Easter Dinner

EASTER D

INNER:

This Easter's dinner was inspired by the Peach Luster Fire King  dishes I have been collecting for many years. They have become a part of our Easter tradition as much as our menu, Easter baskets and church.

I used a peach, terracotta and white palette for this table.

Using a plain simple white tablecloth focuses the attention to the other elements on the table.  Each place setting is a combination of white and peach plates. Leaf and berry chargers (HomeGoods) Italian Countryside (Mikasa) are the white anchor dishes. 

  

Peach Luster salad and bread plates bring  soft color and shine to the table. This Fire King was collected from antique shops, flea markets and garage sales. I just love their beautiful color and reflective quality. Very inexpensive, and quite easy to find these are great fun to hunt!

An Easter treat greets each guest. Instead of Easter baskets, little personalized terracotta pots in saucers are filled with a chocolates and other sweet goodies picked with them in mind. The chocolates are from a local chocolatier,Evan's Candy, and are made using many antique molds.

White damask napkins are fanned at the head of each place setting  to give a  ruffled backdrop for the terracotta pots.

Water will be served in white bubble glassses (Reading China and Glass).

Water will be served in white bubble glassses (Reading China and Glass). 

Creamer and sugar bowls are placed on both ends of the table. Antique silver sugar spoons make a pretty statement.

Large plaster candle pillars have a shabby time-worn look (Petals and Beans, Strasburg Pa). They are topped with a variegated peach candle. Can you see the terracotta base through the chipped away whitewash paint?

 

 

The centerpiece is made up of three terracotta and white urns.   Glazed a silky white, the raised pattern remains terracotta. (JoAnn Fabrics).  I just happened upon them and knew they would be perfect to carry on the color scheme. I put the white pillars in between them. 

White ranunculus were planted in the urns for a different take on spring flowers. My first inclination was to plant white tulips (my favorite), but when I found these pretty flowers I thought they would be a little differnt and interesting.

I set this table before I went to Savannah and my guest list has grown! I am now having 14 for dinner and 24  for dessert. By adding another leaf in the table, making a few more "goodie pots" and some additional grocery shopping I'll be ready for a wonderful day of family, friends and celebrating the fact that "He Is Risen"!

Have a Happy and Blessed Easter!

SG Weekly Menu March 28- April 4, 2010

SG WEEKLY MENU:

Greetings from beautiful Savannah GA! I am here enjoying a girl's getaway with my mother, daughter, sister-in-law and dear friend. We are having a wonderful time!

Today we walked the streets and toured the gorgeous historic homes as part of  The 75 Savannah Tour Of Homes And Gardens. The tour took us to the Ardsley Park area of Savannah. Established between 1900-1930, these mansions boast the best and most beautiful of their kind!  We were thrilled to be able to visit these wonderful homes today!

Tomorrow holds the promise of just as much fun and excitement as we are scheduled for the "Paula Deen" Tour', finishing with  a lunch at Uncle Buba's Oyster House. My daughter Jacqueline and I went on this tour last year and were so impressed that we want to share it with the rest of our group. We will spend the remainder of the day in Savannah's antique and interiour design district. This is heaven. I love southern style!

Then is is off to Blowin' Smoke for bar-b-que! Blowin' Smoke was recently featured in Southern Living. It is a marvelous place to eat! It will be a big day of eating, thankfully it will also be a big day of walking!

That's enough for now- I'll have some fun posts later.  Look for a recipe from tonights dinner at the Charter House- A parmesan crusted grooper topped with lump crab and served on a bed of smashed potatoes with a light sherry cream sauce. I'll try to reproduce it and get the recipe out to you!

Best Dishes From My Kitchen To Yours!... Paula

Monday:
Out to dinner

Tuesday:
Out to dinner

Wednesday:
Out to dinner

Thrusday:
Out to dinner

Friday:
Steaks on the Grill
Ceaser Salad
Roasted Potatoes and Onions

Saturday:
Out to dinner

Sunday: Easter Dinner
If I changed any part of this recipe my family would mutany. And that would be ugly on a Holy Day!

Fresh Field Greens, Strawberries, Bleu, Candied Pecans with Poppyseed Dressing
Honey Baked Spiral Ham
Potato Salad
Pineapple Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Homemade Rolls

Desserts are negotiable!
Strawberry Pies
Ice Box Cake (Upcoming  Foodie Friday- Part III Wow Factor Desserts)
Chocolate Truffles

MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED EASTER!
Yvonne

Sunday Scripture

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE:

Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives Israel

They came with Jesus to a place called Gethsamane. And He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray".  And He took Peter with him and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be very sorrowful and heavy of heart.  Matt: 26:36-37

Sweet and Savory Palmiers

I was in a adventurous mood. I had planned to make little sweet palmiers (elephant ears) and got impatient while they were firming up in the frig.

 With one more sheet of pastry left I thought, "Why couldn't I make a savory version of palmiers?" 

Foraging in my frig I came up with three cheeses and some fresh chives. "Okay, good enough!" And the results were delicious...

It's so good to be in the kitchen, creating something yummy and easy and a recipe my family will LOVE!

SWEET PALMIER

1 sheet puff pastry

Sugar

Cinnamon

Sanding Sugar (or regular sugar)

Make cinnamon sugar by mixing 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

On a covered surface  (I used my pastry cloth) sprinkle sugar liberally. Roll dough to about a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Starting at the one long end, roll up until roll reaches the center.

Roll up other side to meet in the center.

