God Bless America

Simple and Delicious Custard Sauce

     I told you in yesterday's tablescape post that I would have the recipe today for the custard sauce I used on fresh fruit for dessert on Labor Day. This is a very simple recipe with few ingredients and it tastes very much like the best homemade ice cream, just not frozen and thicker! It is yummy enough to eat with a spoon and would be wonderful on pound cake, bread pudding or a chocolate cobbler.

Ingredients

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup white sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla (use real vanilla)
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine half-and-half and 1/4 cup sugar.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

     When cream mixture just begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk a small amount of hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, then pour egg yolk mixture back into remaining hot cream and whisk until smooth. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. DO NOT WALK AWAY. This mixture will curdle quickly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

I used fresh strawberries, blueberries and pears and

 just drizzled the sauce over the top before serving.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

Please make sure to stop and say hello to her.

Bouquet Beauty

Susan, our wonderful hostess for Tablescape Thursday

has just experienced a tragedy in her family.

I hope you will visit her and offer her some support and prayers.

     I frequently get asked what inspires a tablescape. It can be anything. I might find a bargain at a garage sale, I may find a deal on something at a favorite store or I may have a beautiful bouquet of flowers that I want to share. Today's tablescape came from all of the above, but mostly from the gorgeous flowers. During the warm months, we have a Mennonite family that sets up a trailer with fresh produce on weekends. Last Saturday, when I stopped for my weekly supply of tomatoes, watermelon and corn...I saw these stunning flowers. They were fresh picked Saturday morning and they were $6. I had to have them. I don't do that very often, but they were just outstanding.

I decided to use them to set the table for our Labor Day dinner.

     Starting with round green placemats, I used my American Atelier Bianca Leaf Square plates as chargers. I topped them with floral dinner plates that are only marked "Fine China" and salad plates from 10 Strawberry Street. Rose colored flatware goes well with both the china and the fresh flowers.

My husband found this set of tiny sherberts? at a garage sale.

He paid 25 cents for four of them.

I could immediately picture them full of fruit.

     I wanted to use my new Pottery Barn hummingbird napkin rings. Our yard is full of hummingbirds right now. They were a recent sale purchase for $1.67 each!

     White napkins and runner, crystal candlesticks and votives, pink wine goblets and I'm done with the table. With flowers this beautiful, you don't need much else on the table.

I used a simple white pitcher as a vase.

On the menu: Apple Salad with Feta (recipe soon)

Ribeye Steaks

Fresh Sweet Corn

Fresh Fruit with Custard Sauce (recipe tomorrow)

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Hints of Fall and a New Winery

     The cooler weather made me want to make a few changes around my house. I really love Halloween decorations more than fall decorations, but I wasn't quite ready to put out the Halloween stuff yet. So, I started packing away many of the summery seashells and pulling out a few things in deeper colors.

     The round coffee table is always a bit tricky to work with. I recently found the vintage copy of Little Women at an auction. It was on a rack of items that didn't sell and the owner told me just to take it! Free! I put it with my own childhood copy of The Wizard of Oz.

My old Flemish Art wooden bowl gets a few sparkly pumpkins.

It still looks a bit bare, but soon there

will be some witches and ghosts added.

The antique oak mirror gets a touch of fall color on one corner.

It is slowly looking a bit like fall around here.

     Monday afternoon we decided to check out the new area winery.Tuscan Hills Winery opened July 1st and we had heard only good things about it. It was surprising how sitting just on the edge of town felt so far removed from things. It was truly a very relaxing place, large enough to have a private party but with several types of seating areas.

They had a good crowd Monday afternoon.

 Several people were sampling the wines and sangrias.

There was an artist painting a mural

and a young woman singing current music.

     We grabbed a drink and decided to enjoy the cooler temperatures out on the deck. We loved the winery (the sangria was delicious) and will be going back soon.

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays and

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wedesday

Please join our lovely hostesses for a visit.

Simple Fall Salad

     The temperature may still be 100 degrees this week in Illinois, but the apples are on the trees, the calendar says September and I'm starting to crave fall weather, colors and foods. Last night I wanted a light dinner, so I made a very easy salad that was pretty enough for company. I opted to not add any meat to the salad, but thinly sliced chicken breast or grilled steak would be a delicious option.


Ingredients:
3 T.olive oil
2 T. vinegar (cider, white or any fruit flavored vinegar-I used a white peach balsamic)
1 T. honey

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tart apple cored and thinly sliced
mixed baby greens (I used one of those plastic cartons from the grocery store)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (almonds or pecans would be fine)
goat cheese

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the dried cranberries. In a large bowl mix the sliced apple with the baby greens (don't forget to wash the greens even if they say pre-washed)!

     Pour the cranberry dressing over the greens and toss gently. Place salad on serving plates and top with a few of the toasted nuts and globs of goat cheese (that is my technical cooking term). Enjoy!

I decided to show you how it looked plated.

I didn't make it pretty, just our everyday plates and ready to eat.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

Make sure you head over and see all that wonderful food!