A Gingerbread Kind of Day

My husband's pancakes are legendary within our family.  Everyone loves them, and, when the kids are home one of the first things they ask for is Dad's pancakes.  When I walked by this bottle of maple syrup at Williams-Sonoma, it just fell into my basket!  Can you believe it?  Mr. Gingerbread Man must have heard about my husband's pancakes, too!

I had planned a cute breakfast for Christmas morning, and, although my son, John, was not able to come, I decided to proceed with it all.  I'm telling myself that this is a dry run, and I'll do it all over again next year.

Well, if we are going to bring Mr. Gingerbread to the table, he's going to need some gingerbread company, so these little Mug Toppers were "needed" to make Mr. Gingerbread feel welcome!  To tell you the truth, they proved a challenge.  They refused to stay straight in the mug!  So I called on my house engineer/tech/geek expert, my husband, Lee, who promptly straightened it with little wads of Scotch tape.  Ah!  The technical mind boggles!  Some friends have suggested chocolate next time.  I'll have to try that next year.  See?  Dry run.

With a few added gingerbread people, the breakfast table was set.  I used last night's red tablecloth.  Isn't it a fabulous red?

This was my husband's Gingerbread Man.  The guy that never notices details asked me why his man had four eyes.  I explained that two dots were for the eyes, and the other two for dimples.  He remains unconvinced.

Miss Peppermint had ruffles on her arms and legs.

The Gingerbread Salt and Pepper shakers insisted on being invited.  The lady held the pepper.  She's also a little "caliente," like me.

The Wedgwood Nantucket Basket Coffee Pot is no longer being produced.  I had been looking for one for a while, and put in a request at Replacements.com to notify me if one was ever found — and it was, and it's now mine!  Bwahaha!  Happiness!

I placed these absolutely delicious gingersnaps on the table to nibble on, as I got the rest of the breakfast ready.  The Villeroy & Boch Winter Bakery Delight Bowl depicts . . . you guessed it, gingerbread!  This Christmas porcelain collection is truly a delight, and I plan to add a few more pieces for next year.  Sigh!  A dish collector is never done!

I really felt very efficient this year, reusing the tablecloth, the rattan chargers and the salad plates from last night.  It was such fun to play with all these favorite pieces!  Breakfast table is set, now let's talk about the food.

I prepared a breakfast strata.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen hash brown potatoes, defrosted

8 eggs, beaten

1 pound bulk sausage, crumbled and cooked

¼ onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 cups of any cheddar, or combination of cheddar cheeses, divided

1 can evaporated milk

Salt and pepper to taste

• Butter the casserole dish.  Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, but only 1 cup of the cheese.
• Pour into the casserole dish.  Scatter the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake at 350º F for 55 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.

It was delicious!  We cut the leftovers in individual servings, and saved them for upcoming breakfasts.

That was accompanied by a stack of hubby's pancakes, and some fresh berries — and real maple syrup drizzled on top.  The taste of real maple syrup is incomparable.  Aunt Jemima doesn't stand a chance in our house.

We had a sunny day, which had me moving things around on the table so I could get good pictures.  Actually, it was a nice problem to have at this time of year.

When the table was cleared we witnessed a gingerbread spat!  These lovers quarreled and it was a duel at twenty paces between Mr. Salt and Ms. Pepper.  Nothing would dissuade them!  Each of them brought their seconds as witnesses.  Doctors stood by in case of casualties, and a bunch of gossips waited nearby to hear the outcome.  Limbs were lost, death ensued, and crumbs were scattered everywhere.  The lovers survived, as did the doctors.  The rest have all gone to their reward.

When breakfast was over, we lit a fire in the fireplace, and didn't budge from our chairs for the rest of the day.  I'm already planning for next year's breakfast.

Enjoying the View

I'm pretending to enjoy a luxurious continental breakfast in my bedroom this morning.  Well, that was the intent, anyway, but who makes their own bed before having breakfast in bed?  Um . . . that would be me!  Truthfully, I don't really like eating in bed, even when we are staying in hotels, but just for today, I thought it would be nice to pretend having breakfast in a space I am in love with!

You see, I have made redecorating the Master and Mistress Bedroom my COVID-19 project.  With all the time being spent at home, I needed to make my nest cozy, and, to finally, add pieces to my taste, instead of the ones I inherited from parents and in-laws.  But more of the redecorating project to come later.

Breakfast consisted of a Coddled Egg, Orange Scone (from Panera Bread, which we had picked up the day before), and a pot of Oolong Tea.  The dishes are Evesham Gold, by Royal Worcester.  I only have a few pieces of this beautiful china, purchased at an estate sale.  The Sferra linens are mismatched deliberately.  I liked how pale pink and gold looked together.

