{Party} Recent entertaining and recipes

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Food, Recipes

Tags

Hello sweet readers! How is your summer going? Has it been filled with fun and relaxation?

I’ve been negligent where the “party” part of my blog is concerned so I thought I’d share a recent menu for a very simple summer barbecue we hosted earlier this month. When I say simple well, that might be an understatement.

Appetizer – we prepared a simple cheese board with crackers, almonds and a couple of cheeses we enjoy

Main Course – Grilled Santa Maria Tri Tip

Orzo Salad

Dessert – Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream

Super simple. Below is the recipe for the orzo salad. The Tri Tip we used came from Costco: Bailey’s Pre-Marinated Tri Tip. I adapted the orzo recipe from Ina Garten’s recipe for Roasted Shrimp & Orzo. I knew I wanted to prepare the Santa Maria Tri Tip so I didn’t need the shrimp. If you would like to see her original recipe it can be found HERE. The chocolate chip cookie recipe is Nestle’s Toll House recipe with 2 changes. I used Ghiradelli Bitter Sweet Chocolate Chips and before baking I sprinkled the tiniest pinch of flaked fleur de sel. The cookies were a hit and our friends thought it was some fancy new recipe.

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We enjoyed appetizers under the trees and when it began to cool down we moved to the dining room for the dinner and dessert.

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*Readers that don’t have a Costco or a Trader Joe’s nearby here’s a recipe for Santa Maria Tri Tip: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/santa_maria_style_tri_tip/

I wish you a Happy Week during this summer season. If you have questions concerning the recipe, please email me or leave a comment, I promise to try to answer any and all questions. I will be taking a bit of time off from blogging as Olivia, our granddaughter, is coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks (oh, and her mommy and daddy will be joining us for one of the two weeks). ♥

{Garden, Home and Party} Happy Easter – welcome spring

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Dessert, Easter, Entertaining, Food, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Easter

I sure hope my friends that have experienced the coldest winter in recent memory, are finally catching a glimpse of spring.

I’m hosting Easter this year for our west coast family members and I thought I’d share some of the inspiration and ideas I’m using for our celebration.

I’m finalizing the menu (the ham has been a staple to the meal for some weeks, but I have flip flopped on the sides). Here are a few of the items that I’ll fix. Sweet Sarah will prefer the fingerling potatoes I’m preparing (much healthier), but I know a couple of family members that will enjoy scalloped potatoes. My office gives Honey Baked gift cards to each of us at Christmas. Honey Baked stores, which are plentiful in California, not so much elsewhere in the U.S., are known for their honey glazed hams. It will make my day of food prep pretty easy to have the ham cooked and ready. I think I’ll prepare some deviled eggs, a slaw salad that Sarah introduced me to, a few appetizers, cookies for dessert and that should be plenty.

Table setting is the icing on the cake for me. I look for any excuse to create a pretty table. Here are some ideas I’m contemplating compliments of the creative bloggers I visit regularly. {Thank you!} I like the idea of potted bulbs (preferably in bloom) and nests with eggs. Trader Joe’s has been carrying daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in little pots. The place mats are really cool and I believe they’re paper. I may not be able to find these but I have a collection of Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter rabbits that I can scatter among the nests and flower pots.

The happy faces on these pansies make simple eggs look festive.

If it’s a pretty day we’ll sit outside for appetizers so I’ll create an Easter basket similar to what I did last year. I used an assortment of color-pack sized flowers and they lasted for most of the early part of summer before fading.

I’ve ordered these tags from Everyday Occasions and will bake Jenny Steffens Hobick’s cookies with buttery icing. Recipe HERE. I’ll plate some and send each person home with a cookie or two wrapped like this. Jenny’s blog is filled with great recipes and ideas for setting the table. She provides detailed instructions for each recipe, and the best part? She has an online store filled with fun items for home and entertaining.

I hope my cookies turn out as well as Jenny’s. Aren’t the baby chicks cute?

So tell me, what are you doing this Easter?

{Home and Party} Great style in stationary and design, introducing Minted/Julep.

22 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Holidays, House and Home

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

julep blog, minted

One of the many modern conveniences of internet shopping is the ease of finding great invitations and stationery online. I love the advantages of selecting the exact card in the perfect color, ideal paper, appropriate font and a style you want for an event or occasion.

