Pink Rooster Saturday

Time for Pink Saturday hosted by

Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound.

Le chef is here with a delicious

cupcake iced in creamy pink frosting.

Enjoy!

Yesterday's Rooster Party at Bella Vista was a huge success. I'm still working my way through all the delightful parties. I never realized that there are so many different roosters out there. Hardly a duplicate in the bunch! Thanks, Barb, for hosting this hugely successful event. It was great fun!

A big thank you to each of you who visited and left a comment this week.

Pink Saturday is a day for posting something pink and in keeping with celebrating The Week of Roosters here at HFTS, here is my PINK Rooster.

Small French Faience Dish, Unsigned

Singing Heart

A Haiku for Lovers

by Hyacinth

With each new season

My love for you grows stronger~

My heart sings with joy.

August 2009

"Quand ce coq chantera, mon amour finira."

"When this rooster sings, my love will end."

The French saying is a declaration of undying love, since this particular rooster will NEVER sing!

This sweet sentiment is found on various items that one might give a friend or sweetheart. I also have several French faience snuffs in my collection with this quote. You can see them in the slideshow posted at the top of the sidebar. The haiku was written for my husband. Sunday we celebrate 34 years of marriage.

This little pink rooster is the finale of my week of roosters on parade. Another huge "Thank You!" to Barb for hosting yesterday's Rooster Party. It was definitely a party to crow about! An amazing 200+ participants.

Please click on "Comments" below to leave a note to let me know you stopped by today. I so appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

Then click here for more Pink Saturday Fun.

Happy Pink Saturday to All!

Come back on Monday for a double post with both Metamorphosis Monday and Blue Monday.

Have a great weekend!

It's Rooster Party Time!

It's Friday and time for the SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY hosted by Barb @ Bella Vista. I've been having lots of fun with my roosters all week long, but I'm eager to see everyone's roosters. 204 participants, now that's a party!

Let the

Party Begin!

Small tray of petit roosters, mostly gifts received from friends over the years.

For some reason roosters have always been a favored creature in my imagination. Perhaps it is the rooster's long association with France as a symbol of of vigilance, hope and faith. Or perhaps it is simply because roosters can be both regal or whimsical. What ever the reason, I find myself enchanted by these fellows.

This tiny box is English and includes the quote: "Outward appearances can be deceptive."

Paper Maché Hen and Rooster by French Artist, Aude Goalec

I don't often think of something as a favorite because I enjoy most everything in life. But these two are very dear to my heart. I spied them in a shop window when in Paris years ago. So these two birds have flow across the Atlantic!

Aude Goalec's "wordy" couple is made from French newspapers and includes clever details, like the "e" for the eye.

Morning room corner with French hanging pot rack, copper, & French faience.

Our home is rather eclectic in furnishings. We've always bought what we loved and mixed things in as we acquired them. As France is a favored travel destination, French faience has become one of my passions.

Birds of a feather flock together!

French Faience Plates Made to Commemorate World War I & II

Group of Yellow Quimper with English Hen on Nest

Limited Edition Plate from the Collection Musée des Faiences de Quimper with Sigma Hen on Nest and Mc Coy Rooster Vase

Sigma Les Petites Fleurs Rooster Pitcher and Tray, Hand Painted in Italy

Large Wooden Bowl by Susan Winget with Glass Rooster Filled with Peppers

Warren Kimble Glasses, MacKenzie-Childs Sugar Bowl, Simon Pierce Glass Pitcher, Plymouth Rock Rooster Hand Painted by Lefton China

This set of charming rooster glasses was a recent thrift shop find along with the Lefton rooster. Don't you just love recycling!

The tall glasses are a perfect size for ice tea on a hot summer day.

The rooster is a Plymouth Rock. It is hand painted and signed.

Group of Folk Art Items from Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Africa

I've always appreciated the charm and whimsey of the folk art of various cultures. If I'm traveling in a foreign country I seek out something small to bring home as a souvenir.

Notice the rooster riding among the produce atop the bus. The buses in Guatemala are actually much like this little figure. People and animals and all kinds of goods are loaded on top of the buses as well as packed inside.

Whimsical Long Necked Rooster Among Nantucket Baskets

Hand Carved Rooster by New Mexico artist, Mark Kluck

Clay Mural by New Mexico Artist, Priscilla Hoback

This sunny guy is right at home on our sun porch. Priscilla Hoback certainly captured this morning alarm clock!

Detail of Hoback Rooster

The Pink Adobe Cookbook, Favorite Recipes from the Past and Present

Artist Priscilla Hoback is the daughter of Rosalea Murphy, who opened the famed Pink Adobe Restaurant in Santa Fe, NM in 1944. Rosalea, an artist herself, wrote that she opened the Pink Adobe "to give herself the independence to "cook, paint, and support herself all under the same roof." Rosalea passed away in 2000. Her family published this cookbook to honor Rosalea Murphy's creative genius with both food and art. In addition to many personal photographs and amazing photos of prepared dishes, this book also features many of Rosalea's paintings. Needless to say, the one featured on the cover is a personal favorite. This book is a treat of both food and art!

Needlepoint in Progress with Rooster Scissors by WASA

I'm at work on a wonderful canvas that depicts the various motifs found on Quimper pottery. A friend and fellow collector designed and hand painted this canvas for me to stitch. I hope to complete it in the coming months!

