Playing up color and texture

Here a basic neutral dinnerware (Woodbury in Moss color by Simon Pearce) is taken up a notch by using a plum/violet mat and linen napkin and a soft natural linen runner. Note how the wheat just laid on the table and a few gourds creates a seasonal display that will last through a few dinner parties and not wilt.  Its a good investment idea that cost a few dollars but unlike flowers can last weeks.

Macaroni and Cheese Fusion

Edward’s Table Mac and Cheese-Fusion

My friend Fran invited me over for her famous macaroni and cheese.  It was a birthday gift in the form of a coupon which was perfect for a fall celebration as the weather gets cooler.  It’s famous because it’s one of my most favorite dishes and I rave about it. Several of my friends make it so it’s a pretty celebrated dish and everyone varies it a bit which always keeps me excited to have it.

Since Fran is most generous in always making something special when she comes to my house, I wanted to bring something special to her house. However, being short on time and having a broken oven, cooking wasn’t an option.

So I thought about the main feature, Mac and cheese and thought about how I could add into that somehow. Not much was coming up other than a salad but I remember having an appetizer of Mac and Cheese with lobster at a restaurant.  It was all the inspiration I needed and Edwards Table Mac and Cheese Fusion was born last night.

It was so good; we devoured it before I could get a picture. (So I may have to repeat this Fran), but readers imagine this:

 Edward’s Table Mac and Cheese Fusion:

To a favorite macaroni and cheese casserole recipe, consider adding small bowls of various additions.  I brought  bowls of fresh lobster meat( thank you Stew Leonard’s Seafood), green peas (frozen but defrosted) and Boars Head Brand Smoked Ham, sliced thick and then chopped into small ½ “ squares so it was like ham flakes. These are all set on the table, with spoons so that guests can make their own concoctions.

It was fantastic and allowed the dinner to be interactive. Foodies love to mix, combine, contrast and talk about tastes. Casual dinners are good times to share experiences and activities that bring people together and get them to interact, such as by passing dishes and trying different selections.  This little “smorgasbord” of treats to an already great dish was really fun and delicious.

You can mix as many different additions as you like. I can imagine adding steamed broccoli florets, edamame, peeled shrimp, pepperoni slices, pickles, caramelized onions, fresh sautéed mushrooms, chopped string beans, sautéed spinach, fried calamari, fried okra, steamed mussels or clams, barbequed shredded pork, roasted beets, roasted acorn squash cubes, crumbled bacon, feta or blue cheese crumbles, fresh chopped herbs like sage, parsley, oregano, thyme, dried spices like curry, garlic powder, dry mustard, crunchy fried onions, chopped red, yellow and green peppers, Jalapeño peppers or sliced pepperocini peppers, chopped black olives, chopped sausage, diced fresh tomatoes - can you imagine how wonderful all this could be???

Add your favorite selections and I guarantee your ETMC will be a hit too.  Let me know what you would add or your special twist on this serving suggestion.

Hold the presses..

Hold the presses! is a term that I always imagined that a reporter or editor would say when they want to add an important update to the news: I will use this subject term in the Post every time I want to add something of an off subject here.

Here is why Martha Stewart makes me mad today. After choosing one of her colors last year called "Potters Clay", which I was already against since I love Benjamin Moore paint mostly. I just didn’t feel good about it but went with it..

 

Yesterday I went to Home Depot (where I originally purchased it from a large display area) only to learn that she sold the colors to Glidden instead of the original vendor which was Home Depot.  What that means is that Home Depot now has to use a Glidden base to mix the paint rather than their own which REALLY means that it won’t match where I need to touch up or finish painting and every wall will now have to be repainted!
 

Ok so she basically went to Glidden I imagine for the extra cash they offered over Home depot even though they were the original host of her launch.


I think that is really terrible and this completes my interest in anything Martha in branding. So take this as a warning NOT to get involved with Martha products.

Tuscan Style

 Why I love the Tuscan Style

 

pure and straight forward style, use what you have and have what you use: no fuss

but do have great coffee and appliances!

 

everything is kept within a hands reach

 

every table is an elegant beauty even before its set.

it can be as theatrical as you wish

 

 

 

let the art and the art of living be your guide

 

keep the walls clear, but really a few shelves wouldnt hurt, would they?

 

a harvest fresh from the hills and you can never have too many copper pots

 

you can use cup hooks!

