Dining in Paradise Tablescape

My daughter gladly joined in the mayhem today as we created yet another Sandra Lee-inspired tablescape. After hearing from some of my dear readers that I had much yet to learn about creating a true Semi-Homemade tablescape, I was determined to get it right, er wrong, this time.

Wallah! After an hour of searching all through the house, garage and basement, and then assembling, we have a completed tablescape!

And another view.

Do you like our attention to detail?

Kelley has decorated her place setting. Here she used a new orchid patterned tote as the place mat. Pretty smart, huh?

And her dad has his place marked. Good thing Kelley created place cards using the computer or he'd never know where he was supposed to sit.

And look at the nice view of the super-simple tablescape he has.

And I have my very own place setting. Kelley borrowed a couple of tropical print shirts for use as her dad's and my place mats. Isn't she the smartest thing on the block?

Sitting here, I feel like I'm in at a tropical beach.

Ever mindful of detail, Kelley and I created a very special centerpiece vignette.

Now, doesn't this just scream - something?

Why yes, that is a real, preserved piranha. My husband got that thing as a joke several years ago. Don't ask. Just don't ask.

I hope we have inspired you to create your very own themed tablescape. Although, if you do, I have to ask if you don't have something better to do with your time?! Ciao for now.

From the Sublime to - This

Sigh, I hate days like today (yesterday, too). Nothing seems to go right and many things find ways to go wrong. Perhaps it's some 2 for 1 cosmic deal: Sunday was perfect, so Monday and Tuesday have to be screwed up?

I spent two hours waiting in two different waiting rooms at the hospital for a silly test that my doctor ordered, so then I was too late to get a much coveted McGriddle(tm) combo meal (hey, I deserved it after having to fast for 10 hours and then wait and wait and wait and then be poked and prodded for my troubles), it has been raining, and raining and raining, I had to go out in that rain last evening for a meeting, my daughter's laptop computer keeps shutting itself down (try listening for a few hours to a 19 year old girl complain about her computer), the raccoons found and emptied the bird feeders (dismantling one in the process) and the window over the front door is leaking - again.

See the pouch of water on the ceiling and the one on the wall? This is never a good sign.

I poked the pouch and brown water came dripping out.

The towel is positioned to catch the drips. The day the remnants of Hurricane Katrina hit, I had about 5 gallons of water pouring in here. Remember: I live in Southern Indiana.

And this window is the culprit. We believe there is a leak at the left corner where the circle-top window meets the double-hung windows. Despite having someone attempt to fix this several times, it continues to leak. The 'good' news? It only leaks when it's raining. No, seriously, it only leaks when the wind drives the rain in from the north. By the way, will someome kindly remove that damn sticker from the inside of the circle-top window? I don't have a ladder that is nearly tall enough. And while you're up there, please clean that ugly, filthy chandelier too.

If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding, er stationed, under my covers with my own laptop computer for the rest of the day.

Spring!

Yes, I know it's not really spring yet, but for the first time in Southern Indiana in a million years (hyperbole, much?) it was a beautiful, warm day. I started out this fine day by washing all three of our cars. My car was weeping with joy as it has easily been six months since the poor dear has been clean. I did have to ask for my husband to come out and help me wash his car as I had already washed two other cars. I must admit though, when my daughter washes my car I always owe her $10, but when I asked her today what I was going to get for washing her car, she replied, "thanks, Mom." I really think I'm getting the short end of the stick here...

Hey, look. There's still snow on the ground. And I kept slipping on that ice when I was washing my car.

Then, off to a walk around the house, inspecting the plants. Let's see: I have an 8 foot tall Canada Red Chokeberry (Prunus virginiana) tree seedling to transplant, a small thorn tree (variety unknown at this time) to cut down, and several more errant small trees to cut down. Then there are the multiple butterfly bushes to trim back. That is not a fun job. Now, I just need to figure out how to get someone to help me with this job...

Oh, I'm a happy gardener. This is a praying mantis egg case. And the babies are just so cute!

The first sign of spring flowers. My three hyacinths have broken through the soil, mulch and debris. I know, you can barely see them. Just trust me on this.

The Buds of my Cleveland Select Pear tree.

I picked up a few bobbles that had fallen during the winter and put downed branches on the compost heap. It was with much satisfaction that I noted the emerging buds on trees and the tell tale signs of dogwood blossoms yet to be. Unfortunately, the deer really like the dogwood flower buds too, so certain sides of the trees will be a bit bereft of blooms. I will keep my fingers crossed this spring, as last year a late, prolonged freeze zapped the annual display of the dogwood and redbud flowers. Just in case you don't know, what you may think of being a dogwood flower is not really a flower at all. What you are admiring are just the protective bracts. The real flowers are the small green dots in the center. Don't scientists just suck all the romance out of life?

And now to the fun part! I prepared my lunch, harnessed the cat (oh shush, he likes it) and sashayed out onto the back deck. Bet you didn't know I could sashay. I opened the umbrella over the table, secured the cat's leash to a heavy piece of furniture and sat down to enjoy the great outdoors. After lunch, I grabbed one of my new cookbooks and relaxed while my cat explored the deck.

Now, this is the life.

All right, this is my fault. I did tell my cat, Midnight, to make himself comfortable. See that fabric under him? That's my long-sleeved shirt. It was warm enough (65 degrees) that I was just fine in my tank top.

