Tablescape Times Three: Ideas

Showing posts with label Ideas. Show all posts

Saturday, April 16, 2011

To my Trudie: the best grandmother in the world

I love my Trudie! She is my dad's mom, and I have her to thank for her top-secret chicken and dumpling recipe, my green eyes, and the beautiful things she has made me through the years. She made the place mats on my table for me when I got married, and I still treasure them.

The fruit motif is really nice because they match so many of my patterns. I think hand-made gifts are the best. I have large cross-stitched wall hangings that she made each of my children when they were born. I have numerous other knitted blankets that are put to frequent use. This year when Emma was so often in the hospital, I was so grateful to have them to bring a little something from home to keep family close when they were not allowed to visit.

Today, I have used these lovingly cross-stitched place mats with some of my other favorite things. The vintage red Morgantown golf ball iced-teas and the Spode Cranberry Traditions plates are so pretty on a spring table. (These were from eBay, as always, though the Spode Traditions were actually from the Replacements eBay site. These were sold as an auction and were actually cheaper through eBay than on the Replacements site. They have more!)

There are six different patterns in this particular set.

The majolica fruit sculpture matches the place mats and is also a special item. It was a gift from "Mrs. Margie," whom Emma mentioned in her last blog. I grew up across the street from Mrs. Margie, and we still visit even now.

I added my favorite red salad plates from Dillard's, my Dollar Tree soup bowls, and my Target ramekins with bright green apples. My family enjoyed this table for an early spring supper, complete with chicken and dumplings! The only thing missing was my Trudie!

-Andrea

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Blues Table for Five (Recipes!)

I have been dying to use this TJ Maxx tablecloth for something pretty on the porch, but the pollen and weather are not cooperating. I was too impatient to wait, so tonight we dined on new thrifty finds in the kitchen.

Oh, where to start?

Well, the bargain on the table is the sherberts. I found them on eBay for less than $1 a piece! I can't even believe I almost passed them up!

And the china was another eBay find. It is the Carlotta pattern made by Eternal Stone. While it wasn't quite the deal of a $1 per piece, it was still a bargain.

There is some crazing on a few pieces, but I adore the pattern and the two shades of blue. It is at least 75 years old and so chic! I love, love, love the way it looks with the sherberts and blue in the tablecloth!

I could kick myself for not buying napkins in Homegoods that would have matched! I am one of those shoppers who (sometimes but not often enough) walks around with all the things I want, and gradually put most of them back only to regret it later! Do you do that, too?

The tablecloth is a good example of that very thing. I found four placemats and a runner in this same pattern at a TJ Maxx in Atlanta, walked around with them, and decided I didn't want just four placements. I left them there only to find the tablecloth in a different TJ Maxx a week later. This time, leaving the first stash behind was a good decision!

The Azaleas in the ice bucket are from the yard. I have one plant with a few flowers. The rest are still budding. The other green comes from camellia and honeysuckle leaves.

So, what's the menu?

Cocktail Shrimp

Frozen and thawed from the supermarket (easy recipe, huh?)
Serve with dipping sauces

Mandarin Orange Salad

Salad:
1 head of lettuce, washed and torn
4-5 green onions, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 11oz can mandarin oranges
Combine and chill.

Dressing:
1/4 vegetable oil
1 T white vinegar
5 drops hot sauce
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Topping:
1/2 c slivered almonds
2-3T sugar
Caramelize on stove. Spread on wax paper to dry. Can be stored in an airtight container for a snack.

Combine salad and dressing. Toss. Top with almonds. Mmmmm. :)

Easiest Poppyseed Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Casserole:
1-2 lb of shredded or cut up chicken, whatever you have on hand
1 can of mushroom soup (10 3/4 oz)
8 oz sour cream
1/4 c. milk
Combine so that the chicken is covered, even if just barely.

Topping:
Place 1-2 stacks of Ritz crackers in a freezer bag and crush
add 1 stick of melted butter or margarine
add 2 T poppy seeds (if you have them)
Shake.

Spread over chicken mixture.

Bake until bubbly, (about 30 minutes).

Easy Rice Pilaf

Prepare 3 c. quick rice.

Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a large skillet.
Add 1/2 c. green onions (chopped), 1/3 c. slivered almonds, and 1 crushed clove of garlic.

When almonds are lightly browned (3-5 minutes), add rice and seasonings to taste such as salt, pepper, thyme, etc. Blend and serve.

I also served a can of corn. Another easy recipe. :)

Enjoy!
-Andrea

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

If Andy Warhol Can Do It... (Recipes to Follow)

Food as decoration - I do it all the time! And not just on the plate!

Valentine's has been gone long enough, and I was in the mood for some red. Maybe it is because Sunday was cold enough to get one last wear out of winter clothes.

Also, I really do try to use each tablescape for a real meal, and this was thrown together for supper. Pardon the lighting, but it was nearly dark outside.

I grabbed the nearest things handy:

Shelf 1

More red books. Some are cookbooks, some are just filling in for color.

Shelf 2

Campell's soup cans. I love popart. This was the first decision I made. I knew I was making a couscous for dinner, so the table was already set with individual soup tureens (soup terrines). These nifty little items were $2 at BigLots. They are in stores where we live right now.

The rooster plates are from a thrift store in Stockbridge, GA. The plates are a pattern by Maxcera. They say, "Bonjour," "Buenos Días," and "Good Morning!" around the rim. They were $3.03 each. I wonder who priced them at $3.03. Why not $3.00? Or $3.05? Strange.

