Tablescape Thursday ~ An Autumn Gathering & A GIVEAWAY!!

Welcome to an Autumn Gathering on this Thursday before U.S. Thanksgiving 2011.  

(And scroll down for the GIVEAWAY information!!)

The table is set with traditional fall colors ~

Using things gathered from around the house (and garden)

I went for the 'organic' feel this time. Earthy tones and natural textures, they especially remind me of autumn.

The Dogwood trees flower in the spring, but their foliage is beautiful in fall, so before they all fell off the trees I gathered a few to make a casual wreath for the centerpiece. Around an acorn filled pedestal hurricane glass. 

And arranged a few sweet apples here and there among the leaves.

Details of the napkins, napkin rings, charger, dinner and salad plates.

Both sets of salt and peppers are from Arthur Court Designs. I've had them for several years, but many of his pieces become classics so they may still be available.

I love the pear and pomegranate theme of this set, I live in a historic pear growing area here in Oregon, so I collect a lot of 'pear' things.

I love Fall . . . but the winter weather which is right around the corner? 
Not so much . . . so we'll enjoy this while it is here.

The glass leaf plates are from a dear, dear friend.  I admired them in one of her beautiful photos ~ and shortly thereafter she sent me a set!

Thank you sweet friend.  I'm thinking of you. xoxo

The internet can be a cold place at times, but there are some good and true friendships formed here too!  I'm grateful for that.

I'm more of a "green" person, and usually prefer cool colors (unless it's RED!)

So I accented with lots of green in this table setting.

Well, this isn't  the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, but a stylized exotic bird, so let's just pretend. ;)

The other salt and pepper set on the table tonight is also by Arthur Court Designs,

a bird sitting on a grape vine among leaves and grapes.

I think it fits well with the Fall theme.

Of course acorns remind us of Fall, too.

Thank you so much for visiting today!

Please leave a comment if you wish,  I'd love to know you've come by to take a look.  And I would love to come by and visit your blog as well.

And last but not least!

Here is the current  GIVEAWAY  at Once Upon a Plate.

Please come enter . . .

Click HERE for the details!  There are several chances for each entrant to win.


 Contest closes Saturday November 26th. Winner announced on the 27th. 

Click to read my review  of this fabulous little coffee & espresso maker.

If you drink coffee (or know a coffee lover),  you will want to WIN this giveaway! 

Psst... makes a great gift, too.

~*~*~*~*~*

Tabletop Information:

Round place mats:  Crate & Barrel (last year)

Woven chargers:  World Market (I still call it Cost Plus, from it's origins in San Francisco years and years ago)

Faux Horn flatware: Neiman Marcus/Horchow

Napkins: April Cornell 

Pedestal Hurricane:  Williams-Sonoma

Dinner Plates and salad plates: Made by Varages ~ France

Green goblets ~ either Target or amazon.com (I've forgotten)

Napkin Rings ~ Pottery Barn (last season)

I'm linking to Tablescape Thursday, please come visit the party there!

Retro 40's ~ Ice Cold Milk and Cinnamon Roll Cookies!

Welcome !

I'm so happy you've stopped by for a visit ~ pull up a chair and help yourself to some icy milk and cookies fresh from the oven.

This week for Tablescape Thursday we're taking a trip in the Way-Back Machine.

Afternoon Milk and Cookies as may have been in the 1940's

Cinnamon Roll Cookies ~   

The taste and texture is very similar big cinnamon rolls ~ lots of cinnamon-sugar  filling, a crisp edge on the outside of the roll, tender center and a slight crackle from the glaze.   A tiny bit lighter in calories for 2011 ~ some of the butter has been replaced with applesauce.

Some of the last roses from the gardens ~ plucked yesterday, just in time as we had our first freeze of the season last night, so we'll say goodbye to the roses until late next spring.

Most of these are David Austin Heirloom, English Climbing roses; fragrant, prolific bloomers, dependable and hearty. *heart*

Of course the milk has to be chilled in a vintage glass milk bottle.

This one happened to be a lucky find recently at a local antique store.

Imagine my surprise when I spotted it on the very last aisle,  on my way out of the shop.

Yippee! A bottle from our hometown dairy in the San Francisco Bay Area. 


The same dairy products my sis, brother and I grew up with ~ delivered right to the porch by our friendly milkman.  You can probably imagine how my heart skipped a beat when I spotted this little prize. :)

From back in the day when there were dairy cows grazing the hills surrounding the Stanford University campus. 

(Note that both those hunky Stanford U. athletes as well

as little growing boys loved their Piers Dairy ice cream, as advertised on the back of the bottle.)

