Valentines Day Dinner

 

This entire month, at The Gazebo House
 we celebrate LOVE!

We will celebrate our 26 wedding anniversary,
 this coming Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013.

"Being deeply loved by someone

 gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply gives you

courage."

Lao Tzu

  

Because the holiday falls on a school day,

 I've set the dining room table for 

our family to celebrate together

 on Sunday at our home.

I've used my Churchill pink willow dishes, 

along with some splashes of 

vintage RED to kick it up a notch.

I see lots of RED in the pattern, don't you?

When my baby sister moved to Maui to live, 

she blessed me with our Mother's Depression era

etched ruby footed stemware.

Aren't they GORGEOUS?!  

 

I was thrilled to receive them & 

will cherish & take  gentle care of them.

 The glass is very thin & fragile.

 

I searched for information on their history & manufacturer but was able to find only

 one other listing for similar stemware.  

 

The description follows:

 Quote "They all have ornate cut / etched pattern. The bowls of the stems have a panel optic pattern. I've seen ones like these as being made by the Tiffin Glass Company, the Standard Glass Company as well as the Maryland Glass Etching Works company and as being made during the Depression Era (1920s - 1930s)."

I bought the 8 stems that he had for sale,

 but unfortunately they have not yet arrived

 in time for this tablescape.  

I'm sure you'll see them soon  

for a different holiday... 

RED works beautifully for so many occasions.

 

The silverware, "Danish Princess" 

by Holmes & Edwards, 

was introduced in 1938. 

 I am lucky to now have service for 12 

in this delicate pattern, 

along with several of the serving pieces that go with it.

 

The flowers are a gift from my daughter. 

She knows how much I LOVE POLKA-DOTS! 

  She thought the vase looked a bit like mercury glass &

 I think it also resembles the hobnail pattern from the Depression era.   

I have some of that to show you on 

Tuesday at Marty's Winter Cloche Party.

 

Originally, I made a white Battenburg lace heart 

with my embroidery machine,  

as an accent for it, but then later switched 

it for a PINK one I made instead. 

 I like it better with all the shades of 

PINK, RED & PURPLE 

in the arrangement.

 
 

 I made several others to scatter around the table for decoration.  They are made completely in the hoop, on wash-away stabilizer which it then rinsed away to leave these intricate threads.  The design has to be specifically digitized as a "free standing lace" otherwise, it will just fall apart when the stabilizer is washed out.

 

Taking a page from my sweet friend, Yvonne, 

 I added layer upon layer of various white plates 

with interesting edges for some contrast 

between the pink willow. 

All I can say is thank goodness 

I've got an automatic dishwasher!

Weeks ago I printed out my menu,
in French & then traced around it
with my Waterford crystal heart candy dish.

  

I then cut it out & attached it to a lace heart shaped doily.

Next time I will cut away the center of the lace doily & adhere the printed menu to the back instead. 

 I think that would look better.

 

Here is a close-up of the menu. 

 Hey, Debbie (Confessions of a Plate Addict), check my spelling, will you please?  

 
She was a French teacher in her past life, ya' know.
 

She recently got some great news...Country Sampler  magazine will be featuring her house, all decorated for Christmas in an issue this fall! Stop by & tell her "Congratulations!"

 

 Teacups and vintage "Quban Royal" plates await

  dessert on the side table. 

These plates are trimmed in 22K gold so
they will NOT be going in the dishwasher!

I don't mind a bit.  I enjoy taking good care
of my pretty things by hand washing them. 

The faux slice of cake under the cloche is 
really a darling pink fabric pin cushion 
from my sewing friend, Carol. 

She sends me the sweetest gifts.

Thank you, Honey!  I ♥ it!

Thank YOU for stopping by "The Gazebo House" today & be sure to come back for 

Marty's Winter Cloche party on Tuesday.  

I hope you have lots of LOVE in your life this week & always.

 

I'm joining Bargain Hunting & Chatting with Laurie 

for her annual  

Valentines Day Party on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013

 

as well as Cuisine Kathleen 

on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013

 for her "Let's Dish" meme
and
Susan's Between Naps on the Porch
Tablescape Thursday 

 Come join the fun! 

 

Sour Cream Pancakes for National Pancake Day!!

 Tuesday, Feb. 5th is National Pancake Day!

 So in honor of the occasion, I made a new recipe... "Sour Cream Pancakes"

Yesterday, Pat from the blog, On Crooked Creek, posted her version of The Pioneer Woman's recipe, from her book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl 
by Ree Drummond.  

Pat said she used 1/2 the recipe for just the two of them, so I thought that would be perfect for us, also.

They were SOOOOOOO good, next time, I'm making the full recipe & putting one or two pancakes into the freezer for hubby to reheat for himself on those days that I play tennis & he has to fend for himself.

Here is the full size recipe:

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sour Cream
7 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2  Eggs
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
Butter
Maple Syrup


Directions:

Place your pan over medium-high heat. 
I used a non-stick skillet & thus eliminated the butter in the original recipe.
 
