Not long ago, my Mother had an overnight guest. One of my nieces, Danielle, had come to visit. My Mother got to have fun being a Grandma. According to her, the story goes like this:
After a good nights sleep, Danielle awoke and made her way to the kitchen, In the kitchen she found Grandma and Grandpa were already awake. Grandma asked little Danielle if she would like to have a tea party before breakfast? Well, of course, Danielle thought this was a grand idea.
Grandma set up the tea tray:
Tea and cookies and strawberries.
What a yummy sight for tea!
Pretty Blue Danube tray and china.
Grandma and Grandpa showed Danielle how she could hold the stem (or green part) of the strawberry and eat it without getting sugar on her fingers!
What a fun way for a little girl to start the day!
Danielle also learned to put her napkin in her lap before eating.
Yummy
Danielle loves to visit with Grandma and Grandpa.
Pretty teascape
They always have so much fun.
Mama had so much fun putting together this “teascape” for Danielle. She always has a way of making things special!
What other kinds of “scapes” are out there for:
with Between Naps on the Porch
Today’s Lagniappe: Lemon Tea Cookies
The perfect cookie with a spot of tea.
1 2/3 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
FILLING:
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. sugar
2-3 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. butter
Coconut or powdered sugar
In medium bowl combine first 4 ingredients; blend well. Chill dough. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. With thumb or forefinger make imprint in center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. In medium saucepan combine filling ingredients except coconut or powdered sugar; cook over low heat stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Cool, top each cookie with about 1/4 teaspoon filling. Sprinkle with coconut or powdered sugar. 36 cookies.
The daffodils are starting to bloom, soon to be followed by forsythia, phlox, redbud and so much more. Like the beauty of a Knockout Rose.
Knockout Rose
Or, the sweet little baby bunnies:
Just waiting for spring!
Hanging out under this little tree.
We are just little ones.
Hoping to survive long enough to visit your garden . . .
And, maybe find a bite to eat.
Today’s Lagniappe: Honey and Ginger Glazed Carrots
The perfect dish for a little bunny or a hungry honey!
6 cups water
3 pounds young, small carrots with tops trimmed to 2 inches, peeled or scrubbed, or 3 pounds packaged peeled baby carrots
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a 12- or 14-inch heavy skillet bring water to boiling. Add carrots. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 to 12 minutes or until carrots are just tender. Drain carrots. Carefully turn out onto prepared baking sheet. (When green tops are left on carrots during cooking, they become very fragile. As the carrots cook, some of the tops may come off.) Pat dry with additional paper towels.
2. To glaze carrots, in the same heavy skillet combine margarine, honey, ginger, and salt. Stir constantly over medium heat until margarine is melted. Carefully add carrots. Toss gently for 2 to 3 minutes or until carrots are thoroughly coated with glaze and heated through completely.
3. To serve, arrange carrots in a shallow bowl or on a platter; drizzle with remaining glaze from pan. Makes 12 servings.
A little outdoor pic for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer and Rednesday! with It’s a Very Cherry.
I’m craving shrimp today. Not just any shrimp I want Wild American Shrimp – for me, that means from the Gulf of Mexico. Such a wonderful flavor. I don’t want to be bamboozled!
I like shrimp most ways but today, I am wanting it barbecued, Pascal’s Manale style.
You may need three or more pieces of French bread to soak up all this goodness.
1 pound (21-25 count) shrimp, heads removed
5 teaspoons Manale Spice (recipe follows)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
French bread for serving
Wash shrimp and pat dry. Put shrimp in a large skillet over high heat and add Manale Spice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, stirring constantly. Pour olive oil over shrimp, then add white wine. Stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly.
Continue cooking over high heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add butter, and cook an additional 2 minutes until butter is thoroughly melted and blended in. Be careful not to overcook shrimp or they will become tough. Serve with French bread for dipping in sauce.
Manale Spice:
4 tablespoons black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in a dry, airtight container.
That, my friends, is some gooood stuff! Add a salad and that crusty French bread and it is heavenly!
Today’s Lagniappe: Italian Salad with Herbs
A yummy salad to go along with the shrimp. This salad recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
* 4 Belgian endives, thinly sliced crosswise
* 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
* 1 cup (lightly packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
Blend the lemon juice, lemon peel, honey, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.
Toss the lettuce, endive, olives, parsley, and basil in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Season the salad with more salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.
You’ve met my friend Donna of the fabulous Donnadots before. Now she is redoing her bathroom. Here are the before pictures.
I kind of like that octagonal window. She is planning on painting the walls tan and replacing the light fixtures. I will post “after” pics as she gets finished with the project. What do you think? Any suggestions? Check out what metamorphosis’ are going on at:
Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch
Today’s Lagniappe: Muffuletta Pinwheels
An appetizer version of a New Orleans favorite from All Recipes.
Combine green olives, black olives, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and oil in a small bowl. Set aside. Beat together cream cheese, pinch of oregano, and pinch of garlic salt. Spread the mixture onto tortillas. Sprinkle olive mixture over the top of each. Starting at the top of each tortilla and about 1/8 inch down place a slice of ham, provolone, salami, and mozzarella slightly overlapping each slice.
Roll the tortillas up and wrap in foil. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Remove the foil and slice on a 45 degree angle into 1-inch pieces.
