Setting the Table for an Autumn Luncheon

 

It’s funny how a table setting sometimes begins. In late summer, I was looking for a colorful fall wreath to hang on the front door. I found one that looked just right, ordered it, and when it arrived, I really liked it. There was just one problem: it was much too small for the door. So, I set it down on the table and walked away.

 

When I came back to give it another look, I had an entirely different idea. Wouldn’t it make a lovely candle ring? I placed it in the center of the table, added a hurricane to the middle, and just like that, a tablescape was born. Sometimes the best decorating ideas happen when you aren’t actually trying!

 

The tablecloth is one I’ve used for years. I found it ages ago at Decor Steals and have never looked back. It’s topped with a macramé runner that I also purchased years ago, this time from Anthropologie. The wicker placemats were pressed into service yet again (I use them a lot), and they’re topped with my Bordallo Pinheiro geranium leaf chargers.

On top of the chargers, I placed wavy-edged sunflower plates from Maxcera. I absolutely love their sunflower collection because it’s so bold and colorful. Next came simple orange plates I purchased years ago at Pier One (I still mourn that place!). Topping those is one of my favorite salad plates, from the “Autumn” pattern by David Harden. I first spotted these plates in a shop on historic Main Street in Saint Charles about 20 years ago, perhaps longer. My aunt noticed how much I liked them and bought me some for my birthday. I’ve since added to the collection, and I absolutely adore them. They’re among my very favorites, not only because of their beautiful design but also because they remind me of my aunt.

The silverware is Keawell Premium Versailles (nice and substantial), with a wheat design on the handles. I thought that was particularly appropriate for a harvest table.

 

While ironing the other day (a rarity, but it does happen!), I found myself thinking about how I used to do elaborate napkin folds all the time. Somewhere along the way, I’d gotten out of the habit, so I decided it was time to bring one back. I chose the “Pyramid” fold, which you often see in restaurants. It’s surprisingly easy to do, and I was very pleased with how nicely it turned out. I alternated the napkin colors to give the table an even bolder look, and I think it worked beautifully.The little pumpkin plate off to the side is from Fitz and Floyd. It will hold pats of butter shaped like leaves. I enjoy making these every year. They’re festive, fun, and always seem to draw a few comments. It’s the little details that make a holiday table special!

 

This is also the time of year when I bring out my Blenko water pitcher. It always looks so pretty on the table, and I think it’s one of those pieces that simply belongs in my autumn collection.

 A new addition to this year’s harvest table is a darling set of salt and pepper shakers from Pottery Barn. I purchased them last year when they were on sale, and they’ve finally made their debut. I do love a good sale, especially when it involves something this cute!

 

The orange cappuccino cups get quite a bit of use during the season, and the glasses are Villeroy & Boch. Together, they add just a little more color and personality to the setting.  

And now, for the important part: the food!

 The menu for this luncheon is meant to be simple, but delicious. I’ve put together a collection of comforting favorites that I think will be just right for the occasion.

The Luncheon Menu

Neiman-Marcus Quiche

Mayfair Salad

Spinach Madeleine

Coca-Cola Carrots

Gingerbread Muffins

Paula Deen’s Cheesecake with Ginger Snap Crust

A colorful table, a menu full of old favorites, and a few special touches make for a lovely autumn luncheon. And to think, it all started with a wreath that was too small for the front door!

 I suppose I should be grateful it didn’t fit. I might never have thought of using it on the table!

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 This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Copycat Starbucks Grilled Cheese Recipe

 

I haven’t been to Starbucks in probably 15 years, so I’m a little out of the loop when it comes to what they serve these days. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they offer a grilled cheese sandwich, and that people have quite a lot of good things to say about it!

 As a fan of grilled cheese, I was intrigued. When I stumbled upon a copycat recipe, it sounded unusual enough to warrant a little kitchen experimentation. I gave it a try, and I couldn’t believe how good it was!

The secret is the outside of the bread. Rather than simply buttering it, you spread it with a mixture of softened butter, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Genius! As the sandwich cooks, that mixture transforms the sourdough into a crunchy, golden, wonderfully flavorful crust. Inside, the cheddar and mozzarella melt into the sort of gooey, cheesy goodness that makes a grilled cheese sandwich worth eating in the first place.

 Naturally, I couldn’t resist tinkering with the original. When I make grilled cheese sandwiches, I find that shredded cheese works beautifully, especially when I stir in a little cottage cheese. I know, I know, cottage cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich might sound a little odd, but trust me on this one. It adds a lovely creaminess and makes a world of difference.

