My granddaughter, Caroline, slept overnight & one of our many projects was to make a lemon meringue pie in honor of National Pie Day!
Recipe is straight from the back of the Jell-O lemon pudding & pie filling box.
She ♥to help me in the kitchen. We had meringue on the counter, her shirt, my shirt... even my purse which was on the other side of the room!
Then we had a tea party in the sewing room with all her favorite friends.
Does this qualify as a blooper Tablescape for Thursday at Susan's BNOTP? Forks on the wrong side, no napkins or glasses. We were in a hurry to taste that pie!
Lots of fun & lots of wonderful memories being made.
The beginning of a new year always has me thinking about eating healthier.
The over-indulgence of the holiday treats isn't good for any of us
but is especially hard if you're diabetic or have ♥ disease, like my husband.
I made this broccoli-cauliflower dish for my tennis group as well as one of our
gatherings where 4 of the Doc's 5 granddaughters are vegetarian.
They ALL loved it & many had never tasted it before.
I thought I'd share the recipe here & note the changes I made
to try to cut down on the sugar & fat content.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Broccoli Salad
Recipe By : Rett's FL Friends Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :1:40 Categories : Salads/Dressings
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 bunches broccoli florets -- raw 1 medium onion -- finely chopped 1 cup sunflower KERNELS -- not seeds!! 6 slices cooked bacon -- crispy & crumbled (served on the side) 3/4 cup mayonnaise -- Hellman's (lite works great & I try to use less) 1/2 cup sugar ( I used 1/4 C. sugar & 1/4 C. Splenda®) 3 teaspoons vinegar
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients & mix thoroughly. Cover & chill 6 to 8 hours.
Optional additions: cauliflower or raisins or cashews
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I mix the lite-mayo, sugar/Splenda® & vinegar first &
whisk it till fully blended,
then toss in the other ingredients till fully coated.
I left out the raisins in my batch but I did add 1/2 a head of cauliflower
& a big handful of cashews along with the sunflower kernels.
I store my sunflower kernels in the freezer
so they don't get rancid.
I crumbed the cooked bacon & served it in a little dish
on the side for those that wanted
to add it to their own portion.
The vegans thanked me for that! LOL
Of course, serving it in my pretty, hand-painted
glass bowls helps it taste much better!
You paint on the OUTSIDE of a clear glass bowl...
(this one had the design already imprinted on it)
with specially made glass paints available in craft stores.
The design then shows up on the inside of the bowl.
I found out AFTER these were done that I should have painted the gold lines FIRST
as they don't show through the white layer on the inside.
We had a group that met regularly in FL to work on such projects.
I sure miss those friends!
I got a ton of great recipes from them, including this one.
I'm participating in "Foodie Friday" at Designs By Gollum Be sure to check out all the other delicious recipes posted on her wonderful blog.
Thanks for stopping by & thank you for all my wonderful birthday wishes! I'm still celebrating today with the grandkidlets...they have the day off from school!
I had a wonderful visit with 2 of my 4 sisters this week.
They drove well over an hour each way to come help me celebrate my birthday.
You KNOW I had to set a pretty table for them!
Since we'll be away on Valentine's Day (our anniversary)
I thought I would take the opportunity to use some of my ♥ shaped dishes.
My original menu plan was to make little individual chicken pot pies
in the white ♥ shaped ones & use the RED ones for coleslaw.
RED & white with polka-dots galore!
Since it was just family, I put the cups & saucers on the table.
I realize you're not suppose to have them there before hand.
Normally, I would keep them on a side table until the end of the meal
but with only 4 place settings, it looked a little sparse without them.
RED Colonial candles (Susan's BNOTP Favorite) in Ralph Lauren crystal candlesticks.
The day before their arrival, I got an email saying
"We'll be at your house by noon...don't feed us, we're both too fat!"
Of course, EVERYONE is on a diet at the start of a new year.
Us, too!
So, I put out these BIG bowls & changed the menu to just salads with grilled chicken.
Plans quickly changed to very low calorie choices.
This lovely combination is only 5 calories & tastes delicious & is good for you, too.
Lots of antioxidants!
Salad served from my Waterford crystal bowl that I carried home from Ireland in my hand luggage.
I didn't trust the baggage handlers not to break it!
Instead of the pot pies, we enjoyed
Apple Pecan Grilled Chicken Salad
(from Wendy's)
It is soooo good with fresh spring greens, dried cranberries,
blue cheese, pecans & chunks of grilled chicken breast.
