Travel Journey Steeped with Faith – Fifth Annual Mother’s Tea

On the first Sunday of May I gathered with friends for our Fifth Annual Mother’s Tea celebrating one of our heavenly Mom’s. This year’s honored mother, Cintra Pemberton, was a colorful and vibrant woman with many interests, but is was her faith that lead her to her calling in her later years and she became an Episcopalian Nun who devoted her life to serving and practicing the Celtic faith. As part of her service she traveled the world on faith based pilgrimages, with her favorite location being among the British Isles, especially Wales, a place well known for the afternoon tea. To honor this special Mom I called the theme for this year’s tea “Travel Journeys Steeped with Faith”.

Each year we dress my little jewelry mannequin in something that represents our honored Mom. With the help of my friend Lydia, she created a traditional habit including the black sash and tassel as per photos of the nuns of The Order of St. Helena, where Cintra started her devotion faith journey. A black corded cross similar to the one in the photo of Cintra completed the look, however Pemmie told us that her mother usually dressed in civilian clothing most of the time.

My friend Pemmie describes her Mom (Cintra) as a highly educated woman who tended to master anything she attempted. From hobbies to work, she excelled and was a true high achiever that Pemmie shows great pride in.

Among her talents, she had a green thumb, kept journals and authored a book about Celtic Spirituality, loved music and played as well as taught the piano to both children and adults for a period of time. She later applied her piano skills to daily office chants as part of her faith journey and Pemmie remembers her regularly singing the harmonies to many Episcopal hymns.

She also had a appreciation for the arts and Pemmie has a pen and ink drawing and another family member has a water lily watercolor as the only pieces of art created by her Mom who only considered this talent a hobby.

Cintra also loved the mountains and camping. Her favorite color was yellow and daffodils are the flower Pemmie best associates with her mother’s memory.

My task was to take these special memories of Cintra’s life and attempt to translate them with little props for my table decor.

A small dollhouse piano on music sheet wrapping paper was used in the table decor to represent Cintra’s love for music and the piano.

This little rustic tent with a campfire is a nod to her love for the mountains and camping.

This Angel mother holding a child is the symbol of our annual tea.

While daffodils are the flower Pemmie most associated with her mother, they are not available this time of year. She said her mother loved all flowers, so the best I could do was use yellow spray roses and white tulips with purple stripes to create the floral arrangements around the house. Trader Joe’s also had one of my favorites – lilacs that provide a lovely fragrance, are simply beautiful, and give an added pop of purple-lavender to the decor.

Earl Grey was this Mom’s favorite tea and was highlighted in a Victorian London Fog as our tea for the day, made with Earl Grey Lavender with a splash of warmed half and half (slightly sweetened with agave) garnished with culinary lavender buds. The welcoming cocktail, an Earl Grey French 75 (Earl Grey Lavender tea steeped in Gin, combined with lemon juice, a honey simple syrup topped with champagne).

The Welcome Cocktail

Earl Grey French 75 Cocktail

https://cookieandkate.com/earl-grey-french-75/

The Tea: Victorian London Fog with Lavender

Victorian London Fog: Twinings Earl Grey Lavender Tea (Amazon), one teaspoon agave and a splash of warm half and half and garnished with culinary lavender buds.

The Menu:

The Soup:

Roasted Yellow Pepper Coconut with Sauteed Crawfish

Note: Recipe will be shared in a Simply Elevated Edition soon-crawfish was a Louisiana favorite of Cintra’s and the yellow pepper celebrates her favorite sunny color.

The Tea Sandwich Course

Pemmie remembered her mother loved afternoon tea time and among her favorite tea sandwiches was the cucumber watercress and curried chicken salad. I used fresh mint that was added to the cream cheese spread on the cucumber sandwich and Trader Joe’s curried chicken salad as a shortcut to the many items that required preparation.

Irish Egg Salad

Mushroom Bolognese Pies

Cucumber Mint Watercress

Curry Chicken Salad

Roasted Garlic Chipotle Turkey

Irish Egg Salad

Cucumber Mint Watercress

Curry Chicken Salad

The Scone Course

Current Welsh Cake

The traditional Welsh cake was chosen to represent Cintra’s beloved Wales.

https://www.christinascucina.com/welsh-cakes-for-st-davids-day/

Strawberry Rose Scones

This recipe was in a 2018 issue of Teatime Magazine and I’ve not been able to find a printed version online to share. The recipe was simple and used freeze dried strawberries rather than fresh. I added a fresh slice of strawberry in the last five minutes of the bake. The strawberry was listed as one of Cintra’s favorite fruits.

Welsh Cakes originated in Wales in the late 1800’s and are also known as bakestones or griddle scones because they are made on a griddle. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone with sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. (These can be made ahead and froze without the sugar dusting. On the day of the tea, I warmed them in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes (after thawing) and then rolled each in sugar while still warm).

The Sweet Course

Cintra’s love for Heath bars, lace cookies, Belgian chocolate and strawberries inspired the sweet course.

Heath Bar Cookie

Almond Lemon Ginger Florentines

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

White Chocolate Lemon Victoria Sponge

Heath bar sheet cookies were made as a nod to Mom’s favorite candy bar. A cookie dough base, with melted dark chocolate on top, sprinkled with crumbled heath bar and Mauldon flake salt.

Lace cookies (or Florentine cookies) were also noted as a favorite. This Almond Lemon Ginger version has a bright chewy bite. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/m000nphv

Bittersweet chocolate dipped strawberries.

Lemon Flavored Victoria Sponge with White Chocolate filling

https://kuuipovea.com/2018/05/14/victoria-sponge-cake-with-white-chocolate-mousse/

I make a half batch of this recipe, sprayed a mini muffin pan with baking spray to make mini cakes. I would recommend filling each cup with only 3/4th to avoid cake spilling over like mine did. I had to trim all of the tops because I filled the tin with a two tablespoon scoop. The flower on top is a lilac blossom.

Scenes From the Table

A matching floral arrangement in the Guest Bathroom

Each year as we get older and take time to sit and remember or recall things we may have forgotten about our mothers, we grow more grateful and appreciative of the guidance and love received from them. We also reflect on our own motherhood and the relationships we have with our daughters. As we observe their generation of mothering and the new and very different challenges that none of us could have prepared them for, it is clear that from generation to generation, we’ve all done the best job we could to manage the circumstance, stress, frustrations, fears, joys and pleasures of being a Mom. The common intention from mother to daughter to daughter and beyond is love.

Remembering Our Mothers -Fifth Annual Tea (Planning)

It’s time to begin the planning for my Fifth Annual Mothers’ Tea, a tradition formed when after losing my mother to the Lord (now 9 years ago), created an intense void especially around Mother’s Day when I would normally plan a special way to spend the day with her, but no longer can. Each year I invite friends who have also lost their mothers, for an afternoon tea of “remembering our Moms”. (See the blog’s category Tradition and Tea for previous posts).

The first tea was an introduction to this annual tea with no specific theme. At the 2nd year’s meeting, I decided to add another tradition to the tea that I hoped would generate new topics of conversation and continue to draw new memories to the surface of our mothers from year to year. Each of my guests names were written on a piece of paper, folded and placed in a teapot. At the end of the tea we pulled a name and that friend’s mother would be honored at the next tea with a theme that represented one of their passions.

In the years that followed our honored mothers had the the following themes:

“Stitching Together-Seamstress” Memories of Mom – A seamstress theme.

“Mother’s Life of Service-Nurse” A nurse theme and

“A Little Racey, Beachy-Peacock” A colorful Mom who loved Nascar, beaches and whose last name was Peacock.

https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/socialinteractionsandparties.wordpress.com/1203

To prepare for each year’s celebration, I provide a questionnaire in order to collect information that will inspire the table and menu. It also questions the mother’s favorite flowers, food, interests and passions all meant to help inspire my tea and it’s theme.

