Tuesday's Tablescape

We are experiencing an arctic blast here. ❄Tonight is supposed to be below zero, which is the coldest weather we have had in a long time. Schools have already announced their closings for tomorrow and people are altering their plans to remain hunkered inside, if at all possible. This bone-chilling cold brought penguins to mind, so they have marched out for today's tablescape.

You will recognize the snowy branches from last week's table  and while I don't like repeating, they were too perfect not to reuse!

The stitched centerpiece linen was a gift from a friend and the sweet salt and pepper shakers were from a dear family at school one Christmas (many years ago).

Before I close, take a look at something. Scroll back up to the first two pictures and make note of the sky. Do you notice how it's as blue as the tablecloth? When I snapped the photos this evening, the sky appeared dark to my eyes. It wasn't until I reviewed the pictures that I noticed the color and that's because of "blue hour". It occurs during the last stages of evening twilight and is explained in this following definition which I have copied and pasted from Wikipedia:

The blue hour (from French l'heure bleue) is the period of twilight in the morning or evening, during the civil and nautical stages, when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade.

I was happy to see that I had unknowingly captured this beautiful blue sky in my picture and I doubt that I could have achieved it had I planned! 

Stay warm! Are you like the little penguins who adore this deep freeze or does this weather leave you feeling blue?

Lemon Delight

This refreshing dessert recipe was given to me by my grandma decades ago. I love seeing the card written out in her perfect penmanship. Easy to put together, it's always a crowd-pleaser. It makes a 9 by 13 pan, but I halved it for today and served it to some crafting friends.

Lemon Delight

Step One: 

2 cups flour

   2 sticks butter

 1 cup pecans

Mix together and press into a 9 by 13 glass pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool.

Step Two:

                  2- 8 ounce packages cream cheese (room temperature)

2 cups powdered sugar

Use electric mixer and beat the cream cheese until fluffy and then gradually add powered sugar. Spread on the cooled crust.

Step Three:

2 large packages instant lemon pudding (or four small)

3 cups cold milk

Beat together at slow speed until thick (it will take 1.5 to 2 minutes). Spread evenly over cream cheese mixture.

Step Four:

Top with Cool Whip and chill for several hours or overnight. Cut into small squares to serve.

Note:

You can make "Chocolate Delight" by following the above ingredients and method, but substitute one large chocolate and one large vanilla instant pudding mix for the lemon.

I omitted the pecans in mine that I served today with satisfactory results and cut it into slightly larger servings. 😉

For a printable version, click here.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Tablescape

It's  National POLKA DOT day and today's tablescape is in celebration!

I made my table runner a couple of years ago and shared it on this blog. To revisit that post, click here. This is actually the backside of it, but I needed the polka dots for today. 😊

Would you like to join us for dinner? We have a spot just for you!

Have a blessed evening!

Sock Snowman Project

Winter has its grip on much of the country right now. We have experienced snow and very cold temperatures in our area, so this little snowman project seems apropos. You need socks, rice, needle and thread, buttons, scrap material (or ribbon) and paint for the face (I used puff paint and a miniature pompom nose because I had the items on hand).

The snowman body is made from a long tube-style sock. When my mother and I made these a few years ago, we used off-white tube socks as shown below. An old one works just fine, so use what you have. Fill the sock with dry rice, making it as tall as you wish.

At that point, snip off the excess sock , evenly gather the opening and stitch it closed.

Snowman hats are constructed from old baby socks and there are a couple of options. You can trim off the toe portion of the sock, evenly gather that opening and stitch it closed (as shown in the upper left part of the picture).Then roll up the edge to create the "brim". 

Another option is to make the toe become the top of the hat. Trim off the bottom and roll it up to become the "brim" (as shown in the lower right corner).

Your snowman needs a face, three buttons and a scarf. As previously mentioned, we used dabs of paint for the eyes and mouth and a tiny pompom for the nose. The end of the toothpick (painted orange) would also work for that purpose. Use glue to affix the buttons. A scarf around the neck completes the project and thatcan be made from either a piece of ribbon or a scrap of fabric. We used fabric and frayed the edges for authenticity.

The rice filling allows you to manipulate the snowman to your satisfaction. 

When winter "socks" it to you, maybe you can spend a little time crafting. ⛄

24 Hour Cole Slaw

I recently got this recipe from a friend. It's old fashioned cole slaw like your grandmother used to make. In fact, this one reads quite similarly to my own grandma's. It's definitely nothing new, but might remind you of a family recipe you have tucked in your files!

24 Hour Cole Slaw

Mix together:

1 large head of shredded cabbage

1 cup diced onion

Bring to a boil:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup vinegar

1 T salt

1/2 cup oil 

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. celery seed

Pour over cabbage and refrigerate. It's best served 24 hours later.

To print this recipe, click here.

                                             Enjoy! 

24 Hour Cole Slaw

Thumbs Up!

I appreciate personal recommendations, so wanted to share a few with you today. First of all, I need to report that the outdoor Command hooks I showed in December are a "thumbs up"👍. 

You can see the post here. In my opinion, this product was given a true test with fluctuating temperatures throughout Christmas season. The hooks stayed in place perfectly throughout the month of December and worked like charm. I would definitely recommend them.  

Although we are not big chip-eaters, we do occasionally have them with sandwiches for lunch. These vegetable chips are excellent and are available at Aldi. 

In addition to their flavor, the bright colors are a bonus! That's another 👍.

