Showing posts with label Tablescaping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tablescaping. Show all posts

Monday, January 23, 2012

National Pie Day!

This is a redo of a post from a couple of years ago. I brought it back for National Pie Day!


The best, best Christmas thing Mama made was real mincemeat pie. She and Grandma would get together and make the pies before Christmas. I loved those times.  In later years, I watched and wrote down the recipe, because mincemeat pies were one of those things that they had no recipe for, they just made them. When they were all still on the farm, Grandma made up  metal dishpans full of mincemeat. They canned whatever they did not use at the time. The only thing they needed to buy was flour, sugar, and oranges. Everything else they grew on the farm. Plenty of beef, an orchard of apples, and a vineyard. Grandpa made homemade wine, a sweet concord wine. Grandpa was first generation English, and Grandma first generation German. I don't know whose family had the tradition of mincemeat pies, probably the English side.


This year Mama and I made mincemeat pies again. We have customized the origional recipe over the last 20 years, because we don't make the mincemeat from scratch anymore.  Here are a few pictures and the recipe.

















Mincemeat Pie
Makes 1 deep dish pie and 1 regular pie

3 cups of beef roast, cooked and chopped finely ( I do a chuck roast in the crockpot)
Peel from  1 and 1/2 oranges
1/2 orange, diced
2 cups raisins
1 apple, diced finely
2 cups of Mogan David concord wine ( no fancy wine, you need Mad Dog, the sweet, cheap stuff)
1 jar (1 lb) of mincemeat
crusts for 2 pies
Add all ingredients together in a large bowl, and combine. Fill pie crusts with this mixture. Make sure you have steam holes in the top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for  45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned.                 

Cozy Winter Supper

Thick, nourishing soup and warm crusty bread with butter makes a cozy winter supper. 




The little hen is a butter dish, and the bread and butter plates are Coaching Scenes by Johnson Brothers. 




I love these huge Mason's Vista pattern soup bowls. 






Oh! There I am upside down in the spoon!







These blue glasses are Fostoria, that I have had for over 20 years. 


I am joining Tablescape Thursday at


and


and

and

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Easy on the Eyes

January is such a hard month, no matter where you live. Winter has arrived everywhere, in some form.

My hutch sat empty since Christmas, due to one thing or another, family sicknesses, lack of inspiration, boredom, etc. So I kinda eased into it with white. Just subtle, easy white. (And I can add reds easy enough for Valentine's soon)





I tucked in a little green here and there, just for hope! 






I am joining Susan at 


for Tablescape Thursday 


Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Year's Eve 2011 Table




Little clock napkin rings are just right for New Year's Eve. 




Mom always has a hot drink with a meal, so here is her own single serving pot. 

China is Noritake  Ivory and Ebony, gold chargers and napkins.


Flatware is Oneida Wordsworth.


Gold poinsettias and pearl and gold beads, and gold mercury glass votives. 

I am joining 

and


and 



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Four Tablescapes in One

As I was doing this scape, I could not decide what  plates to use. Ha! Listen to me, two years ago I would have only one choice. I am proud to say though, that all the other plates are GW or very inexpensive. And that is half the fun, isn't it? Thrill of the hunt? And taking something inexpensive and trying to make it look good with creativity.

SO, here are four different place settings.












Which one is your favorite? I like the Christmas tree the best. 

Ok, I should be wrapping presents, but I put it off until last, because I so dislike  wrapping. 

I am joining