Showing posts with label mermaids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mermaids. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Cocktails On The Terrace






Cocktails On The Terrace 

Courtesy Of 





A gift of party mixers and

 a gorgeous hand painted pitcher

 recently floated my way from

 Mary's lakeside abode.





In celebration of my "booty"

from Mary's Blue Crab Bay Giveaway,

I'm serving drinks and appetizers.




The beautiful stoneware pitcher 

is the original design of nationally known

 folk artist,  José Dovis.

One side features a blue crab. 




The other, a grapevine design 

inspired by the vineyards 

of the Chesapeake Bay Region.




I filled the pitcher with 

flowers for our table this evening.

~ Grevillea ~Lysimachia ~ Eucalyptus ~ Roses ~

 This stoneware pitcher will be perfect for

 serving drinks when we host a group.




The Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer

is award winning with a rich

 blend of tomato and clam juice.

Great to cook with, Blue Crab Bay's 

web site offers a variety of recipes that use 

Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer.




The jalapeno infused margarita mixer

offers a real zing to the traditional lime margarita.





How about a little something to 

munch on with your tasty drinks?




~ Snow Crab Claws ~

 The Perfect Cocktail Appetizer




Pick them up 

by the claws and   .   .   .




Dip them into 

a spicy red sauce.




I'm enjoying mine with an

ice cold zesty margarita.




I salted the rim with

Cyprus Lemon Sea Salt.




All gone and

 ready for another!




The "chef" is having Blue Crab Bay's

signature Sting Ray Bloody Mary.




We may be landlocked in central Texas,

but for this evening's cocktail hour,

 we can feel the ocean breeze.

 Thank you, Mary!





 won a Blue Crab Bay gift too.

The two of us planned to have a virtual party with 

cocktails here and dinner at Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.

Some of you may know that Kitty's husband is terminally ill. 

 He is now receiving Hospice Care.  

Kitty asked me to let her blogging friends know.  

Please keep Kitty and her family in your 

 thoughts and prayers as they travel this journey.


Joining


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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Let's Dish ~ Nantucket, an Island Destination




Let's Dish 

about my favorite island destination,

~ Nantucket ~




Nantucket is a wind swept island 

30 miles out to sea off the coast of Cape Cod.  

Only fourteen miles long and three and a half miles wide, 

the island is full of beauty, charm, and history.  

It long ago stole my heart and imagination.


Atlantic Cafe 

is one of my favorite island haunts.





So with thoughts of my beloved Nantucket, 

I've set a lunch table for you today.  

Please come in and join me for a bowl of 

New England clam chowder.


 I filled some of my Nantucket Lightship Baskets with 

 cut flowers and gathered them together with scrimshaw 

 boxes onto a large Courtly Check tray from MacKenzie-Childs.




The tureen is Nantucket Basket by Wedgwood.

The details on this piece replicate the details 

found on many of the Nantucket Lightship Baskets.




The distinctive shape and simplicity of 

Nantucket Lightship Baskets make them unique.

You can read more about the fascinating history of this craft  here.




The oak or cane staves of these baskets are 

formed over a wooden mold and then woven with fine cane.



A Nantucket Lightship Basket 

holds fresh rolls right out of the oven.


This young man holds a little salt and pepper

should you desire more seasoning in your chowder.

He's French and must have come ashore from 

one of the many sailing vessels moored in the harbor.


Our lunch table is set with the theme 

of sailing ships and Nantucket Lightship Baskets.


The chowder bowl features another 

jaunty sailor who sailed into port from France.

Notice the French flag on his ship?

This bowl is a limited edition issue of a design in the 

Musée des Faiences de Quimper's archives.


The concentric rings of yellow and blue of the 

Quimper bowl contrast with the woven pattern of the

Nantucket Basket dinner plate.  Both sit atop a 

square red plate by Waechtersbach, Germany, 

all on a simple woven placemat.


The organic shape and feel of the 

Treble Clef flatware reminds me of seaweed.


The whaling industry was an 

important part of the history of Nantucket.



Scrimshaw, the American version of ivory carvings,

is the folk art of carving on whale teeth or bones

and was an important part of the daily life aboard whaling ships.

While antique scrimshaw pieces are highly collectable and 

 expensive, the above collage is of three inexpensive pieces 

purchased as souvenirs while visiting Nantucket.  

The "woven" piece top right is made from bone, 

but the other two pieces are made of synthetic ivory.  


The detail is carved into the bone and then later inked in.




It's said that mermaids 

live off the coast of Nantucket. 




I spied this unusual Mermaid teapot 

for sale at Anthropologie a few years ago.

 Sadly she never did swim home with me.


