Friends

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Apples, Apples, Apples!


Kathleen challenged us to an apple themed tablescape. Very early on I hunted the house high and low for anything apples...napkins, topiaries, faux apples, real apples, but no apple dishes. Well, WalMart came to the rescue...this year they had quite a few dishes. I bought the salad/dessert plates, salt and pepper shakers. They are from the Better Homes & Gardens Heritage Collection. The cost was $2.98 per plate. I hope this table satisfies the challenge!



The plaid tablecloth is one I found a few years ago at a unique little boutique, that sadly no longer is in business.


The apple napkins were found at Savers for 99¢ for 4 last winter. They still had the original tags on them from Steinmart. The napkin rings were 99¢ at Goodwill.


The flatware is Oneida Afterglow.


I started with a woven charger, then added a white Tabletops Unlimited Chantilly dinner plate. On top of this is the apple salad/dessert plate. 

The glassware is a chunky stem that I have used several times, maker unknown.


The centerpiece is a tureen filled with...what else...apples and flanked by a couple of sparkly apple topiaries that I found at Savers last year...I just knew I could use them for something besides Christmas! I like the looks of them so they sit on one of my hutches year 'round.







I looked at this post and realized I had forgotten to put the green apples on the plates! So here are a couple more photos with them!




Thanks for visiting today...hope you will come back next time.

I will join

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Seasonal Sunday/The Tablescaper


Saturday, September 21, 2013

Green Chile Pork Stew

I believe that soup season has finally arrived In The Middle Of Nowhere! Yesterday I made the most delicious Green Chile Pork Stew. I have been craving some for a few weeks and it was cool enough yesterday to even think of soups.



I never gave a thought to taking pictures as I was preparing the stew, only after all the ingredients were in the pot!

By the time we sat down to eat it was too dark to take good pictures, but I took a couple anyway.




Green Chile Pork Stew

1½ boneless pork (I used 3 thick pork chops) cut into cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
12 ounces chopped green chilies
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1 large bay leaf
1 tablespoon cumin
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼-½ cup lime juice
1 can red beans, drained/rinsed
Salt/pepper to taste (I don't salt while cooking, I leave it to each person)

Brown pork cubes. Add onions, garlic and cook until opaque. I then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about two hours or until the pork is fork tender. I try not to let the stew boil, just barely simmer.

Serve with hot cornbread!

I will join Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper and Foodie Friday/Rattlebridge Farm.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Brown and White Transferware




Mother Nature apparently hasn't received word that we are into the third week of September and it hasn't cooled off here on the prairie...today is supposed to hit 92°! I am so ready for cooler weather.

While in Vermont last month I stopped at a little antique store in the town I grew up in. I found some pretty white and brown transferware plates. I believe they are from the aesthetic period.l The maker is Henry Alcock and Co. and the pattern is Lynton. They were 25% of the marked price which made me very happy. I also bought blue transferware plates that I will show you at a later date.



This gorgeous ecru crocheted tablecloth was also purchased the same day at a small second hand store in a nearby town. I hurried to the table it was on to see what the price was...looked and looked, but couldn't find one. My sister, Judy, found the owner and asked what the price was...she said $20...my heart was beating really fast as I thought it would be at least 5x higher...I had the nerve to ask if she would be willing to take $15 for it...she thought for a minute and said "yes, I got this in a box with lots of other things. I hurried and paid for it and left before she could change her mind on the price! I hate to think of how many hours someone put into crocheting it, many, many more than $15 worth. I like to think it now has a good home!



I used woven chargers topped with Wedgwood Hedge Rose plain white plates, then the Lynton luncheon plate.

The flatware is my trusty champagne Madeline from World Market. They go with just about anything.
I used a solid brown linen hemstitched napkins with a plain brown napkin ring.




The glassware is Noritake Provincial in brown.


The centerpiece is a simple cream colored pitcher with Russian Sage...that is really past it's prime and a couple of candlesticks.






I really appreciate you taking the time to visit today...thank you!

I will be joining

Let's Dish/Cuisine Kathleen
Thrifty Things Friday/The Thrifty Groove
Seasonal Sundays/The Tablescaper

Monday, September 2, 2013

Hitting The Jackpot

I am back from my Vermont vacation...I had a wonderful time with family and friends. I miss the beautiful weather, too! It is still very hot and humid here on the prairie. I did do some shopping while there, but you will have to wait another week to get a peek. In the meantime...


we decided to chance a trip to the city yesterday. We usually don't like being out on the road over a long holiday weekend. I sure am glad that we did...I hit the jackpot at Savers!

I almost never look in the baskets of dishes on the endcaps as they most usually are the ugly ones that sit there month after month...something told me to check the basket that was above eye level. To my utter delight it was filled with bright yellow cabbage leaf dishes. I could see tea cups, saucers, unusual shaped bowls, plates, what looked liked a lid to a tureen and some lidded bowls. The price tag said 31 pieces for $29.99. I lifted the basket down and into my cart it went.




When I got home and pulled everything out, this is what I found:
7 saucers, 6 tea cups, 7 salad/dessert plates, 6 lidded individual soup tureens, 6 coupe cereal/salad bowls and the lid to a tureen.
The pieces are made by Secla, which is a company in Portugal. They make dishes that resemble the Bordallo Pineheiro cabbage leaf ones. eBay has these dishes for sale and some of the prices are quite high in my estimation!




A couple of years ago I found some Vera napkins that had bright yellow, white, a little blue and green; at the time I didn't have anything that they really went with. The yellow is about the same shade as the cabbage dishes so guess what I am using! The cobalt glass napkin rings seemed like a fun accent to the bright yellow.



I am using Gibson Regalia dinner plates as charger plates. The rest of the setting is Secla.



The flatware is a combination of different pieces I have collected through the years.


The centerpiece is simply candles, a couple white candlesticks and a cobalt to go with the touch of blue in the napkins.




Thanks for taking the time to visit, it is always appreciated. Please come back the next time...

I will be linking up with The Dedicated House/Make It Pretty Monday, Cuisine Kathleen/Let's Dish and The Thrifty Groove/Thrifty Things Friday.

Thank you ladies for hosting each week.