Make Way for Halloween Tablescape

 

I received two things for my birthday that warranted my doing a rather spooky table for Halloween; one was an adorable frog pitcher that I got from my aunt, the second was the absolutely glorious bouquet of flowers that I got from an admirer.

In my search for a suitably spooky vase to use for the flowers (instead of the glass vase in which they came) I found this Skeleton cookie jar that I believe I got from Pier One six or seven years ago. It worked perfectly!

  

A velvety black tablecloth seemed appropriate here, and because I wanted to use a witch image, I thought pops of green called for employing the use of both green placemats and green napkins that were simply knotted and set to the side of the plate.

I used tin chargers that I got from a local shop, square black plates, and topped the black plates with a witch image that I found online, enlarged, cut out, thought suitably spooky, and set beneath small Duralex dinner plates.  I love those plates; you can make a table any theme by simply placing a printed design beneath the glass.

 

Mikasa ‘Opulent’ hammered flatware, gave it a bit of sparkle, as well as the wonderful vintage wine glasses with the raven stem. 

 

I added a bit of whimsy by placing a sugar skull into the soup spoon. You can easily make these yourself using this mold. 

Green water glasses were just the ticket here as well as deep green taper candles in wrought iron candleholders. I think I’m ready for Halloween.

  This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

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Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Panera Copycat

 

A couple of months ago, I mentioned ordering bagels from New Yorker Bagels, adding how much I loved them. Last week they announced that their pumpkin spice bagels were available for a limited time, so I pounced on those like a poodle on a pork chop. Remembering how much I enjoyed the honey walnut cream cheese at Panera that I like to top sweet bagels, I decided to make some of my own. Honestly, this is better than theirs.Honey Walnut Cream Cheese (Panera Copycat)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 T. honey

½ T. brown sugar

¼ t. vanilla extract

  ¼ t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. salt

3 T. chopped walnuts

 Place cream cheese, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed to combine, then on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in walnuts, and turn into a serving or storage container.

 Store in refrigerator. Keeps for up to one week.

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Cajun Cod

 

This week’s fish dish employs the use of Pacific cod, and is, honestly, my first cod experience. It certainly won’t be my last. The thing I have come to realize about making fish is that it is unbelievably easy, and takes so little time. The hardest part is remembering to take it out of the freezer the night before so that it is thawed and ready for the next day.

 This is a delicious way to bake cod. It is so flavorful, and very attractive on the plate. I served mine with basmati rice and peas.

Cajun Cod

 3 Pacific cod fillets

Salt and pepper

¼ c. butter, melted

1 T. olive oil

1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic

  1 T. Slap Ya Mama

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle both sides of the cod fillets with salt and pepper, and place into the bottom of a 1½-qt. baking dish.

 In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter, olive oil, garlic, and Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning. Spread evenly over the fish.

 Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

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Panko-encrusted Salmon with Fresh Herbs

 

Considering that, prior to my ordering from Wild Alaskan Company, I had relatively little experience in preparing fish, I feel as though I am becoming quite the pro. This week I decided to bake salmon crusted with Panko and herbs, and really loved it. A butter sauce would probably have been a nice addition, but I didn’t need it.Panko-encrusted Salmon with Fresh Herbs

2 T. unsalted butter

½ T. freshly squeezed lime juice

½ T. freshly grated lime zest

½ t. Old Bay seasoning

1 c. Panko breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ c. fresh parsley leaves, minced

¼ c. fresh basil leaves, minced

2 8-oz. fillets coho salmon

 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat; set aside.

 Melt butter in a 10” skillet over moderate heat. Stir in lime juice, zest, Old Bay, panko, and garlic. Sauté mixture over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until panko is crisp and golden. Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and basil.

 Season salmon with salt and pepper and coat all sides evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Place salmon on prepared baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until just cooked through.

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Kitchen Reveal

 

Back in August, I made you aware of some changes that I had planned to make to my kitchen, along with expressing some fears as how it was ultimately going to turn out. Fears, I might add, that were justified because I tend to be one of those people who buys things online, sight unseen; that’s just the way that I operate. There are shoppers, and there are non-shoppers, and I fall into the latter category. When you get to be my age, you’re shopped out, at least I am. I do not want to go from place, to place, to place, taking up my time, my energy, and my gas, and still not find what I’m looking for.I am happy to report that all of my selections worked out unbelievably well. The countertop was installed first, and it was lovelier than I had anticipated. It’s very hard to photograph, but it is a rich mix of colors, with tiny gold flecks throughout.

The whole process, however, was not without its issues. As happens, when you get a new countertop, you need a new sink. Cha Ching. When you get a new sink, you need a new faucet.  Cha Ching. When you’re replacing your sink and your faucet, you might as well replace your 12-year-old garbage disposal with a new one. Cha Ching.

I do love the sink. It is an under countertop mount that is beautiful. It is one large sink rather than the one large and one small one that I had previously. It has a rack on the bottom to keep things from scratching it, a built-in strainer and cutting board, both of which are removable, and I couldn’t be happier.

