A Beautiful Thing: Memorial Day

Memorial Day is traditionally the kick off of the summer season. However, Memorial Day is much more important than just a three day weekend. Memorial Day is a day to honor the U.S. men and women who died in service of their country. The day was originally called Decoration Day and was a way that the country honored those soldiers killed in the Civil War.


I know it is uncool to be patriotic, to sing the National Anthem, to hang flags, to cry at the Battle Hymn of the Republic and to sit and listen to an elderly World War 2 vet retell his war stories. But if that is the case, then I am happy to be an uncool, hick that is patriotic!!!



It is a beautiful thing when young men and women are willing to sacrifice their lives, time with their family to serve their country.



And when they make the ultimate sacrifice.... the least I can do is honor that sacrifice. So whip out your flags, your banners, your patriotic songs, your corny red, white and blue shirts and visit a veteran's cemetery, watch the parades and honor those that died for your freedom.

Cooking: Antipasto

For Mother's Day, I wanted a sweet family dinner with no crowds and no one having to cook. So I made this dish.

Easy and elegant with hardly any effort at all.

Antipasto can be whatever you like but here is how we made ours.

Start with a big platter.



Toss some salad greens, we used spring salad. Drizzled vinagrette in the lettuce.



Roll some Italian meat onto the platter... proscuitto, capicola, and Italian Salami. I added marinated artichoke hearts in the center.



Next, I added marinated mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, roasted garlic and mozzarella cheese.


I found some soft brie, topped with a little fig preserves and farmers cheese.


Lastly, I added dried figs for a sweet touch.



Finished and ready for the table.

I added grapes with an assortment of bread and crackers.

A bottle of wine


And you have a wonderful dinner that everyone can pick what they like. No cooking but a little assembly required.



I am linking to Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollam. She has another fabulous week of recipes.

Homemaking: A Summer Table Setting

Once I finished my display cabinet, I wanted to hold a nice family dinner outside. So for Mother's Day, we set this table....


It was so easy with everything right there.


Simple white dishes and white tablecloth.



Flowers left over from a bridal shower


A bottle of wine for dinner.



The glasses were 99 cents from Target.




I wanted it to feel like Italy... including the grapes. Tomorrow, I will show you the most splendid dinner without any effort.



I am linking with Susan at Between the Naps. She always has wonderful tablescapes.

Garage Sales: A Display Cabinet

We have a beautiful space outside to entertain. Here is my daughter's birthday party last year.



However, I knew that I wanted a special piece of furniture to hold key pieces. I really had no idea what I wanted but after looking on Craigslist. After a year of looking, I found this piece. Listed as a doll display, it came equipped with plexi-glass. Perfect for a display piece on a flagstone patio.


However, I knew to make it last, it needed to be as water proof as possible....


So we added a little roof to it.



I caulked it and painted it with exterior paint. And now I had a display cabinet to hold all the outdoor entertainment dishware I needed.

All the items in the cabinet were all yard sale finds so if they end up missing, I won't cry.


On the top shelf, I put the centerpieces and candle sticks I use outside.


I love this urn.. $1 at a yard sale.

Next, all the silverware and chargers.



I found these great wicker chargers, perfect for outdoors.

All the trays and dishes are on a shelf. I can easily feed 20 with all my white yard sale dishes. They don't match but they are all white and much prettier than paper plates.


I just love how it makes this area more attractive.


On the bottom shelf, the tablecloths, placemats, candles, matches and anything else I can use to entertain.




Now, I have everything at my fingertips in a beautiful display cabinet, that is water tight and secured to the wall. Later this week, I will share the table we set for Mother's Day. One word... Beautiful






I am linking to Thrifty Decor Chick and Kimba's Outdoor DIY Day....

Cooking: Menu Planning Week Ending May 30th

Memorial Day is approaching and as I feel better, I really want to start cooking. I have missed it and want to make this weekend special. Saturday, I weeded a little in the garden and plan to weed this week.

Monday

Crab Cake

• 1lb crabmeat
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 egg
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. old bay seasoning
• 1/2tsp. dry mustard
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (don't get carried away with bread crumbs, just enough to hold cakes together). Make into patties and fry in butter -- for lower fat use cooking spray.

Baked Potato

Cesar Salad

Tuesday

Pepperoni Calzone

Garden Lettuce Salad

Wednesday

Breakfast for dinner

Thursday

Club Sandwich

Crudites

Chips

Friday

BBQ Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt

• 3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat
• Hamburger buns

Directions

1 Purée all of the sauce ingredients (everything except the bay leaf, the pork and the buns) in a blender until smooth.

2 Put bay leaf, and pork into a crock pot with a small amount of water. Cover with the sauce mixture. Cook for 8 to 12 hours.

