Ride the Waves..Outdoor Wednesday

The past weekend was a 10 weather wise...My family was out for the weekend, so we went to the Bay Sat, and the Ocean Sun.

I am joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday..Please go see all the other entries, and if you didn't make it to the Garden Party, please see my previous post!

Thank goodness for waterproof casts, as my gdau has had her arm in one since the last week in June..



After a day of riding waves, that cast must have had a few pounds of sand in it, and the lovely purple tape was unraveling! But she didn't let it stop her!
This was at Peconic Bay..



And this is the Atlantic Ocean..





A beautiful day at the beach on the East end of Long Island..



What's for dinner?
Well, we had salad again! With chicken..that was it..very filling!




Thanks for visiting, I do appreciate it!
Oh, a few of you have told me you are getting redirected to some dating site instead of my blog..I activated the word id, but that doesn't seem to have solved it..
Any of you seasoned bloggers know what I should do?
Please email me if you can help!
Thanks so much!

Garden Party~ Foodie Friday

Welcome to Susan's Garden Party!


Please check out her blog for some more entries..
You are in for a treat as Susan gives us a tour of her gorgeous gardens..

I gave you a little sneak peek in Wednesday's post...I got these pretty floral tablecloths when a party rental place was clearing some inventory.

I decided to play up the lavender...



But you can see here how many colors you could use..



I have had these silver bowls for years. The glass bowl is set into the silver.It was made in Italy, I have 2 and use them for holiday buffets
Today they held the blue, purple and pink hydrangea...with some baby's breath ..all from my garden..





I used white rimmed plates made by gofortun, a white fan shaped salad from Home Goods, silver chargers from Mikassa..



I found these silver Garden Snail napkin rings at Pottery Barn. The napkins I had, actually had faded so I gave the a bath in Rit! They were from Dansk, many years ago...I tucked in yellow St. John's wort, and a sprig of lavender...



The little white picket fence votive holders I have had for years...

I used purple stems from TJMaxx, and clear goblets that I found at the Pfaltzgraff outlet..I forget the name..



The lavender cabbage leave bowls were a gift from my friend Marigene..they are such a beautiful color!



Individual butter dishes from WmSonoma, and the little flower pots are candles from ???





You must be hungry by now...this is a grape tomato, feta, red onion and bacon tart, baked in a puff pastry....



This is a savory peach, feta, walnut tart, drizzled with honey..



And Shrimp Francaise over linguine for the main course...



For dessert, just a little peaches and cream pie..pie crust, fresh peaches and a sweetened sour cream topping baked...sprinkled with cinnamon..



These lilies are 5 ft tall, and full of buds...I hope they bloom soon..



The annuals this year are very late due to the cold and rain..these PINK wave petunias are finally starting to grow..



One last look at my hydrangeas....look at the size of this one bloom..





I am also joining Gollum for her Foodie Friday...Please visit the other entries ...

Thanks so much for coming to the party!

Tablescape Thursday~ Summer Breeze Blue and Yellow..

It is still Thursday...I know most have their posts up on Wed. night, but I never seem to think that far ahead!

Everything on this table I have had...The hurricane in the middle with lemons is from Dansk, as well as the matching glasses, and little flower votives, and the blue pitcher and the flowering can napkin rings...





The tablecloth and matching napkins are Pflatzgraff...



Aren't these matching indiv salt and pepper shakers cute..something everyone MUST have..:)



The charger and plates are from Walmart, as are the blue flower pot votives...They were 25 cents about 5 yrs ago...I bought a lot of them!




I cut a lace cap hydrangea for each setting. Love how the blue looks with this setting...






I was using peaches, so I made a tiny savory peach, feta, walnut tart, drizzled with balsamic and honey....tasty!



Please join Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for other entries...Thank you Susan for hosting this fun event..

And please join in with Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen this weekend for her Garden Party..She is sure to delight!

Thanks for visiting!

Outdoor Wednesday~The Garden Party is coming!

It was a beautiful Outdoor Wednesday today! A perfect 10!
And I am thinking Garden Party..Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen is having her first event this weekend.
Do join in, your garden, a recipe featuring produce, fruit, etc, a table, anything GARDEN related...the more the merrier, we have such a short time to enjoy our gardens..( or at least those of us in the cold climates do)

I tried out the tablecloths I will use...

I like this one, it has pink, blues, violets, yellow, green and white..a garden variety of colors!



I got them a few years ago from a Party rental company that was selling off their surplus..



They are 120 in round, hard to find, and I like that they go to the floor...



I hope you will come back for the Garden Party this weekend!
I hope the weather is as beautiful as it was today!



These are some of the hydrangeas I made from cuttings or rock rooting.
I amazed that even the smallest ones have a flower!
I use an area along the back of the yard to grow them, then I move them when they mature..







Mike even Kryloned his cooler so your beverage will be kept in a freshly painted cooler! I wish I had a "before" to show you! And don't worry, I won't make you drink from the can!



Please join Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday entries..
And do come back for the party!