THE ARTFUL THE CHICKEN by Linda Arnaud

If you are a big fan of roosters and hens, then you may want to add this delightful book to your bookshelf. This is a book of "great recipes and splendid objects for the passionate collector". This book is the ultimate SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY!

Once again, thank you for joining me and my rooster fellows. It's been fun week of Rooster Celebration! There are more of these guys roosting around here at HFTS, but I'll save them for another time. Right now I'm eager to get to all the great Rooster Parties out in Blogville. See you there! Just click here to go to Barb's @ Bella Vista to see a list of all who are participating in the SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY.

See you tomorrow for Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound. Yes, there will be a

Pink Rooster!

Here's To You, Julia! Bon Appétit!

Hyacinths For The Soul's Week of Roosters continues for Tablescape Thursday with our hostess Susan @Between Naps On The Porch.

Hope you enjoy dinner. The tarts are petite, so go ahead and have seconds!

A Tribute to

Julia Child

Let's celebrate Julia!

I'm not a chef; in fact I rarely even cook these days. My husband is the chef in our home while I get to dedicate my time to the tablescape! True, the first 25 years of our marriage I did the everyday grocery shopping, cooking, and clean up, while my Prince Charming (PC) saved his kitchen talents for weekend dinner parties and invited guests. He's long held a fascination with cuisines of the world. He has a library of cook books and books on the chemistry of food, has followed many of the Food Network cooking shows, attended the occasional cooking school, and was even a student at The French Culinary Institute in NYC in 2001.

Julia Child and Assistant, 
LaVarenne Cooking School at the Greenbrier

In December 1999 when I discovered that Julia Child would be a guest chef at Ann Willan's La Varenne Signature Series @ The Greenbrier in March of 2000, I signed us up. The week at the Greenbrier in Sulphur Springs, WV was one of pure delight! The Greenbrier, a National Historic Landmark, is a 6,500 acre estate nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. The southern charm of this national treasure was the perfect setting for a week of culinary classes and pampering by the staff at the Greenbrier. This national treasure has offered classic southern charm and outstanding amenities since the late 1800s.

Julia Child @ The Greenbrier Resort in 2000

As avid fans of the early PBS series THE FRENCH CHEF and later THE JULIA CHILD and JACQUES PEPIN COOKING @ HOME public television series, Julia Child has long shared her culinary expertise with us. The opportunity to attend a cooking session with Julia Child and actually meet her, was the icing on the cake! Or as Julia might say, "The butter on the bread!"

The class we attended with Julia was entitled "Elegance with Eggs", and it was all about eggs! Julia's joie de vivre was infectious! She did not disappoint!

"Elegance with Eggs"

Hard Boiled Eggs, Eggs a la Tripe, Eggs a la Chimay, 
Poached Eggs, Poached Eggs in Aspic, 
French Omelet, and Cheese Soufflé.

Julia Chid with a group of participants.

I'm on the far right with my PC

Photo used with permission of Greenbrier Photography

The menu is set, and the chef is at work in the kitchen.

So welcome to "A Casual Dinner for Two"

honoring Julia Child.

Le Menu on Courage Brewery Cockerel Menu Stand

Le Coq Quimper Pottery, 
French Faience Roosters, and Sunflowers

Henriot Quimper Le Coq Dinner Plate,

Blue Pinstripe Charger fromNeiman Marcus,

Flatware from Pottery Barn

The table was set with a chicken theme, 

both roosters and a setting hen!

As the saying goes, "The rooster may crow,

but it is the hen that delivers the goods!"

Chef CA Mustard Pot and HB-Henriot Quimper Hen On Nest

A Fresh Baguette, a Basket of Cooking Tools, 
and a Rooster McCoy Planter with Fresh Flowers

Geo Martel Desvres - Cockerel Double Salt

Fresh Bouquet of Sunflowers

Rex-Goliath Pinot Noir

Petite Tarts with Fresh Berries

Birds Eye View of Table 
Ready for Julia's French Omelette Dinner

Omelet Cooking

Julia recommends that the best omelets are made as single servings using only 2 to 3 eggs. Cook the eggs over the highest heat. Once a film of coagulated egg forms begin to jerk the pan roughly toward you. This throws the egg against the pan and forces it to roll over upon itself.

Slide your perfect omelet 
off onto a serving plate.

Top with a bit of chopped parsley and red bell pepper, then add a simple salad of mixed greens, and voilà, you have dinner.

So here's to you, Julia Child!

Bon Appétit!

As a long time loyal fan of Julia Child, it was no surprise that I was one of the throng of adoring Julia Child fans sitting in a theatre the first weekend JULIE and JULIA opened in theaters across the country. I was right there laughing my way through most of the scenes, and appreciating the joy Julia Child brought into our home.

Thank you for allowing me to share some personal memories of Julia Child. I recommend the movie JULIE and JULIA as pure entertainment! Please share a comment below, especially if you have a Julia Child story of your own. Then click here to join Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch for more Tablescape Thursday posts.

To read a delightful post on the movie,

click here to visit Debbie @ Confessions of a Plate Addict.

See you tomorrow for Barb's "Show Us Your Roosters Party".

Click here to see the list of those who are participating. Last count there were 175 joining the party. Now that's a PARTY!