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, August 7, 2013

Lemony Lunch For Two




If you follow my blog, 
you know I've been 
cooking with lemons of late.

I've had these pretty shell 
shaped dishes for over a year.

I only have two of each, as 
they were a clearance find at TJ Maxx.

I simply couldn't leave them 
sitting on the shelf at $2 a piece.

So they came home with me and
have been waiting to star in a tablescape.

If anyone knows a source for more
 of these beauties,  please let me know.

Last week when the "chef" cooked up
Preserved Lemon and Spring Vegetable 
Risotto with Grilled Pernod Shrimp,
I knew just what dishes 
I would use for our luncheon trays.

Vintage French Ivory Flatware

More of my monogramed linens 
from early marriage days.
We have a set in brown that I used 
here in last week's brown and white table,
and these in lemon yellow 
which are just right for our lemony lunch.

It was the perfect time to use 
our special Parisian napkin rings
which were among a Paris brocante gift from
Jackie @ Bliss Farm a year ago June.

Merci Beaucoup, Jackie!
We adore using these charming 
rond de serviettes.

Lemons and seafood are a 
perfect pairing.  Click here for the 
original post that shares this recipe.

A glass of vin rouge is
 a nice compliment.

A pretty tray for 
Monsieur and   .   .   .

One for madame.
Bon Appetit!



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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Summer Garden Party









All the petite blooms 

 above are from my summer garden.

Welcome to a Summer Garden Party!




Summers in Texas can be brutal, 

but up until today our summer temps 

haven't been all that bad.

Today's high:  103º.




The Knockout roses you see above are not so

 bright and colorful today, but the blue plumbago 

doesn't seem to mind the heat.  They bloom 

like this from spring to first frost.




The Yellow Bells do too!




As do the Golden Thrialis 

and Firecracker Ferns.




The Golden Thrialis is one 

of my favorites for cut flowers.

I like to add this wispy

 bloom in with fresh bouquets.




The Blackfoot Daisy 

isn't much for cut flowers,

but it sure does like the dry, hot summers.




Blue Daze likes to spread easily and mixes 

well with the sizzle of hot orange Coreopsis.




Coral Vine offers 

a touch of hot pink.

The heart shaped leaves of this pretty  

vine eagerly climb our porch posts.





This jewel is a 

Habranthus Pink Rain Lily.

I planted some of these bulbs in 

my herb garden years ago.

The bouquet of pink was its gift

shortly after an unexpected 

 thunder storm two weeks ago.




In contrast to all the hot colors out front,

our back yard is a shade garden of

mostly evergreens and touches of purple and white.





Scented Geraniums spill out from the large urns 

and don't seem to mind the Texas heat.




I like to add in Fancy Leaf Caladiums 

for the hot summer months.

The white and green heart shaped leaves 

visually offer a sense of cooler temperatures.




Hope you enjoyed 

my little summer garden tour.

I've been cooking with lemons this week.

Thought you might enjoy a 

lemony French macaron before you leave.

Oh, go ahead and have two!





They are light as a feather meringue 

with the creamiest lemon curd filling.




I participated in Michael Lee West's 

Mystery Ingredient Club 

where the mystery ingredients were all 

about Meyer lemons.  

Click here for 

   Cooking With The Meyers  

For more summer flowers and gardens, don't forget to stop by 


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Cooking With The Meyers





  Meyer Lemons That Is!  
Michael Lee, the weekly host of 
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm,
sent me this assortment of mystery ingredients with 
instructions to cook up something to share on August 1st.
What a delicious idea!

Meyer Lemons, a cross between a 
lemon and a mandarin orange, are native to China.
Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the US 
Department of Agriculture, brought them to the US in 1908. 

You can see from the price above 
that these little citrus goodies are a food luxury.
Regular lemons sell for about 49¢ a pound.
Both Alice Waters and Martha Stewart 
are credited with creating a popularity for cooking 
with these sweeter less acidic fruits.  
I'm a fan of anything made with lemons, 
and Meyers provide the perfect essence of lemon.
Want a closer look
 at these lovely products?


   Perserved Meyer Lemons  
These tangy treats are often an ingredient 
in Moroccan Tagines, but once you get a taste of these,
you'll want to use them in everything from salads to risottos.


  Meyer Lemon Olive Oil  
Oh, is this a wonderful ingredient 
to have in the pantry!  
Just look at all the suggestions for 
how to use this oil to enhance a variety of dishes.


  Lemon Sea Salt  
These salt flakes are perfect for vegetables, seafood,  
sweets, and rimming those margarita glasses.

  Grilled Salmon  
  with Preserved Meyer Lemons  
Salmon is one of my favorite fish, 
so I was eager to try the 
preserved lemons on a salmon fillet.
You can find the recipe for 
this quick and easy main dish here.

Enhanced with thinly sliced preserved Meyer lemons,
the salmon is placed within an aluminum foil pouch for grilling.
I also used the Meyer olive oil to coat both the salmon 
fillet and the aluminum foil used for the pouch.
This dish is so easy and tasty, 
I may never have salmon any other way.


  Preserved Lemon and Spring   
  Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Pernod Shrimp  
Now this is what I call a one dish meal!
My "chef" frequently cooks risotto, 
so he volunteered to make this dish for our lunch.
You can find 
this flavorful recipe here.
With asparagus, peas, fennel, and mint, we will 
most definitely repeat this dish.  

  Lemon Blueberry Muffins  
We had a supply of fresh blueberries in the fridge,
 so I just had to make these!
I found the recipe here at Gimme Some Oven.
I recently made Martha Stewart's cornmeal and
buttermilk blueberry muffins that I posted here.  
Those muffins aren't real sweet and have a rustic texture.
This recipe is more cake like with 
lemony goodness and a stresuel topping.

Lemon yogurt with berries is frequently my breakfast.
With the lemon sea salt flakes at hand, 
I experimented with adding some to my yogurt.
The sunny yellow flakes were so pretty that 
I got carried away.  If you do this, 
I recommend adding just a flake or two.
Sea salt is powerful stuff!

  Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake  
One of my favorite local restaurants serves an olive oil cake.
It's the dessert that I order every time.
Can you believe I found a 
recipe for a Meyer lemon olive oil cake?
You can find it here.

This deliciously lemon infused 
cake is topped with a sweet lemon glaze.
Yummy!

  Nothing says lovin' like Meyer  
  lemon goodies straight from the oven!  
Thank you, Michael Lee!
There is a whole lot of lemony goodness 
going on at Hyacinths for the Soul.

The Mystery Ingredient Club ~ Foodie Friday
Rattlebridge Farm



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