Here Comes Peter Cottontail

 

     A few bunnies have shown up around my house in the past few days. The baby above must have slipped away from her mama as she was sitting in the backyard for a while and we kept the big bad beagle away until she was gone, hopefully back to her nest. I really wanted to pick her up and cuddle her, but I knew her mother might not take her back if I did.  

 

 

     My other bunnies aren't nearly as cute, but at least I did bring a little Easter into the house. When we were in  Florida in March I found a William Sonoma Outlet and bought these cute little bunny plates. I actually did a tablescape, not for the blog, just for me. It had been a long time and I forget how nice it makes the house look to have a pretty table.

 

     The only new items are the bunny plates. I had the egg shaped placemats and matching napkins, the flatware I have used many times and the dinner plates are Fiesta. I used my favorite garage sale wine glasses and that was it.

This is my favorite plate!

 

     The centerpiece is a basket (of course, it is Easter). I used silk flowers that I already had and tried to make them look as real as possible. I added a few eggs and a moss bunny to create a natural, simple look for the table.

 

     I think it is easy to forget that not all tablescapes have to be elaborate or expensive. Keeping it simple is quick and easy and it is a great way to add a seasonal look to your home without a major decorating project.

 

     Blogging has obviously taken a back seat to life these days. We have taken on a major project at our house. We are cleaning out, re-packing, decluttering and getting rid of almost 40 years of stuff. We know that an early retirement is coming in the not too distant future and along with that will be a house sale and a major move. We knew we had months of work ahead of us, so we decided to get started. Our first project has been Christmas things. While all of you have been decorating for Easter, I have been going through about 100 boxes of Christmas decorations. Many of our things were already in tubs, but some were in boxes. We are getting rid of things that we either don't use, don't like, or have had for so many years we are just sick of them. The things we are keeping are being packed into tubs and labeled. My goal was to get things down to a dozen tubs, it didn't happen. We probably did cut the Christmas collection in half. Progress. Next up, our kid's toys that they saved. I am loaded with Ghostbusters, Raisin Men, Ninja Turtles, Fraggle Rock, Tonka, Legos, Dolls and all the things that go with them and who knows what else.

 

     The problem we have is that our kids don't have the room to take their own things and they also don't want us to get rid of them. We also have many, many family pieces that pull at my heart strings. I read an article that was about the challenge of my generation getting rid of things. We have items that belonged to our parents and grandparents (and great-grandparents), we have things that our children want but can't or won't take and of course our own things. One of the quotes was, "that sweater your mother gave you isn't your mother" and I am trying to remember that as I go through things. It is only "sort of" working. I am too sentimental but I truly am trying to only keep things that really mean something to me. This is an all consuming task, but one that needs to be done and should have been done years ago!

 

     Other than that, not much is happening in our world. We both got sick as soon as we got home from Florida. It took 2 rounds of meds to get me back to close to normal and my husband (who wouldn't call the doctor) is still not 100%. We, like many of you, have been trying to get our yard back to normal after the harsh winter. We mowed over the weekend when it was almost 80 degrees and tonight we have snow in the forecast. Crazy!

 

     I will be catching up with some of you over the next few days. If there is a post you really want me to read, leave it in the comments please!

 

 

 

 

    

Creating An Unexpected Tablescape

     For those of you that read my blog often, you know that I tend to use the phrase "think outside of the box" quite a bit. I love to add the unexpected to my decorating and certainly my tablescapes. When my dad and his friend Mary were here last week, I decided it was a good excuse to fix a simple summer dinner and play with my dishes a little bit. I decided to use my pink floral china (labeled simply Fine China) because it echoed all of the blooms in my yard right now. I was tempted to pull out the green in the pattern with my placemats and use lots of white and pink, but that would have been the usual approach to setting a table with these plates. I thought I would walk you through the process of creating a different look.

 

     The oak table I have in my dining room right now is fairly small without added leaves. A tablecloth tends to overwhelm it. I decided to mix the pink floral with black for a richer, more interesting look. The center mat has silver metallic threads running through it. The others are plain black. Starting with the mats and the dinner plates, I added 2 pieces of vintage silver for added height and interest. 

Salad plates in plain black tie it all together. 

     The flatware is the same shade of pink as the flowers on the plates and pale pink wine glasses (I would actually have preferred black wine glasses with this look, but didn't have 4) complete the setting. 

Black napkins (from Halloween) and simple

silver napkin rings complete the look.

 

     The next step was creating the centerpiece for the table. I knew that I wanted to keep it low so that we could visit.  I also wanted things to "sparkle" in the candlelight. 

     I looked around my "dish room" and saw these beaded strands that are actually from Christmas. I knew that they would glow in the candlelight and yet not take up much space in the center of our small table. Don't forget to think about scarves, necklaces or beautiful pins to use in your centerpiece arrangements...unexpected!

      My pink roses were past their prime, but I had some blooms on the yellow bush that were just the right size for miniature colored vases from Crate and Barrel. For filler with the roses, snips of fresh mint, dill, lavender and lemon basil...all from my yard. Using fresh herbs in floral arrangements adds not only beauty, but wonderful scents to the room. 