This year’s honored mother, Cintra Pemberton, after her divorce, became an Episcopalian Nun who devoted her life to serving and practicing the Celtic faith. As part of her service she traveled the world on faith based pilgrimages, her favorite location being in the British Isles, especially Wales, a place well known for the afternoon tea. Based on this information, my theme for this year’s tea will be “Travel Journeys Steeped with Faith”.

When I asked about flowers, my friend (Pemmie) said she was unsure of her mother’s favorite, but that she loved to garden and had a green thumb. Wherever they went her mother could name all of the flowers. She said that for some reason she associated her Mom with Spring flowers, such as narcissus (that I currently have growing in my garden, hoping to have multiple blooms ready by the first week of May), rhododendron, wild flowers and daffodils; but if she had to pick one, she would have to say yellow daffodils as well as the color yellow.

Pemmie also shared a memory of tying green ribbons around daffodils as a gift to trip attendees. When her mother passed away, St. David’s Cathedral in Wales, planted a plot of daffodils in her honor at the entrance of the Cathedral. What a beautiful gesture in memory of her mother! St. David is the patron saint of Wales, and died in 589 AD. The Welsh celebrate this saint by wearing emblems such as the daffodil pins, or the Welsh dragon and hold an annual celebration in his honor on March 1st.

St. David’s Cathedral

While the beginning of Spring is plentiful with daffodils and tulips, by the first of May, fresh daffodils are nearly impossible to find. I won’t be able to count on finding them for the actual day of the tea, but wanted pictures for the blog using the symbolic flower while they were in season.

A simple invitation which includes a photo of our honored mother was mailed out the first week of April (a month out from the scheduled date) using this decided theme.

While the table plan is not yet complete, I made place cards using some clip art in the yellow that represents both the color that Pemmie most associated with her mother Cintra, her Celtic Faith and green ribbon as used in those lovely daffodils bouquets.

In the coming weeks, I will begin to put my table together and form the tea menu that best represents not only our honored Mom, but a little of each mother that we are remembering on this special day.

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(Welcoming )Spring Ladies Egg Painting Brunch

When small green specs are dotting the bare branches of my drake elm tree that my mother propagated from her own tree a year before she passed, its resurrection each year reminds me that she is still near and so is Spring.

The lawn has grown partially green, the sound of lawn mowers humming in the distance, and daylight has begun to span slightly longer from week to week. The temperatures in the South have been unseasonably hot (80’s), waking up the dreadful weeds that always emerge first for pulling and encouraging the colorful blooming time of the azalea bushes that will soon after require trimming. By the time this planned afternoon arrives the leaves of my drake elm will have been fully revealed, swaying in the warm sunny breeze like happy dancers in the golden sunlight, my herb garden will be replanted with fresh herb plants and edible flowers, and the shrubbery in the landscaping will grow fuller with new foliage.

Springtime brings that much needed breath of fresh air and gentle warmth, following the bracing gestures of a cold winter that causes us to tighten our stance and escape its abrasiveness with layers of warm sweaters and cozy fires. I truly love the coziness of winter, but when the lights are turned on by Spring, who can resist its milder temperatures and color bursting displays. Like the flowers, we can’t wait to be outside and bask in the sunlight.

Last year (2022) I saw a post on Instagram of hand painted eggs for Spring that inspired this Egg Painting Spring Brunch celebration. While only a couple of those in my group of gal pals consider themselves artistic, I really enjoy getting my friends to open up to new experiences that challenge them and may reveal a hidden skill they had not yet explored. We shared a similar exercise before Christmas by decorating cookies, sharing some new and creative designs that everyone could be proud of.

With printed images of the decorated eggs from Instagram as my inspiration, I searched through my stock of collected items to determine what I might be able to repurpose for my table and began planning.

I’m not usually a fan of using paper products, but I wanted a colorful table that I couldn’t achieve with the dishes I have and since we do have a crafty activity following the meal, I wanted an easy clean up.

If it’s possible to think of paper plates as elegant, this scalloped, gold edged version found at Homegoods fits the term. Its field of mint green, pink and yellow; with bunnies, speckled eggs and bird nests, contribute a soft cheerful feminine color palette for this gal pal day. Matching utensils were found at The Dollar Tree. A square of green toile fabric, used for my daughter’s expectant baby shower 16 years ago, along with leftover pink and green toile napkins came together to form my color palette. I haven’t seen toile napkins like these since, so over purchasing years ago paid off.

Small gold bunnies from Target ( I was tempted to buy the little hens too), white porcelain
bunnies and large egg cookie jar Homegoods; small cabbage napkin rings Pier One.

The combination of gold, pink and green pastels provides a cheerful, feminine and fresh Spring place setting for a ladies’ afternoon.

Alternating green and pink toile napkins folded into bunny ears with plastic gold eggs from The Dollar Tree have been loosely decorated using metallic pens (also The Dollar Tree). Hand written names appear on each to serve as place cards. I even repurposed ribbon from the baby shower stock.

The examples of painted eggs I found were printed and added to card stock, then placed on the table for inspiration. Metallic pens from The Dollar Tree, acrylic paints, pencils and small pointed brushes are placed around the table to create original designs. For those who may feel they are not very “artistic”, these examples will jump start each guest to invision their own unique egg creations.

The eggs, made of wood (easier for paint pens and acrylics to adhere ) were sold in little cartons of six as multi colored or plain natural wood. (Target $3.00 for set of 6). I decided the version with coated colors would be more fun to work with, especially when using the acrylic paints and require less drying time. The acrylics did dry fairly quickly, usually about 5 to 7 minutes. So while drying – it’s easy enough to move on to a different egg for a short period.

I have a habit of setting my table a couple of weeks before a party. I originally staged the table with fresh white roses I had purchased that week, but the following week it was tulips and the week of the brunch, daffodils. It never fails that whatever flower I set my heart on, it’s not usually available on the day of my event and I have to pivot.

A collection of items purchased over the years combined with new items found, large decorated egg cookie canister (Homegoods); cabbage napkin rings (Pier One); green vase (Michaels), gold bunnies (Target).

Porcelain bunnies (Homegoods); pink glass candle holders (The Dollar Tree) and green bud vase (Michael’s) with bright colored fresh tulips.

For a little over head drama, an eggcellently dressed chandelier – multicolored golden eggs nested with Easter basket grass in the center and pearl finished faux eggs dangle from ribbons all from my collection of annual Easter decorations (some have names written on them -they were once used as place cards for a past Easter family lunch).

Greeting with a Cocktail – Rosemary Grapefruit Moscow Mule

We always start the party with a toast and a special cocktail or aperitif. This Rosemary Grapefruit Moscow Mule was perfect- light and refreshing just like Spring!

This light refreshing ROSEMARY GRAPEFRUIT MOSCOW MULE is the perfect start to a Spring Brunch. Citrusy, with a little floral hit from the elderflower and the gentle touch of heat from the ginger beer. Well balanced and easy to sip on a sunny afternoon. It received lots of Ooo’s and Ahh’s ratings!

Makes 3 to 4 small servings in my delicate coupe stemware or 2 regular cocktail glasses.

Half of a freshly squeezed pink grapefruit
Half of a freshly squeezed lime
2 oz. Absolute Juice Pear & Elderflower Vodka (or Vodka)
Rosemary simple syrup   (1 cup of sugar 1 cup of water bring to a low boil until sugar is dissolved – remove from the heat and add 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary.  Steep for 3 minutes and then discard rosemary and chill)
Ginger Beer (I used Fever-Tree)
Fresh rosemary sprigs

Place first four ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice (I used one large cocktail cube to minimize the deluge).
Pour 3/4 of a small coupe glass – top off with ginger beer and rosemary sprig.  Cheers to Spring!

