Monday, October 31, 2016

Peeling garlic the easy way....

I have seen this idea online, but I never tried it until today....


...place a whole head of garlic in a pan, cover it and shake the heck out of it....


...and all the cloves separate and the skins come off!!  
AMAZING!!


I needed all this garlic because I bought a bunch of tomatoes at the market and made some sauce!


A few jars for us, and a few to give away!


Have you ever tried the garlic trick?



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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Ramsign GIVEAWAY!


A few years ago I won a RAMSIGN house number sign from another blog, and I also offered a giveaway to one of my readers.

I love this enamel sign and it is so easy to see from the street:





Tezz of RAMSIGN has offered another giveaway of
a beautiful sign valued at $ 99.00 and I am hosting the giveaway!!



I have the "Highlander" on my home:



Here are some samples from their website:
(pinterest)

The winner of this giveaway may choose a 
color and style shown on the
Ramsign website
up to $99 value!!


(pinterest)

Be sure to visit RAMSIGN web page and take a look
at their beautiful work.
"Like" RAMSIGN on their FACEBOOK, too! 
(our thank you for such a generous giveaway)


After checking out their sites, come back and leave me a comment to be entered into the giveaway.  Which was your favorite??

A winner will be chosen Nov 6th!

THANK YOU, TEZZ!




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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Let's use the pretty stuff....

I am not sure why we don't use the "pretty stuff".
Maybe because they need to be hand washed?  
Or maybe because we don't want to chip or break any pieces?  
Or maybe we are to lazy to pull them out of the china cabinet.


But today I decided to use these pretty dishes!!


These were my Mom's and they have been in the basement, in boxes, for a few years!


The label is unfamiliar to me - BUT we all were born in the Boston area!!


The bread dishes are from Crate and Barrel, and the flatware is from Pottery Barn:



The dishes are a beautiful, royal navy with gold trim:


The butter dish is from Anthropologie:


I decided I better use the platter under the soup tureen as I am going to put beef stew inside!



YUM:


And WHY no wine glasses on the table?  Because we decided to have a glass before dinner - - in the "pretty" glasses:


How often do you use the "pretty stuff"???



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Friday, October 21, 2016

My October tablescapes....

I've had lots of company this month and had fun setting the table with some of my favorite dishes!

This table was set for breakfast for 4....


...quiche was baked in my favorite pie dish from the Pioneer Woman...

(find the recipe at the end of post)


...and I served sparkling cider punch with a caramel and cinnamon sugar rim:



Another breakfast was served using my Courtly Checked dishes...


...scrambled cheesy eggs, apple cider donuts, melon and caramel kissed apple cider...


...these donuts are to die-for and we can't wait for them to be baked every fall!


This was a quick setting for dinner....


...where I served pork roast with orange salsa, garlic/parmesan roasted potatoes and grilled herbed zucchini.


A table set for a buffet dinner where I served turkey and all the fixins':


This table was set for lunch....


...and I used my old Lillian Vernon vases for each place setting....


...and a pumpkin topped with fresh succulents as a centerpiece....


...and of course, we had Caramel Kissed Cocktails!


This table was for a luncheon I had last year.  
The Courtly Checked dishes really work well in a Halloween themed table!


It's always fun to use the "black and whites" in October!!


Recipe for QUICHE!
4-5 large eggs
3/4 can evaporated milk
4 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and liquid squeezed out
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped onion
S & P
pie crust

Line the pie crust with cheese:


Beat eggs with eval. milk and add spinach, bacon and onion.  Stir well and pour over cheese.


Bake at 350' for an hour and enjoy!




Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Butternut Squash...

Other than Apple Cider, Butternut Squash is what I look forward to most in the fall.

It is so easy to prepare - cut in half and scoop out the seeds....

....put 1 1/2 T butter in each cavity....


...add about 1 1/2 T brown sugar in each cavity...


...sprinkle some salt and pepper...


...add about 1/2" water to baking pan...


...cover with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours!


Scoop the squash out of the skin....


...and ENJOY!!



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