I've "BIN" Down in the Basement

Why do we have all this stuff?  Bin after bin of it, don't even remember some of it.  But if I throw it away, or donate it, I may need it, right?

I have donated a lot of it, but it seems to multiply when I hit those after Christmas sales!

Like these, 26 of them!  I bought after Cmas a few years ago for 90 off.  So I think they were a quarter!  I had a plan for them, but it didn't happen.  But they will be used next weekend at my family Holiday Party.  See, good thing I didn't give them away!

Then I found a bin with new items I bought at the after Cmas sale at Dansk.  We used to have a wonderful little outlet here , and they had the loveliest things, especially around Cmas. Long gone, bought out by Lenox.

And some high hat bowls to match.

I love finding things I had forgotten about!  A favorite thing!

I was true to my word, and I did not step into a store this whole crazy shopping weekend.

But Wed night I was in the WSonoma outlet, and picked this cornucopia cake pan up very cheap.

Some of you asked about the pie crust that was in my last post.

It is made with this tool, which some people have found at their local Ace Hardware stores, and my friend Suzy found it for a dollar in Washington state in one of those little cheapie stores.

Make sure your dough or puff pastry is very cold and press hard!

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday and Laurie at Bargain Hunting for Favorite Things.

Thanks for visiting.  Don't forget the White Christmas Party  on the 15th to celebrate year 2 of blogging, with a $55 give away to CSN .  Be a follower and leave comment on that post , and you are in!

Time to Give Thanks...

I wish you all a very happy, peaceful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the turkey...

Enjoy the pie,

Give thanks...

Good stuffing...

add apples and bake in a mold, looks prettier than a big blob, for lack of a technical term!  :)

Slice and serve.

Enjoy the day!  And save some of those bargains for me!  As much as I love to shop, I will not be out in the madness of Black Friday.  (so far , anyway!)

Giving thanks for you, who are so kind to visit!

God Bless!

Joining Susan at Between Naps in the Porch and Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Sunny Sunday, Skipping Ahead...

I know many of you are arm deep in turkey preps, but I am not having Turkey Day here.  I have my 4 dishes I have been assigned, but still I don't have all the other preps that go along with having 20 for dinner.  :)

So I am thinking ahead a bit.  I don't have one decoration out, so don't  worry.  I know some people have their trees up, but I will wait.  Never before Thanksgiving here.

Until a few years ago we had a wonderful little Noritake Outlet about 45 min from here.  I  visited frequently, and would head to the huge stacks of clearance in the back.  Oh, the bargains I found!  This is one of them.  It is called Holiday Rhythm, and this is a cake plate.  I waited and waited for them to be marked down, and finally, Joe, who I got to know from visiting so often, asked if I wanted them for a dollar!

Very cooly, I replied, "Oh, ok."  So I took 20 of them!  They are so handy for appetizer or cake plates  And they blend very nicely with my formal Christmas China, Lenox Eternal Christmas. (discontinued) These were way more than a dollar, lol, no Bargain on these!  And now that they are discontinued, wow, I saw I set on ebay for a lot.  DH says, SELL!  But I won't, I love them, and hope my dil will someday enjoy them.

 

This morning, something sweet for you!

  An apple pastry made by dh.

Bargains are a Favorite Thing for me, ( go see Laurie!) and apple pastry on a sunny Fall Sunday is perfect for Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper!

Happy Thanksgiving, America!

PSST, don't forget the $55 give away from CSN on the 15th for the White Christmas Party.  See details on the top of my sidebar.  :)

Do Turkeys Like Thanksgiving?

Just a few more days of Fall before bloggers will bring on the Christmas tables!

Oh, and speaking of Christmas, :)  Dec 15th I am having a White Christmas Party.  Hope you will join in!  White table with silver or gold and greenery, a winter wonderland!  If you are not into tables, how about some white foods, or a vignette.  There will be a give away too, as I will be celebrating my 2nd Blogoversary in Dec.  Grab a button, if you would be so kind, and start thinking! (top right)

But tonight, it is  a pre turkey day table.

I got these at CTS, for 50 cents!  Look at those little buttons on the wings!

