A Welcoming Committee Like No Other

The other day, I arrived at a committee meeting at my friend, Brenda's house and everyone was standing out on the driveway. What was going on?  What was the attraction?  It was Balthus van Tassel, the welcoming turkey!  He was named after the farmer with a long beard from Sleepy Hollow.  Isn't he magnificent?  No one wanted to go in.  I thought we might have to meet in the driveway.

Yes!  They hang out where ever they want.  Brenda said that the other day they were down at the mailbox helping the road crew!  

I sort of felt sorry for the hens.  They had some cute tricks, but were not nearly as pretty as Balthus.

See?

I guess they are not as social, either.  A little aloof compared to Balthus, right?

Then there are the "regular" chickens.  Nothing regular about these beauties.  If you are very lucky, Brenda will gift you with some eggs from her gang.  They are so good, and they make every egg I buy from the market taste like sawdust.

Well, as the cars were pulling out after the meeting, guess who got put behind bars?

Stripes and Plaids for Fall

My last little dinner party was sooooo bright that I thought I'd switch it up to this more subdued palate.  Sorta looks like "fall-light".  

I bought this stripped tablecloth at Homegoods a couple of months ago, but I forgot about it.

When these plaid napkins appeared at Pottery Barn, I held my breath that they would work with this cloth, and I loved the combination.  Then, I remembered these twig, corn husk and raffia turkey napkin rings, and voila!  I had a plan for this casual dinner party.

I chose these tan opalescent  chargers, pumpkin colored plates from Portugal, a chocolate brown salad plate, and then these leaf-shaped plates for bread and butter.  Then the big decision was whether to use this light colored wooden handled flatware or dark wooden ones.  The light ones won out.

Glassware was easy.....a gold, grape etched stem for water and these short wicker-covered glasses for wine.

The centerpiece was an unfussy wicker-covered bowl of gourds, and astromeria.

This color of astromeria is called "pumpkin" and they look so good in these birch covered vases.

Here's a close-up.

I love these colors with the tablecloth.

This also seemed a good place to use these cement faux bois candleholders.

Simple.  No extra details.  

Just the basics, ma'am.

I've always loved stripes and plaids together.

I wanted to show you how it complemented the Soumak rug in the dining room.

This made a pleasant weeknight table.

We are enjoying picking up the entertaining pace toward the holidays.

In order to set this table, I moved the paper mache vegetables over to the sideboard.

And this arrangement was from my table I set in the woods that you can see in this post.

From the other angle, you can see the entryway.  I wish you could all walk through it and join us.

Joining:

Tablescape Thursday

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Between Naps on the Porch

Centerpiece Wednesday

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The Style Sisters

Show and Tell Friday

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My Romantic Home

The Scoop

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Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Inspire Me Tuesday

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A Stroll Thru Life

Table It

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Rustic and Refined

Home Sweet Home

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The Charm of Home

Sheltered Nest Friday

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French Country Home

Wow Us Wednesday

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Savvy Southern Style

Make It Pretty Monday

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The Dedicated House

Fridays Unfold

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www.nancherrow.com 

  

The Table is Set!

This is the way our dining room table has looked for a couple of weeks now.  You can see my gilded turkeys on the buffet and these paper mache vegetables are gathered cornucopia-style down the middle of the table.

Can you spot the real vs the paper mache in this picture?

or this?

or this?

New, this year, is this embroidered runner from Pottery Barn.  I should have taken a picture of the Soumak rug in the dining room to show how well this runner works with it.  (Sometime the silliest things can make me so happy!)

These Thanksgiving plates relate so well to the colors, that they became the star of the table setting.

Nothing bold or bright, just neutral, autumnal colors here.

The tan charger is from Z Gallerie and the acorn embossed dinner plate is from Crate and Barrel several years ago.  I broke one, so if anybody has one or two they would like to sell, I'd really love to replace it.

This barley twist flatware is my most used, next to our everyday stainless.

 

Since our meal is casual and informal this year, I used this tortoise patterned glass for water, and a raffia wrapped one for wine. 

The napkin I chose is not nearly as bright as it photographed here. Really.  And it doesn't need to be ironed as badly as it appears here.  It really is a pretty bittersweet.  On it, I placed a wishbone ornament with the cut hanger off.  I meant to spray these gold, but I ran out of time.  Maybe next year!

I ordered a dozen of these from Oriental Trading. 

We'll eat a quick meal on these tomorrow, go to the USO, and then we're eating a proper Thanksgiving meal late with friends.  No matter what the plans, Tom Turkey is the star, isn't he?

 

Joining:

 

Let's Dish

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Cuisine Kathleen

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Pintrest

I thought I'd show you what I took to a dinner party Saturday night.  Since it was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I thought everyone might be looking for a fresh, lo-cal nibble, I fixed this guy.  In full disclosure, this is not a photo of my dish, as I forgot to snap before I had it in the car.  This photo is from Pintrest, but, I'm not kidding, mine looked exactly like this one!!  And I have to say that even though they were all adults, I think the guests got a giggle out of it.  Cute as it was, it couldn't hold a candle to the rest of the truly delicious meal we were treated to!

To accompany it, I made this dip that has been a family favorite for a long time.  Do NOT be afraid of the anchovies in it.  I promise you, that if you don't mention them, nobody will be frightened off.  BTW, this keeps for several days.  Enjoy!

Lemon-Anchovy Dipping Sauce

(You’ll never know there are anchovies in this!  Even those who think they hate them will love it!)

2 egg yolks

3-4 T. Dijon Mustard

2” squirt of anchovy paste(from metal tube)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 shallot

Capers to taste

1 c. (or less) vegetable oil

¼ c. sour cream

Salt and pepper

Combine 1^st 6 ingredients in food processor.

With machine running, add oil a little at

a time until thick and creamy.  You may

not need all of the oil.  Stir in sour cream and

seasonings.  Garnish with a lemon twist and

a couple of capers.

Great with pea pods, sugar snap peas, peppers, squash, tiny corn ears, green beans, or any vegetable.

I use the left over sauce as a mayonnaise on a sandwich, or thin it a bit for a salad dressing.

It will be a late entry, but I'm joining:
 Yvonne at Stonegable for On The Menu Monday:  http://www.stonegableblog.com/2012/11/on-menu-monday-week-of-nov-26-2012.html

Thanksgiving Wishes

Today, I'm wishing you the blessings of enough.  In a country that celebrates abundance in everything, everywhere, everyday, we lose sight of  how lucky we are to just have enough.  

Blessings,

Linda