This suet cake gets a 👍 from the birds and from me!

This brand, Suet Plus, comes in many varieties and all are good. The "mealworms and nuts" blend truly attracts our bluebirds, though. When we discovered this product last year, we observed how popular it was with them and it has proven the same this season, too. It appeals to several varieties of woodpeckers in addition. If you know that you have bluebirds in your area, you may want to try these suet cakes. I am able to find them at our Farm and Home Supply for 69 cents each, but a quick search showed them available through some stores and online.

I hope these product recommendations help "thumb-body" make a good choice! 👍

Tuesday's Tablescape

Although these dishes are technically one of the sets from my "Christmas collection", I think they are perfect for a winter table setting. 

A jar of pinecones serves as the centerpiece.

The antique hutch has the set's coffee mugs and saucers along with my bird teapot. 

 I love the cardinal and black-capped chickadees on this teapot, along with the greenery and pinecone details. I received it as a Christmas present many years ago from my parents and set it on a glass base to add height to this particular display.

My little teabag holder, depicting Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, was a gift from my sister-in-law. The pretty vase was an end-of-the-year gift from a dear school family about 20 years ago!

I hope your Tuesday has been pleasant!

Little Storage Ideas

Have you ever grabbed your earbuds only to find them in a tangle? Have you ever fished in your purse for a cough drop, mint or nail clippers only to find they had settled in the bottomless pit of "stuff" you carry around? Maybe you need a small sturdy case to house these items. 🤔 If you or your friends like the mints sold in little tins, such as Altoids, hang on to the empty cases. 

I decided to decorate mine. There are lots of possibilities, but I just used some washi tape I had in my craft room. If you are familiar with this thin decorative tape,  you realize some of it is transparent. That wouldn't work well in this application. This particular roll that I have is thick and adequately covers the name on the tin.

You just need your scissors and I used a small X-ACTO to trim the edges.

I only needed three strips of tape to cover the face of the tin. In case you're curious why I didn't align the stripes on the tape, it was because of the run. To match all of the stripe colors would have wasted too much product, so I thought this was adequate when considering its use.

I have an alternative storage idea which was shared with me. Dollar stores sell soft-sided sunglass cases which work perfectly for mini-cosmetic bags in your purse. I now prefer using two of these because they are slimmer than the cosmetic bag I was toting and they fit into my purse much more easily. 

What little storage ideas do you use? 

Birds and Snow

I have a few more winter vignettes from the kitchen.

The cardinal salt and pepper shakers were a Christmas gift and I think they are so cute.

I always enjoy using my late 1800s antique snowman. He's actually a replica, but very authentic-looking made from cotton and decorated with peppercorns and dried plant material.

The little cardinal basket has hot cocoa packets ready for whomever wants to warm-up with a cup and this is definitely the weather for it. Our snowflakes began falling just after lunchtime and by late afternoon travel was very hazardous. We have at least six inches and the white stuff is predicted to fall throughout the night leaving us with nearly a foot. We will see how this all shakes out! We prepared for our feathered friends, though, by topping-off the feeders and installing a fresh suet cake.

If your weather matches mine, I hope you'll 

be safe, stay warm and bird watch! 

Happy weekend! 

Eat Your (Hot) Veggies!

Hot vegetable dishes go well with meals this time of year with the absence of garden fresh. The following are tried-and-true recipes which have appeared on the blog over the years. I shared the first two before I began inserting links for printable versions. Even though the broccoli dish had a link when I ran it before, I included it as part of this little collection.  

                    Hot Vegetable Dishes🍲

                                                       Swiss Vegetable Medley

1 bag (16 ounce) frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower combination, thawed and drained

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 can (2.8  ounce) French fried onions

Combine vegetable, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, pepper, pimento, and 1/2 can of the onions. Pour into a quart casserole. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions and bake, uncovered, for 5 additional minutes.

Cracker Barrel Green Beans

1/4 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

3 cans cut green beans, with the liquid

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

1 T sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

 In a 2 quart medium pan, over medium heat, cook bacon until lightly browned (but not crisp). When browned, add green beans (and their liquid), salt, pepper and sugar and mix well. Place chopped onion on top of beans; do not stir in. Cover sauce pan and bring to a light boil. Turn down heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes until the liquid is minimal. (Note that I simmered ours over an hour.)

Golden Broccoli Casserole

1.5 pounds broccoli 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheese

1-2  T chopped pimento

1.5 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup rich round cracker crumbs (Ritz)

Cook fresh broccoli 10-15 minutes (or follow package directions for frozen). Put in casserole. In a bowl, combine  with soup, mayo, cheese, pimento and lemon juice. Pour over broccoli. Top with crumbs and bake 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

While not an actual recipe, I am also rerunning the idea for roasted Brussel Sprouts which I shared before.  I have also roasted cauliflower and broccoli in the same manner. 

I often use frozen, but fresh Brussels sprouts will work, too. They just need to be sliced in half for best results. I prefer the baby (or petite) ones sold in the frozen foods.  They don't need to be cut. Spread them out into a single layer in a baking dish. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over them and then sprinkle sea salt, cracked pepper and sesame seeds. Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, depending upon the size of the sprouts. Immediately upon removing them from the oven, douse them with grated parmesan cheese and serve. An alternative option  (for a dish with a little "bite") is to substitute the sesame seeds with dried pepper flakes.

To print all of these hot dish recipes/ideas, click here.

Eat your vegetables!