House Transformation~$100 Gift Certificate & Gone with a Handsomer Man Book Party~Ricotta Gnocchi

Here's the house, :) from Pottery Barn after Cmas for $5.  Not very Christmasy!  I knew I was going to change it to an Easter house!

The white snow became pink sugar , and the trim got painted too.  Colorful paper grass and some eggs, and now it is a centerpiece! I could drill a hole in the bottom and throw in some battery operated lights.  I could, but I didn't!

Pink and green plaid tablecloth, pink polka dot plates and salads with a white charger underneath.

Polka dot napkins and pink flatware.  Pink soup or fruit cup bowl.

I know my friend Marigene, at In the Middle of Nowhere is saying, " Bleck," she hates PINK! 

Polka dot egg pots serve a name markers. 

Pink stemware.

Bunny bread and butter plate.

This cute little egg plate was a gift from a friend years ago.  The bunnies are salt and pepper shakers.

I saw a recipe for Ricotta gnocchi on the food network.  I have made the potato kind, so I thought I would try this.

It is much lighter than the potato, and reminded me of the insides of stuffed shells.

You put the ricotta mixture into a pastry bag and have to pipe it into the boiling water.  A little tricky, piping with one hand, using a knife to cut it with the other, and man, my wrists were getting toasted!

I topped it with prosciutto.  I don't think I would make it again, just saying!  :)

Pre prosciutto and shaved cheese.

After you boil it quickly, you drain, then give it a little color in a skillet with some butter and garlic.  They are very fragile, so be delicate!

You might like it.  Dh was happy with it, I would prefer a stuffed shell!  You can also add spinach.

There are lots of gnocchi recipes out there, the most common is made into a little pillow.  The piping aspect sounded different, so I thought I would give it a try.

I think the pillows are much easier though, having made both!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Michael Lee West's new book GONE  WITH A HANDSOMER MAN and a 100 dollar gift certificate, please come back the 22nd and 29th for a multi blog book party with foods mentioned in the new book.  I read mine the day I got it, and loved it!

ML kindly sent me a copy, and one for a follower and said the winner would  also get a 100 dollar gift certificate.  She is a very generous lady!

I wonder if I can enter?  :)

Thanks for visiting, see you next week!

Table details...

Cloth...Duralee fabric

Pink stems from Lenox

Pink flatware...Bealls online

Polka dot dishes... pink soup bowls Christmas Tree Shops

Dotted eggs...  little yellow chicks         "

Bunny ramekins...Michael's .10 day before Easter

House...Pottery Barn Outlet

Dotted napkins... Home Goods

I am joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things, The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday, and Beverly for Pink Saturday.

Also, Marty for Tabletop Tuesday. Thank you all for hosting!

Preview of the place markers for next week's TTH table.  I got them at the PB outlet, but the eggs were gold.  I painted them blue for my very serene Easter table for grown ups!  :)

Eggs ceptionally Colorful~Gone with a Handsomer Man

I got my hot off the press copy of Michael Lee West's Gone with a Handsomer Man yesterday, and I finished it last night!  More about that later.

I really have to take a hint from Bill at Affordable Accoutrements and be subtle with color.  Maybe next week, the last Easter table before the big day.

These are 2 different plates.  Seriously!  One is Pottery Barn, the other, CTS.  Can you guess?

Look at all those colors!

I bought a very colorful cloth in CTS  I mean, it has everything in it!  A scaper's delight.

The centerpiece is a lime green pedestal with a lime green pot surrounded by eggs.  Fresh mums, and green grosgrain bow. Glass bunny egg holders used for candles from WSonoma Outlet.

Egg flowerpots name holders, CTS.

Purple stems, Villeroy and Boch.  This is their debut!  :)

The aqua beaded bowls are Emma from Pottery Barn. Great sale, and a story.  I was there with The Tablescaper .  My cashier gave me what the sign said, TT'S did not, said it was a mistake.    She had 12, what else?

So my cashier told her to come over and rang them up at the price I got.  :)

Little egg ramekins for butter plates from Target.

Green swirl flatware from CTS, as well as the egg salt and peppers, tablecloth and matching napkins and lavender placemats.

The little rattan lavender baskets serve as the napkin holder, and I have had them for years from long gone Lee Wards.

Purple glass covered bunny bowl from CTS.

Okay, you can take off your sunglasses now!  I have one more in polka dots for Marty's Tabletop Tuesday, and then I will try to do a very calm,serene, grown up table for T Thursday!

Now back to ML's new book and Foodie Friday.  ML is having parties for the next few weeks, featuring some foods mentioned in her book that was released yesterday, Gone with a Handsomer Man.

The main character is Teeny (Christine) who gets her mind off her troubles, and boy she sure steps in them, by cooking and baking.

Some of us who join ML's Foodie Friday every week at Designs by Gollum, will be creating some of the dishes mentioned in the book. (ML is hosting , so stop by for the details!)

This one wasn't, but Southern Fried Chicken would fit right in!

Nice and juicy with a drizzle of honey! (Soak in buttermilk, dredge in seasoned flour, let rest, then fry till golden brown)

As a side dish, some thinly sliced browned potatoes,  layered with Swiss cheese and a sprinkle of crispy bacon.

I think this is Southern too...

Pulled pork and creamy cole slaw. It took many tries over time, but I got it just the way we like it!

