A Romantic Life-The Victorian Gourmet - Seite 2 
Outdoor Wednesday, Hydrangeas
Ah Wednesday again! Be sure to drop by A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday. It has been lovely the past two days with weather reaching almost 60. With a little rain which we will be getting buckets of any day now, the blooms should finally show their spring finery. I have one lowly daffodil blooming and some lovely lavender heather keeping my yellow pansies company.With Easter right around the corner, flowers are popping up everywhere. It’s hard not to fall in love with one and give it a good home. I have to add to my Hydrangea “collection” every year. They are everywhere for Easter, grocery stores, home centers, garden shops, & street corners. Here are a couple rules of thumb-(green)! To make you a happy Hydrangea owner.Mop head Hydrangeas are the fickle ladies of the garden. One year they are prone to blue couture & pink the next. They embrace a woman’s prerogative of changing her mind.If your garden has acid soil, your hydrangeas will sport a wardrobe of blue. If you have base, sweet soil, she’ll deck herself out in pink.If you desire that coveted blue finery, check the pH level of your soil. You can get test kits at most garden shops. A pH of 6.5 is considered in the neutral range. If your test indicates a reading below this level, your soil is considered acid. Lady Mop head will produce blooms in a blue hue in acid soil.Alkaline soil, with a pH above 6.5, will dress the ladies in pink or red.Working lime into neutral or acidic soil will turn the soil more alkaline or sweet. Lime may be applied around the base of the shrub in spring & fall.But like most Grande dames, they are slow to change their favorite attire. They will not make a dramatic change overnight. It may take them several years to change their frocks.Even though that showy lady was dressed in blue at the garden center, like a leopard she may change her “spots” in her own home, based on where her “feet” are planted.I try to choose a place in the garden where they get morning sun & afternoon shade. My grandma always planted one near a down-spout, because they like lots of water.Hydrangeas make excellent cut flowers. Cut blooms in early morning before mid-day heat has caused their floppy heads to droop. I lightly spritz them with water from my sprayer at the sink to dislodge any little uninvited guests. Cut the stems on an angle underwater on the green growth, not the woody stems. Remove any leaves that will be below the water line. Leaves left underwater will produce bacteria & shorten the life-span of the arrangement. Cutting the stem underwater allows water instead of air to travel up the stem. Fill a bucket with several inches of water & place your cut flowers in a cool, dark place for a few hours before arranging. I have found cut hydrangeas are not fond of the floral food that comes in those little packets with cut bouquets. To keep my bouquet looking its freshest, I re-cut the stems every few days & change the water in the vase. I have had bouquets of hydrangeas last for up to two weeks. Get outside & enjoy this lovely Wednesday!
Happy Birthday-Bonne fête à tous mes amis! I'd like to wish my two friends Donna & Joyce a Happy Birthday! Bonne fête!And a happy Birthday to all who are celebrating! Much Joy!
A Blue Monday with "Glass"
Oh My! I am late to the party today! Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally has rolled around again. I have to make a quick post then run to the antique mall so I won’t be able to visit till later. I am posting some of my favorite pieces of blue glass. Some I still own and others that now someone else enjoys. I have a friend who says “You never really own an antique. You just borrow it”. How true! I wish I would have taken a photo of the fancy little Victorian stand that holds my Blueberry Fruit Dip. When I bought the silver plated frame, it was bent almost completely in half. I had it restored and replated. They did such a good job you can’t tell it was ever damaged.Happy Blue Monday. Be sure to visit over at Smiling Sally’s and see who else is “blue”!
And the Winner is....