Christmas in July! Tablescape

There are a whole group of bloggers who are celebrating Christmas in July.
Printers Devil is a friend from Holidays on the Garden Web, and she is hosting this party.
Please stop by her blog to see the other entries...

I love Christmas too, and try to set different tables during the season..
When it is just the 2 of us..not so elaborate..but still I like to use my Christmas things...

In this table I used a dark green tablecloth,matching napkin, silver charger, silver rimmed dinner, Christmas Rhythm Salad from Noritake, a wreath with greens around a hurricane for the centerpiece.
The napkin rings are silk poinsettias from Villeroy And Boch..bought during the summer, so a great deal.



The stems my mom gave me when I was getting married, very thin and rimmed in silver.
Little silver handled butter dish..
Faux burlapped Christmas trees, and my everyday flatware by Dansk...




For the Cuisine part...

Some Butter Spritz cookies served on a little red ruffled dish I found in the clearance at TJMAXX..Have 2, they are small...



Hope you enjoyed this Yuletide table...Another one next Sat.
Thanks for coming..
Please check out the other entries at Printers Devil's blog...Playing Dishes
And be sure to go see Laurie at Bargain Hunting...she is having a 111th post give away!

Ice Cream Social~~ Foodie Friday

I scream...You scream..
We all scream
For Ice Cream!

Oh!
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

In the land of ice and snows
Up among the Eskimos,
There's a college known as Ogiwawa!
You should hear those college boys,
Gee, they make an awful noise
When they sing an Eskimo tra-la-la!

They've got a leader, big cheer leader,
Oh, what a guy!
He's got a frozen face just like an Eskimo Pie!
When he says, "Come on, let's go!"
Though it's forty-five below,
This is what the Eskimos all holler:

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Tuesdays, Mondays, we all scream for sundaes,
Sis-boom-bah!
Boola-boola, sarsaparoolla,
If you got chocolate, we'll take vanoola!
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Rah! Rah! Rah!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Frosts and malts that are peppered and salted,
Sis-boom-bah!
Oh, spumoni, oh, cartoni,
And confidentially, we'll take baloney,
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Rah! Rah! Rah!

Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!



So,dear Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet thought it would be fun to have an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social...Please be sure to check it out! And thank you, Suzy, for making me use the machine! Plus, you are the hostess with the mostest!

My friend Jayne frequently posted delicious looking ice cream..I was inspired to try it myself.
I got the last Cuisinart Ice Cream maker at Costco last August. I am slow to move on my inspirations! Summer was on the wane..time to put out the Christmas merchandise, so they told me..:(

My little gkids were here last Labor Day, and we made vanilla ice cream, with M and M's thrown in..delicious...
Winter came and the ice cream maker got moved to the basement....a one time wonder...
NO!!!!
So when Suzy sprung her idea on us, I decided to make something with seasonal fruit...



Did you guess?



Peaches..they are in season and on sale..




I tasted it before I put it in the container to freeze, and it didn't taste "peachy" enough..so I added a half cup more of sugared and mashed peaches..

Ingredients: from All recipes.com
3 medium-size fully ripe peaches, peeled, stoned and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half, OR 1-1/2 cups whole milk plus 1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation:
In a bowl using a potato masher or wooden spoon, break up the peaches with the sugar and vanilla until coarsely mashed. Stir in the half-and-half or milk and cream. Taste and add more sugar if needed.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. (You can also still-freeze this ice cream, though it will not be as smooth.)

When the ice ice cream is thickened and frozen, scrape it into a plastic container, cover and freeze for at least one hour. Let the ice cream soften slightly in the refrigerator before serving.

Yield: about 1 quart
My notes..added at least another 1/2 cup of sugared peaches, mashed..





My 3 yo grandson, Seamus, is a purist.."Vanilla, Nana, just vanilla..."
but since he isn't here..
how about vanilla in an ice cream soda? I used the vanilla recipe that came with the Cuisinart machine. Very simple...





When was the last time you had one of those???

Add a little oreo straw....



And can I interest you in some home made choc chip cookies with your ice cream??

Or your ice cream in between?






I got these cute little pink ice cream cone shaped ramekins in Christmas Tree Shops....



Perfect for a little scoop dipped in chocolate ( reminds me of Bon Bons we used to get at the movies..) and some goodies...in this case some cute fudge dipped graham animal crackers)



And since I was baking cookies and melting chocolate, I made these Cookie sicles...choc chip cookies dipped in melted chocolate...



One for you, and so it doesn't go to waste, I'll eat the other!





Next up, some lemon sorbet..I have read the secret to keep it smooth is to add some alcohol..like vodka...I will give it a try!

I hope you have enjoyed yourself, and didn't get an ice cream headache (brain freeze..) from eating the cold ice cream so quickly..:)

Please stop in at Gollums for other Foodie Friday entries..Thank you MLW!



Tomorrow I am joining Printers Devil for a Christmas in July tablescape post.

Did you know there's a whole group of bloggers who are doing these posts daily? I read on someone's blog 168 days till Christmas...but I want to enjoy summer, now that it is finally here...I wait all year for it!