It is 13 days to SPRING! Along with all the beautiful color that spring brings also comes the spring storms. That is the way it is in life as well. Sometimes we experience the storms in life, but eventually, the sun will shine again.
..Weeping may endure for a night,
but Joy Comes in The Morning.
Psalm 30:5
I love how my dad looked at the strong storms as I tell in this post from March 25, 2009:
It is storm season in the South again. We had a nice one come through yesterday. A lot of rain and wind with a little thunder and lightening thrown in. It wasn’t too bad. When I was a little girl, I was terrified of storms. I would get sick whenever the tornado sirens went off. Finally, one really stormy Spring, the sirens went off so often that I finally got where they didn’t bother me any more.
My daddy used to say “God’s stuttin’ His stuff” when we would have a big storm or a beautiful sunset or some other awesome event. Again, I am reminded how blessed I am to have grown up in my family.
Speaking of family, Mama is on Facebook now. They say the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is people over 30. If you are on facebook, come on over and “friend” me (Christi Dicus Wharton). I would love to meet you. There is also actually a page for this blog. You can search on “A Southern Life” and become a fan if you like and post comments and stuff.
Alright, off to finish my tablescape for tomorrows post. Y’all have a great Wednesday!
Today’s Lagniappe: Asparagus Two Ways I love asparagus and Spring is a great time to get it. Here are two recipes. I love the asparagus with the lemon butter sauce and that is the way I usually make it but the fried asparagus sounds really good. I like how the recipe sounds and will try it.
Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce
Clean and trim asparagus and then steam until tender. Melt some butter in a small saucepan. Squeeze in some lemon juice and a little salt and pepper (add a little garlic powder if desired). Stir the sauce and then pour over the asparagus. If you would like a little thicker sauce, it can be thickened with a little cornstarch and water mixture.
Fried Asparagus This recipe says to fry in olive oil but since olive oil has such a low smoke point, I might substitute canola or vegetable oil.
1 pound of asparagus, trimmed.
1 medium egg.
4 ounces of freshly-grated Romano cheese.
1 cup of fine dry breadcrumbs.
1 tablespoon of milk.
Olive oil, for frying.
Salt and pepper.
Instructions for Fried Asparagus:
In boiling, salted water, cook the asparagus spears until just tender.
Drain on paper towels.
In a bowl, beat the egg with milk.
Dip the asparagus in the egg/milk mix, then into the breadcrumbs.
Heat enough olive oil to cover the asparagus in a deep fryer or a large skillet.
Fry the asparagus until lightly browned.
Drain on paper towels.
Season with your desired amount of salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with grated Romano cheese.
The Crepe Myrtle is one of my favorite trees/bushes. When everything else in the garden starts looking a little tired in the hot days of summer, the Crepe Myrtle still shines bright.
Pink Crepe Myrtle
Unfortunately, the beautiful Crepe Myrtle is also one of the most abused of plants. I have seen such abuse in my own neighborhood just this week. It makes me very sad. Cutting the poor tree down to the knuckles or “topping” them by cutting off all the beautiful arms is just wrong. It has even been referred to as “Crepe Murder.”
Crepe Murder
I am writing this post in an attempt to “stop the abuse.” If you want a short Crepe Myrtle, buy the dwarf variety. The natural form of the Crepe Myrtle is a lovely bottle shape that makes a wonderful addition to the landscape.
Southern Living wrote a great article on the proper care of Crepe Myrtle and included alibis for anyone who may have been guilty of abuse
Hope you are enjoying your Saturday – and feeling PINK!
Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound
Today’s Lagniappe: Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast
Something light and delicious.
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 lg. cloves garlic, minced
Grated peel & juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
4 lg. chicken breasts, skinned & boned
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. coarse ground pepper
Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice, salt, pepper and bring to boil. Set aside. Arrange chicken in single layer in a lightly buttered shallow baking dish. Pour lemon garlic mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with lemon peel. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove foil and bake additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to individual dinner plates and keep warm. Pour liquid from baking dish into small skillet. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Cook until reduced by half. Whisk in butter. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
So glad to see March arrive. That really means that Spring is just around the corner. My husband’s birthday is March 21st so it is always near the first day of Spring. Just another reason to celebrate! This seems to have been a tough winter for so many. Around here, we are just really ready to celebrate some warm temps!
Today, I want to celebrate Pimiento Cheese. Also known as the pate` of the South. The pimiento cheese I grew up on was from Priddy’s. It was just delicious with some mayonnaise and white bread. YUM! I’ve heard that this delicacy is not that well known outside the region. Basically, it is cheese, mayonnaise and pimientos mixed up. But, of course, there are many variations on the theme.
With Designs by Gollum
How about today’s lagniappe from an old issue of Southern Living?
Today’s Lagniappe: Feta Apple Spread
This is really going far afield but it is still yummy!
2 (4-ounce) packages crumbled feta cheese
1 medium Granny Smith apple, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives or pitted ripe olives
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
Preparation
Stir together all ingredients. Chill, if desired.
Prep: 7 min
NOTE: For convenient sandwiches, serve spread in quartered pita rounds.
During the week, breakfast is kind of a hit and miss sort of deal around here. More often than not, I grab something as I am sitting here at my computer with a cup of coffee as I am working. Weekends, though, are another matter. Even though there is plenty to be done on the [...]
Getting ready for my next appearance on The Margaret Banks show. This week is about turning your passion into profits, which is actually perfect for bloggers!
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