Midnight checks out the dead, er sleeping plants.

Oops, Kelley stopped by and Midnight decided to play.

What's that noise? Why, I do believe the Sandhill Cranes are returning north. My daughter and I spied several groups of these vivacious creatures making their way back home for the warmer months. Scroll down the page to Vocalizations and then to Unison Calls to hear what they sound like in flight. Last spring I was fortunate enough to witness the migration north: the procession lasted several minutes with thousands of birds passing overhead. It was truly spectacular.

The picture is blurry, but I love the pattern the birds made in mid-flight. Unfortunately, the little creatures refuse to stand still while flying.

Another group of Sandhill Cranes fly overhead.

I am a happy girl. My cars are clean, I have an idea of all the work that needs to be done out in the yard this spring, I got some much needed sunshine, my cat got some fresh air, and life is just good. Well, the birds were a bit peeved that their deck had been so rudely appropriated, but all in all, it has been a great afternoon. Here's to more of these kinds of days.

Cold Weather Comfort Food


After making beef consomme earlier in the week, I just knew I had to make a beef vegetable soup later in the week. And, Friday's that day.

I pulled together the ingredients for the soup and bagged them up together earlier in the week.

Here are my veggies for the soup: 3 red potaoes, 3 crimini mushrooms, 4 carrots (another one found its way into the pot later), 2 celery sticks, 1 large clove of garlic, grated, 1/4 pound fresh green beans, and 1/4 yellow onion, diced.

The potatoes have been diced and are sitting in water to prevent browning. The green beans and mushrooms will be added a bit later, while the carrots, celery and onion will go in after the meat is browned and removed from the pot.

I cut the lean stew meat into bite size pieces.

All the ingredients have been added to the pot. About 6 cups of beef consomme, 1/2 cup tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, red wine and dried Herbes de Provence round out the dish.

After 2 hours of simmering, soup is on.

And here is the Semi-Homemade part of the meal. I made bread from a box mix in my bread machine.

And the best part of this is that Monday's dinner of beef vegetable stew (with the addition of a roux) will cook in the slow cooker so my family can eat while I attend yet another meeting.

Trial and Error (or You Win Some, You Lose Some)

While I was at the grocery store on Monday, I picked up a rack of pork ribs for later in the week. As I had a dinner-time meeting planned for Thursday, I knew I would be using my slow cooker to ensure that my poor, culinarily-challenged family wouldn't starve during my absence.

Four ingredients for the pork ribs: the ribs, 1/2 cup turkey consomme for the necessary liquid, Hogwild(tm) Special Dry Sauce (yeah, I know, but I didn't name it. What can I say? My husband goes to Memphis, TN for conferences and brings me back jars of dry rub.), and my own blend of Memphis dry rub.

As Paula Deen would say, rub your meat!

The ribs go into the slow cooker with the turkey consomme. They will end up cooking for about 10 hours.

And, wouldn't you know it? Thursday rolls around and I am not feeling well. I canceled out on the meeting and decided to try a new recipe for macaroni and cheese, since I would be home after all.

The mise en place for Tyler Florence's Mac N' Cheese with Bacon and Cheese. I halved the recipe, so these are the amounts I used: Clockwise from top left: 2 3/4 cups sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, 2 cups elbow macaroni, dried thyme, 2 cups half and half, dried parsley, black pepper, 2 slices bacon, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and kosher salt.

My daughter helps add the cheese to the bechamel.

Now Kelley adds the cooked macaroni.

After adding the bacon topping to the macaroni, the dish bakes for 30 minutes.

The ribs come out of the slow cooker and are ready for service.

The verdict? If my husband had come home on time, the ribs would have been just a bit better, but I am used to him messing up my schedule by now. The mac 'N cheese was good, but not great. After asking where I had gotten the recipe, my husband asked that I put it back where I had found it. Sorry, Tyler, but this was not the ultimate. But hey, it was food, we were fed and all's well that ends well.

Beef Consomme and a Stir Fry

After roasting the beef soup bones on Monday, I made stock on Tuesday in preparation for making consomme on Wednesday. I already had plans for some of the consomme: a hearty beef vegetable soup. But first, a quick run through of the stock/consomme process.

The elements of the stock.

One tablespoon of tomato paste and a slice of beef were added for additional flavor.

After simmering for 8 hours, the stock is finished. After cooling, it is transferred to the refrigerator.

The next day the solid fat is discarded and the stock is reheated, egg whites are added to one cup of the cold stock before being mixed into the rest of the stock. Check here for details of the consomme process.

And now for something completely different. As it was just my daughter and me for dinner, I decided a stir fry was in order. I made a marinade for a pork loin chop. The chop was cut into thin strips and marinated for about an hour in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, canola oil, chili paste, honey, grated ginger, grated garlic and red pepper flakes. Cornstarch will later be added to the marinade to make a sauce.

The vegetables for the stir fry.

Regardless of what a certain Food Network host would tell you, these are chopped vegetables, not pre-chopped. See the previous picture for a photo of pre-chopped (whole) vegetables.

The meat is quickly seared and removed from the pan.

After the vegetables have been sauteed, the meat is added in. Then the marinade with the cornstarch is added to the pan.

At the last moment, I added cooked noodles and then plated. This was a good and easy dinner. Too bad my husband doesn't appreciate such fare.