3 Remove from heat and cool pork. When cool, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside.

4 Meanwhile, Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Add the pork to the sauce. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving. Serve hot over open-face hamburger buns.

Cole Slaw

Baked Beans

Lemon Curd Tarts with whipped cream

Saturday

Burger Sliders

Feta Corn on the Cob

Ingredients

• 4 ears sweet corn, husked and silks removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lime, juiced, plus 1 lime, quartered, for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup crumbled feta

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Rub the corn with olive oil and season with seasoning salt, to taste. Grill the corn until it's charred, on all sides, rotating for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, chili powder, cayenne, lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste, together in a small bowl. Remove the corn from the grill and brush the hot corn with the mayonnaise mixture. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Potato Salad

Pound Cake with strawberries and whipped cream

Sunday

Grilled Chicken Breasts with peach glaze

Ingredients

Spicy Peach Glaze:

• 2 cups peach preserves or jam
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 chicken breasts
• 4 ripe peaches, cut in half and pitted

Directions

Combine Spicy Peach Glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1/2 cup.

Preheat grill. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place skin-side down and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden brown. Turn over and continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes. Brush both sides with the peach glaze and continue cooking an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

Place peach halves, cut side down on the grill and grill for 2 minutes. Turn over and brush with the reserved 1/2 cup of peach glaze, grill for 3 to 4 more minutes until peaches are soft.

Grilled Potato Wedges

Vanilla Ice Cream

A Knee Update

To most of my readers and blogging friends, you are probably not aware of my competitive nature. While in the hospital, I came across this board with my room number on it. Apparently, this board measures how far you walk, while in the hospital. Room 558.

Well, that is all I needed to know. Here is the board when I left the hospital.

Apparently, all I need is a board and stickers to be motivated.

A Beautiful Thing: Meals from friends

My fridge is full of delicious food that I had nothing to do with at all. The dishes were brought by friends and neighbors given my knee situation. I am so lucky to have special friends that remember my family while I am out of commission.

This small gesture makes a tremendous difference in our life. I can concentrate on getting well without worrying about what to make for dinner.

Do you know someone who you could use a home cooked meal or treat? Your shining face would be a beautiful thing for your friend, family or neighbor.

Gardening: Shade flowers

I have three flower beds that get mostly shade and a little filtered sunlight. It is difficult to find perennials that flower in the shade, in zone 7. But oh boy, did my few flowers blossom:

Cora bells: Beautiful purple foliage and delicate hanging bells.

Foxgloves: The queen of the flower bed.

Look how sweet the blossoms are up close…. like little speckled cups.

 

 

Astilbe: Delicate and feathery.

 

I fill in the beds with impatiens, some white ones to add light in the garden but also color. I also mix in variegated foliage such as hostas.

Shade perennials are the quiet underappreciated flowers in the perennial spectrum of flowers but they add tremendous elegance and color where it is needed.

What do you plant in the shade?

Paper Crafting: Bridal Shower Favors

My go-to Bridal Shower favors are my big sugar cookies. I love them and so does everyone else.



But as a wedding gift, I am making the cookies for their wedding favors. Well, now what am I going to make. Given the bridal colors of pink, orange and brown… I searched and searched for ideas.
And then I came across these pins….

They are from Linda and Harriet’s, they are paper and made from scraps of their stationary. They are also $24 a piece. While I loved them, I knew I could make them… to match the bride’s colors and add a twist of my own.
First, we had to locate chipboard in the bride’s colors.

I used my Cricut to cut flowers in different sizes.

Once the flowers were cut in 3 inch, 2 1/2 inch and 2 inch diameters, I glued them together from largest to smallest.

I also bent the petals of the pin upward.

Next, I found these cute buttons.

And glued one in the middle of the flower.

Next I glued a pin back to the back of the flower. And while these pins are very cute, I still wanted a cute way to present them.

So I found the tiniest flower pots and Styrofoam balls that would fit in the flower pot. First, I had to spray the white Styrofoam balls green.

After the balls had dried

I lined a flower pot with a bead of hot glue and placed all the balls into the pots.

Next, I twisted half a pipe cleaner into a flower stem. Pinned the flower onto one end of the pipe cleaner. Punched a hole into the Styrofoam ball and put the other end of the pipe cleaner into the pot and Styrofoam ball.


And every table place had a pin and pot.
 

I think everyone liked their flower!!


I am happy the way they turned out and would totally make them again.. how cute would they be for a baby shower?