And the winner is…..Congratulations to Kim of The Manning Family Tree for guessing the exact number of corks in the apothecary jar! There were 325! She will receive a package of my White Pizza Cheese Spread from my product line, The Victorian Garden.Thanks to all who played along. I was surprised myself when I counted them all
Tablescape Thursday-Easter Table
Tablescape Thursday-Easter Table in BlueHubby carved the ham.Tablescape Thursday-Easter TableAnother Thursday-another tablescape! Many thanks to Susan from Between Naps On the Front Porch for being our hostess.My tablescape this week is my Easter table last year. There were just five of us for dinner, but I always cook something for everyone. We had a traditional Easter ham, stir-fry vegetables, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, fresh fruit & of course-dessert! Dessert was a marvelous confection for the Dingeldein Bakery-my favorite bakery. It was a yellow cake with chocolate butter cream frosting with a bright orange tiger lily made from marzipan. My mom also made some great egg-shaped sugar cookies. I Love blue, as you can tell! I used my everyday shadow-print tulip dishes. I spotted them years ago at TJ Maxx and my in-laws surprised me with them for our anniversary. I also used my robin’s egg blue cased glass goblets. We filled paper mache egg halves with a gathered net buddle of candy at every place setting. My centerpiece was a quick put-together. I used a clear hurricane; put a small candle cup in the middle surrounded by excelsior & filled it with paper mache eggs. I sat a pillar candle on top of the candle cup to give it height. I found the wreath candle ring at Marshall’s. Surrounding the wreath are my little Lefton bunnies another gift from my mother-in-law. My mom brought the little rabbit place card holders. Easter is always a good time to use my spring-y Fitz & Floyd pieces like the platter & rabbit tea pot. My mom gave me an F & F candy dish as an Easter gift. The Endless summer Hydrangea was an Easter gift from my dad. We later planted it in the urn in the backyard-mom got one too! Hubby carved the ham and helped serve and clean up!Yes that cauliflower is purple! I bought the orange variety too-just for fun! Everyone loves my stir-fry veggies. If I am in a hurry, I steam them slightly first. I then add a tablespoon olive oil to my skillet, toss in the veggies & about 2 tablespoons of Newman’s Own Original Recipe Salad Dressing & a teaspoon of Italian seasonings. I stir fry until my onion has just started to crisp at the edges and the other veggies are fork tender. That salad dressing is a staple in my kitchen-I also use it to marinate chicken.Happy Tablescape Thursday, the bunny is on his way! Hydrangea planted in the back yard. Cheers!Kate
A Vintage Outdoor Wednesday
It’s hard to believe another Wednesday has rolled around so quickly. It’s time again for Outdoor Wednesday hosted by A Southern Daydreamer.The calendar may say spring, but temps have only reached the low 50’s by afternoon, and many nights are in the 20’s.Haven’t put away those winter coats just yet! For inspiration I have turned to some of my vintage garden books. One, “Garden Bulbs in Color” was published in 1948 by the J. Horace McFarland Company. We toured Mr. McFarland’s home in Belleview Park for the Christmas Holiday tour. It is in a state of renovation right now. The house had been left in disrepair for years. It’s wonderful to see someone taking the time to restore this former Grand Dame. The other book I am showing pages from is, “Chase Fruit & Flowers in Natural Colors”. This lovely garden book was written in 1922. Some of the illustrations take you back in time to a simpler, beautiful, romantic life. See how many of these heirloom plants you have in your garden or maybe might want to add.My tribute to Outdoor Wednesday is a bit of Victorian Scrap I purchased at the antique mall when I was supposed to be working in my booth-it’s hard not to shop and I almost always bring something home.Enjoy Outdoor Wednesday and visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for more inspirational Outdoor posts.These vintage garden books are still fairly easy to find at reasonable prices. I've found themat yard sales, flea markets, antique shops & co-ops. They have many lovely illustrations &great ideas for the vintage gardener. I have included a photo of grapes. Before all our trees were mature the former owners had grape arbors stretched the whole way across the back yard.I almost wish they were still there.the former Mcfarland Mansion.
Toile Tales
A toile party!A toile party-count me in! I just love anything toile! There are bits &pieces of it throughout my house. All colors and sizes-chairs, clocks, pillows, bedspreads, lampshades, dishes…the list goes on. My most toile-rific room is my guest bath. It is decorated in a garden-themed Toile de Jouy. I found the fabric on eBay. My red and white dishes have a toile sort-of-feel to them and I topped off my lights with toile shades as well. I have a fun black & white toile clock in my workshop. My cat Micky seems to gravitate toward toile-asleep on my guest bedspread and one the bench in the library.There’s a blue & white toile runner on my dresser in the kitchen. I use a black & white country toile on my tables at craft fairs & herb festivals. Don’t forget o join the other party guests for a toile good time. Hosted by Pretty Organized & Wendy at The Shabby Nest. Breakfast room.Pretty snuggly cats! MickyPee Wee under the covers!Our Toile de Jouy guest bath.Victorian Screen was a consignment shop find. My neighbor made the toile pannels. I bought the fabric on eBay.Found the light at a consignment co-opfor $10.00. There’s a blue & white toile runner on my dresser in the kitchen. I use a black & white country toile on my tables at craft fairs & herb festivals. Don’t forget to join the other party guests for a toile good time. Hosted by Pretty Organized & Wendy at The Shabby Nest. Table at Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit.
Blue Monday
I am participating in my first Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally whose favorite color is blue. Blue is definitely one of my favorite colors too! I have been collecting blue china since I was about 8. I used to find lots of them at flea markets, auctions, yard sales, and antique shops. Then I learned about eBay-big mistake! My collection just keeps growing-a piece at a time. I go off on another collecting tangent and I forget about the blue & white, but always keep coming back to it. I must admit I have ‘strayed” to other colors as well, but the bulk of my collection is blue! One of my favorite pieces is a platter my mom & dad bought for me as an 18th birthday present. It is large about 17” long and is flow blue. They paid all of about $35.00 for it-my dad-(silly man) thought they had spent too much! Most of my collection are English pieces, but I have a French piece & even some American pieces of Flow blue. The little Mason's aqua jug I picked up at the Salvation Army for $3.95-what a buy!Be sure to stop on over at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ to check out all the other participating Blue Mondays.
