Friends

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Enjoying Spring

We have been enjoying beautiful sunny, warm weather the past few days...but it is to turn wintery again Thursday, with the possibility of a little sleet and snow mix. I have a feeling we are going to have a short spring and just jump headlong into summer!


This week the inspiration came by way of this cheery blue, yellow, white and green cotton tablecloth. The background is like a blue sky. The tablecloth was a recent purchase at Savers, $4.99 less 30%, so I got it for $3.49.



The napkins are yellow linen held with a white ceramic napkin ring.



The stack of dishes begins with an oversized yellow dinner plate that is used as a charger; the maker is MSE, which I have learned is Martha Stewart! The next layer is a Johnson Brothers Snowhite Regency dinner plate, on top of that is a blue Varages dessert/salad plate and lastly Copeland Spode Valencia cream soup bowl  which also has a basketweave pattern. The cream soup will be used for the salad today.





The glassware are both yellow, a Noritake Provincial and an Indiana Glass Kings Crown small wine.



The flatware is by Gibson an bought at Goodwill last year.



The centerpiece is a vintage blue hen, most of the red has worn off the comb, then hen itself is glazed...looks like the comb was an afterthought! It is just sitting on a small yellow pedestal plate flanked by a pair of white ceramic candlesticks.






Thanks for taking the time to visit today. Come back next time...please!

The candlesticks in the background of the first picture will be featured in next week's tablescape...

I will be linking up with:

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Anything Blue Friday/The Dedicated House
Festive Friday Fiesta/The Home Girl
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper

Thank you ladies for hosting each week!


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Nature Challenge


This week Cuisine Kathleen challenged us to a nature theme...birds, bees, flowers and trees...I chose to do the only thing I could think of that used my favorite blue green combination...dragonflies. The salad plates are trimmed in blue and green, so I ran with it...



I started with square green woven mats. These were $3.98 for 4 at Savers.



To the mats I have stacked 3 plates...charger, dinner and salad.
Charger-Gibson Regalia
Dinner plate-Wedgwood Hedge Rose
Salad plate-Portmeirion-Lakeside




The flatware is Oneida Louisiana.



The glassware are my favorite cobalt stems. They are such a vibrant shade of blue, I use them every chance I get.



I used a plain cobalt napkin held with the dragonfly napkin rings.




The centerpiece is just a low white bowl with a few tiny plants and a little squirrel holding a pine cone. 






Thank you for taking the time to visit today...hope you will be back again.

I will be joining

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Centerpiece Wednesday/The Style Sisters
Whatever Wednesday Linky Party/Holly's Stamping Addiction
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Festive Friday Fiesta/The Home Girl
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper
Anything Blue Friday/The Dedicated House

Ladies, thank you for hosting each week!


Friday, April 19, 2013

Kusheri, Kosheri, Kushari, Koshary, or Koshari


Don't all fall over with two posts in one week and a food one at that!


My little sister, Judy, recently spent 3 weeks touring Egypt. I was more interested in what foods she ate while there, instead of the pictures of her holding a cobra (yeah, defanged so they told her) or riding a camel or of the many tombs!



My siblings (all live in Vermont) and have dinner together every Wednesday evening, each taking turns doing the cooking, so on her turn, Judy, made a typical  Egyptian meal for my other two siblings...the main dish was her version of kusheri with meatballs. I, of course, had to have the recipe...my sisters and I cook without recipes, mostly by taste and not actual measurements. She gave me approximate measurements for this dish. 

I finally made this for dinner. It was delicious and will definitely be part of our regular meals! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Judy!



Warning: This meal takes quite a bit of time and dirties many pots and pans! You have to cook each of the 6 layers separately, plus the meatballs. The next time I make this I will do the onions, meatballs/sauce the day before. I don't think it will take anything away by doing them the day before.

I layered mine in large ramekins, 1½ cup size, then unmolded them.
I started with carmelized onions, then broken vermicelli, garbanzo beans, lentils, Israeli couscous and lastly brown rice. Judy used ditalini, but I didn't have any so I used the couscous in it's place. I browned the vermicelli in butter/olive oil before cooking it. I used chicken broth to cook everything in instead of water.



I made enough of each ingredient to have for a main dish, plus enough for a small lunch. The caramelized onions take the longest, so you can do them first or even the day before.



Meatballs
1# lean ground beef
2 eggs
¼ cup dried minced onion
½ cup panko 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ ground nutmeg

Mix all together, form into balls, bake 45 minutes at 375°.

While the meatballs are baking, get the tomato sauce going.

Tomato Sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes ( I used 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce
1 large onion diced and sautéed
1 green pepper diced sautéed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper.

Combine all and simmer for at least half an hour. I added the meatballs and simmered for about an hour.
Serve the sauce over the layered pasta/bean/rice/caramelized onions. 




After looking this dish up, it seems to be somewhat like Indian curries, everyone has their own version...this one is a winner! 


I will join 
Foodie Friday/Rattlebridge Farm
Festive Friday/The Home Girl
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cabbage and Sunflowers!