     I just let the beading spill out of the silver pieces. I didn't worry about making it look perfect, I just wrapped it around some clear votive candle holders (with pineapple scented candles) and let it drift onto the table. 

     This certainly wasn't my most elaborate tablescape, not even close. It was simple and easy to talk over. It had enough color to look like summer and enough black to be elegant and the bits of silver and beads had a pretty glow in the light. Most of all, my guests found it pretty and that is the main goal. 

     I lit the candles before it was dark outside, so you can't really see the way things sparkled in the light after dark. This really was one of those table that was much prettier by candlelight. 

The menu was simple:

 

Rosemary Chicken

 

Roasted potatoes

 

Roasted Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil 

and Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar

 

Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad

with a Balsamic Reduction

 

Dinner Rolls

 

Mom's Apple Cake with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

 

For the recipe for my Mom's cake

(an easy, one bowl, family favorite) 

Click here. 

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch 

for Tablescape Thursday.

A Summer Breakfast

     This table was all about teacups, but there actually wasn't any tea involved. The morning was all about four good friends finally taking time to catch up over a light breakfast and coffee.

It was Christmas when I opened this

fun-shaped box from my dad...

     ...to find these beautiful cups and saucers.

The hat box they came in, the soft colors...

I felt like I had stepped into a cross

between Easter and Alice in Wonderland.

     I knew that I wanted to use the cups and saucers when I had 3 friends in for breakfast last week. I also knew that two of them aren't coffee drinkers and that the two of us who did drink coffee would use the Keurig pot and we would want big mugs for our coffee. So, I came up with a plan. I wanted to use the cups, keep things simple and still be fun for my girls! As you can see, I have switched my formal dining table for my round oak table for the summer. For those of you who don't remember, this table was purchased by my grandmother with her first paycheck as a gift for her mother. My grandmother was born in 1900, so this table has been in the family for quite a while. I am happy to say that this is one of the few pieces that my daughter actually does want.

     I used a simple runner with a large shell on each end. One of my friends is all about polka dots, so I pulled out the dotted plates and fun silverware to match. A simple white plate provides a layer between the blue plates and the pastel cup and saucers. The juice glasses I first used myself at a hotel in Vero Beach, Florida. I loved them and asked if I could buy them from the hotel. Imagine my surprise when the waitress told me to just take them, "she wouldn't tell". Of course I didn't do that. I did find them shortly after that trip at TJ Maxx.

     The centerpiece has been on the table all summer. A silver edged tray with a starfish on it, some beach glass and shells and a favorite "beachy" piece of pottery from an artisan show in Sarasota, FL. Simple, easy and light for summer.

     White napkins, sea glass colored napkin rings and I was ready to add a simple fruit mix to the cups. I always tell you to think outside of the box when setting your tables! 

Breakfast was easy.

 Fruit, juice, cherry scones, bacon and coffee.

Sometimes it is much nicer to keep it all simple.

Don't worry so much about the menu

or the table setting.

It really is about the friends and the conversation!

     I have had an interesting service provided this summer. An organic family farm in a small town near here sends out an email on Sunday nights and I place my order.  Every Friday morning they deliver produce, herbs, fresh eggs and flowers depending on what I have ordered that week. I had her bring my first bouquet on Friday morning and it came like this, in the vase for $5! Needless to say, she is bringing another one this Friday.

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen for

Let's Dish

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday

Light, Fluffy and Oh, So Good!

 

     You are seeing a "theme" in my cooking style lately. It is all about eating healthy without giving up anything...like dessert! Valentine's Day we decided to avoid the crowds and have dinner at home. We had filets, salad and baked potatoes for dinner. I wanted to make something special for dessert and I found a recipe online from Taste of Home that was just perfect for us. I made a few minor adjustments and put it through a calorie counter. Each slice of 1/12th of the torte has 151 calories without whipping cream. I added 2 T. of Reddi Whip real whipping cream for an additional 15 calories.  

 

     Strawberry Schaum Torte

 

Ingredients:

8 egg whites

1 T. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

2 cups sliced strawberries

whipping cream (optional)

 

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees

Grease a 10 inch springform pan (I used Pam)

 

 

     Place egg whites in a bowl and let them stand 30 minutes to room temperature. Add the vinegar, vanilla and salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until glossy and stiff peaks have formed. Beat long enough for the sugar to be almost completely dissolved. See picture below.

 

Spread into the greased springform pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

 

Remove from the oven and put on a wire rack to cool.

The meringue will come out of the oven very puffy and pretty.

 

 

Then it falls to smashed and ugly!

 

 

When cool, remove the sides from the

springform pan and place on serving plate.

 

 

     At this point, if you are serving a group...you could put the berries and whipped cream on the entire top of the torte. We were only using 2 slices, so I decorated each piece and put the rest in a container in the refrigerator. It was perfectly delicious for a couple of days after it was made. It is very light and soft. It was the perfect ending to our meal without making us feel stuffed.

 

 

 

     I'm often asked if we really use the tablescapes that I set. The truth is...not often. Last week I showed the table set for a Valentine brunch. That table wasn't used. The picture below shows how the table really looked for the two of us on Valentine's Day.

 

 

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for

Tablescape Thursday and

Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm for

Foodie Friday