Corn & Garden Vege Salad

Isn't this bowl adorable?  It is Temptations in the flower garden pattern. Look at the cute lady bug and bow decor on the inside edge!

 I made a fresh vegetable salad using grilled corn, tomatoes,  celery, cucumber and green pepper.  Just cut the corn off the cob and chop the vegetables into bite size pieces. Hope you have celery on hand, because I think it makes this salad extra good! I chopped some Basil to add to it, too.

 The dressing is simple ... Just mix 3/4 cup of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of mustard, a Tablespoon of white vinegar (I used my own Basil infused), a Tablespoon of olive oil (I used lemon infused), as much bleu cheesse as you'd like and a pinch of sugar or Splenda. Whip it all together and add it to the salad just before serving.

 It was delicious served with Sloppy Joes!  I'll be sharing this with a few blog parties listed on my sidebar. Make sure you click through and visit!!

Flower Boxes on the Back Deck!

My flower boxes at the back of the house have done really well this summer.  I don't have much sun in that spot ... lots of big shade trees ... so I planted shade loving coleus and they have grown so big that I've clipped them a couple times and started new plants!  My aunt used to do that and put them in quart jars in water and tuck them away in a window in a little potting shed.  She would leave them there all winter and have new plants in the spring!

When Miss Phoebe was just a toddler, I started putting little figurines in these planters. One year I used a bunch of ceramic chickens, another year I had ceramic fish from the dollar store. This is the second year I've put these thrift shop figurines in the boxes. See Pinkie and Blue Boy?

If you'd like to see the tablescape shown in the first picture, 
click through right here!

I'll share this post with a couple of parties listed in my sidebar, so make sure you visit them!  Stick around my home page, though.  You'll surely find something else you enjoy!

Vintage Basket Weave Dinnerware

I've had a cute set of vintage dishes that I've wanted to use all summer for a back deck tablescape. I bought them at my favorite collectible shop in the Spring. They are a 1960s Corelle pattern that was made in Mexico during the time the company hooked up with Vitrelle Glass. That is about the time we started seeing all kinds of Corelle glass patterns in dinnerware. Remember the green and the burgundy ... and clear? I had never seen this pattern until I saw it in the junk shop and I knew it would make great outdoor dinnerware. (Not that I don't already have three sets of clear patterned glass that is durable enough for the deck.)

In this photograph, you can see the basket weave pattern. I can think of lots of ways to use this, but for this table ... I wanted lots of color and a place mat that would show up well ... beneath the glass.  

In this collage, you can see various elements of the setting. The flatware is Cambridge and I've had it for years. The glasses are Fostoria Mignon from the 1980s. Don't you love the tiny basket holding the napkin? I have several of those and a small tree-shaped stand that they fit in ... You've probably seen that in my Halloween posts. I use it and fill the little baskets with candy. They are actually intended to hold tiny plants!

Rabbits are a year-round decoration at my house! The back yard is full of them right now and they all run for the dogless kennel, when the dog hits the yard! (He never gets in his kennel.)

I believe this cute little glass basket is Fenton ... no positive. It has been in my china cabinet for decades and I remember the bouquet from my Valentine ... that was in it! He had a special flower shop he used and they knew that he cared more about the quality of the container than the flowers!

Phoebe and I hit the clearance aisle at Walmart the other day, looking for anything for crafting. Instead, we found this table cloth with fringe on the ends. It was probably a part of the summertime outdoor decor that I tried to ignore this year! Didn't cost much, so I grabbed it figuring it would work for a tablescape of some sort! It did!

I'll be sharing this tablescape with a few parties this week ... They are listed on my sidebar. Stick around my home page for a while though ...

Carrot Cake Made With Splenda

I've had Diabetes for fifteen years and never had much trouble keeping my blood sugars down ... until this summer.  Guess the old body changed and the meds quit working, so I have had to really start watching my diet. As a result, I've started baking with Splenda and so far, the product is really working. This is not a paid announcement for Splenda ... a store brand product works just as well!

