Hemingway-Inspired Tablescape

 It’s Table for Two Tuesday! As often as possible, I hope to be able to share a new tablescape with you on as many Tuesdays of the month as possible. I am so enamored with my table for two in the conservatory that my creativity is flowing.

 Today’s table is one suitable for Father’s Day, a masculine birthday, or anything else where a man is involved. In this one I pay homage, of a sort, to Ernest Hemingway.

 A round tablecloth in burlap color is topped with a black runner featuring Safari animals in gold. The runner, you will notice, matches the cushions on the seats. My mother made both of them; the cushions began life as bed pillows, the runner as a drapery panel. Turning both sides in on the drapery panel, I was able to press it into service as a runner and, as you can see, it works beautifully.

 Atop the wicker placemats are white metal scalloped-edged chargers with touches of gold. On top of those are nubby-edged cinnamon colored plates from the Pier One spice collection. On top of those are salad plates featuring cigar labels. These are from Pottery Barn. They are part of a set of four, each plate with a different cigar label.

 My mother’s smoky Fostoria stemware stands next to Moroccan tea glasses, the colors chosen to match the cigar labels on the plates.

 Gold flatware (also once my mother’s) sets off the gold highlights in the cigar label plates quite nicely.

Salt and pepper shakers add to the overall theme as well as the palm frond topped elephant, stack of books, and Cuban cigar box.

 A plain black napkin, tied into a knot tops each plate arrangement.

The vintage hotel desk bell adds a subtle touch of gold and allows the diners to ring for service.

Two palm tree candle holders with stubby green tapers create a charming mood, particularly at nighttime.

I hope that you have enjoyed this table, that it has inspired you to create one of your own, and that you will be back next week.

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  This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Pineapple Cheese Ball

As I’ve mentioned before, I occasionally like to rummage through my mother’s recipe box. I decided to do that last week and came upon a recipe for pineapple cheese ball written in my late aunt’s handwriting. This seemed like the season for it and it sounded refreshing. Her version of this cheese ball called for green pepper. I like green pepper, but I wanted a little more zing, so I substituted the green pepper with pickled jalapeños, and that made a world of difference! This is one of those simple hors d’oeuvres that often goes unnoticed. It looks like nothing special, but the flavor is bright and tropical, with a nice amount of heat. If you are a fan of afternoon tea, this makes an excellent sandwich spread, particularly on a heavily seeded, nutty, whole wheat bread.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 14-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
2 c. toasted pecans, chopped, divided
2 Melissa’s pickled jalapeños, seeded, stemmed, and minced
1 t.  seasoned salt

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pineapple, 1 cup pecans, the jalapeños, and seasoned salt. Beat until combined. Form into a ball and roll in remaining cup of nuts. Chill overnight. If you want something a bit sweeter, consider replacing the pecans with toasted coconut.

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Mexican Rice Skillet

Some days I feel more ambitious than others, and this was one of those less ambitious days. I was up at the crack of dawn (not my choice, Stanley wants attention at 4:45 every freaking morning, but that’s another story), and when I saw that the temperature was 52°, I ran around the house opening windows. There was also a day baseball game, and while such games tend to send me to the kitchen, this one did not, so I knew that a quick and easy dinner would be the order of the day. As a consequence, I decided to try a new recipe for a one-pot dinner.  I am a fan of casseroles and one-pot meals. Nothing beats being able to toss things into one pan, and end up with a meal that you can enjoy today, revisit tomorrow, and freeze for the months ahead.

I really enjoyed this one. I am a fan of Mexican food and could pretty much eat it every day, so this really hit the spot. I had, the previous day, made Caribbean Cornbread and it proved a perfect accompaniment. Plus, I had a pitcher of margaritas in the fridge left over from my aunt’s visit earlier in the week that went down smoothly with my serving. Half the fun of a Mexican casserole is the toppings. You can top the entire casserole or each individual serving with as much or as little as you like, and vary the toppings according to individual taste. This one is a winner!

Mexican Rice Skillet

Slightly adapted from dinnersdishesanddesserts.com

 1 lb. ground chuck

1 c. yellow onion, finely chopped

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 c. frozen corn kernels

1 c. salsa

1 c. uncooked long grain white rice

2 c. chicken stock

1 10-oz. can Ro-Tel tomatoes

1½ c. cheddar cheese, shredded

 In a 12” skillet over medium high heat brown beef, breaking apart as you go.  Add onion and cook until soft.  Stir in taco seasoning until the meat mixture is evenly coated. Add corn kernels, salsa, rice, tomatoes, and chicken stock.  Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is done, and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Sprinkle cheese over the top of the dish.  Cover and heat until cheese is melted. Top with desired toppings to serve.