To make Coddled Eggs:  Butter the cup, add a raw egg and screw the top on. Place in simmering water for 4 minutes, or according to desired doneness. I like it so that the yolk is slightly runny, and the egg white is creamy.  The eggs would normally look even better with some chives sprinkled on top, but, alas, no more fresh herbs for us until next Spring.  Our garden is dormant for the winter.

Have you ever noticed how many European dish patterns there are featuring fruit?  It must be derived from the centuries of still life paintings that European masters put on canvas.  I'm very fond of how they are depicted in this china.

Here's a sneak peek of the newly decorated bedroom.  Unfortunately, it's not completely finished yet.  There have been countless delays related to the pandemic.  More will be forthcoming in the coming months.  For now, I'm sitting down and enjoying my first breakfast ever in the bedroom!

Instant Pot Egg Bites

These adorable breakfast treats are delicious, easy and fun to make!

Basic recipe:                                                   

4 eggs                                                                   

½ cup Ricotta cheese                                           

¼ cup heavy cream                                                       

1 teaspoon onion powder                                     

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes                               

¼ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika

Optional additions (no more than 2):

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped scallions

¼ cup cooked bacon, crumbled

¼ cup chopped ham

¼ grated Gruyère cheese

1. Brush the silicone egg bite molds with olive oil, or use butter, or non-stick spray.  Set aside.
2. In blender combine all ingredients except the optional additions.  Blend for one minute.  Pour into mold dividing evenly into the seven wells.  Add your chosen fillings, no more than two, or the wells might overflow.  
3. Cover with mold lids, or with aluminum foil.  Oil the inside of the lid or foil so that it doesn't stick to the top of the egg bites.
4. Pour 1 cup of water on the bottom of the Instant Pot.  Place trivet inside, then mold on top.
5. Pressure cook for 10 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release for 10 additional minutes.  Remove from pot, and invert onto a plate.  Then, gently turn right side up.  The egg bites can look a bit pale, so dress them up with scallions, chives, or any herbs you have on hand, or additional chopped red bell peppers.

Servings:  2-3 (2 molds can fit easily in a 6-quart Instant Pot, so you can make more at one time).

Easy-peasy.  Enjoy!

Practicing Hospitality

Welcome to the Bee Room!  Won't you come and stay with us for a while?  The room has been ready for a couple of years now, and it's already received guests, but just recently, it's been very empty, what with this awful Covid-19 that is still causing havoc in the world.

This used to be my son, John's, bedroom before he had the audacity to grow up and move away.  Alas!  I haven't seen him since last Christmas season, and I miss him terribly.  Here he is showing me the flan he made using my recipe.  The baton has been passed!

I miss his brother, too.  David, is currently in Abu Dhabi, UAE, serving with his Army unit.  He was pretty bold, too, growing up, and learning how to drive and everything.  I won't see him this year at all.  Maybe next year (Covid and Army permitting).

But I've digressed.  It happens to me every time I think of the boys.  I did not want to buy new furniture, as my husband and I are just a few short years away from retirement, and we will not be staying in the Midwest.  So we polished the old IKEA furniture in the room, added a comfortable mattress, and I indulged in my own touches, which we can pack and take with us, and make the room a cozy guest retreat.  Our guests now stay in a room full of bees — friendly bees, that is, not the annoying ones that hover over our picnics.  Won't you come in and stay a while?

But first thing's first.  Function over form.  Gone are the board games, the Pokémon card collection, the art supplies, the grade school and high school memorabilia.  Instead, you will find extra pillows (encased in dry cleaner bags to keep the dust off), and a big, cozy comforter.

On the other side you will find a luggage rack to hold your suitcase.  I put a lot of thought into this rack, believe it or not.  It is not the prettiest rack I saw, but it was the only one that didn't have protruding ends that could dig into luggage.  Can you tell that this has happened to me?

You will also find towels, a basket full of travel-size goodies, like shampoo, hand lotion, etc., and several empty shelves to store your shoes, or anything else you'd like.  There are also two bars to hang up clothes, and cedar hangers that make the closet smell wonderful.

Next, I tackled the most difficult, and not fun, part of the project — selecting paint color.  My name is Maria, and I am a color-commitment-phobe.  Is there a 12-step program out there for this?  It took me months to decide.  And this was the final choice:

I selected the middle shade, called Risotto; nothing bad has ever happened to me while eating risotto, so I figured I'd be safe.