A wood lantern from CTS last year, surrounded by a garland of leaves with mini gourds and pumpkins tucked in.

The tablecloth is a nubby fabric and the design looks like little acorns.

A bronze colored charger from Michaels, a gold plate and salad plate, $1.00, orange flatware.  Pumpkin casserole from CTS.

Amber stem, Villeroy and Boch, wine from Savers.  Leaf plates from Pfaltzgraff, as well as the turkey spreaders, .46.

Small Indian corn used for place marker from Michaels.

The amber bubble glass pitcher was a great bargain.  It is from Pfaltzgraf and it was .96!  Ceramic pumpkin  salt and peppers from the supermarket.

Thanks so much for visiting.  Please stop by Susan's at
Between Naps on the Porch for a whole mess of tables!

For dinner we have Shrimp baked with feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, over rice, and sprinkled with bacon.  I don't have a recipe, I just wing it,  LOL!

The mister enjoyed it, and will let me make it again!  :)

I am joining Gollum for Foodie Friday .

Yvonne at Stone Gable has announced a wonderful give away of a set of Christmas dishes.  I have never seen anything like them, go take a look!

Thanks for hosting, Ladies!

A Beautiful Weekend

My friend at Foley’s Follies, in Iowa,  had 3 inches of snow this morning.  We had a sunny day in the 60’s.  Just sayin’, Barb!  :)  I know, it will come!

I am joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things, and The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.  Better late than never!

The commercial aspect of Christmas is coming at us full force.  I love Christmas, but to go from Halloween to Christmas is just too fast!  It makes me anxious, that I don’t have enough done, or won’t get everything done.

I am enjoying these beautiful Fall days.  Comfort foods like macaroni and cheese. 

Apple crisp with whipped cream…

Baking cookies …

Chicken Pot Pies…

But as soon as Thanksgiving is over, watch out! 

Kidding, that’s from last year.  This year I am not doing that much shopping…except tomorrow. :)

  I am meeting The Tablescaper at one of my favorite haunts to use our 20% off your whole order coupon.  I hope the place hasn’t been picked clean!

Thanks for visiting!  Come back to see if I found any bargains!

Oh those White Pumpkins!

At the end of the summer, Pfaltzgraf was having an on line sale.  I didn’t NEED anything, but you know when the price is good, and the shipping is free, I just have to go for it.

These were called Bubble Glass.  I tried to get a pic, if you look at the base of the glass before the stem, there is indeed a bubble.  And such a pretty color blue. ONE DOLLAR!

The lovely white porcelain pumpkin bowls from Christmas Tree Shops.  Really they are prettier than many I have seen, no matter the make, and these were 1.97 a few years ago.  They didn’t have them this year.  I know so many bloggers wanted them.

I used my tablecloth from Villeroy and Boch, Navy blue placemat, rattan charger also from Pfaltzgraf sale, 2.25.

British castles plate from the supermarket

Lacey white plate also CTS

Napkin from WSonoma Outlet, you don’t want to know in case you paid full price!  :)

Goldish orange leaf salad plate from the Pfaltzgraf clearance center, a few years ago.  Yes, 1.24!

A better look at the napkin.

Everyday stainless from Dansk.

A simple white pumpkin surrounded by some fall berries, and blue candles in silver candle holders from Savers.

Blue pitcher in Pinhierro and a gift from my cousin.

Please visit Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch for tons more Tablescape Thursday entries!

I am also joining Hoosier Homemade for Cupcake Tuesday, and Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

I bought this  Wilton pan with my coupon at Michael’s.  Wonderful for making individual shortcakes, or so many other things.

You could even make biscuits or  herb quick bread in them, then fill them with chicken salad, or make a version of chicken and biscuits or open faced chicken pot pie.   How about a cheddar cheese bread filled with ham salad.  So many possibilities!  :)

I made chocolate chip cake and put a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt, and drizzled melted chocolate over the top.

Veteran’s Day, a day to remember and thank our veterans for all they have done.  We can never thank them enough!  God bless them.

 

ANNOUNCING….