 Serves 4-6

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Waldorf Chicken Salad

Chicken salad, of late, has been making the rounds on the web, but not just your average chicken salad, this year‘s trend seems to be toward making Waldorf chicken salad, based upon celery, nut, and apple Waldorf salad that began at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City in 1896. Because I tend to like fruit in chicken salad (An old family friend once served me chicken salad with bananas in it, and it was delicious! (I should have asked for the recipe.)), this one is right up my alley. What makes it special though is the dressing that is equal parts mayonnaise and honey mustard. I am sold on honey mustard. I had never bought a bottle of it before I made this, and now it is going to be a staple in my home. You might be wise to buy a bottle yourself, because I am going to be using it in as many future recipes as I see fit.

Waldorf Chicken Salad
Adapted from myrecipes.com

3 c. chopped cooked chicken
½ c. roughly chopped walnuts
1 c. Melissa’s red Muscato grapes, halved
1 large apple, diced
1 c. diced celery
½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
½ c. honey mustard
Pinch of paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Stir together all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

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Table for Two in the Conservatory

 

Last week I introduced you to the lanai-replacing conservatory, and gave you a look at the table for two located within. This week I am going to give you an up-close look at that table and the place settings. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy having my meals out here. I suspect my “Table for Two” posts will become on regular thing, and I couldn’t be happier. It's as lovely by day as it is by night.

Because I use this table so much, I thoroughly enjoy changing it up to suit certain color schemes, seasons, or my whim.

This week I decided to go with neutral colors to reflect the generally calming vibe of the room. The table itself is actually a wrought iron table with a mosaic top that I bought years ago for outside use from Pier One. Because the colors of the mosaic are quite bold (primary colors of red, blue, and yellow), I covered it with a round tablecloth in “burlap.” (I have a variety of these in a variety of sizes and colors, having found them on Amazon, and what a bargain!)

I then shopped the house collecting two of my favorite pieces that belonged to my mother in the elephant and candleholder (mysterious things.). Behind it is a candleholder disguised as greenery. the lid on the elephant lifts off revealing storage space for mysterious items.

Round wicker placemats are beneath those ubiquitous chippy white wooden chargers that everyone with the exception of Alycia, seems to have (also from Pier One). The square black plates were gifted to me by my son and are from Rachael Ray.  They are topped with scalloped-edge, white-on-white salad plates called “Blanc Amelie” by Maison Versailles.

The square bread plate in a large plaid pattern is from local favorite, The White Hare; it by Creative Co-Op. It is topped with a square, white fruit dish from World Market.

The crystal is Marquis “Park Lane;” flatware is “Napoleon Bee” by Wallace. The napkins are a favorite of mine. They are thick and luxurious, and from Pottery Barn.

I hope that you enjoyed this table and it provided a bit of inspiration for you. Keep in mind that a beautiful table may not be one for a crowd, but a simple one for you and a guest, or yourself alone.

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 This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

High Energy Spinach Salad

 

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I cannot resist a sale. When I learned that my son was going to be shopping at a grocery store where they had a wonderful sale on organic baby spinach I asked him to pick up a container for me. When he got to the store he alerted me to the fact that both baby spinach and mixed greens were on sale, and asked me which I wanted. Both, was my response. Are you sure? He asked me. Of course, I assured him.

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 Do all of you know how much 16 ounces of baby spinach is? How about 16 ounces of mixed greens? I have enough greens to fill a pleasure boat. So, I have a lot of salads ahead of me beginning with this one. This was inspired by a salad that I found online somewhere, don’t ask me where. Essentially I replicated the salad ingredients, but tweaked the dressing to be more to my liking. 

High Energy Spinach Salad

Salad:
5 oz. fresh spinach
¾ c. chopped celery
1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried cranberries
1 15-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 large apple
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ c. pecans
½ c. cooked orecchiette pasta

Dressing:
¼ c. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 t. white sugar
1 T. honey mustard
1/8 t. paprika
1/8 t. onion powder
1 T. poppy seeds

Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Place all dressing ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified. I like to use a mini high-speed blender for this because once it is emulsified, it stays emulsified. Serve immediately. Makes 6 1-cup servings.

 

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Not My Grandmother's Fruit Cookies

Do you have a special recipe in your family that you are hesitant to share? We do in our family. (I have sworn to take my leek and potato soup recipe with me to my grave; I won’t, but don’t tell my kids that.) In my family it is a cookie recipe that dates back to my great, possibly great-great grandmother. Initially it was just a list of ingredients on a rather yellowed piece of paper. It was later written up in a more workable form. The original recipe called for black walnuts and currants, but over the years as black walnuts became increasingly less available, and people started substituting raisins for currants, the recipe changed. I am not going to give you that recipe, but I am going to give you one that is equally as good, perhaps better, and based on one that has been in my family for generations.

Not My Grandmother's Fruit Cookies

1 c. granulated sugar
½ c. dark brown sugar
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground mace
1 t. ground allspice
2¼ c. flour
1 t. baking soda dissolved in ¼ c. buttermilk
1 c. raisins
½ c. golden raisins
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray cookie sheets with PAM; set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and spices together until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk mixture. Fold in raisins and pecans. Scoop cookies into balls and bake until lightly browned, 13-15 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool on a rack.

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