A Summery Solarium

I love the way morning sunshine streams into the solarium, so I snapped a few pictures to show the patriotic touches.

I always seem to use this particular pillow out there because I love the way it pops against the blue upholstery for a summertime look.

A collection of birdhouses and a little granite bird are clustered on the patriotic runner.

This picture was taken over by the blue loveseat and shows a view of the best corner of the solarium. The comfy blue  chair provides the perfect place to read while looking out at the woods. Some magazines are tucked in the red, white and blue basket that's perched in the chair. The collection of birdhouses remain on the wall throughout the year and are not seasonal. (Pardon our garden shoes parked on the floormat next to the door! 😉)

I hope you had a wonderful day! 

A Little Bit of Patriotic Decor

When I received these cute miniature dogs all decked out in their patriotic finery, I began brainstorming how I would use them.

I have had a small village for about 30 years and one of the pieces is this two-story house which I felt would work well for a display.

The house was in need of a little patriotic décor, so I added an American flag cupcake pick beside the front door (a bit hard to see since it is a straight shot in this photo). It just so happened that some freebie address labels arrived in the mail back when I did this and a few were oversized tags with buntings printed across the top. I trimmed that portion and adhered them to the railings.

When I originally put everything together, it needed something to pull it all together. I tried various glass platters as a base, but none looked just right. I mentioned this to my husband and he immediately suggested using my rustic wooden slab. Perfect!

It looks like these dogs are right at home 

with a little patriotic décor! 🐶

Tuesday Tablescape

 It's a nautical theme today! 

Sea creature plates, shells and an anchor seem fitting for today as our weather has turned more hot and humid. It feels a little like being at the seashore!  

I love my luncheon plates which came from World Market years and years ago. It's fun to use them during the summertime.

I just made the anchor for my sister after she purchased the wire form at Dollar Tree and asked me if I could think of a way to finish it. Weaving jute rope gave it the vibe she wanted and so I decided to highlight it on this table before it goes on their front door!

We have hope as an anchor for the soul,

 firm and secure. ⚓

                  Hebrews 6:19a

Russian Rechaufee'

A few months ago, my aunt mentioned that she had made one of my grandma's recipes which is recorded in our family cookbook. I had never prepared it myself and, in fact, I don't believe that I had ever eaten it before.  I enjoy making new recipes and so I decided to give it a try. Verdict? We thought it tasted good!

Russian Rechaufee'

2 pounds round steak, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

butter

4 ounce can of mushrooms and their liquid

1 cup sour cream

8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

flour

1/2 cup red wine (or sherry or port)

Brown the meat, onion and garlic in butter in a Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and their liquid, sour cream, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook slowly for 60-90 minutes or until meat is tender.

Thicken gravy with flour mixed with water. Add wine.

Serve over cooked pasta or rice.

                     

A Patriotic Picnic Basket

You know how much I enjoy family pieces and the stories that accompany them. My picnic basket is perfect example. 

In the family for years, it belonged to my great grandmother. See where she carved her initials in the lid? 

Imagine the lunches that it toted over the years. I can just picture my grandmother as a little girl venturing out on a summer Sunday afternoon with her family to enjoy a picnic together. Although we have used the basket for its intended purpose, I decided to incorporate it into the patriotic décor in the kitchen this year.

I grabbed a scrap of fabric for the liner before adding red, white and blue items from my cabinets. 

Looking into the basket, you can see the lighthouse mugs stuffed with red linen napkins, two forks in a glass milk bottle, two star-shaped plates, a clear slumped glass piece, patriotic metallic decorative filler and a small faux pie.

The propped-up lid looked a bit plain and so I pulled out the red, white and blue star lights from my patriotic tote (a purchase from Dollar Tree several years ago) to add interest.

              Do you feel like having a picnic? 

Lemon Delight!

When we recently celebrated my mother's birthday and I asked her what dessert she wanted, she requested something lemon. I have a few favorite recipes that fit that category and decided to use my grandma's Lemon Delight. She did not invent it, of course, but she used to make it and wrote it out for me thirty years ago. It makes me smile to consult a recipe card written in someone's handwriting, especially when that "someone" prepared such delicious dishes for our family. You have likely prepared this before, but sometimes it is nice to be reminded of a good recipe. This one is refreshing and perfect for summertime.

Lemon Delight

Step One:

2 cups flour

2 sticks butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Mis together and press into a 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.

Step Two:

2 packages (8 ounces each) of cream cheese (room temperature)

2 cups powdered sugar

Use a mixer and beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat well after each addition. Spread mixture on cooled crust.

Step Three:

 2 large boxes (or 4 small) instant lemon pudding mix

3 cups milk

Beat the two ingredients at low speed with the mixer until thick. Spread evenly over the cream cheese mixture.

Step Four:

Top with a tub of Cool Whip. Chill several hours before cutting into small squares to serve. Keep refrigerated.

NOTE: I halved the recipe and prepared in a smaller square pan instead with the same tasty results!

Although it involves a few steps, this dessert goes together nicely and is not complicated. Some might even say that it's easy peasy lemon squeezy! 🍋