Friday Night Specials

Wonderful Hubby has worked second shift for almost all of our 25 years of marriage.  For many years, he wouldn't get home before 2 or 3 a.m., after working a 10 - 12 hour shift. The kids and I really only got to spend quality time with him on the weekends.  Several years ago, his overtime was cut and his shift time was adjusted so that he was able to come home around 11 p.m.   I was still teaching so I was usually in bed by 11 during the week.  One Friday, I decided to stay up and surprise him with a little snack and a glass of wine when he got home.  I think I had something simple like cheese and crackers.  It was so nice to sit and visit and catch up with each other!  He really appreciated my effort (which wasn't that much!) so I decided to give it a try the next week. 
 
Over the next year and a half, my 'Friday Night Specials' became more elaborate.  I wasn't a very confident cook but it really didn't matter since I always kept some brie and cheddar on hand.  I tried quite a few appetizer recipes and actually amassed quite a collection of recipes we liked. 
 
Precious Daughter and Favorite Son took notice and had a habit of showing up about the time Dad got home to see what Mom had fixed to eat.  (I always made extras, just in case!) 
 
I've really enjoyed finding recipes and preparing these appetizers JUST FOR FUN!  Most of them were good, a few not so much, but that was ok.  Wonderful Hubby and I always enjoyed a bottle of wine and being together. 
 
Now, Wonderful Hubby is on first shift so I get to cook supper for him every night!  That requires a whole new kind of planning but I really enjoy it!  I believe I've become a better cook because of those Friday Night Specials and I certainly feel more confident.  Rumor has it, he may go back to second shift sometime this next year.  If that happens, I'll be ready to welcome our weekends!

Each month this year, I'll share one of our favorite appetizer recipes.   I hope you find time to make and enjoy them with the special people in your life!



This month's recipe is a spicy dip made with roasted eggplant, peppers, olives and lots of seasonings and fresh herbs.  Make it a bit ahead so the flavors have time to blend.  You can serve it with store bought chips but, if you have the time, the homemade pita chips go so well with it!

Roasted Eggplant Caponata
    A recipe by Ina Garten

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
Olive Oil
4 oz. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
1/3- 1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
Toasted pita wedges, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line a half sheet pan with foil.

Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

Toasted Pita Wedges
1 package pita wedges
Olive Oil
Seasoned salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut each pita bread in quarters and each quarter in half to make 8 triangles. Place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp, turning once.

Enjoy!

 

Linking to these great parties:

 

Metamorphosis Monday

The Scoop

Tuesdays At Our Home

Inspire Me Tuesday

From Dream to Reality

Home Sweet Home

Foodie Friday

Friday Unfolded

Inspire Me Please

Super Bowl XLVII Eats and Treats

 

 

Blue January

I have a New Year's goal of posting a tablescape once a month but I was having trouble being inspired with all the nasty winter weather Missouri has had lately.  Last week, several bloggers I visited used blue or aqua in their tables and it got me thinking....

 

My mother-in-law and I attended a local auction before Christmas and we did quite well.  Part of our haul included several mismatched, but lovely dishes and glassware.  I decided to use a couple of things from that day. 

 

These soup bowls are quite delicate.  They seemed well used but

still very pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was so surprised when I visited Janet at Rosemary and Thyme and saw she had chosen the same pattern to highlight this week!!  She has the plates, cups and saucers.  I just have these four bowls.

 

 

 

 

The bowls' pattern hints of spring but the tablecloth brings me back to reality ... wintry January.

 

 

The other acquisition I'm using from that pre-Christmas auction are these pretty little wine or cordial glasses. 

 

 

 

They are quite delicate and thin.  Like many auction items, there were five in this set instead of six. 

 

 

For the center of the table, I decided to use a simple pitcher of flowers on an old silver tray.  We received the tray as a wedding gift many years ago.  I love how they have come back in style!

 

 

 

After braving 10 inches of snow and subzero temperatures last week, I find myself dreaming of my summer flowers and gardens.

 

 

But for now, I'll have to settle for the cheery blooms I find on my dishes!

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you're staying warm and cozy!

 

Zenda

 

 

Linking to these parties:

 

Tablescape Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday

Seasonal Sunday



 

An Afghan for Favorite Son

When Favorite Son was getting ready to graduate from High School last year I told him I'd make him an afghan.  It was my last year of teaching and I had other obligations and projects that kept getting in the way.  I FINALLY finished it today!! 

He picked out the colors and I found this ombre pattern that blended them together.  The ripple stitch was easy to do.  I think it turned out really well. 

He's a tall fellow so I made it plenty big to keep him warm at college.  Kind of like a momma's hug!

Sharing at these great parties:

  Inspire Me Tuesday
  The Scoop
  Tuesdays At Our Home 
  Thursday Handmade Love
  Domestic Superhero
  Inspire Me Please
   Fridays Unfolded
  Creativity Unleashed
  Amaze Me Monday
  Submarine Sunday

New Year's Eve Dinner

For the last several years, Wonderful Hubby and I have enjoyed a New Year's Eve LUNCH at a nice restaurant.  Then we hit the local grocery store to find something we can fix together for our dinner. We've found it's a good time to reminisce and we enjoy our time together!