Cheese Plate with Cocktails

Spicy tomato jam made with these beautiful dark tomatoes (almost looked charred) purchased at Trader Joes. A variety of soft, hard and blue cheeses were plated with the jam and goat cheese left out to room temperature for easy spreading. Slices of Kalamata Olive Farm Loaf bread (Whole Foods) toasted in the oven, brushed with kalamata olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt were offered with the cheeses. A schmear of goat cheese on the bread helped balance and mellow out the spiciness of the jam.

🍃🌷🍃My favorite part of entertaining (besides spoiling everyone and having them leave with a pleasing memorable time) is introducing my friends to new flavors and foods.

One of my less adventurous eaters told me a couple of years ago that he finally surrendered his palate to me. “Lori you change my mind about what I think I won’t like every time!” Other than enthusiastically showing up for each invite, it’s the best compliment I could hope to receive.

🍃🦋🌷🍃 Brunch Menu🍃🦋🌷🍃

• Ham and Potato Bake
• Rainbow Carrot Ribbon Salad
• Large Profiteroles filled with homemade chocolate balsamic Louisiana strawberry ice cream and strawberry coulis

http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/07/ham-and-potato-bake-recipe.html

https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2013/07/rainbow-carrot-ribbon-salad.html

Louisiana strawberries are at peak season, and it was a wonderful time to highlight them as part of my brunch.

The homemade strawberry chocolate balsamic ice cream and jumbo profiteroles were both made a week ahead and stored in the freezer until the day prior to the brunch. The day before, I pulled the zip freezer bags of profiteroles out and set them on the kitchen counter to fully thaw. I then lined a small rimmed baking sheet with clear wrap and pre-scooped the ice cream, then sealed it tight with clear wrap and returned it to the freezer. (easier for serving on the day of the brunch). The recipe for the ice cream is in the link below – my only addition was a tablespoon of chocolate balsamic vinegar (optional).

https://www.alattefood.com/homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/

The strawberries are perfectly ripe, red and sweet.

The strawberries are so fresh, so fully ripe, sweet and large that I added one on each plate. I used a pink pearl cocktail pick to attach an edible flower to each for a touch of whimsy. When serving the composed dessert, I used a small mound of canned chocolate whipped cream to hold the fresh strawberry up on the side of the profiterole.

A small mound of chocolate whipped cream from a can used to help the strawberry stand.

(Strawberry three ways, fresh, in a coulis sauce and creamy ice cream.) Each profiterole was filled with a scoop of strawberry ice cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with strawberry coulis and garnished with a fresh strawberry.

🎨 Egg Painting Activity 👩🏻‍🎨

In addition to the printed images of painted eggs, I also place a variety of silk flowers on the table as inspiration for shapes and color. Each of my guests were supplied with a piece of artist’s watercolor paper, a glass of water a fine pointed paint brush and paper napkins. The watercolor paper was a place to test their mixed paint colors, the water to rinse out their brushes between color changes and the paper towel to wipe off the brush after each rinse. A mixture of acrylic paints and pens were used to create their individual designs.

There’s a beautiful sense of self satisfaction in creating something beautiful. As the painting and decorating began, the room grew extremely quiet. Everyone was so focused, concentrating on decorating their eggs. They also said while there was a little anxiety about how to start at the beginning, in the end the whole experience was very relaxing.

Another option for a painting exercise are clay pots (used for plants). I’ve seen some painted completely black and then decorated with painted bright wildflowers that popped on top of the black background.

Whether you’re hosting a Sunday brunch, an Easter lunch or a simple Springtime gathering, a few simple ingredients for the menu and a fun activity will guarantee that everyone leaves with a special memory. I have the best group of friends. Whatever I dream up, they are all enthusiastically ready to come along for the ride!

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Starry Winter’s Night (Wine Club)

Cabernet Franc versus Cabernet Sauvignon

It’s time for a new year of wine club parties, with new themes, new wines and delicious food to experience and share. With seven years of themed parties behind me, I’m having to seek out new forms of inspiration for themes that inject a fun experience for everyone. While a wine party doesn’t necessarily require a theme, it’s my way of continually creating an element of surprise for my guests, giving them something new and unexpected to look forward to in addition to leaving with a little more knowledge about wine.

This party’s theme was inspired by a visit a while back with my daughter and grandchildren in the Houston area. I treated them all to see the Vincent Van Gogh immersion exhibit that offered a modern way of introducing my grandchildren to one of the many wonderful artists of his time. What may arguably be one of the artist’s more memorable and popular paintings, “Starry Starry Night” was the finale of the immersion experience. At the time I made a mental note that this could serve as inspiration for a winter evening wine party, I just had to figure out how to transform it from the canvas to my table.

The invitation was emailed to my group with the theme and assignments for three couples to bring a Cabernet Franc and three others to bring Cabernet Sauvignon wines along with a small bite that pairs with these wines.

The Invitation

The plan for this meeting was to compare Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignons, with an emphasis on “mountain wines”. (Mountain wines are those grown at elevation on a mountain or hillside.) Cabernet Francs are limited compared to the Sauvigons (at least in our area) and some found were outside (over) our usual price range of $20 to $30, which is why I chose to compare the two varieties limiting the Francs to only three for the tasting. As for finding a mountain wine, that became optional due to the limited number available. The bottles we have may not be the best representation of Francs, but at least we have a few to try.

Where is the best Cabernet Franc from?

France. Though mostly a blending grape in Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc plays a starring role in the Loire Valley. Its single-variety red wines are highly regarded, and some of the best examples come from Anjou-Villages, Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur-Champigny.

What Is the Difference Between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet franc is, with sauvignon blanc, one of the parent grapes of cabernet sauvignon. The cabernet franc grape has a thinner skin than cabernet sauvignon, so the wines made from cabernet franc tend to be lighter in color and lower in tannin.

FOOD PAIRINGS:  Hearty red meats (no seafood), root vegetables, mushrooms, squash, eggplant, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, polenta.

With the help of an inexpensive projector (normally used for a child’s bedroom to play soft music and project stars around the room), I was able to set a “starry night” ambience on the ceiling and small portion of the walls of my dining room. The projector provides color variations and the option to project stars with or without a moon and clouds. It’s kind of fun to have an audio visual for the first time. Music can be played using Bluetooth if desired.

For the table, I purchased a dark navy blue (inexpensive) tablecloth at Party City, and a few yards of dark navy tulle with stars and moons on Etsy. I had set aside my battery operated twinkle lights from the holidays, knowing I would use them for the table setting.

The beginning stages.

I added my large cobalt blue candle lanterns (filling each with the twinkle lights) and the small votives with candles. On the actual evening of the party, I will weave fresh flowers in the center through the lights ( I chose baby’s breath for something simple see pictures later in the post).

We use the salad plate for the parties due to the small bite everyone brings and the limited space at the table. The grid above shows some examples of options for the actual place settings that I had and considered.

For the charger, I used dark blue plastic dinner plates from the party section at The Dollar Tree. While the setting looks perfectly fine without any additional adornments, I added white iridescent glitter (already in my supplies from prior creations) along the edges with school glue to represent the “the winter” in my starry night. It gives the impression of glittery, frosty snow that really sparkles in the twinkle lights. (The charger plate would have also looked pretty with the splash of metallic gold paint along the edges like the glass plate above.)

While in Homegoods I found this plate
that would also be perfect for this theme.