 And then there are the crispy bits of cheese that escape into the pan while the sandwich cooks. Don't you dare throw them away! They turn into little golden, crunchy morsels of cheesy deliciousness. In fact, I consider them a bonus feature.

 This is my adaptation of the Starbucks grilled cheese, and it was phenomenal. The sourdough is crisp and garlicky, the Parmesan adds a savory crunch, and the cheese filling is gloriously melty. It's the kind of sandwich that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with an ordinary grilled cheese.

 Whether you're making lunch for yourself or serving it alongside a bowl of tomato soup, this copycat Starbucks grilled cheese is well worth trying. You may never look at a plain buttered grilled cheese the same way again.

 Copycat Starbucks Grilled Cheese Recipe

4 slices sourdough bread

5 T. butter, softened

4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

½ t. garlic powder

½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T. small-curd cottage cheese

 In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder (or finely grated garlic). Stir until thoroughly blended into a spreadable paste.

 In a separate bowl, combine the shredded cheddar, mozzarella, and cottage cheese. Stir until evenly mixed.

 Spread the garlic-Parmesan butter generously over one side of each slice of sourdough bread. Place half of the cheese mixture on the unbuttered side of two slices. Top each with another slice of bread, buttered side facing outward.

 Heat a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook for approximately 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed, until the bread is golden brown and crisp and the cheese filling has melted.

 Low and slow is the secret here. You want the cheese to melt before the bread becomes too dark.

 Some cheese may ooze out into the skillet as the sandwiches cook. Let it happen! Those escaped bits will turn into delicious, crispy cheese crusts. Carefully remove them with the sandwiches and serve them alongside.

 Transfer the sandwiches to a plate, cut each in half, and arrange the halves so that the melted cheese is visible. Serve hot while the crust is crunchy and the filling is gooey.

 Pattie's Tips

Use freshly shredded cheese. It gives you a lovely melting texture.

Don't skip the cottage cheese. It's my little addition, and I think it makes the filling even creamier.

Keep the heat low. A beautifully browned crust is wonderful; burnt Parmesan is not.

Save those crispy cheese bits. They're practically the cook's reward for making lunch.

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Butterscotch Pudding with Dark Rum

 

It’s rare that I make cooked pudding. For years I assumed it was fussy and time-consuming. Turns out it’s neither.

The other night I found myself wide awake at 4:30 in the morning with fifteen leftover egg yolks staring at me from the fridge (thanks to the chocolate feather cake). Three of them became butterscotch pudding. Standing at the stove stirring felt oddly soothing, and the first warm spoonful straight from the pan was pure comfort. The dark rum makes it especially good.

 Because this was so easy, I’m already dreaming up new flavors and toppings. 

Butterscotch Pudding

Serves 4

 ½ c. dark brown sugar

2 T. cornstarch

¼ t. kosher salt

2¼ c. whole milk

3 large egg yolks

3 T. unsalted butter (omit salt if using salted butter)

1½ T. dark rum

 Set a fine-mesh strainer (get this set, you’ll thank me later) over a medium bowl.

 In a medium saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly whisk in ⅓ cup of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks and remaining milk.

Cook over medium heat, whisking often, 4–5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula (scraping the sides and bottom) another 4–5 minutes, until the pudding is thick enough to form ribbons when drizzled.

 Remove from heat. Stir in butter and rum until fully melted and smooth.

 Strain into custard cups for a bit of old fashioned charm. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.

 Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

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The Joy of Cookies by Chef Chang: A Must-Have Cookbook for Cookie Lovers

  

 When I first opened The Joy of Cookies, I was a little surprised to find the book begins with a lengthy introduction, an even lengthier Q&A section, followed by baking basics, followed by a section on cookie baking ingredients and equipment. While the information is genuinely helpful, I have to admit that when I crack open a specialty cookbook, I’m eager to dive straight into gorgeous food photography and irresistible recipes rather than 20+ pages of text. Yes, this is all valuable information, but not to everybody, so in my opinion, it belongs in the back.

Thankfully, once the recipes begin, this book truly shines.

 The chapters are cleverly organized by cookie style, making the book feel fun and approachable from the start. “Drop Everything and Bake These” focuses on drop cookies, while “The Bar Is High” features brownies and bars. “Bake Rattle and Roll” highlights rolled cookies, “Icing on the Cookie” covers frosted creations, and “Pipe Dreams” introduces recipes requiring piping techniques. There’s even “Art of the Cookie Sandwich” for filled sandwich cookies and “Some Like It Savory” for those looking beyond traditional desserts. 

