you could see down to the bottom.

For my first Outdoor Wednesday, I profile my garden instead of bleak & snow-covered but as it will be with the first kiss of Spring.

Be sure to visit our hostess for this lovely event at A Southern Daydreamer & join in the fun!

Chicken Soup

On Thursday I woke up with a good dose of the common cold. I was still able to function through a normal day but by evening I was pretty beat. My husband came home from work with all the appropriate cold remedies & a bouquet of flowers to brighten my spirits. On Friday morning he woke up with the flu, so we spent the weekend into Monday in turn playing nursemaid to one another. I spent my day Friday running up & down the stirs with Jell-O, water, & chicken soup. Monday it snowed all morning & we spent our day wrapped up in quilts by the fireplace. I made the best of things by flipping though magazines & reading a book I have had for some time, but had not yet read. If you like historical fiction, you may enjoy this one-Thirteen Moons by Charles Frasier. I read Cold Mountain when it first came out. I found it a good read, but a bit grisly at times. Thirteen Moons was excellent & I’d love to see another book from Charles Frasier. Here is one of our favorite “comfort” foods.

Mom’s Chicken Soup

12 cups chicken broth or 2 large cans 49-1/2 oz each
Hand full of baby carrots cut on the diagonal- about 1 cup chopped
1 stalk celery-cut on the diagonal plus leaves finely chopped
Freshly ground sea salt & pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon marjoram – (dried)
1 teaspoon dried or 1 TB fresh-(chopped) parsley
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic granulated
¼ teaspoon granulated onion
1/3 bag of egg noodles

I usually fly-by-the-seat-of my-pants when I am making this recipe, but have tried to measure for once instead of a pinch of this…a dash of that…
I always find it is good for “what ails you”, and if you use a thicker egg noodle, it re-heats well again & again. You can add shredded chicken if you are making your broth from “scratch”

Bring broth or stock to the boil. Add chopped carrots, celery & seasonings. Reduce heat to low, maintain a gentle boil until carrots & celery are fork tender. Sample a spoonful of broth & add more salt/pepper to taste. Add noodles & simmer till noodles are al dente, about ten minutes. You can adjust the amount of noodles to your liking. Remember as they cook, they absorb the broth.

Tablescape Thursday-From the Garden

Another Tablescape Thursday-Today it seemed one step closer to spring. Bright & sunny without the gale force winds we’ve been having, you could forget it’s February. My Tablescape Thursday reflects my spring “state of mind”. My theme is “In the Garden”. The blue toile tablecloth was a yard sale find for $4.00-(it’s originally from Williams-Sonoma). The table topper is a pattern by Brunswig & Fils called Trophies- a decorator sample I picked up at their bargain-bin sale. I removed the coordinating swatches of fabric & trim attached to it and just finished it off. It is the perfect size for the round table in my breakfast room.

The center runner is actually two tea towels I purchased at Target at 75% off. I loved the Chinoiserie-look of them. The centerpiece is a faux orchid with a Staffordshire spill vase of two gardeners in front. The lacy, shabby iron lanterns were purchased at Michael’s last year at the end of the season. I used little, clear flowerpot style votives centered in a mini grapevine wreath. The stem wear & water glasses are over-shot glass from the 1960’s I found at a flea market years ago. The yellow side plates are Andrea by Sadek, I found at a local thrift shop. I am planning to hang them-(I have four) in my guest room.

Fresh strawberries in a robin’s egg blue dish-(probably Fenton that I just bought at Goodwill) are a perfect end to a light spring lunch “for two”. The first course a salad with mixed baby greens, strawberries & blueberries with a Pomegranate vinaigrette. After, I’ll serve my Golden Tuscan Pea Soup & warm, crusty rolls with herb butter.

I must thank our charming hostess, Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch & visit all the other luscious tablescapes that await!

I'll be posting the recipe for the spring salad on my blog as well as my website. Just click on my recipe link!