This one predates me; I barely remember the switch to brown glass milk bottles.


 The change from clear glass to brown occurred after it was discovered that milk develops flavor changes and nutrient loss ~ riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin A (particularly in added vitamin A), vitamin C, and added vitamin D when exposed to light.

As long as we're taking a trip down memory lane, I decided put the apples in a vintage Homer-Lauglin "Sunrise Brand" Dinnerware serving bowl, sold exclusively through Sears Roebuck as "first quality china", from the mid 1920's to early 40's. 


As much as I love the clean lines of modern, as well as old world, country-style rustic, I really like the detail on the older everyday US dishware.  

I acquired this one on the secondary market ~ I wonder what stories it could tell us . . .

The fluted luncheon dishes are vintage Staffordshire~ 
Manufactured by Myott the pattern is "Olde Chelsea" England.  


The rose is a David Austin English Heirloom, climber (Abraham Darby), intensely fragrant, prolific bloomer, and virtually disease free. I absolutely love David Austin Roses!

The tablecloth is vintage mid 40's - early 50's.

April Cornell napkins

Flower vases are vintage English stoneware Marmalade jugs

Swirl glasses are European "no name"

If you would like the recipe for the delicious Cinnamon Roll Cookies, you'll find them on Once Upon Plate the Recipes site ~ click HERE.

Thank you for visiting today!

I'm linking to Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

and

Foodie Friday @  Designs by Gollum

Asparagus-Cream Cheese Rolls in Prosciutto with Vinaigrette

Note:  As of June 12, 2011

Our blog host "Blogger" by Google seems to be having ongoing problems with some of their blogging accounts 
(Once Upon a Plate included). 


This post was originally published in May, 2011 yet the post time-stamp is June 10, 2011. (?)


I apologize on behalf of 'Blogger.com' for the redundancy .


Blessings, and I hope you have a good week everyone.


~*~*~*~*~*~

We're blessed to have some of the best neighbors imaginable ~ and for Mother's Day I received a beautiful bouquet of asparagus, freshly cut from their garden, along with a Mother's Day note. 



Thank you Paul and Jane!

If you grow your own you know that it tastes infinitely better than the grocery store stuff ~ it's the delicate freshness!

For our Mother's Day Luncheon for two I wanted to make something a little special and decided Asparagus rolls wrapped in cream cheese and Prosciutto and drizzled with a fresh vinaigrette would be perfect . . . 

especially so with the addition of a little Bubbly from Italy.

If you prefer, you could substitute the Prosciutto with thinly sliced ham, turkey or roast beef from the delicatessen

Some little tulips from the garden. If you are familiar with tulips you know that generally after a few years the bulbs fade and eventually don't emerge in the spring ~ so I plant some new bulbs every fall.

These red tulips surprised me this year ~ the bulbs were planted in a basket outdoors several years ago. I suspected the bulbs were nearing the end of their cycle and didn't expect any blooms from the basket this spring. 

But instead of not appearing at all, they bloomed in miniature. I've never experienced that before!

The vinaigrette is a classic one ~ olive oil, good quality red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. And a sprinkle of chives from the garden.

I love the colorful layers when the bundles are cut open.

The wishes may be a little late ~ but I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day this year!

This is my entry for Tablescape Thursday and Foodie Friday.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it's on my recipe blog~ you'll find it HERE.

~*~*~*~*~

Table accessories:

Tablecloth ~ Williams-Sonoma

Checked Place Mats ~ DII

Glazed Terra Cotta Salad plates and Chargers ~ Lone Oak Pottery

Flatware ~ Pottery Barn

Pepper Mill ~ Peugeot

Crochet Trimmed Napkins ~ Neiman Marcus

Flower Jug/Creamer, from a mixed set ~  I.Godinger & Co.

Wine Coaster ~ Apilco 

Thank you for stopping by today!

Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins with Citrus Glaze and Tea Cozies!

I'm the first to admit that bananas aren't my favorite fruit.  


I can handle eating them when they are still quite firm and prefer them when they still have a green-tinge to them.  But once they become soft, and the peels become riddled with brown "sugar" spots (when they are at their sweetest) there is something about the texture which I don't care for.  At that point they either go into smoothies, quick breads or muffins.


With three over-ripe bananas in the fruit basket, I whipped up these muffins. The recipe varies slightly from others I've tried in that they are finished with a lovely citrus glaze while still warm. By the time the muffins cool, the glaze firms up so they are not messy or sticky to the touch.


And what goes better with fresh muffins than milk, coffee, or my favorite ~ Tea!

As delicious as the muffins are ~ the tea cozy/cosy always steals the scene.