I had a bundle of sweet tiny carrots from the CSA for a couple of weeks and decided to use them in a cake.  I've been baking empty nest size cakes (cutting recipes in half and baking one layer ... or baking in a small Bundt pan or springform pan). If you want a 13x9 or two layers, double my recipe.

I used Splenda in the icing, too. It is that old recipe for buttercream that requires cooking flour and milk to make a thickening agent.

Cook 1/2 cup milk and 3 Tablespoons of flour, whisking constantly, until the mixture forms a paste.  Let this cool completely.  Whip 1/2 cup Splenda, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1/2 cup fluffy shortening and 1/2 cup butter until well combined.  Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and the flour paste and continue whipping.






For the cake, I used the Splenda brown sugar blend. It is important to know that if you are converting recipes, you use just half the amount of Splenda brown sugar blend ... to replace brown sugar.  If the recipe calls for a cup of brown sugar ... use just 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar.

Carrot Cake Made with Splenda

½ cup Splenda brown sugar

¾ cup canola oil

2 eggs

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

1/4 cup raisins

½ cup walnuts halves or pieces

½ pound carrots, grated

Small can crushed pineapple with juice

I used the food processor fitted with the chopping blade to make this batter. First thing I did was chop the carrots. Then I dropped in walnut halves and all the other ingredients and blended it together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.  If you are using an eight or nine inch pan, it will take a little more than 30 minutes.  For my deep 7-inch pan, it took 45 minutes. When the top springs back when you touch it ... or when a pick inserted comes out clean ... the  cake is done.

Now, if you are asking yourself if this preparation should have been done in proper stages ... whipping the eggs, oil and Splenda together ... sifting dry ingredients and adding them ... etc.  The answer is no! I know how to bake and I know how to save time in the kitchen.  Because this cake is dense and moist, it can be blended together in the food processor ... all the ingredients at one time!

Doesn't this make you hungry for carrot cake?

I'll be sharing this with a few blog parties listed on my sidebar, but stick around my home page first. You might find another recipe you want to try!

Tomato Tart with Cheese Custard

I've had the most wonderful cherry tomatoes from the CSA .. all colors and sizes and finally decided to make a tart with some of them.  I learned from experience, that the best tomato tarts include tomatoes, which have had most of the juice squeezed out of them.  Cutting my little tiny tomatoes in half and squeezing them gently over a bowl ... accomplished that.






For the crust, I used a packaged piece of puff pastry.  This is found in the refrigerator section of the supermarket ... not frozen.

It is very easy to use ... Simply unroll it onto a sprayed baking sheet. I just rolled the edges ... didn't really crimp them.





I filled the pastry with cheese custard. It is really easy ... whip 2 eggs with 1 cup of half and half and 1/2 cup of sour cream.  Whip in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and another 1/2 cup of Swiss cheese or Mozzarella.

Then I somewhat carefully placed my tomato halves into the custard.






I sprinkled more shredded cheese over the top and included several pieces of Basil.  Notice the purple basil flowers ... I use those, too!









Bake this at 400 degrees for approximately 35 minutes.  Once the cheese starts browning on the top, it is ready.

Let it cool at least 15 minutes before removing it to a cutting board and cutting it into pieces.  This is perfect for appetizers, brunch or lunch.  It is best served warm or at room temperature, but be sure to refrigerate the left overs

I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties listed in my sidebar.  Stick around my home page for awhile, though ... You might find something else you like!  Enjoy fresh tomatoes while the season is flourishing!

Floral Vignette with Antique Mirror

I've been collecting little things all summer from our junk store jaunts ... to create a floral vignette in one of my bathrooms. The bathroom "fall leaves" wallpaper is old and I will never change it because I love it! Fall leaves are sometimes hard to decorate around ... it is kind of "one season only" ... so I create a little vignette when I want to make a change! Last week, I found a beautiful antique tabletop mirror and that made me finally finish this little project! Isn't it a beauty? Everything in this vignette, excepts the books and the candle came from our junk jaunts!