Now this beauty is no longer available.  

Glad I snapped these photos when I first saw her.

My tip for Stone Gable's Weekly Meme:

Buy it when you see it!


Speaking of beauties .   .   .
~ Perfect Patty ~

 for the girl that always has style

 with a little understated touch.

 
This gorgeous seashell cuff was created by

Kelley of Teacups and Ponies.  

I was the lucky recipient when Kelley

hosted a giveaway of one of her original designs.




Thank you, Kelley. 

 I hope you'll stop by to visit  Teacups and Ponies.  

Tell Kelley I sent you!




~ Nantucket ~

My Favorite Island Destination

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Monday, May 17, 2010

MERMAIDS IN THE BASEMENT


MERMAIDS IN THE BASEMENT

By Michael Lee West is available here on Amazon.
I give this book *****.



This is my 7th book review linked to Food for Thought hosted by the incredibly talented Jain of Once in a Blue Moon and Food with Style. Those of you here for Pink Saturday will find pink scattered about. This post is also linked to Foodie Friday which is hosted by the talented author of this book, Michael Lee West.



I started early~Took my dog~
And visited the Sea
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me
~ Emily Dickinson ~

The title, MERMAIDS IN THE BASEMENT, was inspired from the first lines of Emily Dickinson's poem. The novel is a charming tale of relationships: those between women; those of mothers and daughters; those of fathers and daughters.


Author, Michael Lee West

It's interesting to note that Michael Lee wrote the first version of this book two decades ago. She wasn't satisfied with it, packed it away in a shopping bag, and left it to languish in the attic. Luckily for her fans, Michael Lee retrieved those pages, reworked the plot, and the end result is this delightfully funny and heartwarming novel.



Thirty-three year old Renata, a Hollywood screenplay writer raised in New Orleans and coastal Alabama, has recently lost both her mother and stepfather in a fatal plane crash. Mourning her loss, Renata retreats to her deceased parents' beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Michael Lee said, "The title serves as a metaphor for Renata's depression and for the hidden past, bringing the truth out of the darkness, into the light."



Renata has spent six weeks by herself at the cottage working on her screenplay while Ferg, her filmmaker sweetheart, is on location in Ireland filming his current project. With writer's block sabotaging her work, an extra 20 pounds gained from indulging in salt water taffy, and a tabloid story about her sweetheart having an affair with a hot young actress, it's no wonder this character is feeling depressed.



A trip to Point Clear on the Gulf Coast of Alabama to spend time with her grandmother and former nanny, leads to some remarkable family discoveries. With a mug of jasmine tea, plate of gingersnaps, and a family photo album, family secrets begin to unravel.



To complicate matters, Renata's emotionally distant father is about to marry for the fourth time. An engagement party with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and a mysterious incident thickens the plot.



Though Texas isn't thought of as being part of the deep south, there were many references in this book that I could easily relate to and laugh about. Where I grew up, no one had cooks or full time help in the home, but the food references . . . yes, indeed. This book is a treasure chest of southern hospitality.



Even though it's not about mermaids, a theme of mermaids is woven through the stories told within this book. Full of references to southern food, MERMAIDS IN THE BASEMENT is a perfect novel for an edible book review.



Much of the stories take place in New Orleans and Louisiana, so I pulled out some appropriate cookbooks.



Crab, shrimp, oysters, and a number of fish dishes came to mind.



But a bowl of shrimp gumbo is what I chose.



Spicy gumbo with garlic French bread



Louisiana Shrimp Gumbo made with a dark roux, shrimp, and okra



And for dessert . . . southern pecan pie



A treat from the mermaids



Sweet, dark, and oh, so rich




Do you hear the song of the siren calling from the deep?



Be cautious or she'll entice you with her sweet voice and lure you to the sea.



If you find yourself on a beach this summer . . .



I recommend you take along a copy of this book and see for yourself how a string of pearls and chocolate covered strawberries put the bride-to-be in a coma.



Michael Lee West, the author of five novels, is a marvelous story teller. Her characters are full of personality, and the words on the pages ooze southern charm. You can visit Michael Lee's web site here. To learn about the simple pleasures of farm life, visit Michael Lee's blog, Designs by Gollum, where you'll find inspiration for interior design, cooking, and setting beautiful tables.



More edible book reviews for today's Food for Thought can be found by clicking here.



I've recently discovered a charming blog full of beautiful poetry and photos. Pop on over to Heart of a Wizardess to enjoy a lovely pinkolicious post and welcome this first time Pink Saturday participant. You'll find a complete list of other Pink Saturday participants @ Beverly's How Sweet the Sound.



Continue Reading....
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