Helen's Philadelphia Cream Cheese-Pineapple Salad

This is an old family-favorite recipe. My maternal grandma frequently served  it for holiday dinners and I have never known anyone else to make this same salad. We don't seem to know how she obtained the recipe originally, but it is suspected that it could have come from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese wrapper/box at some point. No matter where she got it, we're glad she did! Although the combination of ingredients may sound unusual, it is quite flavorful and unique. We all love it!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pineapple Salad

Combine 1 small package lemon jello and

1 cup boiling water, mix well and set aside.

4 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 pint whipping cream (don't whip)

1 16 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 small jar pimentos, minced and drained

With a fork, add a bit of whipping cream at a time to softened cream cheese. Make sure mixture is smooth and well-blended.

Add pineapple and pimentos and mix well. Combine all of it with lemon jello mixture and pour into container. Refrigerate so it's set firmly before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

To get a printable version of this recipe, click here.

All families have favorite recipes that represent special times with special people. What are some of yours?

Tuesday's Tablescape

It's late, but I am finally posting today's table. Santa has arrived in the dining room and, with him, he brought his own place settings!

My Santa dishes were purchased more than 20 years back and I enjoy them each season. They're just stoneware and were an inexpensive set from Walmart, but I loved the colors and design.

They've held-up nicely through the years. My gold holly flatware matches the rims of the plates pretty well.

My centerpiece is simply a trio of candles. I love the Victorian Santa, which was a gift from my parents a long time ago.

It's past dinnertime for today, but maybe you can join us tomorrow?!

I ho-ho-hope you have a lovely evening!

Welcome to Christmas-Decorating-Mode!

I trust you had a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends and that you were able to relax a bit. If you're like us, you dove into seasonal decorating on Friday. Welcome to our Christmas-decorating-mode!  Our unseasonably warm weather made doing the outside portion very enjoyable and so that's where we began. Wreaths are on the windows, candles in the sills, pine roping is strung and the porch is ready.

I switched the swag over the door and kept it very simple. I used only faux greenery, red ribbon and metallic ornaments.

Would you care to sit for a few minutes? You can take the chair on the left so that you can use the plaid throw. That way, too, you might not notice the burned-out bulb in the candle behind you! 😁I just now saw that. It, obviously, just went out because all systems were "go" when we put the candles in place. I will replace it as soon as I finish this post!

My little lantern got an updated look, Previously red (and green before that...click here to see the post from two years ago), I decided to go with trendy metallic gold. It's catching a reflection on the top which distorts the actual hue.

Not only does it look, but it also smells like Christmas on the porch. The pine roping is real and you can catch an enjoyable whiff when you're by it. I love that scent!!

Have you also begun Christmas-decorating-mode? 

The Legend of the Five Kernels

When the Pilgrims first landed in their new land, they were met with less-than-favorable conditions. The winter was cold and harsh and food supplies were sparse. A daily ration of five kernels of corn was provided per person, per day. The following spring, they planted some of that corn and were most thankful when it grew! After a good harvest, they celebrated with a feast and invited their Native American friends to join them. From then on, five kernels always served as a of reminder of their abundant blessings.

As you eat your Thanksgiving meal, may you reflect upon your multiple blessings!

Give thanks to the Lord...

Psalm 136:1

If you're reading this post, please know that I am thankful for you. I pray that you and your loved ones have a blessed Thanksgiving.

I will post again Monday.😊

Tuesday's Tablescape

We hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner over the weekend, so I snapped some pictures.

I always enjoy using the turkey place settings.

Many years ago, my cousin made a ceramic pumpkin for me. I grabbed that, sans the lid, and put a simple arrangement in it to serve as our centerpiece.

How about you. Have you set your table yet? 

Good News! Great Joy!

This morning, we wrapped-up Operation Christmas Child's National Collection Week for 2017 and it's been awesome! For the past 8 days, volunteers across the US have been accepting, praying over and packing shoeboxes into shipping cartons. Today each of those cartons will be packed into tractor trailers so that they can begin their exciting journeys!  Click here to read a little more background that I shared two years ago. You can also click here to see last year's post for additional insight. 