The Marzetti Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing is awesome.
I wish we could buy it for home use but
its unavailable for purchase other than at Wendy's with this salad!
I used the little dishes to hold their pecans that come in little bags with the salads &
I also added some of my own pecans that I glazed with
about a tablespoon of sugar in a non-stick pan.
Watch them closely, as it melts fast & can burn quickly!
I served a healthy, low calorie fruit salad of grapes, Mineola oranges,
watermelon, strawberries & pineapple.
Sweetened with just a light sprinkle of Splenda® & a wee bit of orange juice for moisture.
I had strawberry yogurt ready to also use as a topping but everyone preferred it plain.
Yummalicious & soooo good for you, too!
The cute Department 56 cake dome on the Ralph Lauren cake stand
was just meant to cover a plate of cookies for dessert,
BUT.....
They surprised me by bringing along lemon meringue pie...my utmost favorite!
I have had lemon pie, instead of a birthday cake, for as long as I can remember.
Usually, my sweet hubby makes it for me,
using French's lemon pudding & pie filling.
He just follows the recipe on the back of the box,
but they saved him from all that work this time.
Wasn't that SWEET of them?
Thanks, Sisters, for a delightful visit.
I loved having you over.
Hurry back!
Candy Apple Red Chargers: Big Lots White stoneware dishes: American Antelier, Bianca Flatware: Napoleon Bee, Horchow Red polka-dot plates: T. J. Maxx (last year) Red & white heart bowl: Michael's (last year) Napkin folding tutorial:
Thank YOU, too, for visiting The Gazebo House.
Our doors are always open to you.
I have some sewing projects to share next.
I finished almost 75 peri-pads for the girls in Haiti
then completed a corduroy pants outfit for Ms. Caroline.
I've been in my sewing room so much lately that hubby came
Before I tell you about the above project, let me say "thank you" to everyone for the "Get Well" wishes for my hubby. He is doing much better now, although still somewhat tired & dizzy at times. He just doesn't spring back like he used to!
Now, the project you see spread out on my table are peri-pads for the young women of Haiti. I have wonderfully devout Christian neighbors who travel to Haiti every year to help at a school as missionaries. The young girls of Haiti are missing school every month when they have their periods. In an effort to educate & assist them in learning good personal hygiene as well as keeping them in school, kits are being made up here in the states, containing washable & reusable pads, lightweight underwear, nice fresh smelling soap, a calendar & some Ibuprofen along with instructions on their usage. (Hopefully, some birth control measures will also be taught, but I don't know that for certain)
I donated my HUGE roll of 'Warm & Natural' cotton batting & together about 12-15 ladies have cut colorful flannel for the top & bottom layers & are now sewing these washable peri-pads together for inclusion in the kits to be taken to Haiti sometime in January. Hopefully, the young women will be receptive to this idea & in the future, there are hopes that they could be shown how to construct the pads themselves, perhaps even make it a profitable enterprise in the future. Treadle sewing machines would be needed in some of the areas without electricity, but some locations do have power.
I felt that if only ONE girl was able to continue her education & perhaps later, lift her own family out of abject poverty because of these efforts, then it was time & money well spent.
Thanks for letting me share my projects with you at The Gazebo House. If anyone is interested in helping out with either cutting or sewing or donating materials, you can email me for details & an online pattern link for the pads.
I can't cut & sew & also be on the computer at the same time...dern it! I'll be back to blogging once this job is complete.
Wishing you much happiness & more importantly, GOOD HEALTH in the coming year! (if you don't have good health, then you don't have much happiness, either)
Dr. Gazebo House has been very sick & in bed with a horrible cold this past week. He's high maintenance on a good day, but when he's sick....sheesh! Lets just say my time is not my own. Doctors make the WORST patients...he says *nurses* are even worse. However, I am very grateful to still have him around for another holiday. He makes me laugh, even when he's sick!
I'm working on posting a healthy, veggie salad recipe as well as a not-so-healthy but very DELICIOUS soup & a snowman table for the grandkids on Sunday.
I thank you for stopping by The Gazebo House & I promise I will get back to posting & returning your visits just as soon as the doc is well. (praying that I don't catch it next!!!)
This holiday season may you.... give a gift of yourself mend a quarrel seek out a forgotten friend share some treasure give a soft answer encourage youth keep a promise find the time listen... laugh a little, laugh a little more... express your gratitude welcome a stranger gladden the heart of a child take pleasure in the beauty & wonder of the earth speak your love... speak it again... speak it still once again and let your heart be filled with holiday joy.
