Remembering those... on Memorial Day

Freedom is not Free! 

On this Memorial Day...

Let us remember the men and women who

gave their lives so that we could have our freedom.

Let us remember they gave the ultimate sacrifice for us and our 

country and given a second chance, they'd do it all again.

Let us remember and thank those men and women who 

continue to defend our freedom!

A Spring Outdoor Table

The weather has been so beautiful that I decided to stay outdoors.

Petunias are abundant in the garden shops right now so why not?
I set the table in front of the flowering Meyer lemon tree and to the right
is a rose tree.  Can't see any roses blooming because I snatch them off the second
they bloom, to enjoy indoors! (Guess I could have left a couple on, huh?)
You can see that the Meyer lemon is loaded with flowering buds which 
means it will be loaded with lemons before too long! But never soon enough!

Along with petunias in the centerpiece, the table is set with individual 
petunia plants planted in peat pots.  The planted pots can be taken home 
by guests and planted - pot and all - right into the ground! 
Wouldn't you love to take one home?  I would!!

On top of the white plate is a pink depression glass plate.  
The pattern is called Sharon Cabbage Rose and was made by the
Federal Glass Company in Columbus Ohio, from 1935 to 1939.
You also see the matching creamer and salt/pepper. 

I found this pretty scalloped-edged, cut-out tablecloth at a local antique
store.  I really enjoy looking through the linens and I just couldn't pass 
this one up.   I bought it, brought it home, washed it in cold water on the gentle
cycle, hung it out to dry (literally!), then ironed it.
Don't you love the way old linens crisp up when ironed?


Thanks for popping in to visit me and I hope you enjoyed my outdoor table. 


In the next week, I will be joining the following linky parties:
Style Sisters' Centerpiece Wednesday
Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish
Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursday


Fondly,
~ Karen

Berry Spring Salad

This could also be called a Berry Summer Salad - but its still Spring!

Spring greens tossed with Wisconsin Bleu Cheese (Gorgonzola), small slices

of red onion, and fresh blueberries.  I added some Craisins (aka dried

cranberries) for added color and added sweetness. 

My salad dressing of choice is Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry

Walnut Vinaigrette.  This is a delicious low-fat and low-calorie dressing.

I like the way the raspberry flavor adds an additional berry taste.

This salad makes a nice and light side to our dinner tonight.

In lieu of a starch, I'm serving it along side halved cherry tomatoes

drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil with chopped fresh basil.

The Menu

Grilled Salmon

Berry Spring Salad

Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe:

Berry Spring Salad

Adapted from a Better Homes and Garden recipe

4 cups mixed greens

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/4 cup bleu cheese or feta

1/8 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry Walnut Dressing

Toss together salad ingredients.  Drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette.  Tossing gently to coat.

Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting me!

I will be joining:

On The Menu Monday

Foodie Friday

Fondly,

~ Karen

Mother's Day Tea with Mom

It's Mother's Day and I thought I'd set a little table

and invite mom to sit down and have a bit of tea!

I've added two more cups just in case my two girls happen to stop by.

Actually, Mom and I will also be joining my children later in the

day to celebrate Mom's Day!

The Menu:

Earl Grey Tea (my favorite!)

Maple Brown Sugar Bundt Cake (Thank you Trader's Joes!)

Fresh Strawberries

Coconut Macaroons that I partially dipped in melted chocolate.

Yum!

If you look just below the tabletop, you will notice this beautiful

hand-embroidered tablecloth.  Hand-embroidered by 

My Mom!

She worked this tablecloth many years ago while she was

pregnant with my younger sister.  

Here is a close up of the butterfly and flowers.  Mom learned as a 

child to embroidery by her grandmother, my great-grandmother.

Here it is on the other side.  Such beauty!  It actually continues all the

way around.  Mom keeps it pressed, hanging, and ready to use!

We will be drinking our tea in these pretty cups and saucers.

I bought eight of these cups and saucers for my mom years ago.

(I bought eight for me too!)  Do any of you recall Mervyn's?  

Mervyn's had a wonderful home section.  They went out of business

and many of their vacant stores became Kohl's.  I miss Mervyn's but I'm so

very happy to have these cups and saucers.  They are actually one

of the few blue things I own.  I just don't have a lot of blue in my 

home.  I was sold on the combination of the pink roses and the rims of gold.

So very pretty! 

I will be happily joining these parties this week:

Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish on Wednesday

Susan's Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday Mother's Day

And, of course, I'm wishing all of you Mom's out there

a very special and Happy Mother's Day!

Fondly,

~ Karen

Tamale Pie in a Tablescape

My mother's mother (my dear grandmother!) made this Tamale Pie 

for her growing family and my mother made this Tamale Pie for me, my 

brother, and sister growing up.  In fact, as a working mother, it was a monthly staple 

served with only a green salad.  As a mother myself, cooking nightly, I made it for 

my children.  It didn't take long to understand why this recipe was such a 

staple because when having the ingredients on hand, it can be 

made using only one skillet, baked, and out of the oven in 30 minutes! 

 And - it's delicious!

 As the recipe reads below, this Tamale Pie is usually made in one cast iron 

skillet.  Baked, and plopped just out of the oven down onto a hot pad at the table.

This time, I decided to bake and serve them individually in 6-inch cast iron skillets.  

You can read about how I pre-seasoned and readied these small skillets for use HERE

With these small cast iron skillets in mind, I set a table imagining the small 

skillets as the top "plate" layer (with the help of a sweet pea!).   I love the
way the dark color of the skillets coordinated with the darkest color in the table runner.  

It made such a pretty picture, but I  had to gather them up to 

prepare them for baking the Tamale Pies.  

In their absence, I replaced them with small, black plastic mocajetes. 

($1 each at WalMart!) Often used for salsas and guacamole, 

I used them for serving our first-course salads while our Tamale Pies
were finishing baking.

Of course, you normally would make and bake this is one 10-12 inch cast iron skillet
but I will be making it and transferring it into the small cast iron skillets.
It begins by browning a pound of ground hamburger and 1 chopped onion together, draining any grease, then adding 3 small cans of tomato sauce,
1 can of cream corn, 1 small can of sliced olives, and 3 tablespoons chile powder.

This simmers on top of the stove while you combine the topping.  Here they are
divided between the four little skillets.  (Yes, I did have extra leftover
that I baked alongside in a smaller baking dish for lunch the next day!)

The cornbread batter topping is added and then they are put into
the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I took them out and let them rest for a couple minutes while we finished our
salads, then I placed one skillet on each individual plates.

The best part is this Tamale Pie recipe truly is a 30-minute meal.  The recipe is
easy to remember and easy to throw together for a tasty homemade dinner!

Recipe:

Tamale Pie

Source:  My Grandmother


1 lb. ground hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
     In a large (10-12 inch) cast iron skillet, brown together.  Drain off any grease.  


Then add to the pan:
1 small can sliced olives
1 can cream corn
3 small cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chile powder
     Let simmer while you prepare the cornbread batter topping.


Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Pour topping batter evenly over top and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until cornbread is set.

Enjoy!

I will be joining:

and Let's Dish

Thanks for visiting!

Fondly,

Karen