Welcome Spring
Tomorrow is finally the first day of spring! You may not be able to tell from the temperatures-(in the mid 40’s), but there are signs if you look closely. Winter coats are gone, colors are brighter, and moods are lighter. The garden shops & farmer’s markets are full of spring bulbs and pansies. There is the faintest blush of green on the mountains. The birds are singing with a joyous enthusiasm. The cats are ready to jump through the window after them! Bunnies are appearing everywhere. All the churches are starting their chocolate egg sales. Welcome spring-she has finally made her debut!Can the bunny be far behind? Happy spring!
A Wine And Cheese Party
A Wine & Cheese TastingThe invitations have gone out, “Do join us this weekend to taste a bit of the grape”. We have some favorites from the cellar & some samplings that we have brought back from our travels. The big glass apothecary jar that serves as the table centerpiece is filled to the rim with wine corks. I have collected them for a long while. Some are marked with dates of special occasions, others friends have “donated” to the collection. The table is set with some select offerings, a bottle of red...a bottle of white…hmm, where did I hear that before? A little jazz is playing-the lights are low-candles flicker on the table. It is still cool enough to have a fire going. Brass branches of ivy surround the centerpiece and corks are scattered willy-nilly across the table. The napkins are imprinted with assorted wine labels. The glasses are covered with grapes & vines-(they are actually vintage candy dishes minus the lids-a flea market find). Fromage choices for the evening include a nice smoked round of Gouda, herbed Vermont cheddar, a mild provolone & a pot of Boursin. A nice crusty baguette & fresh fruit accompany the cheese. A perfect first course. Friends arrive bearing offerings for the table. For our next course we’ll have a salad of spring greens tossed with a light red wine vinaigrette followed by Salmon stuffed with Crab and topped with an apricot/ginger glaze, roasted new potatoes, & asparagus finished with a brown butter. For dessert-chocolate dipped strawberries & a fruit sorbet .Do bring your jammies & stay the weekend!Details: The plates feature varieties of pears & are by Rosanna & from my favorite thrift shop. The wine glasses-former candy dishes are from a flea market-(I collected them one-by-one never knowing they were supposed to have lids). The metal sculpture ivy came from the Salvation Army. The English bread board came from “across the pond” via eBay. That vibrant blue pottery basket another thrift find-(I sort-of collect them). The napkins & wine-bottle-shaped cheese board were a gift from bro & sis in-law. Those heavy bronze candlesticks are French-an eBay treasure.Can you guess just how many corks are in the jar? Email me your guess & I will send the one who guesses correctly-or closest a package of my White Pizza Cheese Spread to make for your next gathering. This is a great little party game too! I'll reveal the winner on next week's Tablescape Thursday! To your health! à vo·tre san·té Did you bring your jammies? *Note-This menu is deceptively easy though it sounds quite complicated. Most grocery stores including the “Big Box” stores like Sam’s & Costco stock a similar Stuffed Salmon. My favorite is from Costco-they use imitation crab instead of the real thing so hubby can have it too! I first add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon Red Pepper Oil to my pan & swirl to coat. I add the salmon turning once to coat. I dash on ½ teaspoon-(dried) dill, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Powder-(*Again available at most grocery stores & even Dollar General!), a pinch of dried tarragon, & ½ teaspoon granulated garlic. I bake it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I take it out of the oven and top it with about 1 tablespoon per slice of fish, Apricot Ginger Glaze-(*I buy it at Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill in Lancaster county, but I’m sure you can find similar varieties at the grocers). I turn the oven to broil & pop them back in till the glaze is bubbly & the crab just the slight bit crispy.For the Roast Potatoes, I like to use baby redskins. I coat a baking dish with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the potatoes in the pan and stir to coat. Season potatoes with your favorite seasoned salt or multi-purpose seasoning, stirring to coat. *(I make my own seasonings & use The Perfect Season, but McCormick’s or Mrs. Dash will work too!) If you have some fresh rosemary, strip the leaves leaving just a “tassel” at the top. Run a skewer through your potatoes then “thread” onto the rosemary skewer. Roast or grill until tender.I love to dip strawberries in chocolate! I use whatever candy I have on hand, usually Wilbur Buds in dark chocolate from the Wilbur Chocolate Factory in Lititz. Line a baking sheet or tray with wax paper. I melt the chocolate in the microwave on 30 power and watch till it is just about melted. I take it out and stir it to melt any lumps. I let the chocolate cool slightly, and then carefully dip each berry, letting excess chocolate dip back into the dish. Place on wax paper-lined tray to cool. If you like melt another chocolate-(you can buy candy-making chocolate at many craft stores) and drizzle over dark-chocolate dipped berries. My favorite is pink! You could also sprinkle the dipped berries with colored jimmies. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.The presentation has a longer prep time than the actual meal.