If you've used them, you already know they are as practical as can be; cozies really do help insulate the tea pot to keep the tea steaming hot.

I have a couple of different types (quilted fabric, etc.), but these crocheted ones are my most treasured. 


I first saw one like this almost two years ago on a favored blog written by a British woman in the UK.  All of her readers were going wild over hers, and she mentioned the boutique shop where she purchased them... unfortunately, at that time the shop was not dispatching to destinations outside of the country.  *sigh*

It was time to do a little sleuth work ~  I knew they were crocheted by hand.


  
So the logical place to look? Etsy, of course !! 
I love Etsy. 


After I realized that the proper English way of spelling the name ("cosy", not 'cozy')  it didn't take long to find a wonderful vendor by the name of Andrea Lesley.  Her work is lovely, and so unique ~ I had a hunch that she must be the artist who makes these beautiful creations. I contacted her right away, and confirmed she is indeed the same artist. Happy Day!


That was well over a year ago ~ and I'm pleased to see that Andrea is still operating her shop, and her work is as delightful as ever.




I've included a link to her Etsy shop below if you are interested in placing an order.  


If you do place an order, please let Andrea know that I sent you over!

Back to the muffins ~ I really liked this recipe, it contains a little finely grated orange peel in the batter, as well as in the confectioner's sugar glaze.

I reduced the all-purpose flour by half a cup and added 1/4 cup of wheat bran, and 1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats just to make them a little more healthy.  (That doesn't exactly cancel out the sugar glaze though, does it?)

Among all the colors and designs Andrea offers, I could never decide upon a favorite ~ that's why I chose a few. ;) 


Nothing cheers up a gray Pacific Northwest morning like a hot pot of tea snuggled in a very cheerful tea cosy/cozy!




I reserve the one below for Christmas time, but if you decorate with reds it would be perfect any time of year.

Here's the link I promised ~ and don't forget to tell Andrea you read about her here.   :-)

Andrea Lesley Crochet Shop on Etsy.




Do YOU have a favorite Etsy shop?


Are you an Etsy VENDOR?  




I would love if you would share, please mention in the comment section.


This is my entry for Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. (click to link)




For a printable copy of the recipe for the Banana Muffins, please click HERE to go the Once Upon a Plate Recipe site.




Thanks for stopping by today!

A Simple Country Christmas Tablescape

Welcome Friends, please come in and make yourselves at home.

Lots of pictures, and few words this time ~ the page may take a few moments to load. So thank you for your patience.

. 

This time I've set a simple country table ~ comfortable and not at all fussy.

It didn't feel right to me to overdress the table, knowing there are some who are going without this year.

My thoughts are especially with those who have endured the loss of loved ones this year, those who have lost their homes, as well as those who have lost their jobs.

I thought this would be a good time to set a comfortable, cozy table ~ a place to draw loved ones near to celebrate what is truly important in life.

For the centerpiece I simply plunked some candy canes in a thin, plain beverage glass [CB2], placed it on a Barley twist pedestal [Southern Living at Home, from some years back.]


I clipped a few fragrant Douglas Fir branches from the property and placed them around, then placed a special vintage-style Christmas card from my dear friend,  Linda  and placed a glass cloche over all.

I covered the round walnut table with a tablecloth from Williams-Sonoma, and instead of place mats, I placed a snowy-white vintage German hand worked square linen table topper over the cloth.

In keeping with the theme of simplicity, I gathered just two of my favorite things to place on the table ~

this Limoges hand-painted Christmas ornament box . . . and an old, old brass-framed print I found in an antique store a few years ago.  I love the print; usually it is on the dresser in my bedroom.

For the place settings (from the tabletop - up) ~  I used round Czech platters for chargers [Nell Hill's several years ago], "Merry Christmas" plates, I believe those were from Home Depot a couple of years ago.

Next, my everyday white salad plates [Apilco-France, Williams-Sonoma].

Poinsettia plates [Williams-Sonoma, this season].

Vintage milk-glass compotes to finish the place settings. 

Flatware ~ Pottery Barn from the Savant Collection.

Napkins ~ Neiman-Marcus/Horchow.

My first set of crystal from my newlywed days, many, many years ago ~ by Rogaska; 'Gallia'

 

To dress the chairs up a bit I draped the extra, matching crochet-trimmed napkins over the tops.

The little cast iron elf candle holders are from CB2, last year's collection. 

A closer look at the Madonna framed print ~

as we remember the Reason for the Season.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. 

 To all who celebrate,
I wish you a most cherished and blessed Christmas from our home to yours.

Please visit Between Naps on the Porch to find a list of all who are participating in Tablescape Thursday this week.