Tomorrow the semis, stuffed with Operation Christmas Child boxes from 5,000 collection centers, will fill our nation's highways. To provide prospective, there will be more Samaritan's Purse trucks on the roads than those trucking Walmart cargo! Each of the tractor trailers will offload at one of the processing centers (there are eight across the USA). From there, they go by plane, ship, truck...even on the backs of animals into the hands of children in more than 100 countries.  

This banner has been on display in our church and is a photo of an actual recipient. How precious!

People, young and old,  from our community have been dropping-off their shoeboxes since last Monday. Individuals, groups, offices and schools have contributed boxes and those, along with those from our own church, totaled over 4,400. Our team packed them all into cartons the past week.  In 2016, over 11 million boxes were distributed worldwide. Along with the toys, personal hygiene items and school supplies that we stuff into each box, the receiving child gets a copy of The Greatest Gift  (a colorful representation of the Gospel) in his/her own language. From there, the child is given the opportunity to enroll in a course called The Greatest Journey where they are taught by trained teachers to grow in their own faith.


National Collection Week is intensive and involves hours of work from many volunteers... and it's worth every second! I am already really looking forward to serving again next year. 

National Button Day

Happy National Button Day! 

Did you know such a day existed?! It is observed each year on this day and was founded in 1938 when the National Button Society declared button collecting to be an official hobby. 

While I don't collect them, I do use them for crafting purposes. Click here and here and here to see previous button posts. Do you have a button collection? Do you use them for any projects? If so, did your work turn out as cute as a button?! 

Tuesday's Tablescape...on Wednesday

Obviously, the tablescape is a day late this week! My time home yesterday was limited enough that I never had quite long enough a span to publish my post.

I have set the table with one of my favorite sets, which I am sure you recognize from many previous posts. This china belonged to my grandparents and I love the colors and style. Most of all, of course, I love the memories associated with these lovely pieces. You can click here to read an old post about them. I opted to only use the plates today to keep a more simple look. The set does include, salad plates, bowls, cups and saucers,  however. Sometimes a simple setting is better than an elaborate display.

I kept the autumn leaf table runner in place and grabbed an old tin container from a floral arrangement as the vessel for my metallic acorns.

The acorns came from Hobby Lobby a few years ago. I don't know if they still carry something comparable any longer, or not.

May your day be simply wonderful!

Chopped Salad

If you're a local, you know about Charlie Gitto's restaurant. The famous Italian establishment offers delicious food! For over three decades, it's been a landmark in "The Hill" neighborhood in St. Louis. Toasted ravioli is said to have originated at Charlie Gitto's when the chef accidentally dropped this type of pasta into hot oil instead of water. From that error, a St. Louis favorite was born! Another famous offering at this restaurant is their chopped salad and they recently published the recipe in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. In case you're interested, I'm sharing with you. It's delicious!

Charlie Gitto's Italian Chopped Salad

10  ounces equal mix of cabbage, romaine and radicchio, finely chopped

1 small zucchini (about 4inches), trimmed, seeded and finely diced

3 T onion, finely chopped

3 T sliced black olive

1/2 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup Charlie Gitto's Sweet Vinaigrette salad dressing (or a good equivalent if you're not in St. Louis)

4 fresh basil leaves, cut into fine pieces

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese in fine crumbles

4 slices regular-cut bacon, crisp and crumbled

6 thin slices Genoa salami, cut in thin shreds

4 whole pepperoncini

*Don't substitute tender or watery lettuces for the cabbage, romaine or radicchio. The integrity of the salad depends on ingredients that won't wilt.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, romaine and radicchio. Add zucchini, tomatoes, onion, olives and beans.

Add salad dressing and toss to coat. Repeat. Divide greens into fourths and place in shallow bowls. Top each with basil.

Sprinkle with cheese crumbles, bacon and salami. Top each serving with whole pepperoncini.

