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Summer Dinners

15 years ago

Here are a few pics of the settings and dinners here the last few days. Just simple...but I try to mix my things so I have a diff setting...

The above is chicken with crispy walnuts.

The pink mats and napkins, paisley from Wm SOnoma, as well as the pink and green flowers..all on sale for 70 off...

Karen, I only showed some of the food and none of the deserts!

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Comments (23)

blizlady
15 years ago
Kathleen, everything is gorgeous and your food looks scrumptious! Can you share your recipe for the chicken with crispy walnuts, or do you have it posted on the recipes thread.

Thanks so much for sharing all your lovely tablescapes!
luvstocraft
15 years ago
Love those napkins you have with the chilli pepper plates. Those are so pretty and versatile. All of your settings and food look great, you have such a nice selection of placemats, napkins and napkin rings as well as the dishes. TFS Luvs
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Hi Bonnie, so glad you were able to stop by and share your table with us. Congratulations on the teaching job too! Love your table and chairs and your sunroom is a perfect place to eat and enjoy the outdoors without any little uninvited guests like we get outside. Pretty set of dishes and your flowers really pulled the color from the middle of the plates. Very nice, hope you had a fun evening. Luvs
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plainjane425
15 years ago
Well looks like the 'Queen of Dishes & Food' is at it again...LOL...Love all your dishes and accessories..not to mention the yummy food. The Japanese believe that food should be FIRST pleasing to the eye...besides the palate.. I think you win > Hands Down !!
judithva
15 years ago
Kathleen, as always, your tablesettings are great and your food, yum. I don't know how you have the patience to take a photo when your food is on the plate, once I have plated my food, I just want to eat while it is hot LOL, but I always enjoy seeing your dinners!
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Ladies, I aprreciate your kind words!
Judith, it is hot when we eat...you have to learn to snap and eat, no fussing for the right angle, etc.
Sometimes I think dh is ready to poke my hand with the fork, though!
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago

Grilled burger, orzo salad with feta and red onion, local corn and fresh cherries for dessert
judithva
15 years ago
Kathleen, LOL, no can do, it usually takes me forever to line up a shot, and besides to tell you the truth, once the food is on the table, I am just like your hubby...outta my way..I'm hungry!!!!! Gosh and this dinner is fab looking too, I have not had corn on the cob for ages! Drooooolllllllll
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago
Notice I said, poke with the fork, honestly it is more like STAB..so if you see my hand bandaged you know I was taking too long!
dining_delight
15 years ago
Kathleen, how nice you are posting your dinners again...I thought maybe you weren't cooking for the summer but I see now, you were saving them up! I just love how you mix and match all your wares for a new look each night. I can't believe how many different napkin rings you have and how unique they are! My favourite of these settings is the pink and green one - such a nice combo but being a "candle-aholic", the warm glow of the pillar you have burning adds so much to that setting! The food is spectacular as usual. Also love the corn on the cob on the corn/crab plate and those different shaped blue plates are perfect for it after you eat the burgers!
DD
luvstocraft
15 years ago
Oh, I really like those blue plates. Those are really pretty and a neat shape. I love the combination of the checked napkins with those pretty placemats. Did you buy them to go together? Or was the pretty match something you discovered after separate purchases? Inquiring minds wanna know! LOL

Luvs
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago
Luvs, I have had those blue check napkins a long time! I have a tablecloth too. Since the dishes, they are really small platters, are so informal, I thought the checks agains the paisley would look good!
bettyd_z7_va
15 years ago
As usual, a spectacular array of color,style,and beauty. I love all of the paisley as well as that beautiful pink and green combination.
Not to mention the FOOD!!!! The star shaped stuffing was just the "cherry on top" of that dinner. I had some Heart shaped tins that I used to make strawberry shortcake scones for a tea party for 2 when my DSS was about 8. Since we moved year before last I can't find them anywhere!!!!! GRRRRR!!!
He asked me last night when we were going to have another tea party like that ( and he is a BIG strapping 6' tall 14 year old!)I told him to PLEASE find my tins and we would do it now.
Betty
luvstocraft
15 years ago
Hi Betty, don't you hate it when that happens? You KNOW you have something, but no clue where you've stashed it? Hope your tins turn up soon.

I remember when Sandi lost a whole box of her goodies. Thought they were in a storage shed, but I don't think she ever told us she found them. Remember that, Kathleen?

Isn't it great that your 14 year old remembers your tea parties? Great to make those special memories. I'm trying to do that with my little GD also. However, yesterday our's ended up being sand cakes with mud icing and "sprinkles" on top! LOL

Luvs
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Betty! I know I have misplaced many a goodie box, always a nice surprise when I find it!
Yes, Luvs, I remember. I don't remember if Sandi ever did find it though!
Here's a few more simple dinners..
I had these mouse tidbit holders for years, so I threaded the cherry toms from my garden on them...

Blueberry pie, my favorite..
luvstocraft
15 years ago
OMG! Did you make that piecrust? If so, how did you do it? That is so pretty and fancy.

All your presentations are so pretty. I just got home from DH's retirement dinner and looking at that salad and chicken made me want to eat again. LOL

Luvs
prosperity66
15 years ago
Once again I'm amazed by your cooking talents, Kathleen!

I love your red/pink table items (placemat and napkins) and also the blue ones (you used for burger dinner).

Talking about burger... I don't like burgers - only find them at Quick or Mac D... here and industrial food is not my cup of tea.

But some weeks ago, we've had an American week at the supermarket and I bought a sample of everything available, including relish.

A friend of mine who has been living in Canada told me that in America relish is "apple green" colored. But the one I bought is red...

