Dinner with friends……

Each week Beverly at How Sweet the Sound host this fun event. We all find pink “stuff” and take lots of pictures and then we share! Be sure to see what the rest of the pinks have done. I will also be linking this post to Mosaic Monday at Mary’s Little Red House. This is another fun event with lots of participation.

We recently had a lovely dinner with friends. We are constantly amazed at how how lovely their table looks not to mention the wonderful food and the good company. As one who carries my camera everywhere, I cannot help but take lots of pictures. Below is a beautiful hand painted plate.

A flower arrangement at each place setting…..

The china pattern is by Richmond and called Wild Anemone. An identical pattern was also made by Shelley china.

And a table mosaic…..

Happy Pink Saturday!

Foodie Friday

I found black trumpet mushrooms at the market. I have seen many varieties of dried mushrooms including these but never fresh. You can read more about them here. There was quite a variety of specialty mushrooms so I decided to try them along with the fresh shitakes. I googled the black trumpets just to get an idea of what to do with them and just sort of made up the recipe (as I do with most) which means that nothing is exactly the same twice!

Michael Lee West hosts Foodie Friday each week at Designs by Gollum. Stop by and see what everyone else is cooking.
I baked boneless skinless chicken thighs for about an hour at 350. Before baking I seasoned them with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. I then covered them with lemon slices and drizzled a little olive oil over the top.
About 20 minutes before the chicken was done, I started the mushroom sauce. I sautéed a shallot, chopped finely, in olive oil and butter. I then added the mushrooms and cooked them until they were done. Then I added a good splash of dry sherry and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes to burn off some of the alcohol. Just before serving I added a smaller splash of brandy.


Steamed asparagus was the vegetable. The sauce was wonderful – slightly woody and sweet with just a hint of the sherry and the brandy. Bon Appetit!

Tablescape Thursday – Pretending to be in Provence

 

It is time for Tablescape Thursday again. This is one of my favorite events hosted by Susan at Between Naps of the Porch. Be sure to stop by and see all the pretty dishes.

I worked at Williams-Sonoma for a few years a few years back. I rarely saw a paycheck but that was ok because we were furnishing a home in Florida and the contents were my responsibility. It was fun to basically start from scratch and try some different looks. Going back and forth between New England and Florida gave me a chance to use brighter colors and more colorful dishes and pottery. I am a fan of Guy Buffet and you can read about him here. I was fortunate enough to buy these with my employee discount. I could not get them now!

These dinner plates are French scenes and the salad plates focus on people from those scenes.





The blue bowls I have had for many years and are from Provence. The flatware is bone and from Pottery Barn. Silk ranunculas are the centerpiece. I often use silk if I cannot find the color I want in live flowers. The linen tablecloth was on sale at Williams-Sonoma for 14.99!

The candlesticks are from France and quite tall. I had to burn the candles for quite a while so that they would not reach the chandelier.


I often use these tumblers for wine. I think I got these at PB.

The risotto is being stirred and the chicken is in the oven.
    
The wine is poured and dinner is served.


 
I couldn’t finish my crème de menthe parfait!

Thank you for stopping by.

Tablescape Thursday for Sunday Favorites

I'm joining Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites with my first tablescape last summer in Maine. Please stop by and see all the other Sunday Favorites.

A beautiful day at the lake. I feel like I am caught up on some of the projects that I am working on. I didn't say finished - just caught up. I have watched and admired the posts from Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Back Porch. So today I will post my first tablescape.



I am taking a break. I made some ice tea and I have 2 books. One I should read and one I want to read and probably will. It was too hot to bake but the bakery at Hannaford's had done a fine job for me. The strawberries are delicious but I will most likely focus on the cookies! I will save the strawberries for my cereal in the morning. The blogging book will be for later. Crazy Ladies by Michael Lee West of Designs by Gollum will be started.

I gathered my supplies. I made sunshine peppermint tea in the morning. I put 4 Twining's tea bags in a pitcher in the sun while I got the rest of my tablescape together. The pillow for the chair is bark cloth which is a textured cotton from the 50's.

The banded ring glassware works beautifully with Fiesta but I don't have any of that - yet. It would be perfect at the cabin.

I picked a borage blossom for the iced tea and some nasturtiums for the plate of cookies.

I used a quilt for the table topper. I made this quilt a few years back from feed sack fabric squares I bought at a quilt show in Amish country. It is a variation on a nine patch. I have some more of those squares and need to make another quilt for the cabin.

The little pitcher with the birds was a find at a second hand store and really picks up the colors of the quilt. I sifted through a box of silver at Deb's Flowerbed Farm and after a little polishing (some elbow grease involved) I was pleased with the results. When I downsized I got rid of a lot of the silverplate and now wish I had kept it.

The teaspoon is dated 1903 and the napkin is monogrammed with A. My middle name is Annah so that worked.

I hope you got to take break today, too.

Pink Saturday

 

Time to join Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for another Pink Saturday.

 

My friend Jackie in the UK introduced me to Virtual Painter and I am enthralled with it. The tulips in my header were at the market in a bucket and look at them now. The artist in me (with the help of this program) is painting! Here are some more tulip creations. Below is the original photo.

I am using the names of VP’s filters and below is Fauvist. You can read about Fauvism here.

 

Below is the painting in Gouache and you can read about this painting style here.

Next is embroidery which we know is painting with thread.

Watercolors are a favorite of mine.

 

The tulips are wonderful in oil as well.

The next technique is Impasto and you can read about this technique here.

 

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And finally some silk screened tulips.

Each treatment is a little different and fun to watch being created.

I visited Sharon at fiberdoodles. Her blog is crisp and pretty. Stop by if you have a chance.

Happy Pink Saturday!