Fondued bunnies...

Hi y'all! Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Our's was good but low-key. It's the first time, since my daughter's divorce, that we didn't have the older grands for Easter & it was a bit of an adjustment. Thank goodness Noah is old enough to hunt eggs. ;o) Because of my back & shoulder problems, we agreed to let my son & his wife host Easter so I don't have pics of the Easter table to share (we kept it really simple & ordered pizza for everybody) but so many of you commented on my last post about the fondued chocolate bunnies we did one year, that I thought I'd share pics of that table w/ y'all.

As I mentioned in my previous post, one year (was '07) I used real chocolate bunnies in my Easter decor & then fondued them after Easter. Here's how they looked adorning my mantel. I jazzed them up some w/ some pearl chokers, rhinestone button eyes & butterfly pins.

The one on the left is real, the one on the right is faux.

Another real chocolate bunny. Wish I had taken close-ups so you could see how cute the jeweled details are but my photography skills were really, really bad then & my camera wasn't much better.

And here's our chocolate dinner we had after the holiday. We stuck w/ the theme for the whole dinner & had Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter and Bittersweet Chocolate w/ chocolate martinis & I can't remember what all else. I remember the martinis & the ravioli though because they were both excellent...try the recipe!

I used a pink satin bedspread as a tablecloth & ran a velvet, chocolate brown runner down teh center (to be honest, it's placemats disguised as a runner...I'll employ just about anything that has the right colors).

LOVE the vintage sheet music cover I framed...most of my covers are older but this one is from teh 50's.

This poor bunny is fixin' to be dessert...he even looks wild eyed & frightened, doesn't he? LOL Of course we removed the rhinestone eyes before melting him though.

For dipping, we served angel food bits, strawberrys, marshmallows & orange slices...was a fun, delicious table theme!

It just occured to me that I didn't host Easter last year either. I certainly hope my kids don't think a precedent as been set! Cause we're back to the elaborate dinner w/ the fou'ed fou'ed up table next year y'all!!!!

Christmas around my house....

I know I promised to keep the photos to a minimum & there's still a lot here but you should see how many I didn't post. ;o) I didn't use any of my close-ups & I didn't even get pics of lots of stuff. Either time or lighting conditions just weren't available. You can click on any picture & enlarge to see the details though.

Do you see the frame stands that I posted about in my last Junkin' Monday post...don't they look good? It's hard to read because of teh glare but I printed out JOY for them on toile paper. Red toile was the theme for this year, I used it a lot. Under the dome is a vintage porcelain Jesus from a nativity set. I kept the rest of the set packed up.


I put thsi nativity scene inside an old glass battery case.

I made an altered spoon featuring Rudolph but I never could get a good shot of it.

Some of you might recognize both these pieces from past thrifting posts. The candelabras were brass & the frames were a cheap plastic...both got make-overs.

The Christmas day dinner table. The only table I did thsi season...just didn't have the time.

I employed the glass battery case & filled it w/ ornaments as part of teh centerpiece.

Caeden gave me the silver tray for my birthday...he bought it at teh Christmas shop @ school. I will treasure it always even though it's just an el-cheapo one.

I made tussie mussies for the kids, filled them w/ marshmallows & chocolates & hung them from the chandelier.

I found the white Santa mugs right after Christmas last year.

This vignette doesn't look much different from last year's although I used shredded sheet music instead of red bead garlands in the apothecary jars. You can get a better look at the vintage porcelain angels (except for glittery signs etc all of my Christmas decorations are vintage) inside teh jars in this post from last year .

LOVE this Santa face!

Remember the champagne bucket from my last Junkin' Monday post...here it is. Made a mighty fine display for some vintage tree toppers, didn't it?

My vintage Santa collection. I scored a couple more since this pic ws taken & I've bought a new hutch to house them all, for next year. As soon as it warms up, it's getting a coat of white paint & I'll share it w/ you all.

