Everyday Living

Meat & Greet: The Full Spread

~ Food & Entertaining

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:25‬ ‭

Now that the autumn season is upon us, our minds start wandering off to the upcoming holidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it!  And of course, with those two major holidays come the parties!  Having guests into your home can be quite intimidating, and I have to confess that I have an ongoing struggle with entertaining versus hospitality.  Entertaining makes me think of perfection…perfectly set table, perfectly presented home cooked food, and of course the perfectly dressed hostess.  With that said, I fail miserably…I have never considered myself a Carolyne Roehm or Martha Stewart!  But on the other hand, hospitality is not about perfection, but opening your heart and home for fellowship and sharing of God’s blessings.  More times than not, it is our own expectations that keep us from experiencing the joy that comes with being hospitable!

Today, I am sharing something I did for my family on Labor Day, and it is an easy plan for you to share with your guests!  As I said before, it can be intimidating to have people into your home for several reasons.  Maybe you are not confident in your cooking ability, or money is tight, or you just don’t have time to go “all out” with the full spread.  Well, this is a “no excuse” way of serving guests.  No cooking required, very little time to prepare, and no special equipment needed!  Everything is purchased from TJ Maxx and our local grocery store!  Come on, let’s get this party started!

 The European charcuterie board was made from 19th century wood and we found it in the gift shop at Blackberry Farm.  Mineral oil has been applied several times to keep it food safe!  You could use a bread board, a serving tray, or a marble/granite remnant instead of a charcuterie board.  Be creative and use your own ideas! I love the idea of nibbles or appetizers before a meal.  Monday night, we had our family for dinner and they enjoyed all this board had to offer!  Let’s deconstruct the board:   Local honey, toasted baguette, olives stuffed with red peppers!
 The sweetness of dried figs is a great accompaniment to cheese! Basil, black olives, and feta pesto is a tasty spread for crackers or crostini! Butch loves a sharp cheddar hoop cheese, it is so good paired with honey or the pesto on the baguette! I am a firm believer in buying local honey.  There are so many uses for this sweet and natural ingredient! Next to the sharp cheddar is pickled asparagus!  I discovered this product at TJ Maxx and it is excellent and it adds beautiful color next to the meats! Charcuterie is the French term for “prepared meats”. The charcuterie board usually consist of pork products, but I think your own creativity works best!
My selections are prosciutto in the foreground, smoked barbeque chicken, applewood smoked ham in the back, and rosemary ham! If you haven’t tried prosciutto before, I urge you to try this Italian mainstay!  It pairs beautifully with melon, peaches, and figs!
 Fresh rosemary from my garden adds it’s beautiful scent and color to the board!Sesame breadsticks in the foreground.  Not only is this easy, but it is also inexpensive for hosting a crowd! Local pecans add crunch and grapes are a must…their sweetness pairs with the saltiness of the cheeses! The two cheeses are smoked gouda on the left and a soft, honey cheese on the right!  Granola rounds out sweetness and crunch! On our recent visit to St. Maarten, we visited a lovely Dutch cheese shop.  If you read my post you will recall that the island is divided in half between the Dutch and the French, so there are many authentic shops.  You can read more about our trip here: Taken By Storm: A Week In St. Maarten.  Upon our arrival at the Amsterdam Cheese Shop, we were greeted by helpful experts on the many cheese offerings and they invited us to enjoy free tastings-we love free! The Dutch make fabulous cheeses including Gouda. We brought home this honey cheese that we had tasted, and I don’t have the words to describe how delicious it is!  Tomato basil crackers add a punch of flavor! Apricot preserves are an excellent spread for the baguette and sesame sticks!  For more charcuterie and appetizer ideas, see my Pinterest board: Foodie Presentations. It is my hope that this blog post will give you confidence that you can be a hostess with the gift of hospitality!  I believe your guests will feel special…and most of all, loved!

