Monday, June 27, 2011

Summer Blossoms Tablescape

Summery blooms filled
 my table today.

Each plate filled with movement
and life, one delicate and pink,
one gorgeously green.

Summer's blossoms are
so short lived.

But oh, the joy they bring.

Feathery and fragile

Grand and majestic

Intricate and delicate

Gathered from nature

Is summer so special because is
comes and goes?


Enjoy a few more
peeks.....

What beauty and awe is inspired 
by the color and
variety of flowers
that God has created.


Oh, the joy of summer,
the joy of flowers,
the joy of sunshine.


"The flower offered of itself
and eloquently spoke
Of Gods
In languages of rainbows
Perfumes
And secret silence..."

Phillip Pulfrey

I will be posting this with

Plates - Tai Pan
Green goblets - Tai Pan
Placemats - Home Goods
Pink water glasses - Home Goods
Green napkins - Home Goods
Napkin rings - Handmade
Pink flatware - Pier I (years ago)
Floral - Sarah's wedding arrangement by Holly




















Sunday, June 26, 2011

Strawberry Jam - Enough With the Sharing Already


I am a giving person, really I am, but don't take
everything, ok!


That's what I finally had to say to the birds
in the garden.  They love my strawberries,
but so do I.  I could never get many
and I had tried all kinds of tricks.

Finally, my sister-in-law gave me the netted
side of her old gazebo and told me to cover
the strawberries with it to keep the birds
from eating them all.

Guess what?  It worked like a charm.  I don't have
enough to cover all of them, so I used some other
netting I have.
This is some Christmas netting with gold stars
but it worked well too.


I now get tons of strawberries and as you can
see in my Italianate garden, I don't have a huge
patch.  There was even enough to make
strawberry jam!

There are still some parts that are uncovered
and they pick that clean.  See, I am willing
to share (some)!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Lemon Drop Cheesecake Ball


Are you looking for some refreshing desserts
that don't require heating up the kitchen this summer?

This Lemon Drop Cheesecake Ball is a great
idea that is fun and easy.  


Use either Jelly Belly Lemon Drops or
Lemonheads for flavor and crunch both
on the inside and the outside.


Lemon Drop Cheesecake Ball

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C. butter, room temperature
1 C. powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
3.5 to 4 oz. lemon flavored candies, crushed

In mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese
and the butter until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar,
brown sugar and lemon flavoring.  Scrape sides of
bowl.  Mix in 3 T. crushed lemon drops.  




Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and place
the mixture in it.  Place in refrigerator for at
least 2 hours to harden.  

Flour your hands. 
Form into a ball and roll in remaining crushed
lemon drops.  Wrap in plastic wrap and store in 
fridge until serving time.

Serve with assorted cookies.





You can also make a 
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cheeseball.


Chocolate Chip Pecan Cheeseball

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C. butter, room temperature
1 C. powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1/2 C. plus 3 T.  mini chocolate chips
1/2 C. pecans, finely chopped

In a mixing bowl cream the cream cheese and butter
until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar
and blend well.  Mix in the vanilla and 1/2 C. mini
chocolate chips, scraping the sides.

Place the mixture into small bowl lined with
plastic wrap.  Chill for at least 2 hours.
With floured hands, shape into a ball.
Mix the remaining 3 T. chocolate chips and
chopped pecans and roll the ball in the 
nut mixture.  Wrap in plastic wrap and
refrigerate until serving.






Two fun and easy summer desserts for you to
enjoy for your family or entertaining.

I will be posting this with





Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Paris Blues Table

I just had to do something that seemed like I was 
still in Paris.  What a lovely city and unlike so
many reports, we couldn't have been treated
better.  We had no problem getting around and
everyone was so kind.


I decided to put together a table with my
lovely pale aqua blue pieces.  The centerpiece
is this gorgeous detailed pitcher filled with
Peace roses from my garden.


This handle is just wonderful with its
twists and turns.



I had to give you a closeup 
of the detailing on 
on the front and back of the pitcher.

The pale aqua plates are featured in a
monochromatic stack today.

The fleur de lys reminds me of Paris.

Gorgeous aqua bubble glasses are added
to the table to pick up the color scheme.

My ornate silver plated flatware are
perfect for this table.

I used large damask tea towels in place
of placemats today.  They are aqua on aqua.


Tall votive cups in mercury silver top the 
plate stacks.  They also feature the
beautiful fleur de lys. 

This shot shows the wonderful spout
on the ceramic pitcher.


