Aqua Paisley

These are the dishes I picked up on clearance in HG. by Cynthia Rowley. The Tablescaper passed them by as there were only 4, but she bought similar in black in a larger number!

Come sit down on my new cushions.  They match the dishes, who knew!  :)

I was going to make new cushions, bought the foam and fabric a few years ago, but the spirit hasn't moved me.  These were on sale at Improvements.com, and I am pleased with them.

The centerpiece is a hurricane I got for 90% off at The Christmas Tree Shop.  I lucked out big time.  It was 1.29!

The candle was 20, not really, but it was more than the hurricane!  :)

I'll show you the rest of the haul in my Sunday's post, so if you a bargain hunter, do come back.  90 off!  I was in heaven!

Salt and peppers, CTS, .50 each, and the aqua stems are very old.

I used cordial glasses for a white hydrangea bloom at each place, and aqua scatters from the clearance at Michael's.

I used placemats as chargers, loved the edges.  They were .39 each, seriously, CTS!

The serving bowl is from HG clearance, 2.00

I used porcelain oyster shells from WSonoma outlet as a butter plate. White linen napkins tied with aqua ribbon, and my everyday stainless from Dansk.

Something light for these warm summer evenings.

A flour tortilla crisped in a ruffled bowl, filled with shredded lettuce, red onion, sliced tomato, chicken cutlets cut into strips and fried.  Top with feta, bacon and your favorite dressing.

I hope you are enjoying summer!

The peegee hydrangea have joined the mopheads and lace caps...

Thanks for visiting!  I am joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday, Gollum for Foodie Friday, Sherry at No Minimalist Here, and Diann for Thrifty Things Friday.

Lunch on the Water

Last week, it was brutally hot.  Even here on the east end of the island, the humidity was wicked!

We have had a break in the heat, and I hope you have too!

I met my dear friend in Hampton Bays for lunch.  We opted to sit in the tiny room inside, there was a wait for a table outside.

It was cooler inside, but with the door open, the flies were annoying. Can you tell I never wanted to go camping?  :)

This is the Shinnecock Canal. You have to cross over this to get to the Eastern end of LI where I live.  You can see the bridge in the first picture.

The restaurant is called The Canal Cafe, how clever!

I had read the reviews before I went, and some diners mentioned plastic utensils. 

Umm, no.  I don't like plastic, so I brought utensils for the two of us. The waitress got a kick out of that.  She explained that being on the canal they were limited in their pump out, and paper products saved lots of water. 

I had a shrimp sandwich and my friend had fish and chips.  I know people who have had their lobster salad sandwiches at $22.00 .  They said they were great!  Maybe I will go for that next time, on a cooler day and sit outside.

I wanted to join Yvonne for On the Menu Monday, so keeping with a nautical theme, I bought these...

and made this.

Chicken Salad in a boat of lettuce, celery and carrots.

I roasted seasoned chicken breasts and cut it into chunks.  Add a splash of oj, powdered mustard, chopped onions and celery, mayo, s and p and some parsley.

Serve it in a boat (from CTS)  of lettuce, carrots, etc, and give it a pickle slice eye.

Hope you are staying cool!

Thanks for stopping by.  I am also joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday, albeit, late!

Hydrangea Lunch & Ricotta Cupcake Recipe

 

I had planned to do a table with some new dishes I picked up when I went on a shopping marathon with The Tablescaper last week.  I left here at 10:30 and got back around that time that night!  We worked in cut and color , lunch and bargained our way through HG, WS/PB Outlet, Pier One, TJMaxx, BB&B  and Kmart. We left no dish unturned!

BUT, some of my hydrangea were hanging over due to a storm the other night, and needed to be cut.

Please join me for lunch on the deck.  There is a little breeze, and we are in the shade.

A wicker basket overflowing with hydrangea is the centerpiece.

Blue tablecloth, lavender mat, green swirl flatware.  All from CTS.

The hydrangea plates are from CTS.

The stemware is from HG.

The last of the lilies in the background.

The ceramic napkin rings are from Villeroy and Boch and the napkins are from Dansk.  They had some stains on them so I bleached them and dyed them lavender. They are a good size, so it was worth a try! They were trimmed in multicolor , but they came out fine.

In my last post I promised the recipe for the Ricotta Cupcakes with blueberry sauce.

You can see that a buttery crust is pressed into a cupcake pan, then filled with the ricotta mixture.  The blueberry sauce recipe is here. 

If you try them, I hope you enjoy them.  Dh did.  I really think the sauce makes them!

Cake part:

3/4 unsalted butter

1 c sugar

2 lg eggs lightly beaten

1 1/2 t vanilla

3 1/2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

freshly grated nutmeg, I use cinnamon

Filling

3 lbs whole milk ricotta

1 C sugar

4 lg eggs beaten lightly

1 3/4  t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 .  Cream butter, add sugar  and beat till fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.

 

Dough

Sift dry ingredients, add to butter mixture in 4 additions.

Cover loosely and chill.