I love all these things, but my favorite might be this crewel of violets ... just because I love violets!  The two framed crewels started the concept. I paid a big paper dollar for each of them! Then I found four Bradford Exchange collectible plates at Goodwill and paid a dollar for each of them!  What deals I was finding!  The vintage looking doll booklet was another dollar and the bunny, yet another dollar! I sure wasn't spending much!

The plates are truly Victorian looking, and I love that style ... though I have just one room in my house where it works ... and only because I have antique bedroom furniture!  So, why not incorporate a little Victorian look in this "fall only" bathroom!?

You'll notice some pretty ribbons in these pictures! I'll be using lots of it in the future because I bought a big box of ribbon from an old florist that closed thirty years ago! I guess that makes it vintage ribbon!

I love this mirror and suspect it is from a little while after the Art Nouveau period. It is molded wood, which was first produced in these kinds of vanity mirrors by the Syracuse Ornamental Company in 1890. They called it Soroco Wood ... and they continued to make these kinds of products through the 1940s and finally shifted to molding plastic in the 1960s. The mirror glass is slightly faded, which confirms its probable age back to the 1940s. It is certainly a stand-out piece of decor and you'll see it in future posts! I have lots of plans for this little mirror!

There you have it!  My junkin' decor! I'll be sharing this with a few of the parties listed on my side bar, but before you move on ... browse my home page! You'll find other posts that might interest you.

Shrimp and Tomato Blast!

At my house, shrimp is "fast food"!  I really enjoy throwing together quick pasta or stir-fry meals using big shrimp. The tomatoes from our CSA have been so colorful and delicious, I've been putting them in many things. You'll see another post in a few days about other ways to use those tomatoes! This recipe is really easy! I don't heavily sauce recipes like this one. I want the fresh vegetable flavors to come blasting through!

The ingredients included chopped onions, chopped green pepper, a few cherry tomatoes sliced in half ... a few 16 count shrimp and a couple cups of cooked pasta. I quickly fried the green peppers and onions in a little olive oil ... and let the onions caramelize. I added the shrimp and turned them just once. It just takes a few minutes for them to be done. Then I dropped in the tomatoes and let them burst in the sizzling olive oil. I stirred in a Tablespoon of tomato paste and about a cup of the cooking liquid from the pasta, which made a nice light coating for everything. A couple grinds of fresh pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese ... and the meal was complete!

I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties listed in my side bar, but stick around my home page before you move on. You might find another recipe you like!

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

It was 98 degrees today in Southern Illinois, so that meant time for the crockpot again! I had a Sunday of reading planned ... trying to get started on the 7th book of the Outlander series ... so cooking inside or outside was not on my Sunday agenda!

This recipe is so good. It does take a little prep time, but within 30 minutes I was out of the kitchen! I used bone in chicken pieces (with skin) that I'd already cut up and frozen ... and thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Dredge the chicken in a light coating of flour and pan fry it in a little olive oil ... turning it one time ... and frying it just long enough to put some  color on the skin. Place each piece in the crock pot and try to make a single layer. I drizzled a couple Tablespoons of the pan juices/oil over the meat, ground a generous amount of white pepper over the meat, then topped each piece of chicken with a slice of lemon and tossed in several sprigs of Rosemary. Miss Phoebe's blue chair garden is really producing! Add a cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the pot ... cover the crockpot and turn it on high. This usually takes about 3 hours, depending upon the size of the pieces. 

This week's CSA share provided these great purple string beans, more colorful potatoes and sweet onions. I cooked those in my little crock pot with a small piece of smoked pork and plenty of ground pepper! I covered them with water and since this wasn't a big batch and it took less than two hours to be deliciously tender.

The sauce remaining in the crock pot is perfect to serve over rice, noodles or even mashed potatoes. It also makes a really good base for lemon chicken soup, so mine went right to the freezer for a snowy day next winter, when I'll be complaining about the cold temperatures!

I'll share this post with a few of the parties listed in my sidebar. Make sure you stick around my home page a little while to check out other recipes!

Roasted Eggplant Dip

A beautiful deep aubergine eggplant was included in my CSA bag, and I wanted to do something kind of special with it. Eggplant is delicious grilled, but I wanted to savor it and not just gobble it up! I decided to make dip with it, so I could nibble on it over a couple days and really enjoy it!