Shared Treasures-Discount Decorating

I was “thrifting” yesterday despite the snow, then rain, then sleet. Pickings were pretty slim but I did buy a neat, scrolly iron wine rack & sweater for myself. I have to share some of my past finds though. I am in the process of redecorating a room around one! It is by far one of my favorite prizes-a queen size Waverly comforter in shades of mustard, coral, & teal. I bought it at the Salvation Army for $9.99. It was new & had never been used. I found a pair of matching coral linen pillows with cream embroidery at
Target for $8.99 each.

I got even luckier at JC Penney when I was shopping for curtains for my Mom & Dad. I found 100% silk plaid panels for 80% off of the original price + an additional discount for their newspaper ad. I saved almost $800.00. My room is really coming together-all I have to do is paint...ugh! I am thinking coral for the walls and ivory trim on the woodwork. Any suggestions?

Another find is this Flue Cover I bought at a co-op for $2.00 & the little twig chair it is sitting on at a yard sale for $2.00.

The crystal horn was a thrift shop find for $2.99.

Don't ya just love a bargain!

Tablescape Thursday-It's All About the Toile

BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH: Pink Saturday and A New Tablescape Thursday Button-I am participating in my first Tablescape Thursday. It was a lot of fun creating my place setting-I rummaged through totes that have not seen the light of day for awhile and came up with the scalloped border Limoge plate. It is really lovely & unless you look very closely, you can't tell it has a chip on the bottom rim. Even though it isn't perfect, its charm has preserved it all these years. Dinner took on an air of elegance, even if it was just stuffed chicken breasts & mashed potatoes. Thank you Susan for the inspiration!

Tablescape Thursday-It's All about the Toile

It's All About the Toile-I just love toile-any design-any color-I am smitten! I just found this fabulous garnet-red tablecloth on sale for 75% off at Williams-Sonoma. It is the perfect backdrop for the garnet faux-silk placemats I bought at Target for 98 cents each-what a bargain! For my Tablescape Thursday, I chose a silverplate charger I bought as a set on eBay years ago as my first layer topped it with a vintage transferware plate in red-(I feel like I'm frosting a cake!), then a vintage Limoge plate I bought at a Flea Market & crowned it with another red transferware plate in a pattern I collect called Andalusia. The flatware is Milburn Rose, a pattern that dates circa 1930. It is my "Good Silver" I purchased at an antique shop shortly after I was married-(thank goodness for LayAway!) The knife is mother-of-pearl handled-(part of a set purchased on eBay). The little crystal votive is actually an individual salt dish. The napkin is also toile folded together with a damask in garnet. Isn't it romantic?

Mardi Gras

Don’t forget next week is “Fat Tuesday”- By definition, "Mardi Gras" (mär`dē grä) & "Mardi Gras Season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French "Mardi Gras" (literally translates to "Fat Tuesday"), the term has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday

Winter is back today after our brief flirtation with spring. This morning it snowed in big, fluffy flakes blanketing everything like a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. A lovely morning to sip a cup of tea & peruse the paper. By this afternoon the snow has vanished & it’s cold & damp. Rain is pouring from the downspouts & running down the roof. The sky is grey blanketed with clouds. I think I’ll pour another cup of tea….

The Victorian Garden Gourmet

A Mental Health Day

Ok, so I was supposed to be working but alas the fabric store was having a half-off sale-how could I say no!?! I have a sweet little French caned chair that is in dire need of a frouffy down cushion. I want to make-over my livingroom & this is a simple & inexpensive jumping-off point. So needless to say one of my favorite antique shops is right next to the fabric store which is right up the road from the pastry shop-it just kept snowballing! I bought a delicate little ribbon style fabric & a linen check-not sure if either will cushion the chair or just become cushions! I finished my afternoon off with a cappuccino & French pastry-naturally! But I behaved at the antique shop & didn't buy a thing-but tomorrow I go thrifting so maybe something will turn up!