(excerpts from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll)
The following is my most favorite Christmas song.
It was my Dad's solo every year at Midnight Mass.
He had the most beautiful tenor voice.
Miss you Dad!
Be silent and listen to the voice of God.
Pause from a hectic schedule to be refreshed in spirit.
Accentuate the joy of God’s provision.
End the day by reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness.
Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by family & friends to warm your heart.
On Thursday of last week, my entire tennis team gathered together after tennis to celebrate the holidays at my home. I have played tennis weekly with some of these gals for over 22 years! They are very dear friends & many of their husbands are also friends with my husband through their golf league.
We have 13 members on the team & everyone brought something to share on the buffet.
Both the kitchen & dining room tables were set with my Eternal Holiday plates on candy apple red chargers.
I used the Eternal Presentation plates with the bows on them for the salads & the Eternal Christmas bread plates that have little holly berries on them. I like to mix & match my different Lenox pieces & thankfully, they all work together nicely.
I had a local florist make this centerpiece for the sunroom using my own sleigh container. You can barely see the ivory & gold sleigh beneath all the flowers. It goes beautifully with the Santa although I didn't buy them at the same time or place. Just a lucky match!
I had some of the same cream roses (I've forgotten the name) tucked into water vials & scattered them inside the French horn arrangement on the dining room table to tie the look together.
The dining room place settings looked very similar except for different bread plates.
I was able to capture a few photos of the buffet bar prior to their arrival but once people started coming in, I forgot all about my camera. I was too busy taking coats & boots & hats & gloves! Remember, we had over 2 feet of snow just days before this party! I was so worried they wouldn't be able to get here!
Aren't these yummy looking RED & GREEN deviled eggs?
We had sweet treats galore!
These cookies are arranged on my vintage Fostoria American square cake stand with center brandy cup and sawtooth edge. It was made by the Fostoria Glass Company in Moundsville, West Virginia between 1937-1982.
I saw these same plates HERE on Mary's beautiful blog Sailing Simply & knew they would be PERFECT
for this plate rack. I've had it sitting in the garage, freshly painted with oil rubbed bronze back in the summer, while I searched for the just the right plates to display on it.
Aren't they GORGEOUS? The detail on them is wonderful. They are from Home Interiors & I found them on EBay just last week. I was so glad they arrived in time for the party. My husband hung the rack for me just the day before the party.
I can see lots of possibilities for decorating this rack for every holiday. Already, I'm searching for something for Valentines & St. Patrick's Day!
Remembering the "Reason for the Season", we shared a beautiful prayer & a delightful afternoon of fellowship & fun.
I was so happy to have everyone available for the party. One gal had just gotten out of the hospital after gall bladder surgery but she was determined not to miss out.
The following morning, my husband had chest pain & passed out after taking nitroglycerin under his tongue. I had to call 911 & have him rushed to the hospital. Following behind the ambulance is one of the most frightening experiences! As a nurse, I want to be right there, seeing & helping with whatever is being done. They advise you not to try to keep up with them, as they are running red lights & going way over the speed limit. It is heartbreaking to see the ambulance disappear off in the distance & feel like you'll never see your loved one again. Just an awful feeling!
Thankfully, he did not have any damage to his heart but they kept him over the weekend for observation while they had him on anti-coagulating IV meds. He's home now & back to his old fun-loving self but what a scare! Very stressful~~I'm just glad it didn't happen the day before!!!
We're enjoying a quiet pre-Christmas week & appreciating each others company more every day. I hope all of us can slow our pace & be filled with the wonder of the season as we celebrate the birth of Our Savior.
Like I said in last December's post, when he had his FIRST heart attack a little over a year ago,
"Every day may not be good but there is something good in every day."
I'm a critical care RN & was married 28 yrs to a warm & funny family practice physician, who passed away 2-7-15. I wish we had found each other sooner, so we could have loved each other longer.
I have 1 daughter & am called "Nana Rett" by her 3 children, my 2 grandsons & 1 delightful granddaughter. (Hubby had 12 grands & 3 great-grands, too)
I enjoy sewing, quilting, smocking & embroidering clothing for them along with playing tennis for exercise and do throw an occasional dinner party just to keep my cooking skills from getting too rusty!
I hope your creativity will be nurtured here.
I'm joining Jojo for the second time
for her National Pie Party, which is going on this week!