My favorite is the first option with its splash of bold gold around a frosted glass edge. Unfortunately, I only have of one of these plates. I have a total of 10 including myself attending. The second option, also a frosty (bubbly) glass with a gold edge would also be pretty, but I only have 6 of this plate. So my only remaining option is my china with a thin gold rim on the inside and outside of the plate that will work just as nicely and adds some contrast to the table setting.

It would seem after all of these years of entertaining, that I would have every color possible in cloth napkins, but I do not. I found dark blue paper napkins with a little white pattern that adds some additional visual interest to the table, works just as well as cloth napkins and there is a stack of extras on the side if more are needed by my guests.

I saw a cupcake set at Homegoods that had gold and silver glitter stars on toothpicks. After passing them up for about four weeks, I finally decided to buy the box that was very inexpensive and used the gold stars to tuck into the folded napkins and used the silver stars to attach to the place cards. The time it would have taken to hand make these wasn’t worth the $2.99 price for having them already made.

Baby’s breath lasts for quite some time and dries nicely. So early in the week I purchased two bunches and made four small bouquets in gold ribbed glasses. I then wove the twinkle lights through the little flowers. It created a soft starlight glow across the entire table.

Baby’s Breath in gold rimmed glasses.

The glow from the twinkle lights reflect on the wine glasses.

Table from end to end.

We ended up with 8 bottles of wine for this blind tasting, which is highly unusual (usually we have 6), but I found some bottles in my wine cooler that I decided to throw into the mix.

One of my members won our Hauntingly Elegant wine party in 2018 (everyone brought a red with a spooky label). We usually have a “wine off” of the winning bottles for each year, but eventually the pandemic paused our parties and we didn’t have enough competitors to do a wine off. So I’ve added her 2015 La Catrina Cabernet Sauvignon AND

A friend gave me a 2013 Francis Coppola Claret several years ago that was hidden away, also a Cabernet Sauvignon, I thought it would be fun to include it as well. Both being aged wines.

I always provide a sheet we call a Scorecard with a pen or pencil so guests can make notes as they try each wine to determine their favorite. Due to the number of wines this time, I did disclose which glasses were Francs and the rest Sauvignons, just to provide a point of separation – but it was still a blind tasting.

The Aperitif

We start the evening with a light aperitif, something with similar flavor profiles to the wines so that it doesn’t interfere with the palate. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day just a few days away, I created this chocolate raspberry spritz. Starting with a thin layer of Chambord in the bottom of each glass, two drops of chocolate bitters, then topped with a sparkling champagne, Cava or Prosecco and fresh raspberries.

The Amuse Bouche

This small amuse bouche with a tasty punch was made with a roll of pre-made polenta – sliced, cut with a biscuit cutter and then sauteed in a little olive oil until golden. Place the warmed polenta on a wire rack in the oven at 200 degrees until about an hour before the party is scheduled to start. This allows the slices to dry of its oiliness from the warm up and creates a crispy exterior. Finally, I topped the polenta with a semisoft cheese rosette from Trader Joe’s, bacon onion jam (made earlier in the week) and a parsley leaf garnish.

click here for recipe

The Cheese / Salad Course

Charcuterie boards can be expensive and bit predictable at a wine tasting party, so after so many years of planning different themed events, I sought out alternative methods to the cheese course. As mentioned in a previous post, I found a back issue of Wine Spectator magazine at a local wine store that was in a stack marked “take for free”. I shuffled through the issues. The Cheese Issue – September 2016 caught my attention. As I fanned quickly through the pages, I found recipes from well known chefs made with cheese. It turned out to be the perfect source to update my cheese course. Over the years I’ve made a few of the unique creations. For this meeting I’m making the “Apple and Fennel Salad With Manchego Cheese, Walnuts and Sherry Dressing” created by Chef Jose Andres.

Serves 4, 20 minutes prep time.

Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt to taste.
• Cut the Manchego into thin batons. Halve and core the fennel and slice it thinly lengthwise. Place the cheese and fennel in the bowl with the vinaigrette.
• Core and halve the apples. Dice the first one into small cubes and slice the second one thinly lengthwise. Add to bowl, along with the walnuts.
• Add chives, toss salad, and garnish with fennel fronds. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve.

Ingredients

UNITS: US

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• salt
• 4 ounces manchego cheese
• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 granny smith apples
• ²⁄₃ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped chive

The Small Bites & Sides

Everyone contributes to the meal by bringing “a small bite”. I provide the cheese and dessert courses. Occasionally I may also add to the main menu small bites as well if I feel I need to balance out what’s coming or to provide a little more variety.

The small bite sides brought by my guests from top left to right: Beef crostini with horseradish sauce and cornichon, Confit tomatoes with goat cheese, stuffed mushrooms, smashed roasted small potatoes with chimichurri sauce, roasted carrots with yogurt sauce and toasted sliced almonds, and roasted leg of lamb pitas with tzatziki sauce and lima bean hummus.

The Dessert Course

As with the aperitif (we started with a Valentine cocktail), we then ended with a Valentine dessert. These bittersweet chocolate soufflés with raspberry coulis were feather light, not overly sweet and the perfect way to end the evening.

This recipe was easy to follow and can be made ahead, ramekins filled and refrigerated up to two days prior to the party. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, I always have Chinese Five Spice mixed with my powdered sugar to add an unexpected warmth and made a raspberry coulis to add a pop of red. https://thecafesucrefarine.com/easy-raspberry-coulis/ *** click below for the soufflé recipe.

click here for recipe

And the winner is….

While the voting was not unanimous, the 2013 Francis Coppola Claret (an older wine from my cooler) received the most votes. I asked everyone to pick a second wine so that I could have a winner from the bottles purchased by my guests. The 2020 Mascota Vineyards Cabernet Franc received the next higher number of votes and a close third was the 2017 Chateau Cabonnieux with a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and very small amount ( 3%) Cab Franc and (2/%) Petit Vendot.

Overall, we were not especially impressed with the Cabernet Francs (even though one is the winner, the vote was only 4 out of 9). The two aged bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon stood out the most of the Sauvignons and then the French version above.

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Bookclub Menu: “The Forgotten Room”

The romance and elegance of the gilded age era Pratt Mansion and the original two joined hearts of Olive and Harry in “The Forgotten Room” inspired my table. Love letters, a large ruby filigree pendant necklace, artist’s brushes, paint tubes and an imagined mini portrait of Olive were represented. (See the post “The Forgotten Room” Inspired Bookclub Table)

The cocktail and menu were inspired by

Lucy, John and Philip’s generation in the 1920’s.

FROM THE 1920’S ERA: Philp invites Lucy to have a drink with him at a speakeasy. “The cat’s pajamas are the bees knees” was the password at the door of the bar. After a few drinks Philip tries to kiss Lucy. This caused Lucy to feel hideous shame. Philip Schuyler stared at her in genuine consternation. Or perhaps that was just the gin, slowing his wits, wrinkling his forehead. “I never thought – You’re a girl in a million, Lucy. Has anyone ever told you that? You’re the bee’s knees. The cat’s meow.” Grandly, he declared, “You’re the best secretary I’ve ever had.”

The Cocktail

It is our tradition to start with a little cocktail, so I searched for one on pinterest that referenced “the cat’s meow or the bees knees”. I found the recipe below, but it was extremely strong, much stronger that I know my group would appreciate. So much to the original mixologist’s displeasure, I added a lot more honey syrup, some grand marnier and tonic water or club soda to water it down before adding the champagne floater. I also strained the lime juice (not in the original instructions) to remove the pulp. I would suggest you make the drink ahead of time and test taste to ensure the flavors and strength of the drink will not be too overpowering for your guests to talk about the book or drive home safely! My guests said it was very honey forward, and tasty – they seemed to enjoy my doctored version.

