A Valentine's Supper with the Other Woman

 The "Other Woman" is no less than my favorite chef, Ina Garten.  

From the moment I woke up that morning, until the magical Blue Hour, it was Ina, Ina, Ina!

I placed a card table in front of our fireplace . . .

Then, a vase of beautiful red roses, a gift from my husband, on the table, 

Plus a few extra touches, like the flatware with the heart-shaped handles . . .

Some Ikat Heart napkins, and . . . 

Voilà!  The table was set for a romantic fireside dinner for two.

Cheese and crackers are an aphrodisiac, yes?  The little cheese heart was stabbed in the center.  Oh, it doesn't seem fair that its death should be our joy!

To balance things out, I also invited Raymond . . .

Oh, if you could only touch the label!  It feels like velvet.  By now, we have amply established that I'm a wine philistine and continue to choose my wine by the label.  Isn't it pretty?  And it was so delicious!

We wanted a light supper tonight, not a heavy meal that would put us to sleep, so Ina Garten's French Onion Soup, in my new Lion's Head soup bowls were just the ticket!  Some of you may remember my waxing lyrical mentioning them during our trip to Paris three years ago. After three years of thinking about them, I caved in and bought them!

Ina's recipe calls for Parmesan cheese "or the cheese of your choice."  I guess there's some debate among foodies about what constitutes the perfect cheese to use on this humble soup, shocking, I know.  I decided to use Gruyère de Compté because it sounded so French, has a nutty flavor, and melts beautifully.  It is French, not Swiss, and it was available at that famous American fromagerie, Chez Costco. 

The onions were cooked, ever so slowly, over several hours before adding the stock, Cognac, sherry and wine - after which I had to go take a shower and change my clothes, so I wouldn't be exuding allium pheromones, that wouldn't be too romantic.

Then, to end the simple supper, Ina Garten's Chocolate Mousse, so very, very rich!  So incredibly delicious!

I whipped the cream myself so I could control the sugar, I don't like overly sweet desserts.  Shave a little chocolate on top, slice a strawberry . . . and prepare for heaven on Earth!

Even in the midst of a pandemic, love, joy and deliciousness can still be found.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a little bit Irish

While I was on hiatus last year, we held a St. Patrick's Day dinner for some very un-Irish friends

The guest list comprised Cubans, Mexicans, and to provide that necessary soupçon of Irish blood, we invited my husband.  He's the guy with the green polo by the window, who looks a bit put upon to have to pose for a picture when he'd rather be digging in!  My husband doesn't really know how much Irish blood he has in his background and is not interested in doing a search, however, the litany when he was growing up was “I'm English, Irish, French, Scottish and Italian . . .” usually things would trail off after that, but occasionally he'd add other nationalities just to keep things interesting.

I'm 2nd and 3rd generation Cuban born, my paternal grandfather having emigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands, and my maternal grandparents born in Cuba.  One of my relatives did some research on the Grimón last name and supposedly it may have originated in Belgium.  So you see, I cannot claim any Gaelic ancestry whatsoever.

And does not explain why I'm so fond of this holiday.  I got the shamrock napkins through a friend who gave them to me with the condition that I should use them once, and then pass them on to another person that might like to use them next, and that person should do the same.  My sister-in-law, Kathy (Kathleen, and of Irish ancestry), now has them.  I can't wait to see how she uses them!

I love party favors!  So, in addition to an Oxalis Plant, everyone got to take home one of these darling miniature books with Irish blessings!

I love the green in these goblets!  Don't they look great next to the green fields in the books?

I can't conceive of this dinner without some lovely Kerrygold butter, and what better way to enjoy this treat than by giving each guest their very own butter dish?  Some things are just to delicious to have to share.  

The napkin rings reminded me of a Celtic knot and they provided a nice contrast against the simple white dinner plates.

I scattered some gold and green fake coins for an extra dose of whimsy.  

Now for the food.  Two big platters of Corned Beef and Cabbage.  It's simple fare, but, oh, so delicious!

And for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream Bundt Cake, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins, my son's favorite.

We "greened" the house a bit  . . .

Hoping that a leprechaun would stop by and find the house to his liking . . .