I did find time to make some Christmas cottages this year. I love them & plan on making many more. Next year, my mantel will be a Christmas village....full of putz houses made by me. You can click on teh picture & it'll get really big & then you can see the details of teh houses. I didn't want to take up space w/ the close-ups. I used vintage wrapping paper for the roofs on a couple. Gee, I wonder how many times I will use the word "vintage" in this post. LOL

Somebody moved that bottle brush tree (made them last year) in front of the etched Santa portrait I received in the art exchange & I didn't notice it until after the picture was taken. It's been driving me nuts...I keep wanting to move it back. Like I have the real vignette umpteenth times over the holiday season. *rolls eyes*

I knwo I said no close-ups but I had to share Rudolph w/ you though...he's so cute!

I love my tree....I just wish the ceilings were high enough to put it in an urn. I'd fill the urn w/ overflow ornaments & it would be just perfect. *sigh* Anyway, I love the flocking (my mother always had one) & how it is laden w/ornaments...most of them vintage but some are new from The Old World collection. My kids give me some every year for my birthday (they have too...I insist LOL) but I never put the new ones on the tree the year I recieve them, since my birthday is only 6 days before Christmas. I forget what I have been given & then when I unpack them the following year, it's like an early Christmas present. :o) You can see close-ups of many of the ornaments in this post from last year .

Thsi was the everyday table, although I tweaked it quite a bit since this shot was taken. I added red bead garland & a cut glass candy jar, full of red hots. Again, you can see more of my vintage Santa mugs in this post from last year .

Ok, that's it....welll that's not really it, I still have lots of photos & even some vignettes that never got photographed but I don't want to take up any more of y'alls time. It really sucks that this year's decor was my favorite & I didn't get to share much of it w/ y'all. Oh well, it'll be even better next year! ;o)

Cockadoodledoo!

Y'all will be very surprised to know that there is something out there I don't collect....roosters. Don't know why but I don't do roosters. I do however, have a couple. ;o) Luckily.... because Barb @ Bella Vista is having a rooster party today.

One recent weekend, I wanted to have brunch on the back patio but the pergola doesn't shade it much & it had already gotten hot as heck. So I set the little drop-leaf table on my front porch.

I love the black & white polka dots on these rooster salt & pepper shakers...aren't they cute?

I bought a huge set of these black & white toile rooster dishes on eBay several years ago (love the french country appeal of them!) but when they arrived, many were broken. I did manage to retain a set of 4 dinner & 4 salad plates though...just enough! The seller was very kind & tried to refund all my money but I didn't feel right about it since I still had a service for 4 so I paid half.
They were still a bargain!

For brunch, we had cheese souffles (they rose beautifully but of course fell before I could snap a pic) & blueberry scones w/ strawberries & orange juice. If you are intimidated by souffles, don't be! They're easy peasy....just be careful opening & shutting the oven door. And don't be disappointed when it deflates, they ALWAYS deflate, it's only a matter of time.

The black & white checked placemats & napkins were a thrift store find, so were the Noritake goblets & the iron napkin rings. The Bordallo cabbage plates & pitcher are from one of the TJ Maxx, Ross or Marshall stores & the twig placemats are from Garden Ridge. The rooster toile plates are by Z Gallerie & the rooster S&P shakers were a dollar store find. The souffle & scones are by Chef Cami. ;o)

Let there be White..part deux!

Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen is having another Let There be White table party today. She's changing things up a bit though & has asked us to add in one other color...just one. I had such a hard time deciding on what color to use! I thought I might use some hot pink roses out of my garden as the other color but I have had these plates in my stash forever & never used them....they wanted to come out & play! Blue is not a favored color of mine but I love the smokiness of this teal blue.

I started the table w/ a cream tablecloth then layered a white battenburg square over it.

I didn't have many accents, in this shade of blue, to choose from but I did find some sparkly garland so I added it w/ a sweet cherub statue & a couple of cream flowers & put the whole shebang under glass.

My candleholders are actually vintage chandelier shades set on top of silver candlesticks...I sometimes use them as votives too. I didn't bother to polish the silver as I love it's patina.