Cat’s Meow Cocktail with the Bee’s Knees

Ingredients: (See my notes above for changes made)

• 2oz (60mls) Appleton 8-year-old rum (I used Bacardi Golden)
• 0.75oz (22mls) Lime Juice
• 0.5oz (15mls) Honey Syrup
• dash Angostura Bitters
• Top with Champagne

Garnish with a sliver of honeycomb (I made a cocktail pick with little bees).

Add the first four ingredients to an ice-filled shaker, then strain into a coupe. Top with Champagne.

Cocktail picks made with Dollar Tree picks and craft store bees to and the “bees knees” flourish.

https://cocktailsdistilled.com/2021/09/29/new-on-the-bar-cats-meow-a-bees-knees-riff/

I made a pitcher full of the base cocktail before everyone arrived and place it in the refrigerator. This saved time when I was ready to serve and I just had to fill the glasses with the mixed drink and top it with a little champagne.

Soup and Salad

“Defiantly, Lucy ordered lobster Newburgh. If Philip Schuyler wanted a steak, he could have one himself.”

My meeting menu is usually composed of a soup and salad. As a nod to Lucy’s decision to have “lobster” at Delmonico’s, I served a small rich creamy bowl of lobster bisque with a citrus fennel salad as a fresh crispy bite to balance out the richness of the bisque. Each guest received a warm mini baguette straight from the oven.

Lobster Bisque and Fennel Citrus Salad

Lobster Bisque Recipe

https://cafedelites.com/lobster-bisque/

I used the recipe in the above link. In order to form 8 to 10 servings, I bought one fairly large boiled whole lobster and four uncooked tails. I found the lobsters on sale in the freezer section at my grocer discounted to make this affordable. The meat from the claws and larger tail on the whole lobster along with four other tails provided sufficient meat to fulfill the required servings.

I doubled the ingredients in the bisque. I cooked the lobster tails per the recipe and once all of the meat was pulled from the shells, I made the stock/broth with the shells from all of the lobster shells (except the body) along with a carrot, a celery stalk and half an onion.

I followed the recipe exactly up to pureeing the simmered soup. The bisque is so rich that I felt it needed some acid, so I added the zest and juice of one large lemon. I stopped at this pointed (without adding the cream) allowing the pureed soup to cool and then placed it in a sealed container and placed in the refrigerator until the meeting. (Two days later). An hour prior to the meeting, I placed the bisque in a large pot and added two cups of cream and slowly warmed. I placed the butter and garlic in a separate small skillet and slowly warmed (careful not to burn the garlic), then gently tossed the chopped lobster in the garlic butter. I was unable to find fresh tarragon, so I used fennel fronds (from the fennel bulbs used for the salad) to garnish.

The lobster bisque is so rich that I made a light fennel citrus salad to accompany it. Nothing complicated…

Fennel Citrus Salad

2 fennel bulbs (shaved on a mandolin or very thinly sliced)

3 large navel oranges (segmented)

1 bag baby arugula

1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds

Shaved parmesan

Dressing:

2 shallots (finely chopped)

4 tablespoons rice vinegar (or until shallots are covered)

Allow the two ingredients to marinate for about 20 minutes

Whisk in:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

Vigorously whisk until emulsified

salt and pepper to taste

I found mini single serving French baguettes at Trader Joe’s. I didn’t realize how small they were until I got them home and opened the package (of 6). They are the perfect size for each guest to receive one each and take only 8-10 minutes to warm up in the oven (frozen) or in an air fryer. Since they were hot from the oven, I made little paper napkin cozies to wrap around each so my guests wouldn’t burn their fingers. They’re perfect for one serving without the hassle of tearing or cutting a larger loaf into pieces and everyone having their hands on the loaf.

Chocolate Icebox Cake with Caramel Cream

“They stopped at a street cart for ice-cream sandwiches, Mr. Ravenel teasing Lucy for the dainty way she licked the ice cream from the sides first, so the melting treat wouldn’t drip on her gloves.”

Dessert was inspired by Lucy and John’s day spent together riding the carousel and eating ice cream sandwiches. I chose a vintage recipe from the 1920’s modernized by Zoë François, and served a slice with chocolate dipped strawberry hearts.

This is the chocolate wafer cookies and caramel whipped cream (after an overnight stay in a loaf pan in the refrigerator) before the top coat of vanilla whipped cream is added. The concept is for the whipped cream between and around the cookies should soak into the cookies overnight, softening the cookies into a cakelike texture. While mine set in the refrigerator for a good 12 hours, the cookies were still a little too crispy and make it difficult to cut, but I got exactly 8 slices. Regardless it was still delicious.

Below is the final cake with the vanilla whipped cream outer coat, shaved salted chocolate and chocolate dipped strawberry hearts.

How often do you purchase a container of strawberries where every single berry is perfectly ripe and sweet? I always look forward to these beautiful Louisiana jewels from Baglio Farms, LLC in Independence, Louisiana. Simply cut the stem into a “V” to remove and then dip into melted bittersweet chocolate . Valentine hearts to simply eat or garnish a dessert.

What’s hanging from the chandelier??? First let me explain that I left the evergreen branches from the holidays there since Olive and Harry’s final days together were during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. My daughter saw this ornament idea that I couldn’t resist (after Christmas).

By this time all of its components were on clearance, so they cost nearly nothing to make. Inside are small replicas of the books my club read in 2022 (the year charm on top) by printing very small images of the cover for both the back and front of each book so that when it flipped is shows the same book cover. A sheet of foam (99 cents) was used to represent the pages. Unfortunately, when folding each little book to push it through the opening of the clear ornament, the paper crumbled. I told my group they look like worn out paperbacks (HA! HA!). Since we only read about 5 books a year, if I would have used thinner foam it would have been easier to insert the little books, but it would have looked like hardly anything was inside and they would have settled too flatly. I gave each of my members one of these at the end of this meeting.

Several years ago, I learned that the legendary chef and long time friend of Julia Child, Jacques Pépin published a book with sketches and art (from his hand) along the edges of the pages. When open faced the left page provides a place for guests to write a note and or sign and the opposite page on the right provides a space for noting the type of gathering and recording the menu. I host several luncheons and dinners each year, so I loved the idea of this book. Prior to each gathering I search for pages with art that in some way relates to our gathering.

Menus: A Book for Your Meals and Memories by Jacques Pépin.

It was fun to find this page with what resembled a vintage looking sketch of a couple that appears to be a bride and groom encircled by a heart. This of course was a great place to record our day for this book.

Our group enjoyed this book and appreciate the talented authors that composed this mind bending, hopeful, love mystery. I hope the ideas shared from this book club meeting with inspire you for your next book club. Remember to follow or subscribe to see future book club, wine club and entertaining inspiration! Thank you for stopping by!

The Forgotten Room (Inspired Bookclub Table)

Is it possible that two souls that are meant to be together, will continue to seek each other out in future generations? If you are a hopeless romantic like me, you will love the way this book explores such a possibility. A beautifully, sometimes purposely confusing (with the mystery not cleared up until the very end), hopeful and romantic tale of the lives of three generations of women (Olive, Lucy and Kate) will take you on such a journey. As we draw closer to Valentine’s Day, The Forgotten Room by co-authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig offers a richly complex story of love that reaches far into the next two generations.

