So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen

What a year!  

Let's celebrate the end with a heartfelt wish that next year we'll be together with our loved ones!

I prepared a late supper consisting of appetizers . . .

Shrimp cocktails . . .

Ham spread sandwiches on pretzel buns . . .

Deviled eggs with bacon and red pepper bruschetta . . .

Hummus with Naan Dippers . . .

Crab cakes . . .

The perfect spread to watch the weird show in Times Square without people . . . and to blog . . .

I didn't forget my grapes, two skewers holding twelve grapes each, our Cuban Tradition for New Year's Eve.

Wishing and praying for health, for ourselves and the entire world.  Happy New Year!

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.

A Very Berry Breakfast

Some days are just special.  It's nice to indulge in a totally unexpected, middle-of-the-week breakfast as a treat for someone you love.

The food doesn't have to be fancy.  In my humble opinion, an ordinary breakfast, or any meal, actually, can be elevated with the proper setting and mood.  Mornings start early at our house, so I did most of the prep work the night before.

For a change of pace, I am using a pair of delightful Berries Kitchen Towels that we received recently as a gift.  That was the starting point for the rest of the table.  

Pairing bees with berries seemed like a no-brainer, so the La Rochère Bee glasses came out to play.

The cream tot was filled the night before, then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated so it would be ready to go right away.  Mr. & Mrs. Red volunteered to help out.  They usually come out for patriotic tables, and occasionally for other holidays.  It's fun having them around.

The Blue Calico sugar bowl withdrew in a snit when it realized that neither my husband or I adds sugar to our tea.  Very temperamental, that Blue Calico.

We like berries and eat a lot of them at our house.  They are high in polyphenols, those magic antioxidants that do so many great things for the human body, and it's wonderful that something that is good for us, is also so darn delicious!

Won't you have a croissant . . . or a scone . . . ? 

The jam came along with the dish towels, and I couldn't wait to try it.  Oh, my!  If you have a chance, please don't pass the opportunity to buy a jar.  It is so delicious.  Most of the berries remain whole.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I was too busy licking my fingers!

And, since we were serving Blueberry Jam, the Blueberry spoon came out.  This was part of the gift package.  I'm going to remember to do this for someone else.  Everything was a delight from beginning to end!

Don't you love the Mason Woven table runner from Pottery Barn?  It adds so much to the textural mix on this table!

Even a few simple daisies can brighten your day.  The miniature vases are part of a set of three that my son, David, gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

I've gotten into the habit of always taking a rim shot, to see how my plate stack looks to any tiny bug that might wonder to the top of the table.

The Napoleon Bee flatware did not want to be left out.  I say, the more the merrier!

Breakfast in heaven includes a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  Did you know that?

The mini vase on this side has a different shape.  There's a lot of texture and color on this table, but the white Wedgwood Nantucket Basket dishes calm everything down.

Hard-boiled eggs, with extra ones to snack on later in the morning, or tomorrow.

Another low-carb offering:  Prosciutto wrapped in Mozzarella, and Emmentaler cheese slices.  I prefer Gouda, but he likes Emmentaler, and it's a special day, so he gets his Emmentaler with a pretty tomato rose to fancy up the plate.  Everything had to be pretty today.  You see, today my husband and I celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.  

“Come grow old with me.  The best is yet to be.” 

—William Wordsworth