Put the sour cream in a medium sized bowl.  Add your flour, sugar, baking soda & salt. Mix gently.

Whisk the eggs separately, add vanilla, then stir into flour/sugar mixture.
 
Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake & allow to cook undisturbed until you see bubbles form all over the top.  Gently flip & DON'T press down on the top!!

Since hubby is diabetic, we topped them with the BEST SUGAR FREE SYRUP ..our favorite!


Looks like I'd better put that down on my grocery list!

 Thank you, Pat, for sharing this delicious recipe. 

I'm linking to Michael Lee's Foodie Friday 
& Yvonne's On The Menu Monday

Come see what others are cooking up! 
    

♥♥ Valentine Cozy ♥♥

One day a week, on Thursday, my sweet hubby has to make his own breakfast all by himself, because I am racing out of the house to get to my weekly tennis match.  He loves to make a 3 minute egg & uses this pretty French Limoges "porcelaine d'art" egg cup.
 

He told me he was having difficulty getting everything onto the table while they were still hot.  Either the toast got cold while he made his coffee or the egg got cold while he buttered his toast. 
Remember, he is 86 years young (87 next month!) & also deals with a contractured hand from an old nerve injury so he is not very dexterous.  I feel bad for him! 

 I decided to make him a little cozy to keep his egg warm while he struggled to finish the other parts of his breakfast.




 



I positioned the egg cup on its side & just guessed at the shape & amount of fabric it would take.  I always err on the side of cutting too much, rather than not enough.  You'll see how great this worked out for me in just a second.
 

I cut 4 identical shapes out of the heart decorated fabric...one each for the front & back  as well as one each from the pink fabric I was using for the lining.

I also cut 2 of that same shape out of Insul-Bright, which is a stabilizing fabric that has an inner lining of reflective material, to hold in the heat. 
 It is used in hot pads & mitts & casserole covers.  Its great as a layer beneath your ironing board cover to reflect the heat of your iron, too.



Now for the decorating part!

  Years ago, I made Ms. C. the little jumper, shown below.  The pink heart shapes are specially digitized pockets, (by Embroidery Garden) with a quilted texture to the front side & a beautiful pichot edge all around.  

They are made completely in the machine embroidery hoop on wash away stabilizer....similar to making Free Standing Lace.

 You can then just top stitch them into place around the sides & bottom, leaving the top open for little hands.  Ms. C. loved this dress & wore it often, even putting a long sleeved turtleneck beneath it for cooler weather.




Please excuse the look of that hem...it was just pinned up until she came over for a fitting! 
I had an extra pocket left over from testing the heart shape design.  I saved it for YEARS on my design wall in the sewing room, just waiting for the next project.

 

I also saved some of that cute red polka-dot ruffled trim you see on the outfit above.  I always make more than enough when I'm ruffling fabric for a project.  I save any extra to use elsewhere, such as across a pocket.
Go ahead...say it..."Motherrrrr, you never throw anything away!"   

Now, back to the egg cozy: 

 
Basically, after I stitched the heart pocket & yo-yo decoration into place on the front,

 
you make & fold over a little tube tab & pin it into place on the right side of one of your outer pieces, right there at the top, but pointing downward.
 
That red ruffle is just being placed there right now for approx. positioning.  I should have taken into consideration the seam allowances here.  You’ll see why in a minute.

Then you just put together the 2 pieces of Insul-Bright, then the outer fabric (wrong side to Insul-Bright) & the other piece of outer fabric right side to right side.

 



Sew all the way around, across the curved top through all layers leaving the straight bottom edge OPEN.
Turn it right side out.




Then you do the same procedure with the lining... put both pieces of the lining with right sides touching & stitch it the same way except leave a small opening at the top for turning later.  Don't turn it Rt. side out now, just leave it the way it is.
I positioned my scissors inside the opening so you to see it.





Put your outer piece up INSIDE the lining.  The right sides of the outer fabric will be against the right sides of the lining.




 Stitch all around the bottom edges.











Use the small opening you left at the top of the lining and turn the entire cover to the right side out.




It will look like this:




Close the gap in the lining either by hand or machine sewing along the edge.





Tuck the lining back up inside the decorated cozy.  I topstitched around that bottom edge to hold everything nicely in place, but you don't have to do that.
Next I foolishly topstitched my pre-made ruffle into place, without checking my measurments.



I thought I had positioned my heart pocket correctly, but I forgot to take into account the seam allowances.  Duh?!



I used my seam ripper to remove the heart, repositioned it higher & sewed it back into place.  That was NOT easy, since I had to stitch up inside the completed cover!
 
Learn by my mistakes & measure twice. 
I made this one for a sewing friend & took photos along the way.  


On the one below, that I made for my husband first, I sewed my pre-made leftover ruffle piece into place with raw edges meeting at the bottom.  Flipped it down into place & topstitched all around. 




My final version of the egg cozy turned out to be a wee bit bigger than I intended but it was a fortuitous error. 