And maybe, just maybe, we'd find his Pot o'Gold!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dishes:  Traditional by Apilco, from Williams-Sonoma

Flatware:  Jefferson by Reed & Barton for Monticello

Water Goblets:  Williamsburg by Reed & Barton

Butter Spreaders:  Rosewood hadles, by Laguiole

Butter dishes:  Amazon

Table runner:  Pottery Barn

Placemats:  Crate and Barrel

Napkin Rings:  Tortoise Knot by Juliska

Square Platter:  BIA Cordon Bleu, from Amazon

Cake Stand:  HomeGoods

Happy Easter!

My children's schedules continue to be as crazy and unpredictable as ever, so this year we celebrated Easter with an early morning breakfast.  The table was set the night before . . .

First thing first:  My husband/sous chef checking e-mails before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast . . .

Some pretty egg-shaped salad plates in soft pastels . . . 

The soft paisley green napkin by Ralph Lauren goes on top . . .

These fun hopping bunny napkin rings appeared in last year's Easter table, too.  Click here to see that post.

I love all the different textures on the table, the homespun squares on the tablecloth . . . the bird's nest chargers . . .

Beautiful tulips . . . Spring is here!!!!!

Then the Easter bunny did his thing and filled the table with candy!

He even brought chocolate umbrellas and hung them from the flower vase . . .

Here are our two “little” boys, who never seem to grow too old for candy . . .

And now, Mama can sit down and have a cup of coffee . . .

And before long, my oldest goes back to college with a batch of cupcakes for his buddies . . .

Happy Easter to my family and friends!  God bless you!  The Lord is Risen!  Alleluia!

Details:

Nest Chargers - Pottery Barn

White dishes, cups and saucers - Traditions by Apilco from Williams-Sonoma

Pastel egg-shaped salad plates - Pottery Barn

White ramekins holding M&Ms - BIA Cordon Bleu, Amazon

Napkins - By Ralph Lauren at HomeGoods

Napkin Rings - Pottery Barn last year

Green water goblets - The Dollar Tree

Tulip-shaped wine glasses - IKEA

Parfait glasses (holding jelly beans) - Bed Bath and Beyond

Flatware - My everyday from Costco

Mini salt and pepper shakers - Crate and Barrel bought eons ago

St. Pat's - Part 2

Two St. Patrick's Day parties this year, and we are not even Irish!  Well, not much anyway . . . It was a lot of fun, but with two meals to cook, one in the middle of the week (after work!) there was no time (or energy) to plan two distinct tablescapes.  Besides all that, I'm a lingerer, and I wasn't done playing with this tablescape.  So I laundered the napkins, and it was déjà vu all over again . . .

I did make a couple of changes from the earlier tablescape, click here to see the first one.  I used my every day dishes, Tradition dinner plates by Apilco, instead of the Mikasa dinner plates. 

When I first saw these salad bowls at Crate and Barrel, I looked at the bottom and they were marked "Cavolo."  I was so excited!  I was thinking Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Leonardo . . .  All great Italian artists whose names ended in "o" . . . Was I holding a future masterpiece in my hands . . . ?  I googled the name the minute I got home . . . Alas . . . cavolo is Italian for cabbage!

And, instead of the Tava chargers from the previous post, I used these woven brown placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond.  It added a lighter feel to the setting to counter the color-saturation of the napkin . . .

Shamrock plants made an easy centerpiece, their lovely green color brightening the table; and afterwards, guests took them home as party favors . . .

A thorough watering really perked them up overnight . . .

We served Irish coffee after dinner . . .  A little advance prep kept this hostess out of the kitchen and enjoying the company of her guests . . .

And a cute little pillow that I couldn't resist . . .

St. Patrick's Day is officially over at our house!

Now I can start thinking about Easter . . . yikes!

Here are the details:

Tablecloth - White, linen, Williams-Sonoma

Placemats - Bed Bath and Beyond

Dinner plates - Tradition by Apilco for Williams-Sonoma

Cabbage "Cavolo" Salad Bowls - Crate and Barrel

Napkins - Raymond Waites at HomeGoods

Napkin Rings - Bed Bath and Beyond

Goblets - The Dollar Tree

Candlesticks and candles - The Dollar Tree

Glass coffee mugs - Bed Bath and Beyond

Silver charger - Pottery Barn

Flatware - Costco

Shamrocks - Dominick's (our local grocery store)

Pillow - Joann's

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish!  I encourage you to stop by to enjoy the creativity of these amazing tablescapers!