I shared with you my joy with this process when Mr. B and I ordered Christmas cards online a few years ago. Then, in 2011, I needed invitations to our son’s engagement party, that is when I discovered Minted.

As a company, Minted has been around longer than I realized (started in April 2007), but what sets it apart is their use of independent artists. Their high end paper goods come in all imaginable shapes and sizes and serve all of life’s celebrations and holidays.

Their photo-Christmas cards are unique and can be customized with details such as shape, color details, photograph and include your personal names and dates. It’s an online interactive creation and fun to see the options appear before your eyes. Here are some of my favorites.

Minted recently started a blog, Julep. “…a lifestyle blog dedicated to helping the busy, design-savvy woman create beauty all around her.” The contributors are creative and share the most original ideas. It sounds like a challenge, but after nearly an hour perusing their site, I realized there were so many items I wanted to revisit for party ideas and DIY projects around the house. They’ve succeeded in giving a hand with creativity and specific how-to tutorials. You’ll find a wide array of design ideas for home and party. The DIY tab gives you detailed direction on the project you select and most are doable for everyone, even me!

The table below was set for a recent Minted Design Summit. The team started a fun new Minted Party Ambassador program where you can apply for free party decor if you’re willing to blog about your event.

This is a feature for fall wedding ideas. Now you can see how it was easy to loose myself on their new site for quite a bit of time...

I love the tutorial on making these beaded lights. The Edison bulb dresses up any light fixture, doesn’t it?

These cupcakes! This will be in my Halloween file for 2014.

These little beauties can be used throughout November and December…here’s the ‘how to’

If you haven’t ordered your cards for the holidays yet, check out Minted. If you need some additional inspiration for decorations or gift ideas, visit Julep.

Disclosure: Minted sent me an email inviting me to post about their Christmas photo-cards and to share details about their blog site, Julep. I was offered up to $75 credit to Minted to participate. All opinions and ideas are my own.

{Party} Autumn Celebrity Dinner

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, House and Home

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGenerous, Jon Stewart, Meryl Streep, Table Settings, Tom Brokaw, Willie Geist

Those that know me probably already know that I prefer the cooler months of the year. When the first promise of fall weather hits Southern California I’m energized, let the entertaining begin.

[By the way, I do love summer entertaining as well, I’m a party girl at heart.]

Eventually I ran to Minneapolis, where it’s cold, and I figured I’d keep better – Rhoda Morgenstern

We’ve been doing quite a bit of entertaining lately. “Entertaining” for us means setting a nice table, cooking a simple meal and having a relatively smallish group over for good food, nice wine and great conversation.

Since setting the table is one of the perks to entertaining for me, this post is mainly to share some seasonal table settings I hope will inspire you. To mix things up a bit, in addition to table setting ideas, I thought I’d share a list of guests I’d invite over in a heartbeat if I thought they wouldn’t report me to the authorities as a stalker crazy lady! You’ve undoubtedly read interviews where they ask you, who, alive or dead, would you like to have dinner with? Well, I’m doing it one step better…I’ve thought about this, this list is of people I’d like to talk to, even just casually. I don’t need Einstein, although I’ve read he was quite a jovial fellow. These are people that are alive and seem like genuinely nice and fun people.

Also, since I don’t like enormous parties when I entertain, I’ve only invited 6, with Mr. B and me that makes a very doable 8 at the dinner table. That also gives me a head start on subsequent celebrity dinners…there are so many more folks I’d invite if I could. So, first on the list:

1. Diane Keaton, she may not be exactly as fun as I perceive her in the movies she’s been in (how does one really know, right?), but she loves to decorate, so I know we’d have topics in common. Plus, I love that she seems genuine, not overly self-possessed.

2. Jon Stewart, politics aside, is there anyone that gives a better interview?

3. Meryl Streep, there are no words, rather there are so many adjectives I could use to describe her, but her name, for me, is synonymous with fabulous.

4. Tom Brokaw, I grew up listening to him on our local news station, back in the day. Then, as a Today show enthusiast, I watched him all the years he was there. I just really, really like him.

