StoneGable: 04/01/2010

StoneGable Tutorial- Making Fondant Daisies

Thursday, April 29, 2010 Labels: Fondant Daisy Tutorial

The bride loves daisies and her favorite color is yellow! So for her bridal shower I made light and lemony cupcakes with a lemon cream cheese icing. And topped them off with big and happy fondant daisies.

These daisies were quite easy to make and the cupcakes looked so pretty on the dessert table... here's a step-by step culinary tutorial so you can recreate these special daisy inspired cupcakes...

CLICK TO READ MORE »

A Bridal Shower Tablescape

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 Labels: Bridal Shower Tablescape

April Showers Bring May ... Brides: Part I

April Showers may bring May flowers, but not at StoneGable. April Showers brought a bride-to -be to our home for a surprise bridal shower. It might have been a showery day but inside it was all sunshine and best wishes for our blushing bride!

My daughter is the matron of honor ( how can one so young be called a matron?) and I had the honor of helping to plan, execute and host this blissful event.

We wanted the shower to have a "whimsical", "vintage" and "organic" feel. Lots of natural elements. A sort of Anthropology meets StoneGable.

The theme for the party was "lovebirds".

Using things around the house was a must to keep us within budget. So we gathered birdhouses, nests, twigs, sticks, moss and any other organic thing we could find. The colors were soft and cool. Spring greens, soft blues and delicate aquas. Whites and hues of brown give interest. And every now and then a pop of yellow, just for fun.

The bridal shower tablescapes will be posted in two installments. This week will feature the luncheon table. Next week the dessert table.

The dining room table was set with a savory luncheon. We used the table in the kitchen for desserts and a table in the foyer for drinks. I really like to station the food and drink at a party to get people moving around and using different parts of my home.

The chandelier is decorated with branches of curly willow to give a tree like effect. A little bird nest is tucked in the branches.

A tall birdhouse with a newly painted roof, anchors one end of the table. At it's base, paper plates and napkins are displayed inside a long birch basket along with a sweet nest and some filler. A clear creamer filled with whimsical daisies and little white bird salt and pepper shakers are a cheery welcome to the table.

Untensils are gathered up in whitewashed terracota pots with saucers. Moss is placed in the saucers for an earthy touch.

Near the opposite end of the table a little worn birdhouse is placed on a burlap runner near the finger sandwiches.

A wire cloche filled with small eggs and twiggy balls, a rustic nest and larger twig balls make an interesting grouping of natural elements next to the birdhouse.

One of the brides favorite flowers are daisies. They are incorporated into the theme in different shaped vases.

In the center of the table a profusion of daisies fill a large ruffled edge vase. Aqua glass pebbles at the bottom of the vase continue the color scheme.

More daisies!

Little eggs are used to tell our guests about each dish.

The tablescape is the supporting actor for the main star... the food. Finger sandwiches, a thing of the refined past, are making a big comeback! And they were certainly a hit at the shower.

We served four different varieties grouped together on tiered pedestals.

Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans on Wheat

Triple decker Egg Salad with Cream Cheese and Zucchini Relish on White

Pimento Cheese Spread on White Topped With Chives

Turkey and Cheddar with Poppyseed Mayo on RyeTopped With a Granny Smith Apple Sliver and Balsamic Reduction

Across the table are my very favorite tea sandwiches sitting on a wreath made from eggs.

Ham on Mini Orange Poppyseed Muffins With A Honey Mustard Butter Beehive

Other dishes included:

Salmon Mousse With Assorted Crackers (I used to dress the salmon with cucumbers to look like gills, carrots for fins etc, but no one ever ate it!)

Artichoke Parmesan Dip With Homemade Herbs de Provence Pita Chips

Caprese Picks

Bleu Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad

Arugula Salad With Pine Nut And Shaved Parmesan In A Lemon Vinaigrette

There is something so wonderful about a bridal shower! It is a girl thing! We come together as a community of women, young and old, to offer our prayers and well wishes and share in a bride's great joy! It is a time of laughter and love and holding eachother dear!

It is my hope that this table inspires you to use what you have in creative ways to bless and bring beauty to those who come through your door!

Next weeks Tablescape will be the Bridal Shower Dessert Table... and here is just a little peek...

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch. Susan our wonderful host has a colorful and fun tablescape this week. And there are so many other fabulous tablescapes to visit too!

I am participating in To Have and To Hold, Wedding Blog Party at Angelic Accents. What fun! If you love all things wedding you need to check this out! Thank you to our lovely hostess, Stephanie!
Click HERE to visit!