I am parting with some of my transferware collection. As my husband says, I cannot keep it all. I have been sifting through the totes in the attic and have added some to my website. I have been collecting since I was ten-mostly blue but I have yellow, green, brown, mulberry, lavender, pink, red & bi-color. My most unusual is the yellow/brown bi-color. It is a Ridgway,one of my favorite manufacturer's. Yellow is a rare color. I have only ever found one in all my year's of collecting. I started my obsession at our local flea market. At the time you could find pieces for under a dollar especially if they had a chip or crack. A few years ago I bought a red & black plate for four dollars that I sold for over a hundred. Alas, those deals are few & far between. When I first started buying dishes I knew very little about them. I bought several books which have become well-worn reference books. One is Romantic Staffordshire Ceramics by Jeffrey B. Snyder. It is a handy guide for identifying many popular patterns & manufacturers.

This one is also a Ridgway, polychrome-(multi-color transfer) plate as is the green/brown & yellow/brown.

I have them everywhere throughout the house. I change them with my mood & color-scheme. I have also passed this "bug" to my neighbor. Beware-it is quite contagious, often spreading to other family members & friends! My neighbor's partial to lavender-my cousin to green! With all the varieties out there-the possibilities are endless!

January-Resolutions & Solutions

January is a good month to...

Read a good book...

Catch up on correspondence...

Redecorate a room-just changing pillows can give a room a whole new look. Add a vase of fresh flowers-tulips are a lovely transition flower.

Clean out your closet. Donate clothes you no longer wear to a local shelter, Goodwill, or the Salvation Army.

Get organized! It is my New Year’s resolution every year. Maybe 2009 is my year!

Make a huge pot of home-made soup or stew. Divide & freeze in meal-size containers for one of those “What to have for dinner?” Nights.

Pamper yourself! Maybe a manicure, pedicure, facial, or soothing massage. Not the spa type? Take a relaxing bubble bath complete with all the trimmings-fragrant bath soaps, fluffy towels, restful music, candles & your favorite beverage. Indulge-relax!

Take a Day Trip to an arboretum. Just walking through the lush plants & flowers reminds us that spring is just around the corner.

Build a snowman...

Take a walk. Bundle up in your favorite wooly sweater & head for your local park or walking trail. Take along a thermos of hot chocolate. It’s extra special if it’s snowing!

After the hustle & bustle of the holidays, January gets lost in the shuffle. Celebrate the month with family & friends you may not have seen over the holidays. We have a group of friends that get together every year for our neighborhood party. Even though only two of us still live in the same area anymore. We always have the party in January, because everyone is pulled in too many directions in December. We all have a chance to catch-up, enjoy some good food & company & keep the spirit of the holiday going.

Since we are still doing a lot of entertaining, I want my house to look festive, but not so Christmas-y. Here are a few things to make your house sparkle as we glide into midwinter.

For a quick touch of elegance-fill a silver tray with clear glass votives & white or ivory candles. Tumblers from your local department or discount store work great if you don’t have votives & give you a wider choice of shapes & patterns.

Group different size/style candlesticks together in the same medium – (brass, silver, crystal) together to make a warm glowing statement. Place on a mirrored plateau for extra shimmer.

Winter lends itself to shades of white. Pair it with shimmery silver, gold or pearl. Fill clear rose bowls with clear glass florist’s stones (like ice) & fill with ivory or the palest of pink blooms.

I love touches of apple green in the winter. I fill jars & bowls with faux lady & Granny Smith apples.

Grocers & garden centers will soon be full of cyclamen, heather, & primroses. It’s always nice to have a breath of spring in the heart of winter. I love the fragrant silver-green leaves of lavender too-available at some garden centers & mail order companies such as Jackson & Perkins.

What to replace those Christmas ball bowl fillers with? I gather pinecones & spray paint them a metallic silver or bronze or give them a quick shot of spray adhesive & dust with crystal glitter.

New Year's Resolutions

A Happy New Year to All!

Like most people do I made a few New Year's resolutions. How many will make it through the year is anybody's guess. Some of them are the same as last year. Above all I resolve to spend more time enjoying life, less time worrying about what will be, & spending more time with family & friends!

But above all..this will be the year i get organized!

And even if life is not always "A bowl of cherries", I will simply-

make cherry pie!