 Each recipe includes a beautiful full-color photograph of the finished bake, along with ingredients, directions, yield, and especially useful storage information. I loved the inclusion of notes explaining which cookies store best at room temperature, which should be refrigerated, and how long they’ll stay fresh (though honestly, leftover cookies are rarely a problem in my house).

 What impressed me most was how approachable the recipes feel. The book strikes a thoughtful balance between simple, beginner-friendly bakes and more advanced recipes that encourage home bakers to expand their skills. Nothing feels intimidating or completely out of reach, even for someone without professional baking experience. 

 Another standout feature is the collection of fillings, frostings, glazes, ganache, pastry creams, meringues, and dipping icings included throughout the book. Having all of these staple recipes gathered in one place is incredibly convenient and saves the usual last-minute scramble to search online for the perfect frosting or filling recipe. 

 And then there’s the photography. Every image is warm, inviting, and beautifully styled, the kind of cookbook photography that immediately makes you want to head into the kitchen and start baking. 

As someone who considers cookies the ultimate comfort dessert, The Joy of Cookies  absolutely lives up to its name. It’s a cookbook I can easily see myself returning to again and again, whether I’m looking for a quick weekend bake or a more ambitious baking project.

 Whether you’re a beginner baker or someone hoping to expand your cookie repertoire, this is a delightful addition to any cookbook collection.

 You can order a copy here.

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Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chocolate Feather Cake: An Old Recipe Worth Rescuing

 

I don’t make angel food cake because I don’t like angel food cake, and yet, it appears that I have made an angel food cake. Let me explain.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been going through my old recipes. This is partly an exercise in organization and partly an archaeological dig into my own culinary past. One recipe I couldn’t find (and have been looking for for years) was for chocolate feather cake. It was a family friend’s iconic dessert. Anytime she was asked to bring a dessert to a gathering, this was what she brought. And it wasn’t just a recipe she had picked up somewhere along the way. It had been handed down to her by her mother-in-law, who had gotten it from her mother, so this is an old recipe with some history behind it. I had never actually eaten it.That seemed like a fairly significant omission, particularly since I was already in the midst of reliving the past one recipe card at a time. So when I finally found the recipe, I had to make it.

 There was just one little problem.

 Fifteen egg whites.

 Yes. Fifteen.

 Which means, of course, that there are also fifteen egg yolks sitting on your counter looking at you accusingly.

I managed to put those yolks to good use. They ended up in a meatball pasta dish, chicken à la King, and a swoonably delicious butterscotch pudding. The remaining yolks got a little salt, a good whisking, and a trip to the freezer to think about what they might become when I get around to them.

And then there was the cake.

 Despite my general lack of enthusiasm for angel food cake, I have to admit that this one is delicious. It is light and spongy, certainly, but the chocolate is intense enough to make you forget that you are, essentially, eating a very tall chocolate cloud.

 The recipe card I uncovered is heavily stained, slightly foxed, and has those wonderful crimped edges that immediately tell you it has been around for a while. Someone wrote on the card that the cake freezes beautifully and retains its texture when thawed.

 I believe it.

 And while I still wouldn’t exactly say that I’ve become an angel food cake convert, I understand now why this particular cake was so beloved. Sometimes the old recipes know what they’re doing.Chocolate Feather Cake

 This makes one tall cake in a 10-inch tube pan, about 4 inches deep.

2 c. sugar, divided
1½ c. cake flour
⅔ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
15 large egg whites, at room temperature*
1½ t. vanilla extract
⅔ t. salt
1½ t. cream of tartar

 Preheat the oven to 300°F.

 Combine 1 cup of the sugar with the cake flour and cocoa powder. Sift the mixture together three or four times. Yes, three or four times. This is one of those old recipes that is not interested in your impatience.

 In a large, impeccably clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the vanilla, salt, and cream of tartar until foamy.

Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar while continuing to beat. Keep beating until the meringue is very stiff—stiff enough that you can turn the bowl upside down without the contents making a break for freedom.

 Sift the flour-and-cocoa mixture over the meringue in several additions, gently folding after each addition. Be careful not to overmix; the whole point here is to preserve as much of that lovely air as possible.

 Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

 Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Check the cake with a cake tester or toothpick. It may need another 10–15 minutes. The tester should come out almost clean, with perhaps a few moist crumbs.

 Immediately invert the pan onto a bottle or cooling rack and allow the cake to hang upside down until completely cool.

 This keeps the cake from collapsing.

Once completely cool, run a thin knife around the edges and tube of the pan to release the cake.

 And there you have it: a very tall, very chocolaty, very feather-light cake that I apparently made despite not liking angel food cake.

I suppose there are worse things that could happen when cleaning out an old recipe box.