StoneGable Menu Plan April 26- May 2, 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010 Labels: Menu Plan

Weekly Menu:

After hosting a bridal shower on Sunday, I am planning an easy dinner week. I've had my fill of cooking!
I am speaking at a woman's retreat this weekend, so I don't have to cook Firday and Saturday. Company is coming on Sunday and I can't wait!

I am still focusing on healthy lower calorie meals that are big on flavor and short on time. I will need that extra time this week to get my home back in order and get ready for the retreat.

Monday:
Balsamic Soy Chicken
Herbed Sauteed Rice
Roasted Asparagus with Cheddar Cheese

Recipe: Balsamic Soy Chicken:
4 Chicken breasts, sliced in two horizontally and pounded thin (make 2 extra chicken breasts for Wed. dinner)
salt and pepper
2 TBS olive oil
1/3 cup good balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 TBS butter

Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When hot, add pounded chicken breasts. Cook in batches. Do not crowd pan.Use other TBS olive oil as needed. Cook 3-4 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a platter. Loosly cover with foil to keep warm.

Put balsamic vinegar in pan and cook, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan. Cook until vinegar is reduced by half. Add soy sauce and any chicken juices accumulated on platter. Bring to a simmer.

Take pan off heat and add 1TBS butter. Stir butter to incorporate. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Pour over chicken.

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Day
Baby Greens with Stawberries, Almonds and Raspberry Champagne Vinaigrette
Slow Cooker Swiss Steak with Carrots
Mashed Potatoes

Recipe: Slow Cooker Swiss Steak with Carrots
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs round steak cut in 2-3 inch chunks
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion cut in thin strips
1 green pepper cut in thin strips
1 can (14.5) oz. stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup catsup
1 bag peeled baby carrots

Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge steak in four. Heat 1 TBS oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add steak in batches and brown the outside of the beef. Put beef in slow cooker. Add remaining oil to skillet and heat. Add onions and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add veggies to slow cooker. Put stewed tomatoes and catsup in skillet and stir up all the brown bits. Add tomatoes to slow cooker. Add carrots. Cook on low 8 hours.

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Day II
Chicken and Bean Burritos
Mexican Explosion Salad

Recipe: Chicken and Bean Burritos
2 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1 cup rice, uncooked
2 cup chicken broth
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can mexican-style stewed tomatoes
2/3 cup frozen corn
2 tsp ground chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
6 8-inch flour or wheat tortillas
1/4 cup plus fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (low fat if you must)

Place rice through cumin into slow cooker and stir to mix. Cook for 4-5 hours on low until rice is done.
Add chicken and cook on high for 30 minutes till chicken is warm.

Place 1/2 cup mixture on tortilla and wrap up. Top each burrito with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Recipe: Mexican Explosion Salad
This salad is full of great mexican flavor. Click HERE for recipe. Look under Saturday's SG menu. I make it often for lunch too.

Thursday:
Chicken Fettuccine with Broccoli and Mushrooms
Fresh Tomatoes dressed with Basil and Olive Oil

Recipe: Chicken Fettuccine with Broccoli and Mushrooms
4 cups broccoli
2 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb box whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups sliced mixed mushrooms, a mix is delicious
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup cream sherry- or you can use dry
2 cups low-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut stems off broccoli and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cream sherry, scraping up any brown bits; bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until almost evaporated-about 1 minute.

Whisk milk and flour in a bowl, making a slurry. Add to the skillet with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add chicken and broccoli until warmed through. Add the sauce to the pasta; gently toss. Serve immediately.

Friday: Away at Calvery Monument's Women's Retreat

Saturday: Away at Calvery Monument's Women's Retreat

Sunday: Company's Coming
Grilled Talipia Pockets
Asparagus Gruyere Tart
Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts, Shaved Parmesan and Lemon Vinaigrette

Recipe: Grilled Talipia Pockets
2 leeks, washed, cut into thin slices- use white and LIGHT green part
1 TBS olive oil
8 talipia fillets
2 lemons. one sliced very thin
2 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat grill on low setting.
In a large skillet heat 1 TBS olive oil over meduim heat. Add leek and cook unto wilted, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Brush each fish with olive oil. Salt and pepper.

Lay out four sheets of aluminum foil---large enough to wrap around each piece of fish and make a pocket. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place slices of lemon on foil. Place two fillets on the lemons. Add leeks. Squirt the juice of a lemon divided, on all fish. Wrap up into packets and grill on low for about 10 minutes. Fish shoud be flakey and not dry.

