Lunch With the Birds

This cardinal-inspired table was a quickly arranged table for an impromptu lunch that was made easier because a) I didn't have a lot of time to think about it, and, b) I had been planning for the opportunity for a while, although not specifically for this day.

Mary, from Home Is Where the Boat Is deserves all the credit for having inspired me, through countless bird posts and incredible creativity, into trying out my very own table.  I do love little birds, and over the years, I've established a little collection of bird ornaments and dishes, without any clear idea of what I would do with them, until now.

The salad plates are Certified International, and the pattern is Holly and Ivy,  The set comes with two variations:  The cardinal . . .

And the chickadee.  The dinner plate is from Williams-Sonoma Woodland Berry collection, which I will use again on Christmas Eve (I've had them for two years, but with Covid, haven't really had a chance to use them.  The twigs and branches make it a perfect place for birds to hang out.

I dug into my stash of napkin rings and found these which put me in mind of a twiggy bird's nest.  I paired them with the Red Caroline Paisley napkins.  I liked the softer red they brought to the table.

The cardinal salt and pepper set came out to play.  Now, I grant you, the female cardinal doesn't have the startling plumage of the male, but she holds the pepper, and keeps things spicy.

The live ivy wreath came from Trader Joe's. TJ's also yielded a small evergreen wreath that I placed around the base of the ivy.

Then I reached into the stash of bird ornaments in my collection.  I like that they seem to be peeking out here and there, and you can't see them fully.  

The chickadee made itself at home under the ivy.

The Pottery Barn placemats came home with me a couple of years ago.  I use them all the time, and really like the rustic charm they bring to the table.

I am having a hard time deciding which of the two plates I like better!  The green water goblets came from Dollar Tree almost a decade ago.  They have served us well!

More forest birdies came out of the woods to join the party . . . 

And a curious deer came to investigate.

So, what did we serve at this lunch?  Well, we started with a Winter Wedge Salad, with crumbled maple bacon, Red Anjou pears, walnuts and Marzetti Blue Cheese dressing.  The lunch came together in a hurry, and I didn't have time to make my own dressing from scratch, but this one was really good!

The salad was followed by a really scrumptious sandwich:  Ham-off-the bone, Provolone, a schmear of Dijon mustard on one side, and strawberry jam on the other, then grilled on a frying pan with creamy butter, and served with a Vlasic zesty dill pickle spear.

And for dessert, Almond Joy Cookies — the most amazing cookies to ever come from a supermarket! — served with grapes (to pretend we were eating healthy).  The cookie was so rich, no one was able to finish more than one (we need to work on our endurance).  I'm going to make these for Christmas.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, and fun (but safe) entertainments, big and small!

A Cinco de Mayo Taco Night

The Cinco de Mayo gods were lighting the way when my dear in-laws, Robert and Barb, came to visit.  I roasted a pork shoulder to make carnitas, and bought fixings for tacos.

Then, there was the more serious topic of how to set the table.  I don't own, unfortunately, a lot of Talavera ceramic . . .

 . . . except for a couple of candlesticks that we picked up in Cabo San Lucas ten years ago, so they became the inspiration for the table.

I relied, once again, on my Dollar Tree blue water goblets to rescue me by picking up the blue . . .

And on the Sferra sunflower-colored napkins with that gorgeous, brilliant yellow.

And the crowning glory, the multi-colored rose bouquet that looks like something Frida Kahlo might wear in her hair.

I used my trusted Wedgwood Nantucket Basket dishes, to keep it all casual.  I set out a salad dish that I thought might serve as a nice place to set tortillas, but it turned out that we only used the dinner plate.

Here I am with my brother-in-law, Robert . . .

And sister-in-law, Barb . . . I love these people!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Black Friday Tea

I'd rather have tea than go shopping on Black Friday.  This year, of course, with COVID-19 raging through our cities, it was even less appealing.  Besides, I'd been experimenting with a recipe or two...

I already had a head start with the pretty bouquet of flowers I had purchased and used for Thanksgiving dinner the day before.

Preparing a simple afternoon tea kept me busy most of the morning.  Oh, but I had fun!  My husband relaxed in front of the TV while I puttered in the kitchen.

The Clotted Cream:  Oh, my Lord!  There's no going back!  They say that converts are always the most rabid, well, please find me a church because I'm ready to go preach!  I made it in the Instant Pot the day before, and it took all day, as the cream has to be cooked on very low heat for a long period of time.  The whole project was interesting because I had never even tasted clotted cream.  I knew, however, that it was an essential part of a proper English tea and, since it's very difficult finding it in American markets, I had to learn how to make it myself.  Here's the link to the recipe:  Clotted Cream.

Once I made it, it was a true epiphany.  Now I understand what all the fuss is about!  It was creamy, slightly nutty, moist, but not wet, smooth, but thick.  I could have licked the entire bowl along with the pot, and the spoon, and my fingers . . . I tried to keep the moaning to a minimum as I cast weary glances to see if my husband was watching me.

The Scones:  A dear FB friend, who shall remain nameless so that she doesn't have to hire the Secret Service to keep herself safe, sent me a package with various scone mixes.  I followed the directions, but here's proof that there's no such thing as a foolproof baking recipe when entrusted to me.  The scones tasted delicious, but they turned out rather flat.  I always have a hard time working with such a sticky, wet dough.  Must try again.