Olive withholds the secrets of an unforgettable love throughout her life leaving both her daughter (Lucy) and granddaughter (Kate) searching for answers after her death. Explanations were never provided from the past in regard to a gilded age mansion Olive (accompanied by her little girl Lucy) strolled by to simply stare at and a delicate filigree chain, weighed down by a prodigious crimson (ruby) stone, handed down to daughter and then from her daughter to her granddaughter, each without knowing exactly why it was secretly maintained by her or it’s significance.

Olive and Harry meet and fall in love in 1892. A forbidden love match, common for the gilded age and beyond where “financial status” suproceeds matters of the heart. The novel is peppered with three eras that could have easily inspired the table decor and menu for my book club luncheon, starting with the elegance of the gilded age, to the art deco style of the 1920’s and finally the turbulent aftermath of World War II of the mid-1940’s.

As I tried to imagine a theme for my table, “the forgotten room” in many ways a character all its own, remained a common theme throughout the generations and is after all the title of the book (while not at all forgotten by its characters). The title of the book should have been something like “The Room Where Memories Remain”.

After some thought, I decided the starting place and era of this love story deserved to be the theme. Olive’s first impression of “the room”. . . . . .

“when she stepped through the doorway, she lost her breath. Olive turned in a circle, coated in moonlight from the long Palladian windows. The brick walls – they were like a secret garden. She gazed upward at the beautiful dome, a smaller version of the one at the top of the staircase, except this one was paned in clear glass, suspending her in the center of a velvet star-flecked Manhattan night. A beautiful and unexpected gift. “

As I brainstormed to put this book club meeting and menu together, I was also in the process of planning an upcoming wine club meeting with a theme of “Starry Winter’s Night”. With the idea of projecting stars on the ceiling and walls of my dining room, I remembered a small projector that plays soft music that my grandchildren had in their rooms (in a turtle form) when they were younger. This one purchased on Amazon, also projects (if desired) a beautiful half moon and cloud and can be changed to different colors. When I recalled the caption of Olive’s first impression of “the room” and how she described the velvet star-flecked Manhattan sky… I realized I could use it for this gathering as well.

It’s not 7 stories tall, but this table lantern was used to represent the Pratt Mansion.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJP7QV2S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Placecards:

With a budget in mind, creating inexpensive props and points of interest pushes me to be creative. The mini portrait of Olive was also a recurring part of the story. If I were a graphic designer I could probably execute my ideas with a more professional result, but since I am not, I have to use my own resources of amateur design. I found an image of a gold oval frame online and just snipped it, then pasted it onto a blank Word document page. From there I had to play with sizing the image, including printing it a couple of times to achieve the size I wanted.

I was able to fit four frames on a 8 1/2″ x 11″ page. Next I worked to line up the names of my guests into the center of the frame. I’m sure there was a better way to do this, but I printed a page of frames and then re-fed the paper back through the printer to add the names. Some are slightly off center as in my example. I created the backing of the frame with card stock templates I made and then thread some narrow ribbon (just like a real frame) from the front of the frame to the back folding stand. I also found one sheet of dark floral paper that reminded me of the time period that I glued to the back side to give a finished appearance and hide the taped ribbon. Finally I bought teardrop ruby rhinestones to hot glue to the front (to resemble Olive’s necklace.)

A description of the miniature portrait as described by Kate…

“The woman appeared to be nude, her long dark hair tumbling around her shoulders, her only accessory a filigree gold necklace about her slender, pale neck, a perfect large ruby dangling from the center.“

While the book did not provide a photo of Olive, I searched the internet for a portrait of a young, beautiful women with dark flowing hair (released from its hairpins) and bare shoulders attempting to get as close as I could to this imaginary character. I happened upon this glittered Christmas ornament frame over the holidays, with a slot for inserting a photo that perfectly displays the portrait with a gilded age elegance and added sparkle.

Those Pratt family dinners were unquestionably served in the ambiance of flickering candles, and the elegance of fine china, crystal and ornate silver. I placed my candelabra to one side of the table with soft cream lit candles to create a similar ambiance and hung the portrait to bask in the glow of candlelight.

With the help of a craft store filigree gold chain and one of the ruby rhinestones, I created an imagined version of Olive’s necklace and displayed in on this similar era bust of a young girl I purchased from an antique store several years ago.

“Olive lowered herself carefully onto the cushions, which were upholstered in silk and threadbare velvel and released a comfortable scent of dusty lavender as she sank among them.”

A red velvet table runner draped across the center of the table was used as the base of my table’s center. A set of old metal keys (similar to the opening page of the book), paint stained artist brushes and tubes of paint with an antique candle snuffer are randomly displayed over the cushion of velvet.

“Harry led her to the wall next to the small fireplace, where a pile of angry coals hissed heat into the room, and pointed to three square tiles above the mantel. Olive hadn’t noticed, and them before, and now she wondered why: They were beautiful, full of color, depicting intricate heraldic shields on either side and a central figure of Saint George bearing his crimson white-crossed flag.

He released her hand and worked the bricks free from the mortar in a single irregular shingle, revealing the cavity within. “You see? There’s a hollow here, as if the builder forgot to put in a few bricks. Well, he didn’t forget. I got to know the architect a little bit, when they were building this place, and he showed me. I guess he like to do that when he designed houses, to put in some little secret. So, if you need anything, if you want to leave me a message of any kind, just put it in here. I’ll find it, I promise.”

Harry revealed a secret hiding place in the wall with loose bricks where he and Olive could leave letters for one another (shown to him by Olive’s father). We can’t have a romantic table without love letters! I recreated the stained letters with a calligraphy inspired font from the two letters written out in the book and then brushed the pages with a mixture of instant espresso powder and water to create a strong coffee. After about 30 minutes I then finished the drying process with a hair blow dryer. Following some examples for following letters from the time period, I folded and sealed the letters with a wax stamp. Two are crumbled, aged and slightly torn at the edges and displayed open on the table and with a few others that are unopened and sealed.

A beautiful heart with thin wooden flower petals I purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby, added a beautiful shot of red and drama to the table for a story that is clearly a matter of the heart.

Narrow dark red velvet ribbon was used to cinch the napkins.

I also used a piece of the dark red velvet ribbon to cinc the excess chain (for the necklace) at the back of the bust. At a glance, it resembles the back of a corset.

With the table set and ready to greet my group and discuss this complex love story filled with surprises and mysteries that require solving all the way to the end, I will pause here. A little note taking is recommended to keep track of all of the twists and clues. I’ve actually created a timeline family tree for each of the main characters to help everyone confirm if they sorted out everything correctly.

My next post will provide the cocktail and luncheon menu for this meeting. So come back soon! Happy reading!

Winter’s Night Sunday Supper

What better way to spend a cold winter’s night during this holiday season than to invite a couple of friends over to gather around the table near the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree for a cozy Sunday supper? This gathering was pulled together in a short 48 hours. I reached out to my friends on a Friday afternoon and once they confirmed they could come, I began to pull my plan for the evening together.

I always start with my table decor, It helps me to set the stage for the evening, starting with my basic gold rimmed china dinner plates and gold inexpensive chargers. A few years ago I used a wide roll of dark red velvet ribbon to cut pieces that fold over and under the chargers for an elegant touch. I fold them one on top of the other on the original cardboard roll to store the pieces away to use from year to year. Finally I placed my Lenox “Pomegranate with Mistletoe” salad plates (a gift from a friend many years ago) on top of the dinner plate for a festive pop of color.

I started collecting pieces of silver cutlery this year and had just enough place settings to use for this small dinner party. I also pulled out my special crystal wine glasses that are not used for my wine parties, but deserved a spot at the table for this ocassion.