Now, I eat burgers ! It's amazing how a simple product like this one can give such a nice taste!
luvstocraft
15 years ago
Prosperity, glad you found a way to "spice" up your burgers. We usually use the green pickle relish on our hot dogs, don't think I've ever tried it on a burger. The burgers are really a staple over here, and so many ways to vary the taste. My favorite is to mix some crumbled blue cheese in with the meat before I shape them into patties. Then I sprinkle more on top when they are done. I love to carmelize onions in the skillet and then serve them on top. And I'm also a dill pickle lover, so just dill pickles, onion slices, sliced tomato and lettuce on top of a cheeseburger along with a little mustard on the bun just can't be beat! You can add most anything to a hamburger so you can get a variety of tastes.

So aside from the burgers, what are you other favorite sandwich choices?

Luvs
bettyd_z7_va
15 years ago
Kathleen,
Is your hamburger roll homemade? Sure looks better that the generic rolls around here. My grandkids always get me to put the cob holders on the end of their corn cobs and I get the burned fingers!
I'm with Luvs-the pie looks beautiful. How did you make that crust?

Luvs, sand pies sound like fun. I think I have a picture somewhere of our 14 year old son, our 10 year old grandson and the 4 year old grandson all in the little one's little red plastic crab sandbox cheesing for the camera!!!!

And I have to put lots of mayonnaise on my burger along with the lettuce and tomato. If I'm feeling adventurous I will add bacon.
Betty
dining_delight
15 years ago
Kathleen, I like the yellow and green combo, it is very fresh and summery looking. The way you displayed your delicious looking blueberry pie (great crust!)on the blue & white check makes it even more appealing!

Prosperity, I know just what you mean about the "red relish" making such a difference on hamburgers. I don't know if it is a "Canadian" thing but I just have to have the red on burgers and the green is delicious on hotdogs.

DD
prosperity66
15 years ago
Luvs,

Belgian cooking culture is special and differentiates sandwiches (= Baguette or milk bread, etc.) and "tartines" (= two slices simple white or grey bread). Basically, Belgians eat "tartines" at home and sandwiches at work (snack bars at noon).

My favorite sandwich is Spanish: Baguette, olive oil, tomato and Serrano ham...

My son and I also eat "Croque Monsieur" (two roasted slices bread with ham and Gouda cheese). My son adds ketchup since he's addicted to it.

Otherwise, my classic "tartines" for breakfast: chocolate paste on sliced bread, lol.

So we have a selection of different cold sandwiches inspired by the USA: the most popular is Dagobert (ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, egg, mayonnaise) ; our famous "amÃ©ricain prÃ©parÃ©" (chopped beef fillet, Worcestershire saus, mayonnaise, egg yolk) ; tuna salad (tuna, mayonnaise, eggs, etc.), scampi salad, crab salad, and so many others.

Regarding "hot" sandwiches, well, a hot dog in Belgium is generally half baguette, a sausage, mustard and... white cabbage. However, some people don't like cabbage and eat their hot dog like you do in America. A hamburger with roasted onions and mustard is also a popular hot sandwich but we eat that kind of sandwiches in special circumstances: fancy fair, at the weekly market...

We also have a popular hot sandwich that is called "Mitraillette": A demi-baguette, fried meat (sausage, burger, steak, frikandel, fries, sauce (mayonaise, ketchup, brazil, Andalusian sauce, Bearnaise sauce,...) and we may also add cruditÃ©s (carrots, lettuce, tomato...) available in our "FritKots".

We don't eat bread with our dinner or our lunch whether it is a meat/potato, rice, pasta/vegetables meal. Eating bread with meal is French and Mediterranean. So, when we eat a hamburger at home, it's basically roasted chopped beef fillet with fries and vegetables, for instance. There's no bread.

DD,

Unfortunately, we did not find green relish at the supermarket during the American week. Maybe it's due to the color of the product? I don't know. But my friend also told me that this sauce is delicious ;-)
kathleen_li
Original Author
15 years ago
Betty, the crust is made with a rolling tool , lattice cutter I got from a place in CA. I used it with puff pastry to make caged pears, so I tried it with the pie dough..
Here's the pear..

The rolls are by ARNOLD, called Sandwich thins. They have them in multi grain and reg. 100 calories each...1 pt on WW. I like them and they are versatile. Check my garden party thread to see how to use them as an appy..

I have never seen red relish., but we have a few kinds of green..India, and Sweet pickle. I like it on hot dogs, but not burgers..
I will have to look in the supermarket, but it could be a regional thing. Upstate NY puts mustard on the burgers at McD's, not here...
bettyd_z7_va
15 years ago
Kathleen,how unusual and delightful! The grandkids would love to eat something called caged pears! Girl, talent just drips from you!!

Alfred noticed the appys and remarked that they looked like the hamburger rolls that I was wondering about. I will keep an eye out for them down here.
Prosperity, Thank you for sharing the differences in your diet there. At this stage in my life I believe I will only see other countries in books, movies, and through the kindness of others like you who take the time to share.

That bread thing is truly an american male thing at my house. Many times I just forget the bread because I only eat it with sandwiches or a hotdog/burger. Alfred will come to the table,stop,look around the kitchen, go to the cabinet, and get out the loaf of bread. It is only then that I realize that I never thought of it!! Sometimes I think of it and make homemade biscuits for him and our son. ( I just learned how to make it since I retired last December!)

Now I've let the secret out of how cooking challenged I really am!!
Betty
prosperity66
15 years ago
Only 100 calories and 1 point at WW????? I adopt these sweets!

Betty, I love to read how others eat... it proofs me that the famous "American way of life is hamburger" is only a legend - just have to look at Kathleen's pictures to know it ;-)

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truly special gifts. . .

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