5. Ellen DeGenerous, she’ll keep us laughing.

and last but not least…

6. Willie Geist, the son of Bill Geist of CBS Sunday Morning, appears on Morning Joe (MSNBC) and does the third hour on the Today show. He’s smart and funny and I love him like one of our sons. He’s a guy that fits in with old and young people alike.

As any skilled party planner will tell you, once you have the guest list you can begin your plans for table setting and menu. We’re going to jump right to the table settings since that is a major part of the fun for me.

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The ever talented Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions published a post about fall table setting with muted colors, so pretty. Oh, and did I mention she recently opened an online store selling some of the best tools for entertaining.

Yvonne of Stone Gable shared her table setting for an autumn high tea back in 2011 and that table is still one of my all time favorites, be sure to visit the post if you like autumn and blue and white.

Carolyn Roehm has written so many great books, but her book, Passion for Parties is a constant source of inspiration to me.

Martha Stewart never disappoints and I appreciate her ability to make simple components come together to create a pretty table.

Nancy’s Daily Dish features some great table settings for the season. Her Etsy shop sells trasferware of all kinds. This is such a great autumn table setting.

Delores, over at Vignette Design always provides me with good ideas for whatever season when it come to table top design.

Even though this tablescape doesn’t have the strictly traditional autumn touches, its a subtle and lovely table for this time of year.

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The sisters at Providence Ltd. never disappoint…this rustic table is great and completely out of the box.

{Southern Accents ~ oh, how I miss that magazine}

Who would be on your celebrity list for a dinner invitation?

{Home} Thanksgiving, my favorite recipe and more

01 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Food, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, House and Home, Recipes

≈ 19 Comments

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Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe

I love this particular time of year, but I especially enjoy Thanksgiving. There’s no gift buying pressure, just plenty of good food and fun times to share with family and friends. While I realize it’s only the 1st of November, you and I both know the time will fly and before you know it you’ll be making your grocery list for the feast.

I enjoy cooking but I probably enjoying eating as much. Alison over at The Polohouse is hosting her Favorites On the First and the topic is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe. At first I was perplexed…should I feature a mouth-watering pumpkin pie recipe or the Texas Stuffing I found in the Los Angeles Times Food Section years ago?

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When it comes right down to it though, I think my favorite thing for the meal is mashed potatoes. We don’t eat them that often and we certainly don’t throw on gravy for good measure when we do. As if creamy, buttery potatoes need something more! But Thanksgiving we throw waistline watching out the window and gravy tops every helping of mashed potatoes. Anyway, my favorite recipe is called make-ahead mashed potatoes (which is one of the things I like best about the recipe.) Here goes:

{image source and another delicious potato recipe}

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes ~ adapted from HERE

Oven, preheated 350° at the time you’re planning on reheating the potatoes.

5 pounds potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold

1 1/2 sticks of butter, divided

1 8 oz whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup Half & Half

2 teaspoon kosher salt [1 teaspoon in the pot while the potatoes boil, 1 teaspoon (or less, depending on taste preference) when mashing]

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, add potatoes and return the water to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes and check for tenderness. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain in a colander. Return the potatoes to the pot and turn the stove on low, just to make sure all of the moisture is gone.

Off the flame, add 1 stick of butter, remaining salt, pepper, half & half, and cream cheese. Mash to a creamy consistency. *Don’t worry if they seem a little bit soupy, they firm up when refrigerated. Once mashed, place in an oven-proof dish and dot with the remaining 1/2 stick of butter. Potatoes may be refrigerated at this point. If you make the recipe a couple days in advance, take the dish out of the fridge about 2 hours before serving time. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes or until hot.

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By the way, the above image reminds me of the first Martha Stewart Thanksgiving special on TV. She had converted her “barn” into the most warm and welcoming dining space, as only she can do!

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How cute are these pudding cups? If you have children or just like delicious food visit HERE

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Do you have a personal favorite recipe for Thanksgiving? If its not a family secret, share. If you have time be sure to visit The Polohouse, you’re sure to be happy you did.