With a bag of mandarin oranges and a jar of whole cloves I studded patterns on some of the mandarins and then added a plaid ribbon in Christmas colors to complete their look. I created a centerpiece with fragrant evergreen branches (purchased at Fresh Market) placed across the center of the table with a string of jingle bell garland and battery operated twinkle lights. A clove studded mandarin was placed in the center of each plate and some were placed over the evergreens in the center of the table.

A holiday dinner party deserves the elegance of the season. The house is filled with beautiful twinkle lights and colors throughout the house, making it easy to create a warm ambiance that is perfect for an evening such as this. Why not take advantage of the added glow in the house?

For an easy Hors D’oeuvre, I bought a package of endive (also known as chicory) that contained two light green tipped heads and one purple tipped head. I filled the bottom of the green leaves with sushi snow crab salad and the purple with a small ball of Bouisin carmelized onion cheese rolled in pistachio crumbs and topped with a pomegranate seed. A small silver serving tray presented raisin rosemary crackers from Trader Joe’s, a citrus studded English cheese and toasted whole walnuts.

The Hors D’oeuvres were served with a holiday Lambrusco punch from the link below. Hint: I used all of the Autumn simple syrup from the recipe (not just the 1/2 cup per instructions). The syrup is delicious and added a lot of flavor.

https://www.howsweeteats.com/2018/11/christmas-punch/

I also made cocktail ice cubes (using the large square silicone trays) made with pomegranate juice and a little water, filling the tray sections with fresh rosemary, fresh cranberries and pomegranate seeds. One large cube was placed in each glass and the punch poured over and then garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

The Menu

Champagne Citrus Salad

Coq Au Vin with Mashed Potatoes

Sweet soy glaze and Agave Roasted brussel sprouts with pomegranate seeds

Gingerbread Eggnog Custard Tarts

I started with a citrus salad to follow along with the table decor, that unfortunately did not get photographed. The ingredients are as follows:

• Two navel oranges segmented
• Arugula and mixed greens
• Sliced (leftover endive) for cruch
• Pomegranate seeds
• Dried Cranberries 1/2 soaked in orange juice to rehydrate
• finely chopped chives
• toasted chopped hazelnuts
• Champagne citrus vinaigrette https://canapesandsoirees.com/citrus-champagne-vinaigrette/

Place the greens and endive in a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Divide into 4 to 6 portions in separate plates. Top with orange segments, pomegranate seeds, rehydrated cranberries, and nuts.

For the entree I made a one pot comfort dish, French coq au vin served over rosemary roasted garlic mashed potatoes (achieved by simmering evaporated milk with a few sprigs of Greg rosemary and adding severs cloves of roasted garlic).

The side was roasted brussels (with sweet soy sauce, tamarin, a little agave tossed after cooking) and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/coq-au-vin

Finally we ended the evening with gingerbread eggnog custard tarts. I had a half a bottle of eggnog leftover from my cookie decorating gathering and decided this would be a great way to finish the bottle off. The recipe I used made one full tart with a thick filling. I decided to make individual tarts so the custard was not as deep (thick) as the single tart, but it was still delicious. I also can recommend making just the eggnog custard and serve in little bowls that was also delicious on its own. My leftover custard was poured into small desserts dishes for another day.

Two of my guests had birthdays (one prior to the dinner and one due on Christmas day), so I put a single candle in each of their tarts so we could celebrate their birthdays.

Here’s proof that using what you have for the table and selecting a simple comfort food menu will enable you to throw together a quick festive winter holiday supper for a few of your friends or family in very little time.

However long you keep your Christmas decorations in place… there’s still time for a small gathering even once the day has come and gone.

Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for your support! I’m looking forward to new gatherings with new themes and getting my wine club back together in 2023. See you soon!

Getting Into a Christmas Spirit with a Cookie Decorating Party

A last minute informal invite was sent to a few family and friends to gather on a Sunday afternoon to decorate Christmas cookies, listen to Christmas tunes, nibble on some snacks, and sip Vin Chaud (mulled wine) and eggnog.

Since the group would be small, it gave me the opportunity to use some of my collected sterling silver and vintage (looking) ornaments in the decor that added an elegant charm reminiscent of photos in the stacks of back issues I have of Victoria magazine.

With less than a week to plan, I searched throughout my home and Christmas boxes for things I may have forgotten I had to use for this quickly pulled together gathering. I also tried to imagine how I would set up the table comfortably for everyone to have room to eat while decorating their cookies.

I found my retro Santa mug that my mother made in her ceramics class in 1968. When my daughter’s family comes to stay with me over the Christmas holiday, we’ve used the mug to leave cookies and milk for Santa. I thought it would make a cute centerpiece container to hold culinary tweezers and some brushes for edible gold powder. The mug, surrounded by small bowls with various sprinkles and dragees were placed on a clear plastic lazy susan for easier access to everyone. Two layers of inexpensive plastic red tablecloths were used to protect the table.

Half rimmed baking sheets from Tuesday Morning were used to decorate each cookie. A folded piece of parchment paper placed inside. The rimmed baking sheet provides a clean surface and captures sprinkles when used. The piece of parchment can be folded and helps pour the sprinkles back into the bowl (all to control mess). The rectangle gold plates on the side are from the Dollar Tree.

I baked one per guest of three different cookie shapes, a gingerbread person, a snowflake and a detailed back view of a vintage car. I didn’t want all of the cookies to be too difficult since this was a first attempt at decorating for most of my group. However while the open freestyle cookie would seem the easier version, it took some coaxing to get everyone to tackle them. I shared photos of different snowflake cookies from instagram for inspiration.

The car cookie is very detailed, but provides exactly what you need to do. Simply coloring in the spots like a coloring book with crayons. Time consuming, but already thought out. The task of these three cookies provided just the right amount of time for a little gathering.

I used the scraps of cookie dough to cut out small stars, and place a drop of icing on each for a sample taste.

In lieu of pastry bags and mixing and coloring icing, I’ve always used the Betty Crocker or generic Walmart icings with one pointed tip that is snipped off with a pair of scissors. When I first started decorating cookies with my grandchildren, these icing tubes were only $1.98 each. They gradually moved up to $2.98 and this year they had increased to $5.00 each. I was thrilled when I found the white, red and green at a nearby Dollar General for $3.00.

While at the Dollar General (this was only my second visit there in nine years), I found these reindeer socks and luckily there were 6 – exactly enough to give as favors. So I rolled each one up and tied with some green garland ties (Michaels) and a jiggle bell (pack of 9 from Dollar Tree). I also made with jingle bell necklaces with some narrow ribbon.

I placed a copper bowl at each end of the table and filled each with one red, green, white and lavender (that I had left over from Halloween) tube of icing. On the side I had another bowl with one tube of chocolate, and other leftover Halloween colors of black and orange to share. I also found a box with four very small tubes that included yellow and blue for $3 at Dollar General that included in the share bowl.

I purchased a bouquet of evergreen branches at the grocer and laid those in the center of the table. I then nestled the bowls of icing and lazy susan over the evergreens. I used a string of battery powered snowflake bulbs to drape around the center.

Happy with the table, I moved on to the flowers and food, that were displayed on my kitchen island.

Referencing a couple of cute ideas from instagram, I made stacked Christmas tree turkey sandwiches with black truffle mayo.

Adapted from Gretchen’s post “She Keeps a Lovely Home” – I found water crackers in the pantry, purchased cherry tomatoes sliced in half), a yellow bell pepper (for small ornament tops); Boursin caramelized onion and herb spreadable cheese, and a few sprigs of dill to make these little festive small bites.