If you're like us, you love a good salad and this one is worthy of adding to your "lineup"! 🥗

Click here for a printable version of this recipe. 

Easy DIY Napkin Rings

As we approach the holiday season, you may be looking for an easy and different way to change-up your table. Very likely, you have tried this same idea for creating napkin rings before.

Start with an empty paper towel roll.

Snip it into rings about 1.5 inches wide.

Cover each ring with paper or even a scrap of ribbon. I happened to use a scrap of crafting (scrapbook) paper from my craft room, but you could use any type of paper and even a brown grocery bag. Snippets of wallpaper would also be suitable. Cut your paper slightly wider than the ring so that when you glue it on, the ends may be tucked and concealed inside. Glue on a seasonal embellishment of your choice. I used a tiny faux leaf with some berries for this one, but you could be very creative here. Flowers or gems would look nice, too! Wouldn't jingle bells or a single wrapped red and white mint be clever for Christmas?

Slide in your napkin and you're ready to go!

What ideas do you have?

Have a blessed weekend!

Tweaking a Wreath

Each year my mother hosts a table at their church's Advent by Candlelight evening. We have already  done a mock-up of her table, but one thing we decided to tweak was to modify the wreath which will be the base to the centerpiece. I decided to take advantage of sunny, mild weather to do a little necessary spray painting for the project. You know how I love my spray paints! 


This is just an ordinary wreath from Michael's.

I plucked some magnolia leaves and seedpods from our tree and grabbed my can of gold paint. A light coat was all that was needed. I added the leaves to the wreath first.

Next were the seedpods.

Tucking-in the pieces gave the wreath just enough pop to work for our centerpiece (which will be shared in early December after the ladies' event). It's always interesting to use natural elements in your décor. Twigs, seedpods, leaves and dried weeds can all add just what you need.

I hope your day has been a good one! 

Kimberly Queen Fern

I'm not a big fan of wintering-over plants. My houseplants stay inside throughout the year and I rarely have the occasion (or interest) in extending a welcome mat to outside plants when the weather turns cold. This year, however, I have changed my mind because of my beautiful fern! 

Are you familiar with Kimberly Queen fern?  In my opinion, this variety is the best! I love growing them because they are tight, more upright and tidy! Unlike Boston fern, Kimberly Queen do not shed those pesky little leaves! Not at all! Each year we get one of these lovelies for the patio, but I have never tried bringing one in before. This year's, though, has become such a giant that I just couldn't let the frost get it. So, for a few weeks I had been dragging it into the garage to get it acclimated. Then it came inside. For now, it's in the office, but I think it is going to another location. 

I stuck the yardstick next to the plant for perspective. 

When I got this fern, it was in a five gallon plastic pot at the grocery store where my mother and I were running an errand. I guess our dreadfully hot and humid St. Louis summer made my new $10 plant quite  happy because it went crazy! Even though this variety of fern prefers to be root-bound, I had to move it into a slightly larger pot before bringing it inside. 

Kimberly Queen Facts

*This variety is also known as "Australian Sword" fern as it originated in Australia.

*Kimberly Queen grows well in zones 5-11.

*This plant is very adaptable. It loves bright indirect light, but tolerates some direct sun (ours gets sun on the patio).

*Like all ferns, it loves humidity and the tips will brown if it doesn't get enough moisture. (Can you envision me "spritzing" mine this winter?! Perhaps I will let it use the humidifier!!)

*It prefers warm temperatures and will stop growing if the temperature is 60 degrees, or cooler.

*Kimberly Queen is touted to be disease and pest resistant. (Before bringing in mine, I watered it with a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water to kill any possible soil gnats lurking about.)

*Everything I have read indicates that this particular type of fern is considered a non-poisonous houseplant. If you decide to grow one, please confirm that information.

 

We will see how it looks by the time spring rolls around. 😉I can't replicate the Lord's growing conditions, but I will try my best to keep this fern happy until it can be returned to its favorite spot out on the patio next spring!