For depth, I used small glass liqueur glasses in different colors that I picked up at an antique show as a teen. (I guess they are liqueur classes. Or very tiny flower vases. :) )

Shelf 3

My fancy $2 red salad plates from Dillard's. The shape is really unusual and they were reduced from $15.

The foreign phrases in the rooster plates got me thinking about travel souvenirs. Along with the popart them, I added the Coca-Cola bottles in Arabic from Morocco.

And I added Emma's little camel. A man we met in the street in Tethouan was so charmed with her that he came and found us again later in the day and gave it to her as a gift.

Emma in Morocco, April, 2006

On the ends, I added red heart-shaped glass votives. But because they are on a high shelf, you can't tell they are hearts.

Top

I added a red glass candy dish and vintage bowl.

For color, I took a plate off of my children's art shelf. Emma made this plate at a friend's birthday party in first grade. And luckily, her kindergarten graduation picture has a red background. The Russian nesting dolls were a gift from my grandmother-in-law, Irene.

On the table, I added a Pier 1 pitcher filled with garden greenery with red placemats and napkins. The white dinner plates are my Dollar Tree specials, and the crystal is Longchamp by Durand. I bought these glasses at Dillard's years ago, but this crystal is very common and inexpensive. You can find a ton of it on eBay.

For dinner, I made a very quick 10-minute couscous. Using some of the left over lemons from my mom's Travelscape this week, I also made some hummus, pita chips, and steamed broccoli. Delish!

10-minute Couscous

Box of pre-flavored couscous

Box of plain couscous

1 can chicken broth

AND

1 can sweet corn and/or miscellaneous veggies you have on hand

1/2 cup of feta (if on hand)

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (if on hand)

Ready-to-eat grilled chicken (if on hand)

Cook couscous as directed, adding about 2 T. butter or olive oil if the box doesn't tell you to.

While the couscous cooks (in about 5 minutes), open a can of corn, combine it with the chicken, and heat it in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Rinse and cut up the sundried tomatoes. I actually prefer one of those hand choppers or a food processor.

Combine the corn, couscous, tomatoes, and cheese. At this point, I usually heat it all in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften the cheese, but you can top the warm mixture with the cold feta if you prefer.

This recipe is perfectly fine with just the corn. But the more you add, the yummier.

Fast Hummus

1-3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped fine OR garlic salt to taste

juice of 1-2 lemons

1-2 cans chick peas (garbanzo beans)

olive oil for consistency

salt to taste

I start with the garlic in the food processor. I add the garbanzo beans and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. I squeeze the lemons separately. (First, I roll them with all of my weight on the counter top. Then, I cut them in half and squeeze. It's much easier that way.) I add the lemon juice. I salt to taste. I like to cut up fresh red pepper and other veggies for serving , though my family also likes melba toast and tortilla chips. Tonight, they were stuck with pita chips, which I love and they tolerate. Hummus is also good on hard bread sandwiches with chicken and lettuce.

Enjoy!

-Andrea

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http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://iloveprettylittlethings.blogspot.com/

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Travelscape! (with recipe)

Our family loves traveling almost as much as tablescaping. Summer will be here soon and it is time to plan vacations. I invited my daughter and two granddaughters to lunch for a surprise discussion of our next travel adventure.

The table was set. Then, I added some black and white photos to remind us of our past travels.

Paris

New York

Morocco

Berlin

I used some square “cities” plates that I had bought many years ago at TJ Maxx. I had always intended to put them on the wall of one of my bedrooms, but never got around to hanging them. Each one has scenes of a different world city – Paris, London, Rome and New York.

Paris

London

Rome

New York

I decided to use yellow with the black and white, so I added some lemons to a black wire basket from TJ Maxx. Maybe, I will use them later to make my mother's lemon cheese cake (recipe at the end).

The Sunflower Yellow Fiesta tablecloth was purchased on Amazon.com.

Fiesta Solid Color 60 Round Tablecloth, Sunflower

I ordered the black and white napkins from an online linen store.

The napkin rings were made from flowers that I bought at Michael’s. The yellow centers were the inspiration for the black, white and yellow color scheme.

Target was the source for the black flatware and placemats.

The glasses are from Mikasa.

The stemware charms that I have had for years almost matched the plates perfectly. They include the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Of course, the leaning tower is not in Rome, but it is in Italy, at least!

Our trip last summer was to London and Paris, so I guess those cities will be eliminated from the list of possibilities for this year. I do love to shop in England for china, though - the first time that I ever visited one of the China Reject shops, I was overwhelmed. Of course, shopping at Harrod's in the tabletop department is not bad either!

Time to decide on a destination. Collectively, we have been to most of the countries in Europe. However, none of us has been to South America. Maybe, it is time to learn to dance the Tango - Argentina, anyone????

Lemon Cheese Cake

Cake

8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift flour and baking powder together four times.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour and milk alternately, mixing after each addition.
Beat eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Add vanilla.
Pour into three greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees, until layers are done (the recipe reads 45 minutes, but my layers were done after 20-25 minutes).

Lemon Cheese Filling

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
juice of 3 lemons

Cook together in the top of a double boiler, until thick. Refrigerate, until cool.

Seven Minute Icing

2 egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the first 5 ingredients in the top of a double boiler. With hand mixer, beat for one minute to combine. Then, over boiling water, beat on high for seven minutes. Beat in vanilla.

To assemble the cake:

After removing the warm cake layers from the pan, spread cooled filling over the bottom two layers. Place the three layers together and spread seven minute frosting on sides and top of cake. Enjoy!

Diane