 

you can add a modern twist

 

or a rural one, but note the double stove and ovens.  we are not fooling around here.  its all about the craft of making fresh and wonderful food, presentation comes later but what a great place to begin an expectation!

Friends!, forgive my delay, the Holidaze have already begun here but I will make every effort to get back to what ET does best as soon as possible. Till then, enjoy the living moments of your home.

Friday Festivity for Friends

I love to get together with friends on Fridays but everyone is usually pretty run down after a long week, including me. I tend to drive a long distance on Fridays to get home and with weather or traffic in general I end up getting home much later than expected.  Take out to the rescue.  But take out from better grocery counters prepared areas is really a godsend that doesn’t mean you have to have to take the take out look and sacrifice style, no way.

So I pulled in with an overloaded car to my grocery and pulled together a menu from their selections:

Grilled salmon, Pesto fettuccini, marinated asparagus tips, sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic, beet salad with a citrus dressing of finely sliced onion and mandarin oranges. (OK, a bit much, but my heritage DNA is wired to stuff people with abundance).   To save time, instead of a salad, I thought I’d start with a cream of mushroom soup to which I added lobster meat to and rather than the serving needs of a cake or pie, I choose the frivolity of “flying saucers”, ice cream sandwiches but made with a lower fat (thank God) yogurt.

Now that I saved all this time with the food, I thought I’d dress it up a bit.  Actually I thought I’d dress it up a whole lot to counteract the amount of plastic containers I’d be opening in front of these guests. So out of the cabinets came the china and crystal and sterling.  The cream soup cups with the gold embellished double handles are some of my favorites. They will dress up any setting and make a great presentation to start a meal.

Layering the dinnerware is also a nice touch because it repeats the pattern as well as layers the courses.  I doubled the dinner plates so I could set these up ahead of time and “plate” the food which makes a much nicer presentation.  Let me talk more about this in the next installment.   I also want to mention the Concord, MA show house I did last weekend next as well.

In the end it was a wonderful, fireplace going, candle lit celebration that kicked off my fall entertaining calendar in a great way. I also have guests that have terrific tastes in great wines and are generous enough to share. So the evening was complete and wonderful, thanks to good friends, good food and a beautiful table that added a luxurious comfort to a well deserved Friday get together. 

Cornacopia Detail

This is a close up of the "cornucopia" bee skep some people asked about. Yes its real bread that will just naturally harden as it gets stale. The bee "skep" is a display object that imitates a cover that was once used in colonial times to protect a hive in bee-keeping for honey production. The wheat is dried and actually helps to lift the bread off the table so that moisture can be released and also helps to protect the table from any oils that might come out of the bottom. You could dry bread in a warm oven for a bit to take out moisture faster and reduce the chance of mold.

I wouldn’t keep this too long for fear of bugs or household pests but it’s an inexpensive display that can be fed to the birds after use. You could also combine the breads with gourds and a few colorful fall leaves.

Creating a Harvest Table

Creating a" harvest" table or any table that you want to warm up in a cool season like early fall is easy when you add accessories that help you to create the character you desire. Wooden Bowls in assorted styles, shapes and woods as well as the wooden accent plates, salt and pepper shakers add tactile warmth and feel to this table. Visually, the basket creates a stage from which to serve from and the wooden sticks in the glass "Woodbury" vase add a natural reference.

 

 

No, everything doesn’t have to match the wood of your table or furniture. Serving spoons with a hand carved detail as well as the "coffee root" spoons (yes, carved from a coffee tree plant) and the small "live edge" dishes that they are resting in (made of olive wood) give this table its unique interest. The roughly textured place mats and the hand forged stainless flatware (Woodbury flatware) stress the hand crafted and organic aesthetic of the table.

Belmont dinnerware would be wonderful to use because of the off white softness of the crackle glaze. Let's say you start with a tomato soup, and then a wonderful Arugula salad served from the wooden bowl. The other wooden bowls and dishes could hold grain salad to serve on top, grilled chicken, nuts, dried cranberries or shredded cheese to layer into the salad and allow guests to choose what they like.

Here's another table that shows a straw bee skep used as a cornucopia with bread and wheat for a display effect. Inexpensive breads can be left out as a decorative prop for a few weeks or dinner parties in close proximities. Wooden Chargers and an actual wooden bread board bring in the wooden accents and contrast nicely to the Belmont Celadon dinner plates being used here.

All products shown are from the Simon Pearce Collection and available online at simonpearce.com and retail stores.