Tiny, individual S&P shakers....an eBay find years ago.

The teal blue goblets are by Indiana glass in the Whitehall pattern & are from the 60's....a thrift store find. I promised them to my daughter-in-law after I used them in a table...she'll be happy to hear that I finally did... come & get them Stacie!!!!

The china is Favolina, made in Poland & I believe is the Morning pattern although I'm not poistive....it's another thrift store find from a couple of years ago. The poor plates have set unused in a cabinet since then. But it looks as if the previous owner never used them at all so I guess that's not so weird.

I have no food pictures to share w/ today's table...in fact, for the very first time, I set the table for play, not to eat at. I had forgotten about Kathleen's party until yesterday & I had spent the day playing w/ my new paint spray gun (loving it!). I didn't have the time or energy to fix dinner so we had chinese take-out. ;o)


There will be lots more white & ________ tables @ Kathleen's party....let's go see!

Tablescape Thursday & Foodie Friday combo

Hi y'all ...I'm doing a combo post again today, Foodie Friday w/ Michael @ Designs by Gollum & Tablescape Thursday w/ Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch...both ladies are super nice w/ 2 of the most popular blogs in blogland & I want to thank each of them for being our wonderful hostesses today.

This was a simple dinner party, hubby & I had for our youngest son & his girlfriend. The photos aren't that good (they're not even up to my usual mediocre abilities *rolls eyes*) as I am always soo rushed to take photos when I have company. My family is used to it but I didn't want his girlfriend to think I was tooo weird.


Everything on the table was thrifted except for the napkins (Tuesday Morning) striped glasses (dollar store), & the flatware (Target, I think but it might have been Ross or one of those stores)

It was a southwestern-themed meal so I threw a bunch of limes & peppers in a Southern Living compote (thrifted!) & called it a centerpiece.


Basil tucked into the napkin ring....it adds a wonderful aroma to the placesetting.




Embroidery detail on teh tablecloth.




My food photos suffer the most from hurriedness...sorry! Wish it looked as good as it tasted! We had Southwestern Chicken w/ Lime Butter, black beans & corn on the cob (the butter is excellent on it as well). My son brought guacamole as an appetizer (he made it himself!) but we all just stood around the island & dipped into it so I didn't get a picture of it. I know the chicken looks burnt but trust me, it wasn't. It's just the rub from the recipe. I really wish that this photo was better...this chicken recipe is one of our favorites but it's not very appealing here.

Watermelon margaritas! We make many batches every summer...this time we used yellow watermelon. Yummm...summer in a glass!

And pumpkin flan for dessert. I garnished it w/ tiny champage grapes & a lime twist.

Southwestern Chicken w/ Lime Butter (recipe by Robert Del Grande, chef of Cafe Annie's in Houston) : serves 6

Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 lbs bone-in chicken parts
LIME BUTTER
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 serrano chili, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced white onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. With a spoon or a basting brush, spread seasoning paste over the chicken. Grill chicken. In a small bowl, combine all lime butter ingredients. Drizzle over chicken just before serving or serve separately for dipping. (I usually double the lime butter & serve it w/ corn on the cob)

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Watermelon Margaritas (serves 4)

Ingredients :
2 teaspoons sugar
1 lime, cut into wedges
3 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded and frozen (be sure & freeze in a single layer so it doesn't all stick together)
1/2 cup tequila (I usually decrease just a bit)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons triple sec

Directions
Place 2 teaspoons of sugar in a saucer.Rub the rims of 6 glasses with one of the lime wedges and dip each rim in the sugar to coat. Combine watermelon, tequila, 3 tablespoons of sugar, lime juice, and triple sec in a blender, and process until smooth. Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

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Easy Flan

INGREDIENTS
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Meanwhile, warm a 9 inch round glass baking dish up in the oven . Carefully pour hot syrup into warm dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3.In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Place in water bath & cover with aluminum foil.
4.Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5.To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

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Hope you enjoyed my Foodie Friday entry & my casual table....be sure & visit our hostesses for more tables & food.