Thursday, August 17, 2017

Dining al fresco....

My new tray is perfect for toting dishes out to the patio....


...I just stack everything in it and make one trip...


...the paper placemats are disposable and perfect for outdoors...


...and we are ready to eat...


...our summer days are getting shorter and flying by quickly...


...so we have to take advantage of dining al fresco as much as we can!


So, what did I prepare for dinner?

My own concoction of pasta, using what I had on hand...


I cut up a small zucchini, a bunch of garlic, 1/2 green pepper,  1/2 onion and a Roma tomato...


...as well as some turkey kielbasa.


I sautéed it in a mixture of plenty of EVOO, garlic olive oil and a tablespoon of Hot Tomato Oil (a local specialty from Pastabilities Restaurant in Syracuse), salt and pepper, 1 t fajita seasoning and 1 t Italian seasoning...


...adding tomatoes at the very last minute...


...and I dropped al dente angel hair pasta in the pan and tossed it all around...


...and it was ready to serve with hot bread sticks!


AND, then I realized that the meal had the same color as my dishes and did not show up well for this photo!!


But it sure was delicious!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The following are photos of table settings that were taken in Crate and Barrel and West Elm while I was in Columbus, Ohio last week:


I love the placemats and flatware...



...and in this setting I love the balloon wine glasses and the candle globe centerpiece!  




Sharing with BNOTP
Pin It
Patti @ Pandoras Box
Patti @ Pandoras Box

I live in central NY and I am a retired family and consumer science teacher. I enjoy all types of crafting, decorating and cooking

12 comments:

  1. Oooooo I bet the spicy hot tomato oil makes the pasta taste wonderful! I don't blame you for eating al fresco as much as you can. We love eating outside, and try to do so as much as possible (breakfast when it's cool in the summer, all meals fall and spring).

    xo,
    RJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. Okay, girl, can you come to my house and mix up a few pasta salads? I love the way you cook; it's the way I wish I could cook!

    Your alfresco dining is lovelier than my alfresco dining, but you always inspire me to take things up a notch. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your pasta looks divine Patti, I think it looks great on those dishes, and I love love your MKC tray!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So fun to see your table setting and the store ones. Equally fabulous. That pasta oil sounds interesting....something my husband would love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your veggies and meat and pasta dish look delish. I like your new tray and yes it's great for loading with dishes and making one trip to the table.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dontcha just love using things on hand for delicious concoctions?? Never could understand when people only use recipes followed to the tee for their dishes!!
    Must be the Becky homecky in us!!
    Your pasta looks dee-lish... wish I had my hands on some of that spicy tomato sauce too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Super idea for a throw together dinner. Looks delicious!
    Where are you getting all the beautiful napkins? Are these paper?

    Maureen
    The Spice Gal

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a lovely dish. Great for outdoor dining too. Very cute setting Patti.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've been thinking about that yummy dish since this morning when I first saw it on FB. My kind of pasta dish!
    I have that large CC tray and have used it so many different ways. It makes a great tabletop for an ottoman too. Right now, mine is on the dining room table holding my group of Uncle Sam figures. Just about time to pack them away and bring out some fall touches.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Patti, that looks like a great meal. That tray is a super nice size for toting all that's needed for a meal outside. Nice tablescape at C&B!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Patti! That's a nice big tray and of course I love the dishes it's carrying. The pasta meal looks yummy- pasta dinners are so convenient and tasty! I like the placemats in the first grouping at C & B. I love to go to their stores which aren't close to me at all so it doesn't happen much. I can just wander aimlessly!

    ReplyDelete
  12. We love that Hot Tomato Oil! It's a staple in our home.

    ReplyDelete