The Details:
Red pepper stuffed olives/basil, black olives,
and feta pesto/dried figs/pickled asparagus/granola – TJ Maxx
Meats, cheeses, and crackers – local Winn Dixiepam-closing

Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, TheEnchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home, My Flagstaff Home, In The New House, Natasha in Oz, Vintage Refined, Rustic & Refined, Must Love Home, Grammie Time

Tablescape Tuesday: In Every Season

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

“So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8:6-8‬ 

You can probably tell by now that one of our favorite ways to dine at home is outdoors.  Anytime the weather permits,  you can usually find us outside at dinner time!  Saturday evening was cooler, so I carted everything out to the garden so we could enjoy God’s creation and His lovely sunset!  With the promise of cooler temperatures, so is the promise of more outdoor tablescapes!  Hope you won’t mind!   As autumn approaches, the sunlight changes, it reminds me of the light often spoken about by artists!   The inspiration for this setting in the garden is the olive tablecloth and plates with olives, tomatoes, artichokes, and eggplants!  I use olive oil for cooking, especially roasting  vegetables…and is there anything better than good focaccia with olive oil?  The rattan chargers add texture and the use of patterns and colors give the setting a casual look!  I incorporated olive oil and olives as part of the centerpiece. We usually have a bottle of olive oil on our table.  Butch says,  “olive oil makes everything taste better!”  The napkins are folded in a fleur de lis with the flatware tucked inside!  I found the dinner and salad plates reduced and waited for them to be reduced again!  Don’t we all love a good bargain?     Hearts on fire mixed with grasses from the garden give an autumnal feel!  The hand-painted pitcher with a Tuscan farmhouse and cypress trees and the jar with olives were purchased in San Gimignano!         Oreo, my photo bomber, always joins us for alfresco meals!    “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver”
Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭11‬


The Details:
Provençal tablecloth – purchased in Sete, France at an open-air market
Chargers/glassware – Tuesday Morning (several years ago)
Dinner and salad plates – Gibson dinnerware Tuesday Morning (several years ago
Olive oil dipping plates -Stone Market (local gift and specialty shop)

pam closing

 Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, TheEnchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home, My Flagstaff Home, In The New House, Natasha in Oz, Vintage Refined, Rustic & Refined, Must Love Home, Grammie Time

Save Room For Dessert!

~ Food & Entertaining

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and health to the body”
Proverbs 16:24

 The legendary Julia Child said,  “A party without cake is really just a meeting”...and I agree, Julia!  I guess you can say I sort of live by that motto, too!  As many of you know, my Mother was a fabulous cook!  I never remember a meal that wasn’t followed by dessert..homemade cakes, pies, cobblers, and cookies!  When Mother had guests (which was often) she would serve at least three desserts…and yes, I had to “sample” all of them!  Dessert was served on a regular basis at our home, so it was something I grew accustomed to.  With that background, you can understand my love for sweets!

Butch and I have taken four cruises with Oceania.  The cruise line is known for their small and intimate ships with large staterooms, exquisite accommodations, and the most fascinating destinations.  They are renowned for the finest food at sea, and that is, in part, why we continue to sail with them!  Inspired by Master Chef Jacques Pepin, these culinary delights have always been a hallmark that distinguishes the Oceania Cruises experience from any other.  With my love for desserts and new-found hobby in food photography, I thought it would be fun (and mouth-watering) to share some of the delicious sweets from our summer cruise to the British Isles!  The menu changed daily, so we had a plethora of choices every evening!  Butch and I were strategic in ordering two different desserts so that we could share and taste as many as possible! Apple Crumble Pie  Caribbean Coconut and Pineapple Tart  Milk Chocolate Volcano with Passion Fruit Lava  Pistachio Tartlet with Citrus  Caramelized New York Cheesecake  Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake with Caramel Truffle  Banana Torte Flambé  Almond and Rhubarb Cake with Mascarpone Cream  Bavarian Cheesecake with Strawberry Coulis  Grandmother’s Lemon Meringue Tart  Bounty Cake with Coconut, Chocolate Chips, and Vanilla Bean  White Chocolate Mousse Cake with Fruit Jelly and Macaron  Fresh Berry Tartlet with Mascarpone Cream  Semifreddo with Chocolate-Rum Sauce  Warm Milk Chocolate with Passion Fruit Sorbet

As I was preparing this post, I was reminded of the verse I posted above and how the words that come out of our mouths are so important.  God’s words are always relevant and he gives us ways of understanding, even in our everyday living.  It is my prayer that my words will always be gracious, sweet, and a source of healing to the hearers.

  So, now that you are all salivating over these beautiful desserts, I have to know…which one would you choose?
Tell us in the comments!

pam closing

Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home, My Flagstaff Home, In The New House, Natasha in Oz, Vintage Refined, Must Love Home