{GHP} Braised Short Ribs recipe and Happy Halloween

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Halloween, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Recipes

≈ 16 Comments

Since Halloween is on a Thursday night this year, I thought I would make Mr. B. and I a comforting meal to fortify us between the doorbell and goblins. I’m trying Braised Short Ribs from Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions. Doesn’t this look delicious? Jenny comes up with fabulous recipes and I’ve provided the link (above).

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Since it needs to cook some time in the oven, I’ll prepare them this evening and we’ll eat them tomorrow. That often enhances the flavors and makes everything taste even better.

I’m also including a few images I’ve gathered that might offer some ideas for last minute decorations…

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Do you get a lot of trick-or-treat goblins and princesses in your neighborhood?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

♥

I’m linking to Savvy Southern Style’s Wow us Wednesday

{Party} Tea time

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Drink, Entertaining, Food

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

tea

{Content in a Cottage}

I enjoy tea and wish I made more time for a proper tea party. I don’t like it to the exclusion of coffee, I find I’m firmly addicted to my 2 cups of coffee every day, but Mr. B and I enjoy tea after dinner. This time of year I could drink tea most any time of the day or evening.

A friend of mine buys all of her loose tea from France. She recently introduced me to Mariage Freres of Paris, and Fauchon tea and I think she may be on to something, it was truly delicious. I’m not above using a tea bag in a pinch, but if you have the time loose tea tastes so much better.

{A Toile Tale}

One of the best things about tea, for me, is the array of possibilities it offers for a) table settings, even a table for 2 with special mugs or cup and saucer, AND b) the snacks that can accompany a tea break. Those Brits know what they’re doing about taking time for tea.

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Who does’t love nibbles? I have often thought I could graze for each meal, you know, sample a bite of this and taste of that. Tea seems the ideal opportunity to delight the senses with both sweet and savory.

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If you’d like help with ideas for the menu when hosting a tea party, here’s a book that comes highly recommended.

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Although the U.K. has always been the country I think of when I think of tea, there are countries all over the globe that specialize in growing fine tea. I have a neighbor from India who wholesales premium teas from her homeland. Alton Brown, the scientist/chef from Food TV has listed his recipe for the perfect cup of tea. This is the technique Mr. B. and I follow when we brew a cup of tea.

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Ingredients
4 heaping teaspoons loose tea
4 cups water
Directions
Place loose tea leaves into a warmed tea kettle. Pour heated water over loose tea leaves. Let steep. Strain tea and serve.

Notes
*Note: For Oolong and Green tea, water should simmer at 200 degrees F. and 180 degrees F.

*For Irish and English tea bring water to a full boil.

*Black tea should soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Oolong tea should soak for 4 to 7 minutes. Green Tea should soak for 2 to 3 minutes.

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Years ago, when I was a stay-at-home-mom, Linda, Gretchen (two of my oldest and dearest friends) and I would have tea at one another’s home at least once or twice a month. The kids would play and we’d drink tea, munch on goodies and compare notes on parenting and such. Today we continue the tradition when Linda visits from her Bainbridge Island home. We alternate between Gretchen’s home and mine and most of our teas are morning teas so we always include homemade scones. My first post about my scone recipe, and how I came to obtain it can be found HERE.

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Here is my recipe for scones. No, they aren’t health food scones.

English Scones – Cranberry Orange Glazed

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup butter (melted)

1½ cup Craisins or raisins (or diced pecans if making Maple scones)

¾ buttermilk

Glaze (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoon orange juice (or maple syrup for maple glaze)

½ teaspoon orange oil (or maple extract for maple glaze)

¼ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons milk (more if necessary to make liquid spread easily)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, buttermilk and *Craisins and mix until incorporated. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1″ thickness. Cut to desired size with cutter or knife. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (if using glaze, omit this step). Lay on parchment paper, Silpat or lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Top with Orange glaze or omit the Craisins and substitute maple extract for the vanilla and add Maple glaze

Do you enjoy tea? Do you fuss with loose tea or throw a tea bag in a cup of hot water. I do that sometimes and it’s okay. Let me know of any specialty teas that you are fond of, I’m always interested in trying new things.

{Party} Dishes, a passion or illness?

02 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Dinnerware

Note: In order to join Alison at The Polohouse for her Favorites on the First, what’s your favorite dish pattern, I had to dig into my archives. Please note that this was originally posted May 7, 2010.