Put roll on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop into the freezer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (This is when I made the savory palmiers also to this point).

Cut in 1/2 inch slices. I think I would cut them just a little bigger next time.

Place on a parchement lined baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Put palmiers in the frig for 30 minutes.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Peel off parchment and finish cooling on wire rack.

Savory Palmiers:

1 sheet puff pastry

1 1/2 cups cheeses. I used what I had at hand. Parmesan, sharp cheddar, and "Shaky" cheese, Kraft parmesan- okay, don't judge me! I was raised on the stuff!

dash red pepper

handfull of fresh chives, chopped

Kraft Parmesan cheese

Mix cheeses, red pepper and chives in a bowl, set aside.

On a covered surface (I used parchment paper) sprinkle shaky cheese to lightly cover surface.

Roll out dough to about a 10 x 12 inch rectangle.

Sprinkle with cheese. Don't load it up but make sure the dough is covered evenly. I had a little extra and popped it into the freezer for later use.

Roll sides like sweet palmiers. Put in freezer on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with shakey cheese and put in frig for 30 minutes.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes in baking sheet. Remove to wire rack. These can be eaten warm or cold.

The savory palmiers were my favorite. They would be a great hors d'oeuvere. Tonight is soup night here at  StoneGable. Soup always is comfort food to me. Not only is it delicious but very good for me too! These savory palmiers will be a great pairing.

Remember to

Show Off Your Silver!

SHOW OFF YOUR SILVER:

Silver makes me swoon! It's beautiful reflective shine.The weight of it in my hand.  The refined  and formal feelings it evokes. Polishing away tarnish to reveal that unmistakable luster. Silver is jewelry for a table. And I love jewelry!

But not all silver is the same. And that is wonderful news. I have recently been treasure hunting in antique shops and flea markets and have found beautiful silver pieces at very reasonable prices...

This lovely Rogers Silverplate Coffee and Tea service was probably never used. It still has the label stickers on the bottom of each piece.

The detail on the handles, lids and little feet make this set so interesting.

Many of us use silver on special ocasions only and then back in the cupboard or basement it goes until the next wedding, or milestone birthday. Even worse some of us love silver but don't have any at all because we think it costs too much or is too hard to maintain.

Oh, not so!!!!

I love to use and display my silver everyday.  I received this beautiful silver champagne bucket as a wedding gift. I keep an orchid in it and it decorates my foyer. In this picture it is sitting on my buffet in the dining room.

The orchids are real! When they drop I replace them with a good faux spray of orchids. I also arrange  thin  branches in the pot for added interest.  Moss hides the clay pot the orchid is in and the dirt.

This tray was found at a local antique shop where I am beginning to be a frequent visitor. The Barn in Strasburg, Pa houses many good quality dealers. Esther,the owner, should be proud of her establishment. Notice the price on this tray.

I thought this was a marvelous price for a large silverplate tray. It was quite tarnished in some areas. But... a little silver polish and a lot of elbow grease ...

I was originally getting it to paint the center with chalkboard paint and use it on my buffet to write a menu on it. But onced polished, it is such a beauty that I am keeping it just like it is. I'm continuing my search for a chalkboard  worthy tray.

This little silver vase was a gift from a friend. It is perfect for holding little flowers and greens. When my children were small, this silver vase held many a dandelion!

I have many silver pieces I treasure. A very few pricey, some reasonable but most downright inexpensive (I'd say cheap, but after all, we are talking about silver).

Most of my silver is not sterling silver but silverplate. A very respectable alternative.  Silverplate is a thin layer of silver over a base metal. Sterling silver is 92.5 % silver and the rest is copper or another metal. Silverplate can be just as beautiful and ornate as real sterling silver.

I use silver flatware and serving pieces right along with my stainless. These are just a few of the serving pieces I have. All of these were recently purchased for $2.00 a piece. They just needed someone to give them a good polish, and a loving home.

The fun of collecting, for me, is finding different patterns of the same utensil. For example, I am wild about sugar spoons. They don't need to be used for sugar. Use them to stir coffee or tea. Wouldn't it look pretty to rest differnt silver spoons on everyones saucers?

I am now on the lookout for butter knives. I am using this same idea with bread plates.

Siver pieces are often Monogrammed. I can scarsely pass up  monogrammed flatware. There is something so romantic about caring for a piece so much that you put your initials on it. It tells a story of belonging.  It almost personifies a piece.

When the price is right ,especially if bears a three letter monogram it comes home with me!

So, don't wait until Aunt Audrey's 80th birthday to take out your silver. Find interesting ways to use it and enjoy it during your everyday life!

If you don't have any silver, you are missing an inexpensive luxury! Treat yourself to a sugar spoon. That's how I started!

Tips for Care of  Silverplate:

To clean: use a gentle SILVER cleaner. The multi-metal cleaners are too harsh. Silverplate can be rubbed off with harsh cleansers.

Never use lemon based dish detergent. Wash with warm sudsy water and dry thoroughly.

Never put silverplate in the dishwasher.

If you are going to use your silver for display only, you can slow down the tarnishing by applying a thin coat of Turtle Wax for cars, and buff to a shine.

If you store your silver,  cover it with a silver cloth or a clean cloth and store in air tight plastic bags. Do not let the silver directly touch bag.

Never use a toothbrush in the  ornate crevices of a silver piece. It will scratch the silver. Use a horsehair brush.

When displaying silver in a china cupboard buy anti-tarnish strips to keep silver free of tarnish for a longer time.