So long summer BlogBBQ

 

 

I am joining Gnee of Singing with Birds for the end of the summer BBQ. We did not make any plans for this holiday weekend. My boys are all working . We will have a cookout with them next weekend.

I will be making a couple of my favorites from some of my past cookouts.

Pickled Beets are a favorite of mine and the beets at Sherman Farms were beautiful – both golden and purple. I have been craving pickled beets. I made them years ago. They need to be water bathed and I don't have the canning kettle or the inclination to go through all that. While looking for something else on Food Network, I saw this recipe courtesy of Alton Brown. So today I made it! They look wonderful! I had to roast my beets longer than the 40 minutes suggested in the recipe but that could be because they had been stored in the refrigerator and I doubled the amount of the pickling liquid. I will use what is left on fresh cucumbers for dinner. Two quarts is the right amount for this cottage because not everyone likes them as much as I do.

Pickled Beets

6 medium beets, cleaned with 1-inch stem remaining
2 large shallots, peeled
2 sprigs rosemary
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large purple onion, sliced thinly
1 cup tarragon vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 400°. Toss the beets with the olive oil, shallots, rosemary and olive oil. Place in a foil pouch and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the beets.
Remove the skin from the beets and slice thinly. Layer beets and onion in quart jar. Boil the vinegar, salt, sugar and water and pour over the beets. Seal and let stand in refrigerator for 3 to 7 days. Makes 2 quarts.

I will make a pie, too. I don’t make many pies any more. But Jack wanted an apple pie so off we went to a nearby orchard. The lady at the apple stand suggested Ginger Golds for my pie. I had never heard of these before. You can read about these apples here. Neat story.

I didn’t have a recipe so I turned to the Joy of Cooking. Apple Pie I works for us. Vanilla Bean Ice Cream will be served on the warm pie tonight and cheddar will be served with the pie for breakfast!

 

I probably need a class in pie crimping! The pie is cooling on the porch. We will have dessert on the porch and look at the lake.

Be sure to visit Gnee and see what everyone is doing for the end of summer food!

Tea for two in the cabin……

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday. Be sure to visit both for some wonderful blogs.
 
Normally in the cabin, tea would be served in a nice mug. Nothing fancy! But you see I found these cups and I had to do something special with them. The saucers are reticulated. I was not able to find a definition of reticulated that applies specifically to china or silver except that reticulation forms a network or a pattern and, in this case, an open pattern.

There are a couple of rules in the cabin that make tablescaping a little less formal and difficult to pull off as nicely.
1. No ironing
2. No silver polishing
Note the pink cloth is not ironed and the silver teapot is not polished. The napkins came already ironed! The monogram is a W and Wilson is a family name – works well.
First, I saw this cup. It is footed which is somewhat unusual.
 
Then I saw this one.

So, I decided a tablescape would be in order.

It has been too hot to bake in this little cabin so I let Hannaford’s do the honor.

The cake plate is pressed glass with a “zippered” effect. I used a glass goblet for a spooner.

This pitcher caught my eye at Deb’s Flowerbed Farm in North Bridgton on one of my first visits this summer. The flowers unfortunately have not liked the heat and I wasn’t able get as many as I would have liked. The pitcher is from Hanley, England.

 

Happy Tablescape Thursday and Happy Pink Saturday. See you at the So Long Summer BlogBBQ!
Have a safe weekend!

Supper in the Kitchen

 

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. There are many of us who just love to set the table and play with dishes. (In real life---Jack and I very often use paper plates!) However, the table always looks inviting. So many of the dishes that I use are not suitable for the dishwasher.

Tonight we are going to eat in the kitchen. It has been a long day and I am going to make 1905 Salad. You can read about it here.

The counter tops are cherry so I did not use placemats. A clear glass plate serves as a charger. On top is a plate with a fruit design. The china is made by the Edwin M. Knowles China Company and, although I can find the dishes on eBay, I cannot find the name of the pattern. The plate on top is banded glassware. I was fortunate enough to buy a lot of this glassware. I love the look of the colors with Fiesta dishes, too.

I could not get rid of that glare…..I am not allowed to climb yet!

The dishes are well worn. I bought the set when I first started staying at the cabin and Jack has decided that they really belong at his house.

The flatware was purchased at the Dansk outlet several years ago. The Fiesta pitcher is a reproduction and the zinnias are from the garden.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have a  minute, I love comments!

Mosaics for Monday

 

I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. This is a fun event for those of us who love to play with pictures and the various photo editing programs that are out there. I have a tendency to stick with Photoscape because I find it so user friendly. I have Photoshop and several books but I cannot seem to do what I would like to do with the program. I will keep trying and perhaps there will be a class I could take.

My friend Jackie in the UK made the most outstanding mosaics this past week. You should stop by and see what she has done. I thought I would play a bit over the weekend. The results follow. As a background for some of the mosaics, I used a photograph of rusted bedsprings.  We stop in at Deb’s Flowerbed Farm in Bridgton, ME to look for good ”stuff”. This old bed frame was outside surrounded by flowers in various settings.

I love the texture and design. I played with effects and filters and lighting.

 

 

Have a wonderful week. Be sure to visit the other mosaic makers and stop in to see Jackie in the UK!

Just Reflecting.....A little Pink on Saturday

I am joining Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for another Pink Saturday. Please be sure and visit.

It is another beautiful day here in Maine in the cabin on the  lake. This summer has been delightful. The last couple of years have been very rainy, cold and damp. Those are not great conditions for arthritis.....This summer I have a new hip and life is good. Each day I get stronger and I am able to wander a little further from the cabin. I keep my eyes peeled for acorns because I do not care to fall.

The flowers are starting to go by and there is a crispness in the air. It might be hot when you go to sleep but by morning a quilt or two feels pretty good.

We have loons on the lake and this year the pair that hang around our area have a chick. This is the first chick in 3 years that is learning to dive and fish in our cove. You can read about loons here. Scroll down to bottom of the article to listen to sounds they make. The have several calls depending on what is going on on the lake. Their cries are haunting and carry from one end of the lake to the other. We love them and we love having a chick to watch.

I have permission to drive and I can get in my car now. So we are off to go have "lobstah" rolls for lunch.

 Happy Pink Saturday!!!