The Curds:  This lovely not-so-secret-Santa also included two delicious curds, Cranberry Orange, and Lemon — and I know exactly how to use these.

Thanksgiving Sandwiches By Way of Havana.  There's a famous Cuban sandwich called the Elena Ruz, which consists of cream cheese, sliced turkey, and strawberry jam, made on medianoche bread, sort of a sweet brioche, then buttered and toasted on a press.  Elena Ruz was a Havana socialite who asked for this very sandwich so often, that it was finally added to the menu of her favorite café, El Carmelo, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana (isn't interesting how many details we know about Elena and her sandwich?).  

Instead of strawberry jam, I used the Cranberry Orange Curd, and I didn't toast the bread.  I dare not call it my version of the Elena Ruz on pain of being cast out of my tribe, so for now, the sandwich remains nameless . . . perhaps you can suggest a good name for it?

Finally, scone, clotted cream and the lemon curd came together, and it was heavenly!

I pulled out my pedal pink placemats to match the carnations on the flower bouquet.  Is pink ever really wrong?  Asking for a friend.

Hopefully these pumpkin spice sugar cookies, which I picked up at Whole Foods, brought me back to the reality of the Fall season. 

The traditional three courses of an English Tea:  Sandwich, Scones and Dessert — check!  Plus a pretty table in which to enjoy it with my husband.

A much more delightful way to spend Black Friday.

A Picnic at Ravinia

Highland Park, a northeast suburb of Chicago, hosts the Ravinia Music Festival every summer. The program has something for everyone, including Jazz, Blues, Classical, Bluegrass, Latin . . . You name it, and there will be at least one outdoor performance every summer. They have a pavilion where you can get close to the performance, but most people opt to picnic on its vast lawns and enjoy the music being broadcast over strategically placed speakers. We usually enjoy two or three performances every summer.

We have been picnicking for a while now, and have slowly acquired the equipment to make it fun and easy. Like this table, which can be collapsed and carried over the shoulder, or our super comfy, heavy-duty camping chairs. We minimize paper and plastic whenever possible, to reduce the burden to the park, by bringing real tableware. We always try to leave our area as clean as we found it, or even a little more so, in gratitude to all the park has given us.

We like laying a tarp under the tables and chairs to avoid wet grass, and the accompanying mosquitoes, and our handy Ravinia wagon helps us pull all our packages easily.

I’ve made this salad so many times (by popular demand), that we’ve officially named it Ravinia Salad. It consists of orzo pasta, with chicken, carrots, roasted red peppers and capers, tossed with a white balsamic vinaigrette. It’s so good!

Then, for dessert, Natilla — homemade Vanilla Pudding, packed in small canning jars, which transport very easily, with chocolate Pirouettes.

We usually go with one or two other couples, and try to get there early to stake out "our spot," not too far from the restrooms, the trash cans, the back entrance, and still within a close distance to the stage.  

Then we eat, and by the time the music starts, we are wrapping up dessert and savoring a cup of coffee, or lingering over a glass of wine.  

Then, the lights dim, the park gets quiet, and we can enjoy the glorious music.  This is indeed, one of the highlights of our summer.  

Watermelon Tablescape II

Watermelon:  Sweet . . . juicy . . . yummy. . . what's not to love about this quintessential summer fruit?

And, not only is the fruit delicious, but the color palette that it evokes is so, so summery!  This is my second watermelon tablescape.  I cannot get enough of this fruit, and I love these colors! Click here to take a peek at my earlier post.

I was inspired to try making this centerpiece by some fabulous bloggers:  Michael Lee of Rattlebridge Farms, and Mary of Home is Where the Boat Is.  Please stop by to see their wonderful creations!  You'll know in an instant why I was so enthralled.

Most of the flowers came from Costco, but the hydrangea came from my very own garden!  We just planted them last year, and these came from our very first crop!  Aren't they beautiful?

I added some Queen Anne's Lace, picked up from an empty, undeveloped lot not far from our house.  I always look forward to the appearance of this wild flower.  It's so delicate looking, and makes a great filler for arrangements.  It also helps mark the passing of time.  I know when I begin to spot them that we are in full summer!

All that fruit MUST be put to use.  It would be awful to discard so much deliciousness!  So, one thing that immediately came to mind was . . . MOJITOS!  And I have just the recipe, thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!

A salad was also an easy (as all summer cooking ought to be) addition to the menu.  This one was composed of field greens, watermelon, Feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.  The salty Feta cheese was perfect on this salad, especially for those, like my huband, who always salt their watermelon.

I should have stayed away from Tenley's everything-must-go-before-I-move-to-Florida-sale.  The cute watermelon salad bowls just begged to come home with me.  What could I do?

We had some unexpected guests show up at the luncheon, but they were so cute and friendly we allowed them to make themselves right at home . . .  What's summer anyway, without a few fluttery friends?

Pink ruled the day, from the petunias growing next to the deck . . .

To the lovely gerbera daisies in the centerpiece . . .

To the pillows that I borrowed from the Living Room sofa . . .

It's not too late to enjoy more watermelon this summer.  Enjoy it while it lasts!  I'm going back for a little more . . .