Monday, September 29, 2014

Fall Lunch ~ Squash Soup

Fall has certainly arrived in Central NY. 

 The leaves are turning, the nights are cooler, and the days are getting shorter.


My fall decorations are up and yearly I look forward to pulling out my favorite piece: my scarecrow!


Yesterday I used him as a centerpiece for a lunch with my girlfriend:


He was made years and years ago by a friend:


I think he is just adorable!


I used my spider bowls from the Christmas Tree Shop...


…and placed him on courtly checked dishes:


I served squash soup and crescent rolls...


…and covered my chairs with my new favorite stripes:



Squash Soup:
Ingredients
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with salt, and pepper. Serve.





Pin It

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Galavanting around Boston...

I recently spent a day in Boston with my Mom.  She hadn't been there in over 30 years so we decided to tour the town.

The Boston Harbor was full of boats and yachts...


and people...


…the seals were outside of the Aquarium, dozing while they had their photos taken...


…and we hopped on a Duck Tour:


These boats are replicas of the WWII amphibious landing vehicles...


…and we had a great conDUCKtor:


We passed by the bronze statue of Bobby Orr...


and we "drove into the Charles River":


Lots of fun!


From the River you can see the two tallest buildings in Boston, the John Hancock and the Prudential:


 Some of the architecture in Boston is just amazing...


…as you can see on this bridge that is being repaired:


The day got cloudy, but the sailboats were filling the River:


Mom even got a chance to "drive" the "Duck"!


We passed a piece of the Berlin Wall - did you know that many segments of the Berlin Wall have been given to various institutions since its fall on November 9, 1989?  
Go HERE to read about it.

 It is peeking out behind the bushes - I always thought it was much taller:


You can see the Bunker Hill Monument in the distance:


Mom got to see where she worked when she was young, 10 Post Office Square:


After the Big Dig was completed a beautiful park was created to honor Rose Kennedy….


…and there is a beautiful carousel...


…that does not have ONE horse on it...






You can read about the design:


You can't go into Boston without a stop at Faneuil Hall..


…and a slice of pizza from Regina's:


Do you remember seeing these on Shark Tank?
Wicked Good!


We also walked over to Haymarket Square and saw the Holocaust Towers:


And, most importantly, Mom wanted to find the "Brass Trash" by the old Market.
We found a quiet cobblestone road in Haymarket Square and we were getting close:


We found it!


The "trash" was installed in the mid 70's….


...and relates to the fresh market held outdoors, with lettuce leaves, banana peels, a crushed pineapple basket...




It was a fun time "walking Mom down memory lane"

We continued our trip heading south to Plymouth and Cape Cod!


Pin It

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

"The Places We've Been" Lunch

I set the table for 3 of my friends - a simple lunch of "chicken, walnut and grape salad" sandwiches.


I thought it would be fun to share some stories about the trips we have taken and the special places we have traveled to, so I used my old globe from the 60's as a centerpiece:


I placed my MacKenzie-Childs luncheon plates on zebra chargers:


My 50 year old globe reminded us of how many countries have changed over the years:


And I realized I have been on 4 continents...


...and to many of the Caribbean islands...


…and places I never dreamed of traveling...


…and places I was so fortunate to go to...


…and places I might return to...


…and that there are many more places to see...


Did you ever play the game where you "spin the globe, close your eyes, and use your pointer finger to stop the globe", while saying "when I grow up I want to live here"??

We all played it, but instead said "My next trip will take me here".

I landed on Italy!  Ironically, I will be there in November!

Where is for favorite place to travel?

Sharing with Tablescape Thursday

Pin It