The windows were next, and I fell in love with the embroidered bees in these sheer panels from Country Curtains — which, unfortunately has gone out of business.  That was what set the theme for the room.  

The check outer panels also came from Country Curtains.  

So, you may ask, how else do you add bees to a bedroom to stay on theme, but don't have the guests feeling like they are being attacked by a swarm?  Well, to that I say . . . hold my honey . . .

I first saw these linens with embroidered bees on my first trip to Venice.  I didn't buy them there because my husband was already looking harassed, wondering how we were going to get home with all the stuff I had already bought.  However, they were meant to be mine because I found them again on eBay while casually looking for something else.  The sheets are so soft!  And I like that the bees are embroidered very subtly tone-on-tone.

The "Sweet Dreams" pillow also has some bees embroidered.  

I thought that was enough for the bed, but a dear friend had different ideas, and sent me this as a hostess gift, after she stayed in the room.

The beading is exquisite.

It didn't take very long to scatter the room with honey bees.

The old IKEA desk stayed in the room and is great to place a laptop, and it can double as a vanity in a pinch.

All the outlets in the room were updated with USB ports to charge the many electronic devices that everyone seems to travel with nowadays.

And a few more bees can be seen buzzing about . . .

The bee pens seem to be a popular item, and we love when our guests take them as a parting souvenir.

And there's a guestbook with the sweetest notes from our visitors!

Some of our visitors have gotten in on the action and have sent us bee additions to the room.

The room is ready for our guests.  I'll have a cozy lavender candle waiting for them . . .

And, if they like, I'll fix them a nice breakfast in bed . . .

With Egg Bites (recipe coming soon!), a croissant, tea, and honey sticks to sweeten their tea.

And I'll be as happy as a bee that I have blooms fluttering about bringing joy and life into our home.

Of Frogs, Princes and Fathers

One upon a time, in a land far away (well, 90 miles south of Key West, actually), 

there lived a little girl who loved to read – a habit nurtured by her father, a serious book lover and avid reader. 

While she was growing up in the sixties, the Evil Communist Regime was strengthening its yoke on her beautiful country.  Books were becoming scarce, but her father was part of an informal network of neighbors and friends that would lend out books, just like a library.  While the little girl continued to read, there was no opportunity to re-read, one of the true pleasures of reading aficionados, because the books had to be returned right away.

One summer afternoon, however, the father was actually able to buy and present his daughter with a brand new book for her very own collection: “El príncipe rana” – The Frog Prince - which she promptly devoured and reread many times over the coming months until it was in tatters.  

The little girl fell in love with the story, in part because she could relate so much to the princess in the book:  She was a bit lonely, a bit spoiled, definitely daddy’s girl, and had a powerful aversion to frogs.

Then, that very summer, on another sunny afternoon, a frog happened to jump through an open window and got inside the house.  The little girl began screaming, while her mischievous brother tried to catch the frog.

Finally, the father came running, rescued the poor frog, and set it free in the garden.  The little girl never forgot that summer, and her love for her father-champion and for books continued to deepen as the years went by.

That lucky little girl learned more than a few important life lessons that summer.  Among them, the sanctity of all life, including that of an ugly frog, and, because in her young mind, the king in the book got mixed up with her father, both honorable men, she also learned the importance of keeping her word.  Lastly, she learned that under no circumstances whatsoever would she ever eat frog legs.

It was not until much later in life that she finally understood one more lesson from the events of that summer:  Handsome princes come in all shapes and sizes.

In honor of all the wonderful lessons that little girl learned from her father, I’ve prepared a breakfast tray fit for a prince - my Prince, that is.

Featuring FROG Jam!  Have you ever tried it?  It's made from a combination of fruits - Fig, Raspberry, Orange - and Ginger.  Delicious!  It seems the time was just right to crack open that precious jar I'd been saving for a while . . .

I first spotted this lovely tray at More Fun Less Laundry, a blog that has become my primer for beautiful living.  

I looked for it everywhere, because, naturally, it was no longer available, until I finally found it in an obscure website.  

The tray box was a mess, and the tray itself was covered in dust, but I didn't care, I now had my own lily pad tray with frogs, butterflies and flowers!  Perseverance pays.  Oh, I'm going to have such fun with this tray!

A blue and green plaid napkin seemed perfect for both frogs and princes. 

 The leafy napkin ring did, too.

And the tray was brought upstairs to the bedroom, so my children's father could have a grand start to his Father's Day celebration . . .

like the True Prince that he really is.

Happy Father's Day, darling!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.