I should have seen the signs—when my husband and I married, 37 years ago (by the way, I was a child bride {smile}) I registered for everyday dishes and for a pottery that would serve as my china. Both sets were Dansk patterns. Dansk designs were popular in the early seventies. The pattern Bistro reflected the earthy look that was popular during the day. It was a simple plate that was the color of chocolate chip ice cream and had a double band of chocolate brown on the outer edge of the plate. The china substitute was an all white pottery that I believe (my memory on this is a little fuzzy, probably because Dansk discontinued the pattern before I could amass more than 4 place settings) was called Basketweave for it’s basket weave white on white edge.

Grandma’s China

Bottom line, Dansk discontinued several items I had registered for, including my crystal and that’s my excuse for the dish addiction I am afflicted with—I hear there is no cure.

After being married a few years I decided that I had made an error in not registering for fine china—my husband worked for Xerox at the time and they had a sales contest where you could earn points that could be cashed in for goods. As a result I ended up with Lenox, Autumn for my china and Wallace Grand Baroque as my sterling silver flatware—all thanks to my husbands hard work and Xerox, thank you very much.

I eventually tired of the chocolate brown trimmed dishes, one of the symptoms of the dish disease, and stumbled upon Portmeirion, Botanic Garden. You will be surprised to learn that I used them for 20 years before deciding I really wanted the following patterns, not all at once but over a period of about 15 years: Villeroy & Boch patterns: Audun, Chambord (a very simple off-white) and Petite Fleur. Blue and white dishes came in the form of Churchill Blue Willow (a lucky find on eBay). I then inherited my grandmother’s china (shown above), imprinted with RC Made in Japan (if anyone knows more about this manufacturer I’d love to hear from you). Her pattern is lovely and is a white bone china with a gold band and tiny violets scattered on the plates.

By this time in the illness, I realized if I only bought dinner plates I would be happy and I could use white salad plates and accessories. Please understand, I didn’t want to part with any of the patterns when I set my sites on a new pattern. I truly enjoyed using each and every pattern for different seasons and celebrations.

Churchill Blue Willow

Which brings me to the holday dishes—Spode Christmas Tree and Churchill Thanksgiving, a pattern with very cute turkeys on each piece.

Do any of you have this disease? Do you know of a cure?

I’m joining Alison at The Polohouse for her Favorites on the First. If you have the dish addiction you’ll want to visit her site!

{Home and Party} Flower Arrangement Ideas

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Flowers

≈ 20 Comments

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Flower Arranging Ideas

For me, flowers are one of life’s little treasures. Whether they’re growing in your garden or purchased at the farmer’s market/grocery store, they seem to brighten a room, not to mention the mood.

That’s why I’m sure it will come as no surprise to my blog friends that I enjoy entertaining almost as much as time spent in the garden. Flower arrangements are the best way to satisfy that creative interest with the simple grouping of a bouquet.

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With internet access, there are endless flower arranging ideas for the sharing. I recently did tour of the topic over at Home Talk. This site is relatively new to me {thanks, Victoria} but like Pinterest and others, you can zero in on specifics and gain a host of inspiration in a short span of time.

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Using a garden urn as a table centerpiece adds a bit of drama and elegance to the table.

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I invite you to visit my clipboard of Flower Arrangement Ideas over at Home Talk. I think you’ll see lots of great ideas on the subject and possibly get lost in the vast array creative inspiration.

{Home Talk ~ Flower Arrangements}

What are you flowers are you arranging this summer?

Join me at Favorites on the First at The Polohouse.

{GHP} No words…that is so you.

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Gardening, House and Home, Personal Information

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

dreams, interests

If you had to select images to describe who you are, what you’re all about, your dreams, your style, your passions, how would they look? What would be on the canvas? I was pondering this notion and decided it would be fun to pull together a host of images that I believe reflect my style, hobbies, interests, and dreams (big, big dreams). Vicki Archer of the always entertaining French Essence recently posted about ‘signature style’ where fashion is concerned.

Since I tend to obsess over homes and their surroundings, more than pencil skirts, {although I do love clothes and especially pencil skirts} these are images that inspire me, reflect my “favorite” design style, or at the very least make me sigh.

No words…