Tuesday's Tablescape

Today's table is in honor of Veterans Day, November 11. By the way, I recently learned that there is no apostrophe in the name of this holiday. I tended to think of it as Veterans' Day, making it plural possessive. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs explains that the day does not belong to veterans, but is intended to honor all veterans. So...here is our Veterans Day table!

A patriotic fabric remnant made the runner with an eagle resting on top of a glass candle holder.

Very simple place settings were all that were needed.

I'm sure you're also extra mindful of all veterans on this approaching holiday. 

Autumn Apple Recipes

I have a few autumn apple recipes to share today in case you're looking for something to offer along with pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. The apple dumplings  are an easy-peasy option that I have made many times over the years. My mother got the recipe from a friend at church years ago and it's always popular when served. I recently prepared these for a guests at my home.

This appears overdone, but it really was golden. I guess it's the lighting??

Easy Apple Dumplings

2 tubes  (8 count each) crescent rolls

1.5 sticks butter

1.5 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. cinnamon

1 can (21 ounce) 7-Up

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash, peel and core apples; cut into 8 equal pieces. Unwrap the crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Place a slice of apple on the wide end and roll into crescent roll to make an apple dumpling. Lightly spray a 9 by 13 pan. Place all apple dumplings in pan. In a separate bowl, whisk softened butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until there are no lumps and it's all blended. Pour over the apple dumplings. Carefully pour can of soda between dumplings. Immediately bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. 

This recipe is new to me and was recently shared by my cousin. She highly recommended this bread and once you taste it, you'll understand the reason! I made three mini loaves (rather than one large) so that I could freeze them in preparation for an event in a few weeks.

Caramel Apple Bread

1 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup canola, or vegetable, oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup (1 medium) apple peeled, cored and finely chopped

caramel sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T. milk

Spray a large loaf pan (I used three small instead) and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine applesauce, sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk to blend. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir just enough to combine, but don't overmix. Fold in apples. Transfer batter to prepared pan(s). Bake on center rack for about 60 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and allow to completely cool on rack. 

Prepare sauce by melting butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk and whisk constantly. Bring to a gently-rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes, still whisking constantly. Remove from heat and let cool for about 30 minutes, making sure you whisk every 5-10 minutes. Pour over bread and allow to sit 2-3 hours. 

Bread may be frozen for 2 months.

*I followed the directions exactly and the sauce came out perfectly, without any graininess. 

If there is some graininess, though, the directions said it will disappear within the few hours that it sits (as long as you've followed the instructions).

click here for printable version of recipes

May your day be apple-lutely wonderful!

Campbell House Museum

This month my quest club friends and I read Campbell Quest by Patrick MacCulloch. This true story is about fur trader and entrepreneur, Robert Campbell,  who made his fortune in St. Louis in the 1850s. It is a well-written book that contains a lot of family letters. As a follow-up to the story, we decided to take a field trip and headed to the Campbell Museum for a guided tour. It was wonderful! 

This gorgeous home was the first one to be built in the prestigious St. Louis neighborhood, Lucas Park,  and once the Campbell family moved there, decedents remained there until the 1930s. 

Robert and Virginia had thirteen children. Of those, three sons lived to adulthood. The surviving men all resided in the house as adults and never married.

Most of the family pieces are still within the house, down to written records and treasured letters. One of the Campbell sons, Hugh, was a photographer and took copious amounts of pictures which has provided invaluable information to historians. On the tour, we were able to study the old photos of the home and it was interesting to see that the rooms have remained unchanged. 

All of the stained glass windows are original. I found that amazing to think none had been broken throughout the years.

There were at least two quilts on display and both had belonged to the Campbells.

Naturally, this butler's pantry caught my attention! Mrs. Campbell's china is very striking!

Mrs. Campbell was a gracious hostess and enjoyed throwing dinner parties. 

Some of their guests included Mr. Eads and the Grants.

I recommend the book and, especially, touring the home. If you're local, you may want to consider making a trip there during the holiday season. Soon the home will be decorated in Victorian Christmas style!

Happy weekend to everyone!