I am sure it isn't the best ever, I know there's always something better!

When my bil was here last summer, he told me this wasn't the way they had cole slaw in the South. Well, this is NY!

The previous post has a link to PW's recipe for pulled pork.

Please stop back  here  soon to enter a give away of ML's new book and more.  Plus, there will be more of Teeny's cooking adventures...I thoroughly enjoyed it and laughed out loud in several parts.

Thanks so much for visiting, I am joining Susan at BNOP for Tablescape Thursday, Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, and Diann for Thrifty Friday.

Cook Book Challenge

Lynn at Happier Than a Pig in Mud has a  monthly cook book challenge.  Last month it was Ina, this month it is Pioneer Woman.

I made the Pioneer Woman's Recipe for Potted Pork Chops a while ago.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/potted-pork-chops-2/

I would give it a fair rating.  My mom made great potted pork chops, but like me, wasn't much on recipes.

I looked around PW's site for something else to make.

Her recipe for Pulled Pork is similar to what I do.  No peppers here, and Coca Cola in place of the Southern fave, Dr. Pepper.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/

I add powdered mustard, onions and ketchup into the mix.

I made it the other day, along with fresh cole slaw.  Pulled pork is a no brainer, one of those things it is hard to mess up!

I have done it in the crock pot overnight, a little funky to wake up to that smell  in the morning, and I have also done it low and slow in the oven.  Both work!

I like to do the cabbage in a food processor.  A landmark restaurant here in Southampton, John Duck's was famous for their cole slaw, and I have  duplicated their recipe. 

I can't wait to see what others picked to make, and I am anxious to hear who the next cook will be.

Please stop over  to Lynn's to see the rest of the entries.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cupcake Wars~Hello Yellow!

Did you ever watch that show Cupcake Wars on the Food Network?  I can't imagine making that many cupcakes in such a  short of time!  I could imagine eating some though.

I think it is like House Hunters, all staged!

I have been trying a few different cupcakes for Easter. 

This is Banana , dressed in sunny yellow.  I used cream cheese icing.

With a surprise inside.  I don't have one of those fancy cupcake plungers  {yet!} like Lynn at Happier Than a Pig in Mud, so I used one of those orange tools you get at tupperware parties free. 

That cute sugar and creamer are old, but new!  I got them in a long gone place called Salvage City. They were 2.00 for the set.It is labeled so you don't get mixed up.  :)

The placemats are from Christmas Tree Shops, 1.99
I also did this one trying my grass tip.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend !  Having you visit is Favorite Thing for a Seasonal Sunday.

The winner of the flower pancake molds  from WSonoma is... Bill from Affordable Accoutrements.

Nah, it isn't, he didn't enter.

But he mentioned he has given of hope of winning a blog give away.  I don't want him to lose hope!  No one should lose hope!

I am still waiting for Ed McMahon to show up with my million from Publisher's Clearing House.  Oh wait, no hope there, he died in 2009!

The winner is LDH from  With A Grateful Prayer...

Lorraine,email me your addy!

More little giveaways coming up,  I emptied my trunk!  :)

Carol, don't worry, your gift is still there, 2 years now? 

Linking to Laurie's Favorite Things

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.

and
Diann at The Thrifty Grove for Thrifty Friday
Sue at Sullivan and Murphy is having a give away for Paula Dean's Decorating Book, autographed!  Y'all go over and enter now! 

You must whiten your teeth and put on a low cut blouse first though! 

Black & Yellow & Easter Babka & Give Away

Before I packed away the black and white polka dot dishes by Spode I found at Savers, I decided to do a scape.

 

In case you were in the hospital and didn't read my last post, :)  I got this whole basket for 12.00.  Did I mention they were Spode? :)

I have a black and white polka dot cloth, but I was afraid you wouldn't find your plate on it!

So I paired the polka dots with yellow and white checks.

I have had this cloth  for years and it came with a little checked topper.

Ruffled yellow charger from CTS.

3 matching mugs grouped together with fresh flowers on a plate served as the centerpiece.

 

 

Egg salt and peppers, CTS

Black flatware, Target

Black stems, Pier One

So how are the Easter preparations going?

Digging out all your rabbits and chicks?

I love this ceramic basket by Debbie Mumm.

It opens so your can fill it with cookies or muffins.

My dh is of Ukrainian heritage, so every Easter he makes Babkas.

Babka is a sweet yeast bread, he puts raisins and cheese filling in his.  It is delicious. I can't wait for him to make it!

Here is a recipe from a bakery on LI.

These are from last year, he will make them Holy Week for Easter Sunday.

If you have only had the commercial kind, you don't know what you are missing! You can make many different varieties, cinnamon, prune, chocolate, whatever!

A little give away tonight...not MLWest who is so generous, but I have an extra brand new set of these stack and fill  flower pancake molds from WSonoma.

If you are a follower, just leave a comment telling me you want in, and your favorite fruit on  pancakes!  :)

I am joining Susan , BNOTP, for Tablescape Thursday, Gollum for Foodie Friday,  and Jessa Irene at Holiday Haven for her Easter party.

Thanks for visiting.  I would also like to thank the non bloggers who read here.  Every week I get several emails from gals who don't blog, but tell me they tried a recipe or ask a question about a table.  I appreciate hearing from them too!