Today is another really dark day, dark enough I had to turn the chandelier on to get a halfway decent picture. If we don't get some sunshine pretty soon I will be screaming! 



I started with a black floral tablecloth and black woven chargers. The tablecloth is from Savers, I think.  The chargers were from a barn sale...I think someone sprayed painted them black as you can see the natural browns through in places. I paid $3.00 for six of them, so I can't complain too loudly, can I? I probably should have chosen something a little lighter in color due to the dark day, but really wanted to use this one.



The Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage leaf plates were a gift from my friend, Johanna, in Phoenix. They belonged to her late mother, but she wasn't married to them...she sent them to me as she knew they would be used with love. There is service for 8...large dinner plates 11¾" and luncheon plates 9¼". She also said there are 8 mugs, a tureen and a couple other pieces, but she ran out of bubblewrap...they will come at a later date. Thank you so very much JoJo...I am so fortunate to have the best friends in the world!



The white dinner plate is one you have seen numerous times, Wedgwood Hedge Rose. They were found at Goodwill.



The green handled Madeline flatware is from World Market.



I have used the green Ivima 1895 goblets again this week paired with green stemmed Cris d'Arques/Luminarc wine glass.



I chose black napkins and green napkin rings.

The centerpiece is a tall thin white pitcher with 4 sunflowers...one of my kitties is bound and determined to eat the sunflowers...there are certain flowers that she goes to great lengths to devour.



Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit today. I also want to thank all of my followers and everyone that leaves a comment...you have no idea what that means to a blogger!



I will be joining a few link parties and hope you follow me, too!

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Centerpiece Wednesday/The Style Sisters
Whatever Wednesday Linky Party/Holly's Stamping Addiction
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Festive Friday/The Home Girl
Amaze Me Monday/Dwellings
Make It Pretty Monday/The Dedicated House

Thank you ladies for hosting each week!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Pink Hydrangeas



This week has been very overcast and rainy so the photos are kind of dull. 
Everyone knows, by now, that green is my favorite color so with the arrival of spring I decided to do a mostly green table with my favorite flower!

The inspiration this week came by way of the green stemware and hydrangea plates. While shopping at Tuesday Morning a few weeks ago my friend Norma spotted the green goblets on a sale shelf. They were marked $2.99, but when I got up to the register they were discounted 40% from the sale price, so I got them for $1.80 each. I wish they had more than the 4 that were on the shelf.







Once I decided on using the hydrangea plates I pulled out the ruffled green place mats and white hand crocheted table runner for the foundation of this week's tablescape.


The napkins are a pale gray green gathered with green napkin rings.
I have used the Oneida Louisiana flatware.






I have used the Wedgwood Hedge Rose dinner plate topped with Noritake Colorwave Gray salad plate.



The only thing I have blossoming are giant hyacinths, so I snipped one for the table. Their smell is so intoxicating!









Crocheted table runner/napkins-Savers
Green ruffled place mats/napkin rings-gifts from my friend Kathleen
Wedgwood dinner plate-Goodwill
Hydrangea salad/dessert plate-gift from my sister, Jerry
Green Ivima 1895 stemware-Tuesday Morning 
Oneida flatware-Savers

Thanks for taking the time to visit today, please leave a comment so that I know you have been here! Hope to see you the next time...

I will join

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Centerpiece Wednesday/The Style Sisters
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Festive Friday Fiesta/The Home Girl
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper
Amaze Me Monday/Dwellings 
Make It Pretty Monday/The Dedicated House
Creative Corner Blog Hop/Holly's Stamping Addiction

Thanks ladies for hosting each week!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Spring Is In The Air!


I am still on a blue kick, this week there is a little yellow mixed in...reminds me of blue sky and sunshine. I think spring has finally found it's way onto the prairie. I checked the weather for the next 10 days and it looks like we will be in the 50's up to the low 70's...I am sure that means no more snow! I have even seen a few dandelions...and a bit of green grass!



The string place mats were found at Goodwill for 49¢ all four. 



layers started with a blue dinner plate by Vera Bradley...



the next layer is Alfred Meakin salad plate....followed by



a Spode Blue Bird soup bowl. These bowls were also 49¢ each at Goodwill. I scoured the shelves looking for more pieces but found none.





The seeded glassware were also a thrift store find.



The flatware is Gibson, also found at Goodwill last July, service for 8 for $1.99. Sometimes Goodwill turns up some great items for pennies on the dollar!



The napkins are Marat d'Avignon France that were found at Goodwill several years ago. I also found another 4 months later at Savers. The napkin rings are inexpensive white plastic 99¢ for 6 or 8 at Savers.



The centerpiece is a blue and white cachepot with faux white roses from my friend, Phyllis.









Thanks for taking the time to visit today...please come back again.

I will be linking up with

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Anything Blue Friday/The Dedicated House
Festive Friday Fiesta/The Home Girl
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper

Thank you ladies for hosting each week!