Simple, Delicious and Good For You!

     I love soup. I think I could be happy having soup every day, even in the summer. My favorites tend to be cream soups, but we know those aren't the best for us. So, I'm always looking for recipes that are both healthy and taste good. I recently read a recipe that sounded delicious and of course I had to change it a bit for our tastes. I think you will like this one.

Hearty Chicken Soup with Beans

Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. dried pinto beans

8 oz. dried great northern beans (you can either soak both of the dried bean varieties for 2 hours and drain, or do as I did and in a large pan, cover them with water and bring to a boil, then drain them)

2 T. olive oil

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped (I like to add some of the leaves)

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

pinch of garlic powder

32 oz. chicken broth (low sodium)

2 cups of water

Put the chicken in the crockpot.

You can see that mine was still frozen.

Coarsely chop the celery and carrots and add to the chicken

Add the rinsed and soaked (or slightly boiled and drained) beans to the mix.

Add oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bay leaves, broth and water.

I set my crockpot to 4 hours on high temperature,

you can adjust yours accordingly.

Before serving remove the bay leaves and shred the chicken.

     My husband had seconds...that always means that it is a success. We just had crackers with ours, but cornbread or a crusty French bread would be delicious.

I am joining Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Please visit our hostess.



A Touch of Romance

     The menu on my table today is a bit unusual. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you may decided that you are glad you aren't having this meal. I love trying to imagine what it would have been like to be on that ship in 1911. I'm sure the table was elegant, the women were in beautiful gowns and the service was impeccable. I added the menu to my tablescape as this weeks "touch of whimsy" for my Valentine's Day setting. You can see the wine list later on in the post.

Please excuse the smudge on my photos.

I took a food photo before these and had a dirty lens and didn't know it!

     This table doesn't really need much explanation. The white plates are Certified International China and the red plates as well as the ruffled red and white salad plates are Crate and Barrel. I used a pink/red flatware to tie in the pinks in my centerpiece. 

Red roses, pink and red tulips, red netting and

candles reflect off a large circular mirror.

The tiny pitcher is actually a Crate and Barrel soy sauce pitcher,

but I loved it because it was so tiny. It had to come home with me.

They just don't make Valentines the way they used to.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

Please visit our lovely hostess.

Love is in the Air!

     I don't actually do much decorating for Valentine's Day. I may add little touches of red here and there, but I don't have actual decorations anymore. Some of my favorite things to use are old sheet music, postcards and photographs. I finally took time over the weekend to go through a box of sheet music and postcards that my father-in-law gave me before he died. I pulled out several that I can't wait to use. I'm not sure what I will do with the ones I'm not going to use. Some may end up on Ebay and I do plan to do a giveaway including several vintage items soon. (Anyone have any other suggestions)? I used some "love themed" music on the top of my china cabinet, along with the beautiful vase my daughter gave me for my birthday and a few birds. A pop of ribbon ties it all in together.

     I put away most of my winter things and pulled out several birds for around the house. It just doesn't feel much like winter this year (it is in the 60's today) and I love that! I'm sure we will get a dose of snow soon, but the birds seemed to go better with what was going on outside.

I loved this sweet old postcard.

As always, working with my round table can

be a challenge. Lots of white, hints of Valentine red

 and birds create a slightly romantic look for the holiday.

I am joining Marty @  A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.

Please visit our wonderful hostess.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-Bakes

     Do you ever have one of those days where you just need to "self-nurture"? You know, when for whatever reason you just wish you could call your mom and feel better? Well, for many of us, that isn't possible anymore...so, for me sometimes the combination of my love for cooking, an old favorite recipe of my grandmother's and of course a bit of chocolate tends to help for a moment. 

     If you are as old as I am, you will know this simple recipe. My dad's mother made these all the time. I'm sure it was created because it is made with ingredients that most people had in their kitchens all the time. I haven't made them in decades, but I saw them pinned on Pinterest a few days ago and I knew that I would be making them soon. Cookies today have more ingredients and tend to take longer to make. These go back to the days of simple, easy, inexpensive and made with staples.

     I don't even know the name of this recipe. My grandmother just called them "No-Bakes". They are sort of a cross between a cookie and a candy. They are not good for you...some days I just don't care about that!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 heaping T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)

3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

2 tsp. vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop onto wax/parchment paper. Let cool until set.  

     You can use a scoop and make them prettier than mine. I used a spoon, my goal was to get them done and eat them! Yes, I had 2 while they were still a bit warm...and one later in the afternoon. Then, I put some on a plate and gave them away because I knew I was in trouble. Sometimes we just take a hug from our grandmothers any way we can get it...yesterday, mine was with a bit of chocolate and a lot of memories.

It's Black, It's White...

     Last week, I set a formal table, but this week I'm back to making my table more fun. I don't think you can ever go wrong with black and white. People often ask me how I decide what I'm going to use on a tablescape. I generally start with one item and build off of that. Sometimes it is something new that I've gotten, sometimes it is something I've had for years and just feel like sharing with all of you. It might be a fresh bouquet or garage sale wine glasses. I think if you start your table with something that makes you happy, the rest of the table will reflect that. This week my inspiration came from the polka dot bowls that I bought quite a while ago in the clearance section at Marshalls. They are marked 222 Fifth, Dotty Black and I just love the size and shape.

     For this table, I mixed all sorts of patterns, shapes and textures. The white dinner plates used as chargers are American Atelier, Bianca Leaf. The black dinner plates are Walmart. The white salad plates are 10 Strawberry Street and the snowflake bread and butter plates are Crate and Barrel.

     I realized when I was setting this table that even though I have many tablecloths, I rarely use them. I really prefer a runner and placemats. I like the way it looks and I really hate ironing tablecloths...runners are so much easier. I used a soft gray runner with black flowers today.

Charcoal flatware and black stemware finish the look.

Simple black napkins tied with a bit of ribbon are

 placed in an unusual location at each place setting.

     I love this vintage silver tray of my mother's. I use it all over the house. I added a white pitcher of tulips (you saw them earlier this week), crystal candlesticks with snowflake tapers and a few votives to the table. You can also see a black and white cream and sugar from a resale store on the corner of the table.

The only color on the table is the hint

of blue in this frosty snowflake candle.

At night, the black and white takes on a special glow.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

Please visit our wonderful hostess!