White Christmas/Winter White meme on Dec 15th! 

I hope you will join in!  So many of us have white dishes.

The rules…white dishes, silver or gold accessories. 

The centerpiece can contain greenery.

Tablescape , vignette or if you are not into dishes,  white food, or maybe you own white winter wonderland.  Dec.15th!  I will make up a button soon, so you can take it as a reminder!

Hope you will come to the party!   Let me know if you are interested!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, here’s Target’s Black Friday ad…You won’t find me there, but I like to look!

http://www.black-friday.net/bf/target-black-friday.html

Seasonal Sunday~ Harvest Cake Pan

Fall back, Spring ahead.  I don’t like it getting dark so early, I can’t wait for Spring! 

I think I showed you this pan I got a month ago at Christmas Tree Shop.  It is Nordicware, and was 4.99.

Pat at Mille Favoriti,  ( I know that  is not the full name!  In her next blog life I hope she picks “Brooklyn Pat who takes wonderful pics of interesting places”)

told me her friend paid 14.99, that they (CTS) said 4.99 must have been a mistake  I went 2 different times, and that’s what I paid.

I had bananas to use, so I made banana with choc chip bread.  I always use the same recipe, just vary with nuts, or chips, but my friend Carol at Always Thyme to Cook tries new banana recipes all the time!  I have had this one for over 30 yrs, we like it so I stick with it.  I have posted the recipe before.

I hear CT is going to get snow, and I am just across the LI Sound from CT, so I added a little snow!  The frost is definitely on the pumpkin.

Do you have one of these?

You keep powdered  sugar in it, and it has a strainer on top.  Great to have for a quick shake of powdered sugar without the mess.  I just slip a baggie over the top to store it.

So on this November Sunday, have you started this yet?  I hear those moans . :) 

Have a restful Sunday!  I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

Thanks for visiting!

I Guess It’s a Southern Thing!

I spent lots of time watching cooking shows and QVC while I was sick.  Two different shows did Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy. Some called it Country Fried Steak.  Not something I am that familiar with, I did some research and decided to give it a go.

Lots of different takes on it, that’s for sure.  One guy Bobby Flay had on for a throw down, did it with a white gravy.

Then Bobby challenged Paula Dean to a throw down, and she scoffed at white gravy.  Hers was  brown with onions in it.  She said Southerners don’t do white gravy, yet the first guy was very Southern!

Bobby made his crisp, Paula floated hers in the gravy for a bit.  I don’t see the point of getting it crisp if you are going to soak it in gravy?

So I did it my own way.

First, you get some round steak and beat the cwap out of it.  They said to have the butcher put it through the machine twice.  Years ago here in NY, we used to be able to buy what was called “minute steaks”  or cubed steak.  I haven’t seen it in ages!

I pounded it, dipped in buttermilk, then in seasoned flour, repeat twice. 

Got the oil good and hot and fried them, placed them on a cookie rack to drain, (Bobby says that keeps both sides crisp).

Drained the oil off and deglazed the pan.  Browned some chopped onion, and then made a pan gravy.

I did some onions in another pan for the top.

Plated it, put some gravy on the top, served with mashed potatoes and a veggie.

The verdict…time consuming and lots to clean up. DH was thrilled to do that for me!  :)

Good flavor, but give me a NY Strip Steak any day!

But I do love Southern Fried Chicken, so all you Southern girls, forgive this Yankee, but I don’t think I will make it again!   Red Velvet Cake is getting very big up here!  And it took awhile for Pulled Pork to catch on too, so you never know!

One of my Favorite Things is decorating for Christmas.

Every year I say I will do less, and then end up doing it all.

I remember when my mom decided not to decorate anymore.  But the older I get, I can see why! 

Anyway, I do a 3 foot  lit tree in a basket on my kitchen island, and I decorate it with kitchen/food related things.

I have a lot of copper mini pot and pans and gingerbread ornies from WSonoma outlet.

I found these at Walmart, and thought they would be good for the tree.

Do you do a kitchen tree?

I am joining Gollum for Foodie Friday and Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie  for Favorite Things. 

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful weekend!