Another Peace rose in a small silver
votive adds some height interest
to the center of the table.

The table today was set up in the
garden gazebo.  It is finally a lovely
summer day.


Just a little fun with shadows as the light
changes.








We finish with a fun overhead shot of the 
plates and the mercury glass.

I hope you enjoyed the pale aqua
blues of this table.  It is such a restful color.




Everything but the silver plated flatware
was from Tai Pan.
The flatware is from Horchow.



I will be posting this with













Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Antonella's Home In Bologna

I have been gone with a Youth
Conference, camping with the youth from
our church, but I am back for a few days
before I take the Young Women from church
to Lake Powell next week.  

I wanted to continue my
trip to Paris and Italy by showing you
Antonella's home.  Remember I promised
to show you her kitchen.  My husband had
commented on the huge pans she cooked with
and mentioned the usually little Italian kitchens
so she invited us over to see her home, and
especially her kitchen. 


As you enter the large doors to Antonella's
building, typical of old Bologna, you enter
this gorgeous colonade.  This is a very old
lovely building.


This fabulous courtyard is opposite the
colonade.  We had stopped at a flower
shop to bring Antonella some fresh flowers.
Amanda is standing by the fountain holding
the flowers.


She not only has the beautiful courtyard in the entry
colonade, but another one right off the living room
which you can see through this wonderful glass-filled
arched window.

This is the courtyard that her living room
faces.  What a fun enclosed place to enjoy
peace in the city or to have your children play.
This is Tonya's oldest.



Through the glass-filled arch you are greeted with
the most beautiful turquoise living room.  I adored
the gorgeous color of these huge couches.  There 
were touches of turquoise in the wool rug and in the
art on the walls.

The ceiling in the living room was magnificent
with fabulous detail.


Speaking of details, one of my favorite is
the circle of turquoise colored stones around
the brass circumference of this crystal chandelier.

The room was elegant yet inviting and warm.


She also had a family room or sitting room in a bright
yellow that was also absolutely stunning.  That is
Victoria sitting on the couch.  Antonella's manservant
served us chilled water.  It is very unusual to have
chilled water in Italy.  Mostly it is served room 
temperature.


Isn't the ceiling in this room wonderful too?


Although all of the other rooms are very spacious,
her kitchen was typically very small.  


But she proudly showed us where she kept her restaurant
size pans in an adjoining storage room,



and one additional storage room for her fine
china.  Antonella let us know that she often
cooks for 45 in that kitchen and that is why
she has such large pots and pans.
What a treat to visit this fabulous home.


Then we were off to the busy market area
of downtown Bologna.  Stores and shops are
closed on Sunday so on Saturday morning 
the narrow streets and shops are filled with
people shopping for their food for Saturday
and Sunday.


These are the stores where Victoria and Antonella
bought the food for our cooking classes.




The fruits and vegetables are just gorgeous.


There is fresh seafood of all kinds.


The butcher was having a little fun here with the
pig's head and a beret.


After a lunch break we headed back for our second 
cooking lesson at Tonya's house.  Notice Antonella's
huge pan in this photo.

We then went home to make
Chicken Cacciatora
(Hunter's wife's chicken - they were quick to point
out that this was feminine, not Cacciatore - masculine!)


Fresh beans with tomatoes


and a Flourless Chocolate Cake.


 (Here we are in front of the church building
on Sunday morning.)

We decided to go out to dinner and save this
meal for Sunday after church.  We invited four
missionaries from our church, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to eat the meal
with us.  In many areas of the world where 
missionaries from our church serve, they are fed
by the members every day or have someone who
cooks a main meal for them.  Here in Bologna
the guys cook for themselves so they
were very grateful.  


They got to sample some
of the pork roast and the semifreddo left from
the first cooking school day also.  They said
it was the best food they had eaten in Italy.

I have to make a note here that the missionaries
translated the church service for us too.  That 
was very nice of them.


The missionaries left to right are
Elder Rich, Elder Lehnardt, Elder Dunshee and
Elder Duersch.  Tonya's son is enjoying being
with the big guys.  Elder is an office held in the
priesthood and a title, not their first names.

We still have Florence and our return to
Paris for one night.  It is fun writing
about our wonderful trip.  Hope you
are enjoying it with me.

Just a quick note
we found
Amarena Fabbri online!


Just Google it for several different sizes and
sources.  It is pricey, around $21 for 21 oz.,
but it was $15 for 21 oz.
there in Italy.  It is made in Bologna and
imported.  It is well worth splurging and
is certainly cheaper than going there!











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