Icebox pecan and blue cheese crackers (a Martha Stewart recipe I’ve used for years), usually rolled into a log and sliced – updated by rolling out and cutting with a cookie cutter shapes of stars and small snowflakes to add to the cheese board. The stars are sprinkled with a little crushed pink peppercorn. (Must be made ahead and refrigerated for 24 hours before baking so prepare!)

https://www.marthastewart.com/1072363/blue-cheese-pecan-icebox-crackers

An easy small bite of mini cocktail sausages, wrapped in store bought pie dough (cut into strips with a pastry cutter with scalloped edges), brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning (or sesame seeds would also work). Baked at 450 degrees (f) for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

I also made a quick batch of sweet and spicy pecans the day before. The cheese board had raisin rosemary crackers from Trader Joe’s, my pecan blue cheese homemade crackers, a cranberry cheese from England, a Black truffle sheep cheese, a honey goat cheese rolled in chopped dried cranberries and crystalized ginger and a small bunch of black seedless grapes.

For dessert, I found this Flourless Chocolate Chestnut cake. Regrettably, I’ve never eaten chestnuts. I was in New York just before the holidays on two occasions and didn’t grab the chance to try roasted chestnuts! A mistake I will not make again. This cake was light while also being rich with a truffle like texture and not too sweet. It was very lovely and everyone was a fan.

https://www.oliveandmango.com/chocolate-chestnut-cake/

My Vin Chaud was so well liked that I was making a second batch while the others were decorating cookies! Toss in a few fresh cranberries for garnish. (Note to self- make a double batch next year!)

Before departing with their wrapped up cookies, we did a small toast to the holidays and a festive day with a chilled glass of eggnog topped with a fresh grating of nutmeg!

None of us, including me, are professional bakers. Our decorated cookies prove to be homemade and we could not be prouder of them. They represent an afternoon well spent, a first attempt by some who may have been previously intimidated by the idea of decorating cookies and a lot of fun. (I think this will become a new annual tradition).

P. S. My 89 year old mother-in-law REALLY loved the cake and left with some to take home … and the star cookie samples. Happy Holidays!

Setting the Table (For the Christmas Season- Red & Golds)

A Vintage Nativity found in a local antique store for $15; faux or fresh evergreen branches, a silk rose with gold and red velvet ribbon purchased many years ago and a Dollar Tree gold tone jingle bell hot glued to a mini clothespin.

It’s that time of year when the boxes of Christmas decorations are pulled out of the attic or storage and the decorating begins. I’m sure like me, you have some items in those boxes that you’ve either held on to year after year, or some vintage items passed down from family members, that may or may not make the cut for this year’s displays.

This is a perfect time to look through those collected items to create your Christmas tablescape. This issue is to show you that making the table look beautiful doesn’t have to cost a lot, and that you can use things you already have to make a creative display for everyone to enjoy.

Same dishes, same napkin fold, added white glittered church ornament from the Dollar Tree.

The examples in my photos all have the same white tablecloth with gold polka dots, plain white gold rimmed china plate, a gold charger (from the Dollar True); gold tone flatware and gold rimmed glasses. Below each photo is a description of what was used to create each presentation.

The only important thing to remember, is to keep the centerpiece area low so that your guests can see and converse easily. Candlestick or votives are also a beautiful alternative to the battery twinkle lights, but in my situation I have an air conditioning vent that blows over my dining room table and usually blows the wax all over the place. So I only use candles that have a glass cylinder around them to protect my tablecloths or when I don’t need to have the a/c on – weather permitting. In the south we never know if it’s going to be hot or cold for Christmas. Always consider your elements in your room and ways to prevent small disasters.

Different napkin fold topped the same gold tone jingle bell. A red velvet wired ribbon wrapped around the charger. Centerpiece same evergreens with gold and red vintage glass ornaments and golden tree place card holders purchased at Homegoods.

Faux evergreen branches work just fine, but fresh branches can be picked up at the local hardware store and Christmas tree lot for free. Yes – places like Home Depot have a large wood bin next to the tent where the trunks of trees are being trimmed, with free fresh branches for the taking.

Berry branched napkins (from Homegoods), an embroidered Christmas cocktail napkin and Christmas ornament (frame) that a name or picture of your guest can be inserted as a place card. (Wouldn’t it be fun to have photos of everyone on Santa’s lap as a child?)

I often use place cards, just to mix up my group. The same people tend to sit together and I want everyone to visit with a family member or friend they haven’t seen in a while.

For the centerpiece, I used my small collection of Hallmark 1980’s village buildings, a clay timber cottage that was a gift from a friend who sent it from Germany, same faux evergreens, a couple of small red glass ornaments and three sets of battery operated mini string lights. I also swapped out the tablecloth for a muslin and gold stitched version and a table runner with a Christmas village, both from Homegoods.

To elevate this village landscape one step more, I snipped a few roses from my knockout rose bush and tucked them randomly into the evergreen branches.

Evergreens and lights remained, Spode round gift box tied with red ribbon, topped with the knockout roses, a trumpet ornament and two large instrument ornaments.

A string of multiple sized gold toned jingle bells added to the evergreen.

Clipped jingle bell on top of cocktail napkin.

Changed out the jingle bell clip for that silk white rose with gold and red velvet ribbon and clipped the jingle bell to the floral arrangement.

One last version, a golden angel playing a violin and an angel wing ornament. My book club read a Christian fiction novel a few years ago that was filled with angels. I found these wings on sale at a local gift shop after Christmas and bought one as a favor to give each of my members.

With a rose bud.

Without a rose bud.

I could probably find many other ways to use this same place setting. If your collection includes items of the same color tones, you can easily mix and match items, tuck in pops of color and create themes. With a little thought, you can use the same items for years to come in different ways and no one will ever know it isn’t new. I hope these example inspire you to create your own beautiful Christmas tables.

Autumn Crunch Salad with Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette (Simply Elevated)

This Autumn Crunch Quinoa Salad with Fig Balsamic vinaigrette could be the new healthy and colorful addition you’re looking to add to your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving menu.

A combination of simple healthy ingredients with the flavors and colors of fall with the bonus of a satisfying crunch. Just a little chopping is involved, then toss together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with seeds and dried fruit just before serving. I used mini syrup pitchers from World Market for individual servings of the vinaigrette.

To create this colorful salad I used the following.

• Cook per package instructions, 1 cup of multi colored quinoa and set aside to cool to room temperature

• One Napa cabbage (sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons and then in half for smaller pieces)
• 3 heads of endive (I found a multiple color package at Trader Joe’s) slice into 1/4 in ribbons.
• 1 small head of radicchio (sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons
• Rainbow carrots, 2 of each color – shaved into strips with a vegetable peeler
• 1 container or bag of mini arugula

Toppings:

• 1 package of diced pancetta (cooked in a pan until crispy & then drain fat)
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) toast in a dry pan until slightly golden
• 5 or 6 dried figs (chopped into 1/2 in slices) *** if fresh figs are available -sliced fresh figs would be lovely with this instead of the dried figs
• Shaved parmesan cheese

Once your quinoa is prepared and cooled set aside in a bowl. Serve separate from the actual tossed salad.

Toss all of the vegetables together in a large bowl.

Prepare the vinaigrette.

Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fig butter, jam, or preserves
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey or agave
• 1/3rd cup olive oil (I used Kalamata olive oil)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl whisk together fig jam, vinegar, salt and pepper until thickened and creamy. For more sweetness add more honey or fig butter, if too thick you can add more olive oil. Vinaigrettes take a little tasting and adding here and there to reach your desired flavor. Salt of course always amps up the overall flavor.

Whisk until thoroughly combined and you won’t have to worry about the ingredients separating. Serve on the side to prevent greens from getting soggy.

If serving individually a few edible flowers on the side will add an additional pop of color and whimsy. I plant several viola plants in my herb garden just for this purpose.