 *A word about those 15 egg whites: Get yourself an egg separator. I recommend this one. It makes the job ridiculously simple and quick as a flash, and I suspect you’re going to discover plenty of uses for it in the future. It separates eggs magnificently.

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A Colorful Thanksgiving Table for Two

For my Thanksgiving table for two this year, I decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace color. Lots of color! I started with a chocolate-brown, floor-length tablecloth and topped it with a colorful fabric square featuring beautiful autumn scenes. It’s a warm, inviting combination that provides the perfect backdrop for all the seasonal goodies to come. 

The centerpiece is a pumpkin tureen I purchased about 25 years ago at a shop on historic Main Street here in Saint Charles. Sadly, the shop is no longer in business, but it was once one of my mother’s and my favorite places to browse. I have such fond memories of those shopping excursions, and this tureen is a lovely reminder of them.

When I bought the tureen, I also purchased the elliptical ring of bittersweet berries that surrounds it. I’ve used the two together every year in one form or another. I know fall has officially arrived when I haul both up from the basement. 

Flanking the centerpiece are pine cone candleholders I purchased last Christmas at Walmart, of all places. I absolutely love them! They’re rustic, charming, and versatile enough to work beautifully for both fall and winter. I do appreciate a decoration that earns its keep for more than one season. 

For the place settings, I started with gold chargers topped with dinner plates featuring a plaid border. I bought those at Pier 1 Imports before they, sadly, closed their stores. (Apparently, this post is becoming a memorial to some of my favorite shops!) I miss being able to browse those stores, but at least I have the pleasure of using the treasures I found there. 

On top of the plaid dinner plates, I decided to go bold with green. I added one of my favorite salad plates from Portmeirion in the “Botanic Garden Harmony” pattern. The green adds a fresh, unexpected pop of color and looks wonderful against the gold, brown, and autumn hues.

Last year, I purchased the most adorable little turkey plates, and they’re back for another Thanksgiving. They’ll be used to serve a tasty starter, adding one more layer to the plate stack. I love these plates so much that I can practically guarantee they’ll be gracing every Thanksgiving table I set from here on out. A little turkey charm never hurt anybody, especially at Thanksgiving! 

The pumpkin-colored coffee cups were also purchased last year, along with the bright orange napkins. Amber water glasses add another touch of golden warmth, tying everything together beautifully.

New this year is the adorable turkey gravy boat with matching tray from Fitz and Floyd. I love the whimsy of it, all of the colors, the wonderful detail, and how practical it’s going to be. 

 

And then there’s the flatware. Bright orange! Oddly enough, orange flatware is something I’ve never used for Thanksgiving before, but I absolutely love the look. Sometimes a little departure from tradition is just what a table needs. Who says Thanksgiving has to be all brown, burgundy, and gold? 

Rounding out each place setting is a tiny rustic wooden candleholder. These little touches bring a bit of woodland charm to the table and complement the pine cone candleholders and bittersweet berries.  

So there you have it: a Thanksgiving table for two filled with treasured finds, memories of shopping trips with my mother, a few clever bargains, and a whole lot of color. Some pieces are decades old, others are recent purchases, and a few are reminders of shops we can no longer visit. Together, they create a table that feels entirely like me. 

 

After all, setting a holiday table isn’t just about matching dishes or following decorating rules. It’s about surrounding yourself with things you love, remembering the people and places that made them special, and making even a small gathering feel like an occasion. 

And if that means orange flatware, turkey plates, and a pumpkin tureen with a 25-year history, so be it.

 Thanksgiving for two deserves a little fanfare, too!

Many thanks to Rita of Panoply for organizing this Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop.

 Click on the links below for more Halloween table inspiration from my blogging friends:

 Panoply - A Thanksgiving Table of Endless Harvest Blooms

Everyday Living - A Bounty of Blessings

Life and Linda - A Ralph Lauren Thanksgiving

Me and My Captain - Thanksgiving!..."As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".

Hyacinths for the Soul - Abundance ~ Thanksgiving Tablescape Hop

The Cat's Whiskerz - Thanksgiving with Feathered Friends

Mantel and Table - Friendsgiving After Dark: A Beautiful Fall Table

My Thrift Store Addiction - Friendly Village Vintage Thanksgiving Breakfast Table

The Little Yellow Corner Store - The Fall Harvest Tablescape for Thanksgiving

Olla Podrida - A Colorful Thanksgiving Table for Two

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - A Bundle of Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thrifting Wonderland - Thanksgiving with the Birds Thrifted Tablescape

Dinner at Eight - Styling a Simply Classic Thanksgiving Table

The Bookish Dilettante - Giving Thanks Tablescape

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

 This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday