OLD TIME Pottery

Last week, Susan from Between Naps on The Porch, did a post about some of her sponsors. I remembered shopping with my dear friend Barb L. at OLD TIME Pottery when I lived in FL, so I followed Susan's link in her post, just to see if they had an online store.

Imagine my surprise to learn that we had an OTP right here in Ohio...THREE, in fact! This place is like crack for a dishaholic, honest.

This is what greets you when you first walk in the door! Tons & tons of gorgeous faux botanicals in every color imaginable. My eyes were just dancing in every direction, thinking of all the wreaths & Easter decor I could work magic with supplies like these.

Easter items were in abundance...these made me smile right back at them.

I thought the prices were wonderful, too!

Just look at all these GORGEOUS colors! I was thinking how cute these T-lite jars would be, hanging out in the gazebo for a summer party.

Lots & LOTS of dishes in many different styles & boy, if you ever wanted WHITE ones, you had your pick. Just look at these aisles...wall to wall white, on BOTH sides!

I loved all the kitchen items, casseroles dishes, pie plates, cutlery, serving pieces...you name it, they have it.

I found cookies cutters, MORE cute cupcake liners (just what I needed) and some fun kitchen gadgets. I ♥♥♥ kitchen gadgets!

Now you KNOW some of these DARLING RED polka-dot pieces came home with me!

The lady behind me in the check out aisle told me she had them & they were wonderful...cleaned up easily & still looked nice after heavy usage. I'm planning on making steak & mushroom pot pies today in some of them!

Can you believe these rooster salad plates were only $1.49 each???? If they had been white instead of cream, I would have snagged a ton of them. I still may!

All these Happy~ Happy colors had my ♥ going pitter-patter! Their displays are almost overwhelming. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, as you're on bare concrete floors the whole time!

I'm now kicking myself for not picking up any of the lovely blue & white pieces you see here. I immediately thought of Cherry Kay and all her pretty blue & white! I think I have to go back!

I did stock up on candles for my dining room. Some were less that the .50 price you see here. I got beautiful cream ones for .39 apiece! We go through a LOT of candles around here!

I was wishing these damask pillows had been black & white instead of the gold, copper & blue. Now that I see the photo, I LOVE the pale blue ones! I KNOW I'm going back now!

I did pick up ONE (what was I thinking???) of these GORGEOUS silk pillows. I'm pretty sure it is *Canadian smocking*. Its more like the lotus pattern & it is lovely. I was thinking in terms of gift giving but once I put it on my sofa, I don't want to part with it. I think I need several more & at THAT price they won't last long.

I told Susan to let her sponsor, OLD TIME Pottery, know that advertising on her site worked! Thanks for linking them in your post. My trunk was FULL when I left & I know it will be after a return trip as well.

Thanks for coming along on my shopping trip. I hope you can find a store like this near you. Their big 26th Anniversary sale starts March 8th. I can't wait!

Hugs, Rett

I'll be joining The Tablescaper for her

Seasonal Sundays meme

& since this post is all about dishes

I'll join Susan for her

Tablescape Thursday

Come on over & see what others are doing!

Broccoli Mushroom Soup & Homemade Dilly Bread

I made this soup & bread back when the Christmas dishes were in use, but forgot to post the photos.

Today's weather started out sunny, then got cloudy, then VERY w~i~n~d~y, and then it started to SNOW....good soup weather, so I made it again tonight!

I have a DAK bread machine that bakes beautiful, big round loaves.

Ms. C's favorite type to make is "Dilly Bread" & I think she likes it because I take her with me to the back yard to gather the fresh dill & I let her add all the ingredients to the machine & push the buttons, too.

We've had such a mild winter here in Ohio that there was STILL a few sprigs of fresh green dill growing near the deck at Christmas time. We cut it back in the fall & store it downstairs, hanging upside down in a brown paper bag, so it will dry.

You can see the flecks of dill seeds & some of the minced onions, too.

Both recipes are at the bottom of this post & you can easily make this bread without a bread machine.

Everybody always wants the top crust...the "PIĘTKA" in Polish... prounounced "PYENT-ka."

My husband says he & his brothers fought over who got to eat it but they called it the "crumpka", (with a rolled "r")

Bread crusts are the BEST parts of fresh bread and the worst parts of sliced, supermarket bread. ??? Go figure!

That little indent in the bottom of the loaf is where the paddle has been baked into the loaf. You must remember to remove it BEFORE you start to slice! Round circles won't fit into our toaster so we cut the loaf in half lengthwise first & then slice 1/2 moon shapes to eat with real butter. YUMMO!!

Broccoli Mushroom Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli (I used fresh broccoli)
3 1/2 c. chicken broth, divided (low sodium here at The Gazebo House)
10 lg. mushrooms, sliced
2/3 c. finely chopped celery
1/3 c. chopped green onion
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese (we prefer sharp cheddar)
1/2 c. sour cream (low-fat works just fine, but don't use fat-free)
1/2 tsp. Tabasco

If using the frozen broccoli, cook according to package directions, drain and puree in blender with 1 1/2 cups chicken broth.

If using fresh broccoli, just simmer florets in the chicken broth until tender while preparing other vegetables.

Saute mushrooms, celery & onion in butter until they are soft & transparent.

Season with garlic salt and add to the broccoli & chicken broth.

Cook, covered over low heat 30 minutes.

Stir in parsley, grated cheese, sour cream and Tabasco. Serve when cheese has melted. Makes 6 servings.

Dilly Bread

1 pkg. yeast
3 1/3 C. flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 unbeaten egg (room temp)

In the order listed, place dry ingredients & egg into bread machine.

Next, mix together the following ingredients & WARM to 105º ( usually less than 2 mins. in microwave) & add them to the machine.

1/4 C water
3/4 C cottage cheese
3/4 C sour cream
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp minced dried onion
2 Tbsp whole dill seed (I use fresh dill weed, too!)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter



Select "white bread" method

Without a bread machine, you can combine the dry ingredients & the egg with the warmed liquid ones, mix well & then hand knead until the dough doesn't stick to your hands & let bread rise in a warm, draft free location. Bake in 2 loaf pans in your pre-heated 350º oven till brown on top & taps sound hollow.

I saw the ingenious idea on Pinterest to use a heating pad to set your loaf pans on while your bread rises.


It came from Robyn at The Pink Peony of Le Jardin. Brilliant!!

I usually turn my oven on warm for a few minutes, then turn it OFF &
set the loaves inside, covered with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with Pam so it doesn't stick to the tops. Hey, whatever works for you!




I'm joining Foodie Friday at Michael Lee's blog Designs by Gollum, nicknamed "Rattlebridge Farm" as well as The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays. Thank you for hosting, ladies & thank YOU for visiting The Gazebo House today. Stay warm!

fondly,
Rett

Happy Valentines Day!!

Today is a special day for lovers all over & it is also

our 25th wedding anniversary!

Yes, we were married on Valentines Day!

The house has been decorated for weeks & lots of ♥ shaped goodies have been made & shared with family & friends.

Everywhere you look, there are reminders of this very special day & our love for each other.

This photo was taken on Christmas Eve,

the night we got engaged.

I adore the look of love in his eyes &

I’ll carry this photo in my wallet, forever.

To start the day, I made us “Parmesan Baked Eggs”

from a recipe I saw on the Pinch of Yum blog.

This is pretty much her recipe except where I noted that I made a few, slight changes due to ingredients that I had on hand.

Parmesan Baked Eggs

Author: Pinch of Yum (with changes that I made noted in RED)

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon butter (used a wee bit less)
• 1/2 teaspoon oil (used a wee bit less)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (I didn't have fresh but I did have Rosemary/Garlic seasoning, which worked great! Sometimes fresh rosemary is too strong for me)
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used less, due to BP issues at The Gazebo House)
• 6 eggs (I used only 4, since there were just 2 of us eating)
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (used a wee bit less)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat butter and oil. Add shallot and saute until soft and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add herbs and salt; remove from heat and stir to combine. The mixture should be somewhat coarse and just a little buttery.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place a small pat of butter (about 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each of 3 ramekins. Place in oven until butter is melted. Watch carefully...I burned the first pat.

Remove ramekins from oven, add 1 teaspoon of cream to each, and crack 2 eggs into each ramekin without breaking the yolk. Sprinkle the herb mixture over the top of each ramekin and return to the oven. Bake for about 7 minutes.

Turn up the heat to the broil setting and let the eggs broil for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven when egg whites are just set and yolks are still soft. Let stand for 3-5 minutes before serving. Season pepper & salt, if you use it...I did not, as I felt the Parmesan cheese was salty enough.

I agree with her note that the timing of this dish is really important. Be sure to have everything at hand & ready & watch the clock closely or you will over cook the eggs. Ours were PERFECT!

They were delicious…and I don’t usually like eggs! I can’t wait to make them again but it will be awhile, as I don’t serve him bacon & eggs too often,

since his ♥ attack a few years ago & then later, the stent insertion.

I am so thankful that they were able to fix his ♥

and

I am so very happy that he is still around to celebrate this very special day!

Happy 25th Anniversary, Honey!

I'm linking up with Marty's Table Top Tuesday , Susan's BNOTP Tablescape Thursday & The Tablescapers Seasonal Sunday, just because of all the dishes!
Thanks Marty, Susan & Ms. A. for hosting these fun memes, again & again.

Valentines Day Dinner

We're having another couple join us for Sunday dinner this weekend, so I've set the table with a Valentines Day theme.
The linens are the Ainsworth pattern by Waterford, found at Tuesday Morning. The very talented shopper, Cherry Kay, from Entertaining Women, helped me acquire the napkins to match this tablecloth. Thank you for being my personal shopper that day, Cherry Kay!

Since it is still very much winter here in Ohio, I thought the winterberry holly pattern of my Lenox would work nicely. The green mimics the pine fabric on my quilted tablerunner that I just finished making & the little red berries are clustered in groups of 3 that resemble ♥'s to me.

The candy-apple RED chargers are from Big Lots & the ♥ shaped dishes are from Michaels, last year. I hope they have them again, as I would love to get more!

The crystal candlesticks are new & I was thrilled to see how beautifully they coordinated with my Crystal d'Arques "Longchamps" stemware, that Alycia, from Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One reminded me I owned. I had forgotten all about them, until I read her mention of them on the post that I hot linked above.


The current centerpiece is a Polish crystal, dual-wick, oil burning orb that I have filled with RED candle lamp oil.
I intend to replace it with fresh flowers on Sunday, but it is too early to get them yet.


My ♥ shaped Waterford crystal candy dish is one I carried home from Ireland & I love the wonderful memories of that trip it evokes every time I bring it out.


The little gold trimmed heart shaped dishes are Mikasa, purchased years ago. I use them for either serving applesauce or holding extra cheese or perhaps a few strawberries to go on a salad. It varies, depending on the meal, but they repeat the gold trim of the Lenox plates nicely.



The center of the quilted runner is a pieced Ohio Star block.


An exact duplicate of it was made & then cut in half & attached at each end of the panel of cardinals, Ohio's state bird.




I am thrilled to get to use my custom-made copper & crystal, gold beaded silverware that my sewing friend, Nicole & her children hand wrapped for me! Such a special gift from a very special friend! Thank you, Nicole!


I tried to capture a few evening shots but I didn't time it too well. If I wait too late, it is very difficult to see anything in my dining room.

But at least you CAN see how pretty the candlesticks match the diamond cut on the stemware!

Serendipity!

I'm joining our gracious hostesses, Laurie at Bargain Hunting & Chatting with Laurie, for her annual Valentines Day Party as well as sweet Susan, for Tablescape Thursday & the talented Tablescaper for her Seasonal Sunday meme & Marty's Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life. Lots of parties to visit & be inspired!
Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House today. I wish I could have ALL of you over for a special Valentines Day dinner & DESSERT!