When it is chilled pinch off walnut sized pieces and roll into 3 in rounds.  ( I flattened them with my hand and  pushed into greased muffin tin)

Now spoon the mixture into the cups and bake for 30 mins.

Let cool in the tins for 15 min.  Remove and cool thoroughly.

Makes about 36.

(I halved the recipe) The  recipe is from 10 yrs ago from a newspaper.

I hope you are staying cool, and enjoying the flowers!

 

I am linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, Gollum for Foodie Friday, Sherry at No Minimalist Here for Open House Thursday, (Sherry is showing us her beautiful beach house in Fla she has for sale, go take a look!)and Diann at The Thrifty Grove.

Thanks for visiting, see you Sunday!

Ice Cream and Ricotta Cupcakes with Blueberry Sauce

 

Summer is    flying!          I know    some    of    you Southerners  are    tired        of    it,   the heat    starts     so    much   earlier   for    you.    School  here     ends    the    end    of June,   so     it is    still    new for    us!     

My friend Suzy at Kitchen     Bouquets  is    hosting     her annual   ice cream    party.          Also,     La    is hosting    an    ice cream      party!

Last year     I   made   the    oreo   cake  and    filled it     with   vanilla ice cream.

The year    before that,   Cherry    Vanilla.   

 

A chocolate    chip    cookie pop   goes     with a     bowl   of ice    cream  too!

I   did    make   something    new today.     Ricotta   cupcakes   with    blueberry   sauce.

Here they    are  without    the   sauce.

The sauce    is delicious   !          Recipe    HERE.

We   haven't    had    the    cake      yet,    so    I will    let    you    know    next   post.

In the    mean    time,    stay   cool!

            

My    keyboard   is   acting    up      so   my   visits    consist    of    one   word   comments!          Forgive  me!

I   am joining The    Tablescaper     for    Seasonal Sunday,    Suzy   at Kitchen    Bouquet, and La  for    their     Ice    Cream   Parties!

Also, Yvonne at Stone Gable for On the Menu Monday!

Heritage Bundt Cake

First I would like to thank those of you who took the time to vote for the Children with Downs Syndrome  in the Facebook contest.  They won a new van from Toyota for one of their group homes! 

Today I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday, and Yvonne for
On the Menu Monday.

I made a Blueberry Bundt cake.

I used the recipe that comes with the pan and added some blueberries tossed with some flour and sugar.

http://www.food.com/recipe/heritage-bundt-cake-293975

I like this pan for cakes that won't be iced.  A sprinkle of confectionary sugar is all you need.

I served it with additional blueberries and whipped cream.

I have quite a collection of Nordic pans, as many of you do, and this one one of my favorites. I am always on the look out for them at the WS outlet greatly reduced, and once in awhile even CTS has them.  Addictive like dishes and table linens!

My hydrangeas are out of control!

I cut these in half last year, and this year they are back up over the garage window.  After they bloom, I will have to cut them to a third!

I decided to use the chair my neighbor picked up from the side of the road for some garden interest.  The sprinkler system hits this, so I don't have to worry about watering it!

Hope you are having a wonderful Summer Sunday.  We are off to the ocean to watch the gkids have fun in the waves!

I'll show you a slice of the cake in the next post.

It says it serves 16, but that's a very thin serving. I would say 12. Don't like chintzy size pieces! :)

Thanks for visiting!

PS...check out the give away at Debbie's on the top of my sidebar!

Come on In , Cool Off!

A few short months ago we were covered with snow, and now it is HOT!  The gkids aren't bothered by the heat, they spend most of the day in the water!  This is the Peconic Bay, a beautiful private beach by our home.  There were some jelly fish, so we keep the bottle of vinegar on hand.  Nothing is perfect!

This is the ocean,  we were there last Sunday.  A lot rougher, and watch those rip tides.  The Bay is a lot calmer!

I hope your Fourth of July holiday was a good one! 

When I did my Lemon Yellow table, I thought I would carry through with a Lemon chicken for dinner.

I buy the boneless breasts , (cheaper :)  )  and slice them thin myself. Pound them thinner, and season.

Dredge in seasoned flour, and brown in a small amount of evoo, or  a mixture of butter and margarine.  Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Slice some scallions thinly and saute in the same pan.  Deglaze the pan with some dry white wine and fresh lemon juice.  Add some chicken broth, or use chicken base, Tone's or McCormick, mixed in some water.  Grind in some pepper. Simmer.

Return the chicken to the pan, and add some fresh parsley and heat through.  The sauce should not be watery, so if it is, thicken it a bit.

Right before serving , swirl some  cream or half and half into the pan.

I served it with linguine tossed in olive oil and cooked  and seasoned spinach with some freshly grated locatelli cheese. 

Some people add capers to their piccata, but I find them too salty.

Hope you have a great weekend .  Stay cool and enjoy!

As always, I appreciate your visit!

(If anyone has an ipad , are you able to use it to comment on blogs?  I keep getting that sign in thing over and over, telling me my password is wrong!  Anyone know what to do?  )

I am joining Gollum for Foodie Friday.