I sliced the eggplant and a cut a green bell pepper into quarters; drizzled them in lemon infused olive oil and grilled them ... to obtain a pretty char and a wonderful smokey flavor.

The recipe is so simple and can be adjusted to suit your tastes. I blended the vegetables with 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of Tahini, a Tablespoon of sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper ... and several leaves of fresh mint.

The flavor of this dip is delightful ... intense ... every bite bursts with smoky, nutty freshness!  I'll share this post with a few of the blog parties listed in my sidebar ... but stick around my homepage for awhile!  You'll find other things you like!  Enjoy!

Fried Purple Potatoes!

I have always had "one of those faces" ... When I'm in the grocery store, I am sometimes stopped ... especially by college students ... and asked how to prepare something. That has ranged from "how to cut up a chicken" to "how to fry potatoes"!  There is a trick to frying good potatoes. I decided I'd post more purple potatoes that came from the CSA project, so I fried a couple with a white potato.  My mother used to keep potatoes boiled and refrigerated, so when she needed to fry them, it wouldn't take as long. These were fried from the raw state.

If you wash your sliced potatoes, make sure you shake them dry. The water on the potatoes will cause the oil to splatter when you drop them in the skillet. Slice them thin and drop them in preheated hot oil. Immediately turn the burner down to medium, and put a lid on the skillet. This lets the potatoes steam so they get tender. Leave the lid on for a few minutes, then remove it and turn the potatoes over. You'll know if you need to steam them for a longer period of time. If you can't stick a fork through the potato slice, put the lid back on for a few minutes. I always add chopped onion to my fried potatoes. Put the onion in the skillet at the same time you put the potatoes in. After the potatoes are done, turn the burn heat on high again and finish the potatoes with some quick browning. Salt and pepper them. Add a little fresh dill, if you'd like.

Pork Marsala

I love anything prepared with Marsala wine! I didn't want to cook ... but I did! I wanted to prepare a meal and a second meal for the freezer! Out came my crock pot!

This meal is simple to put together. I simply layered pork tenderloin chops (which I always cut and freeze myself ... from a whole loin) - with chopped onion and a lot of sliced mushrooms! I had those beautiful baby carrots, so I added them to the pot.  I seasoned this with a few pieces of a garlic scapes I've been using for a month! My garlic scapes came in my CSA bag from the Southern Illinois University Agriculture students! You can use garlic paste, of course.  I added several grinds of black pepper and a good sprinkle of chopped parsley and you are almost ready! I poured 1 1/2 cups of beef broth over the whole thing and set the crock pot on high. It  cooked for 3 hours and the meat was fork tender.  I don't add the wine until the last 30 minutes of cooking and I use it to make a corn starch slurry ... 1 cup of Marsala wine with 3 Tablespoons of corn starch. Put the lid back on the crock pot and let it cook so the broth thickens.

I'll be sharing this post with a few of the blog parties listed in my sidebar, but make sure you stick around my home page for a little while.  You might find another recipe you like!  Yes ... you can make this with chicken breasts and I don't use veal anymore, but the broth is wonderful over tender beef.

Purple Potato Bread!

I've been getting little purple potatoes in my CSA bag, and I decided to make a loaf of bread using some of them ... just to see how neat it would be! I used my bread machine and the recipe follows. I left part of the peels on the potatoes when I boiled and mashed them, so little bits would show up in the texture of the bread! I love it!

Mashed Potato Bread

1 cup water from boiling the potatoes - at room temperature
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/4 cup white bread flour
1 1/2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast

Begin by pouring the water and oil into the bread pan. Next, add the flour, salt, sugar and milk powder (or powdered creamer). Add the yeast and then add the mashed potatoes. Bake according to your machine's instructions. This makes a large loaf and I used the white bread setting.

Just look at those little purple specks! This bread is delicious. The texture is gooey and soft and the crust is crispy!

I'll be sharing this with a few blog parties, so make sure you click through to visit!