Bonne Annee

Bonne Annee-a happy new year to you all! The start of a brand new year full of possibilities, fresh ideas-relaxation! December is my busy, busy time of year. I look forward to a little breathing room in January. I try to clear my mind and shoo away all those thoughts of work, but my mind-(like the rest of me) is going in a thousand different directions! I hope to be adding lots of new things to my food line this year. I have some ideas that have not yet gone to print-look for them in early spring! But I'm jumping ahead. We still have holiday parties to attend & host so I am still in a holiday mood. And Valentine's Day is just around the corner-hmmm.....

Last Minute Holiday Gifts

The last Saturday before Christmas-of course I am not ready. We went over to my parents toting a tree & outdoor decorations-they are 84 & my Dad needs a knee replacement so they were not up to decorating. By the time we left the tree was decroated and wreathes were hung and garland surrounded the door. Time for a quick bite & some last minute shopping. Here are some ideas I came up with for those last minute gifts.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Italian Dinner in a Basket
I can shop almost anywhere! A quick trip to the grocery store turned into Christmas shopping & I checked one more name off the list. Here is what I purchased to make an
Italian Dinner in a basket for friends of mine who both work with limited time to cook.
4 jars of gourmet-style pasta sauce
Assorted pastas: linguini, fettuccini, ziti, penne-get creative & choose some spinach, tomato basil or whole wheat varieties
Parmesan & Romano cheese
A jar of minced garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Salad Dressing-red wine vinaigrette
Olive Oil
Cooking Spray-olive oil
Peppercorns in a self-contained grinder
Whole Grain Crackers
Breadsticks
Gourmet Cookies
I bought a red check tea towel to line the basket and arranged the ingredients. I also put in a bottle of red wine, a package of my pesto mix and a quick bread mix. Wrapped it all in cellophane and tied it with a raffia bow & wooden spoon. I collect baskets through out the year at yard sales & thrift stores. If you don’t have one on hand a quick trip to your local dollar store should yield a serviceable container. Another great container for this gift would be a big, ceramic pasta bowl. Nothing in this basket is perishable & doesn’t require refrigeration.

Christmas in a Basket-Know someone who is celebrating their first Christmas? Give them a basket full of ornaments to decorate their tree. I went to my local dollar store & found some lovely ornaments for $1.00 each. Just as pretty as the department & craft stores were selling! I included a box of ornament hangers, a box of popcorn-(to string for the tree or to munch on while decorating), a tin of cocoa mix, a bag of mini marshmallows, two mugs & a box of pirouette cookies-yes at the dollar store!

Holiday Housekeeping Basket-My cousins gave me this basket as a thank you gift when they came to stay for Thanksgiving. It was everything I needed for a houseful of guests right at my finger tips! The basket included dish soap, hand soap, counter spray, Laundry detergent & softener, rubber gloves, sponges & scrubber & room spray all packed into a lovely sea grass laundry basket. All the products were geranium scented by Mrs. Meyers. It has a delightful fresh smell that wafts through the house when you are doing laundry. I am now “hooked” and won’t buy anything else. The fragrance was so perfect for me because it smells just like my house when I am drying scented geranium leaves in my oven. They also make a Lemon Verbena, Lavender, & gingerbread fragrance that are just heavenly. Check your local grocery store or look them up on line.

Tea Lover’s Basket-All the ingredients for this basket can come from the grocery store as well. I purchased mugs, assorted teas, cookies, & candies. You can take this a step further with a stop at a gourmet store & add a tea cozy, spoon rests, unrefined sugar, & tea bag squeezers. I popped into a favorite antique mall to pick up lacey linens & silver tea spoons. I placed all my goodies on an elegant silver plated tray & wrapped it with a yard of netting I bought at the fabric store. You could use the same “formula” for the coffee lover on your list too!

For The Gardener-As I so love a garden, this one was easy for me. I went to my local garden center, Home Depot or Lowe’s will do too & purchased a pair of sturdy, comfortable work gloves, several bags of assorted spring bulbs, Miracle Grow, Bone Meal, some essential hand tools with padded grips, some plant markers, & knee pads. This basket is easy to get carried away with-you could add a garden ornament, wind chimes, garden statuary, watering can, etc. I put everything into a brightly colored plastic tub tied with raffia & a garden-themed ornament for the tree.