Recipe: Asparagus and Gruyere Tart
This is a lovely, company worthy side dish. It also makes a showy lunchen meal served with a salad.
Of course something this good is from Martha Stewart. Click HERE for recipe.

Recipe: Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts, Shaved Parmesan and Lemon Vinaigrette
This is my all time favorite salad. And everyone just loves it! So spring inspired and mouth watering!
Click HERE and see Tuesday's SG Menu.

Preview of upcoming week:

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!

Sunday Scripture

Sunday, April 25, 2010 Labels: Sunday Scripture

Sunday Scripture:

The Dead Sea, Israel

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

And He will give you the desires of His heart. Pa 37:3-4

Tag, I'm It!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Playing Along:

My BBF (Best Blogging Friend) Maggie at The White Farmhouse wants to play tag! She asked me to re-post the 6th picture I ever posted. Just a quick note about Maggie- she is hysterical! I love to visit her. She has what I call the Lucille Ball factor. Her antics and life make her irresistably charming. Click HERE to visit this wonderful blog.

I have been thinking a lot lately about my blogging journey. I have been blogging for 7 months! When I started I could have never dreamed that this adventure would mean so much to me.

I have met so many wonderful people! I find our community warm, creative, sympathetic and encouraging. I could use about 100 more positive adjectives! And if you know me you know I love adjectives. I just want to travel the country, and for that matter the world, and visit all of you face to face!

I have been able to archive parts of my life and loves for my children and hopefully theirs children ...and so on. Do you think blogging will someday be the Little House On The Prairie of our times? I hope so. It is a chronicle of our generation.

Well, back to the 6th picture. My first post was about welcoming the world through my front door. This is part of my front door and my 6th picture. I was showing an etched looking "P" (for our last name) on a sidelight window. I was so enamored by the monogramed windows I saw in Savannah, I came right home and put one on mine.

Every season my front porch goes through a change. I usually have some kind of theme for planting pots and decorating. Last summer I called it "Profusion". I just wanted big plants, big color and a big statement. Hopefully you can see the pink- this is after all Pink Saturday.

Look carefully. Can you find Baby, our cat in this picture?

A wider shot of the front door and porch.. and Baby.

This is why I called my blog StoneGable... it is the name of our home. You can see the house sign in our stone gable.

If you would like to see my very first post click HERE.

Now be a good sport and play along- It's fun to take a walk down memory lane! Tag 10 people and do the same!

Tag your it:

Mrs. P @ Faithfulness Farm

Rachel @ The Atwoods

Mimi @ Bonjour Romance

The Tablescaper

Pattie and Allie @ Bramasole... To Yearn For The Sun

Patricia @ Butter Yum

Sue @ I Need Mom

Splenderosa @ Gems on Glamour

Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

And YOU ! I say the more the merrier...

Thanks Maggie, this WAS fun!

I am joing Chari at Happy To Design for Sunday Favorites. She is celebrating her 52nd- ONE YEAR- anniversary of Sunday Favorites! Congratulations to you Chari! As a new Sundy Favorites participant, I just love seeing posts from the past! Go over to Chari's great blog and catch up on the best of the best from the past!

I am participating in Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound, hosted by our dear Berverly. Beverly was just featured in the fabulous magazine, Artful Blogging to celebrate 2 YEARS of Pink Saturday! Congratulations to you, my talented friend!!!!

StoneGable Cream of Asparagus Soup

Thursday, April 22, 2010 Labels: Recipe: Soup

Healthy Lower Calorie Cream of Asparagus Soup:

Here at StoneGable our Asparagus beds are working overtime! The amusing and amazing thing about asparagus is how quickly it grows. It can grow inches in one day. So we are daily cutting fresh stalks for our dinner table.

My very favorite way to eat this delectable spring vegetable is roasted. And it is so easy.

Roasted Asparagus:

Put washed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Pop it into a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. And there it is... all delicious, lightly carmelized and tender crisp. I like to add a little lemon juice and zest or a sprinkle of shaved parmesan or cheddar cheese. Yummy!

This year I wanted to make Cream of Asparagus Soup. I love the taste of smooth rich cream soups but am not too excited about all the extra fat and calories a true cream soup would have.

My search for a suitable lo-cal substitute fell flat. I could not find one that was thick enough and discovered that without the fat in the cream the skinny soup did not have enough richness. I did find a couple of recipes using cottage cheese in place of cream, and I knew I was onto something. Taking from the best of many recipes I came up with one that I felt had the richness of a cream soup with some depth and complexity.

I hope you will try this semi guiltless cream soup!