It also fits perfectly over my little white ironstone teapot!
So now we can use it for either item.
 
 
As you can see, I left the top edge of the heart pocket open when I topstitched around it (do this prior to assembling your cozy). 

It makes the perfect little pocket for tucking in an extra teabag or for holding some extra sweetener packets.  I think I'll hide a love note in it this coming Thursday.  Won't he be surprised!

Things always happen for a reason!

 

Now hubby can use it for his breakfast & I can keep my teapot warm later in the day. 


Here is a shot of both cozies together. 

Thanks for visiting The Gazebo House.  I cherish your comments & hope to return the visit.  
I wish you could come here for a real visit, so we could share a cuppa something hot!

I'm joining:
Susan at Between Naps on The Porch for
Met Monday
Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish!
Yvonne at StoneGable for Tidbits, Tips & Tutorials   
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
and for the first time, I'm joining Antiques And Teacups!

♫♥♫♥ Cherry Cheesecake ♫ ♥♫♥

 This is a really simple & delicious cheesecake/pie that you can make for any special occasion.  It is full of fat & sugar, which is what makes it so Sinfully DELICIOUS, so it is a rare treat at our house.  I haven't made it in years but wanted to share it with you, in case you needed an easy, tasty dessert to make for friends & family on Valentines Day.

 




There are only 6 things you need to have...

1 graham cracker crust
1 med. box of Dream Whip, (2 envelopes)
1 block ( 8 oz.) of cream cheese
1 can of cherry pie filling, (21oz.)
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup    1/3 Cup milk (NOT skim milk) *SEE EDIT BELOW*

Place the block of cream cheese in the bowl of your electric mixer & allow it to come to room temperature.

Add the milk & sugar & both envelopes of Dream Whip to the room temperature cream cheese.

Mix slowly to incorporate then whip at highest speed until smooth. 

Pour into graham cracker crust.
Top with 1 can of cherry pie filling
Chill for several hours

It will be a softer cheesecake than the one you bake but if chilled long enough, it will slice nicely.  I usually make it early in the morning of the day I want to serve it.  The graham cracker crust might get a little soggy overnight.

*EDIT:  I just cut into the pie tonight & it is SUPER soft & not holding its shape very well at all.    Perhaps it was the skim milk I used?  Whatever!  I strongly suggest you decrease the amt. of milk to just 1/3 cup!
I'm sure that I never used skim milk all those years ago when I made it.  That's what I get for trying to cut calories!





Oh &  because B.J. over at Sweet Nothings says to do it, this time, I added just a titch of almond flavoring (that's just a few drops) to the whipped cream cheese mixture.  The recipe doesn't call for it but I love almond with cherry ANYTHING!
Thanks for the tip, B.J.


♥♥ I hope you Enjoy it!  ♥♥ 

 
 I'm linking up with Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm for
Foodie Friday
as well as The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
and Yvonne at StoneGable for On The Menu Monday.

Please be sure to visit these gals & tell them thank you for allowing us the opportunity to gather & share our recipes?
Thank you, Ladies!!  

♥♥ Getting Ready For Lovers Day! ♥♥

 

 I've been getting ready for Valentines Day...its our wedding anniversary, so I'm really partial to hearts!
I put the table runner that I made last year, out in my sewing room, where I could share it with my friends. 
 

 I've been making lace heart decorations with my embroidery machine in there!
 

In the dining room, I've set out my Royal china "Quban Royal" gold rimmed plates (22K), all ready for a special dessert that I have planned.  I'll share the recipe with you very soon.  It is very easy & VERY GOOD!
 
 

The bakers rack in the kitchen is festooned with lots of red & pink!  My Ralph Lauren cake plate is threaded for the occasion, just waiting to hold that special treat.  I have some happy Valentines Day paper plates ready to serve the grandkids cookies, in case they stop by before the official holiday.  

Isn't my little mouse ADORABLE?

  He was a gift from my friend... Thank you, Carol!! I just love him to pieces &have nicknamed him "Valentino".  I think he is supposed to be a pin cushion but I could never stab him with a pin...he's too CUTE!
 

 There are hearts everywhere! 

 

 Heart shaped baking dishes to hold PINK cuppies...
 

 I have lots of pink & white paper heart doilies around the house.  They make me happy & bring back fond memories of grade school Valentines.
 

I brought out my Waterford crystal heart that I carried home from our trip to Ireland.  Of course, there HAD to be some conversation hearts available, too.  It wouldn't seem like Valentines Day without those!





My husband calls my granddaughter, (Ms. C.) "Sweetie Face".
I bought special Valentine colored M&M's just for her.  I have them in one of my Mother's vintage milkglass compotes.





The apothecary jar in the kitchen is filled with lots of big, puffy heart shaped marshmallows, just waiting for a visit from her, so we can enjoy some hot cocoa together.

 

 I wish you could join us!

I'm joining Cuisine Kathleen for

Lets Dish

&

Susan for

"Tabletop Thursdays"

&

The Tablescaper for

"Seasonal Sundays".