The new countertop allowed me to make the ceramic tile mural, that I had fallen in love with four years ago, a reality. Back then, my builder, Joe, told me that there was no point in attempting to add a mural or tile the backsplash until I got a new countertop. As soon as the countertop was in, Joe came over to measure. He told me exactly the size mural I would need, and I placed my order. Cha Ching. Before shipping, the company both called and texted me to make sure I had ordered the proper size. I assured them that I had, that my contractor had been over, measured, and he told me what I needed. Fine. It shipped, it arrived, it was beautiful. It was also too big.

I mentioned this to Joe and who told me that, no, it wasn’t too big, that he had measured it all the way down to the counter, but in reality that meant that one row of mural tiles would be hidden behind the stove. That would have seriously/negatively affected the look so, do I have to tell you what that meant? I ordered a new stove. A backless one. Did I need a new stove?  Probably not. The stove that I had was a contractor’s model so it not a particularly good one, but it worked. Would it have continued work for the next 5 to 10 years? Probably. Nonetheless, Home Depot delivered my new backless stove on Tuesday, September 10. Cha Freaking Ching!! I will say I’m excited about the stove because it has a built-in air fryer as well as a griddle on top. I think the griddle excites me more than anything because it will allow me to get rid of a griddle appliance that I have, plus I see pancakes, French toast, and a wide variety of toasted sandwiches in my future.

With the mural purchased, that meant I needed to buy backsplash tile. I ordered samples from an online site, found one that matched perfectly, better, in fact than if I had gone locally because Joe went locally for me when we found out that the shipping for this tile was going to be a whopping $100!!! But nothing at all matched or even came close to the mural as beautifully as the rustic Spanish tile that I ended up purchasing. Cha Ching. Cha Ching. Cha Ching.Am I worth it? You bet I am! This was my birthday gift to me for a rather large milestone birthday that had been looming ahead all year long, and that I am celebrating today.

This post is inked to Metamorphosis Monday.

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Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas, Reviewed

I’m dating myself here, but I watched the pilot episode of "Murder, She Wrote" when it first aired on television. I knew from that very moment, despite being unfamiliar with Angela Lansbury, that I was going to love that series, and I did. It is wonderful that it continues on in this series of books that always makes me feel as though I am sitting by a fire, wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping a cup of cocoa or tea. I can easily visualize the characters from those in the series, I can hear their voices, I can smell that salty sea air.

Photo credit: Universal Studios

The latest book in the series, A Killer Christmas (book number 59!), scheduled for release on Tuesday, like the others, captures Jessica and Cabot Cove quite well. Not all of the books in the series take place in Cabot Cove (How could they?), but this one does, and those are my favorites. It also takes place around the holiday season, and that makes it even more enjoyable in my estimation. It centers around copious holiday preparations, where the town is competing with others across the state in the hope of being named the most seasonal in all of Maine, an honor that comes with a cash prize. Meanwhile, Cabot Cove realtor, Eve Simpson, is delighting over the fact that she has finally found a buyer for an old property, long vacated, that is going to mean a hefty commission. The mystery is a good one, the characters are at their absolute best, (I have to admit to loving Eve), the book is as enjoyable as expected, and I can’t wait for more.

 I am so grateful to the variety of authors who have delighted us with this series over the years. Keep them coming. This "Murder, She Wrote" fan can never get enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley, author Terrie Farley Moran, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Pumpkin Hollow Tablescape

 

It has been a busy and exhausting week for me as the finishing touches were finally put on the kitchen. I have to say that I am completely in love with it, cannot stop looking at it, and will do a “reveal” blog post next week. While builder, Joe, was working, I did find time to go out in the conservatory and set a table for two suitable for the month of October.The pumpkin tureen centerpiece was the inspiration for the table. I honestly can’t tell you how long ago it was that I bought that tureen (with the orange berry ring that surrounds it), but I do know that it was at a local shop on historic Main Street that closed about 20 years ago, so I have had this for a long time. It is, truly, one of my favorite pieces of holiday culinary decor.The plates are by David Carter Brown, the pattern is called “Pumpkin Hollow,“ providing the inspiration for the name of this tablescape. They are just small enough so that I was able to set them on orange Fiestaware salad plates providing a nice orange rim to delineate them from the square black dinner plates beneath. 

The black plates set on top Italian chargers with a deep green edge that I inherited from my mother. 

New for this year are the wine glasses with the pumpkin on the stem. I found these at Target, believe it or not, and pounced on them immediately. They are glass, not plastic, and surprisingly durable.

  

Orange flatware brightens atop Kate Spade striped napkins that reminded me of the legs of the wicked witch of the west, so I had to use them here.

The mugs are from Starbucks about 20 years ago. I get those out every year around this time.

 

 The wrought iron candleholders, when put together create a heart, but when separated, provide a unique look.This is my birthday month, and favorite time of the year, so I’m hopeful to be able to do at least one other table setting before October is but a memory.

This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

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