This year, I set a table with these cute snowflake plates I found at Target!  They are melamine!  Can you believe it?  The mercury glass dessert plates were from Target, too.  I had the silver chargers and the little snowflake-shaped plates were from Kroger.  I thought they all worked pretty well together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started with a simple salad with parmesan crisps.  So easy!  Simply grate parmesan cheese, place piles of it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them 5-7 minutes at 350 F.  Let them cool and harden up a bit and place them on the salad.  I also made a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing to go with this.

 

 

 

 

 

At the grocery, WH found these large shrimp that I roasted in the oven at 400 F for about 6 minutes with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  They were so tender and delicious, we wished we gotten a few more!!



The stars of our New Year's Eve Dinner were boneless choice ribeye steaks that Wonderful Hubby grilled to perfection!  He used a little seasoning salt and onion pepper.  Mine was the smaller one, which was a bit less rare than his.  These steaks were so tender and delicious!!! 

 

 

 

We also had some roasted asparagus sprinkled with parmesan and baked potatoes.  Our wine was a delicious Missouri Norton. 

(You can see I put the salad dressing bottle in a ramekin to save the tablecloth!  A little tacky, I know, but I didn't want to have to do laundry!)

 

 

 



 

For dessert, we had blackberry tarts with pastry cream!  

 

 

I brushed the top with some blackberry jam thinned with a little water.  It brushed on well and sweetened the berries a bit.

 

 

I guess after 25 years together, we've finally learned to cook pretty well!!  

 

Happy New Year Everyone!



Linking to these great parties:

  Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen
  Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
  Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm
 

 



 



Christmas Decor 2013

Our Christmas was beautiful and busy!  We celebrated Wonderful Hubby's extended family at my mother-in-law's home Christmas Eve where Santa stopped by for awhile. My extended family came to our home Christmas Day.  Prior to that, there were multiple holiday parties for organizations we're in, as well as choir practices, shopping and lots of baking!  I'm just now able to sit down to share some of our holiday decorations.  I want to thank you all for your great ideas!  I'm truly inspired each time I read your posts!

 The Mantel

 

I really like a natural winter look.  The hope is to be able to leave some of these things up through January! 

 



I just love these pheasants!  Both they and the lantern are from All About Home, a local home décor store.  I believe the tray is from Target.

This Jim Shore nativity set sits on our dining room hutch.

 

 

 

This nativity is nestled in a lantern with a little snow and a few trees.  A candle in the back helps illuminate the scene.

 

 

I shared about these vintage ornaments in the Coca-Cola Crates in a previous post.  You can see it HERE.  I have two and just love displaying them each year!  Wonderful Hubby and I have great memories looking through antique shops trying to find the right crates for this project. 

 

 

I got this little village set at the Dollar Tree a few years ago.  There are about 20 pieces in all.  It sits atop the dining room hutch.

 

 

 This vignette sits atop the Hoosier cabinet in our kitchen.  I really liked the look of the lantern from the fall and decided to see if I could change it up just a bit to make a more wintery scene.  I was pleased with the look that just a few changes made.

 

  

When the kids were very small, I purchased this little set from Hallmark.  It seemed to fit our family perfectly, at the time.  I enjoy getting it out each year.  It makes me smile to remember how small our children were when I got it and see how much they've grown!

 

  

This vignette includes some vintage photos from our family.  The gentleman is my paternal grandfather.  He passed away before my parents were married and I never knew him.  He was a handsome man, wasn't he? 

The young lady is my mother's first cousin, Adrian. 

Mom told me lots of stories about the fun they had growing up together.  The other photo is of some extended family members who moved to Canada. 

The photo holders are from All About Home, in Troy, MO.

 

 It's hard to believe the Christmas season has come and gone! 

What fun we've had, what great memories we've made! 

 

 

We wish each of you a Happy 2014!!

 

 

 

 

Sharing at these great parties: 

 

 Seasonal Sundays hosted by The Tablescaper

 Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at BNOT

 

 

 



New Use for an Old Crate

I have a thing for ornaments!  New, old, large, tiny, elaborate, simple.  I LOVE ornaments!!  I'll post more on my favorites later this week but now I'd like to share an idea I saw on television several years ago. 

They demonstrated how to display vintage ornaments in old Coca-Cola crates.  When I shared this idea with Wonderful Hubby, he said he could help with the 'alterations.'  We have two built-in cabinets around our fireplace and we thought they would look nice on top with our other vintage pieces.   The hunt for the perfect crates was on!

  

 

We had a lot of fun tramping through antique and resale shops that fall looking for just the right crates.  (Memories help make these pieces more special!!) 

 

 

 

After finding two crates that fit the bill, WH got to work repairing one and adding the eye hooks in each little cubby.  When he finished, I found enough small ornaments that would fit well in the holes and secured each of them in their places.

 

   

 

 

We love how they turned out!  Some of these ornaments are from our childhood homes but most we've found at antique stores on weekend getaways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the best things about these little crates is how easy after-season storage is!  Since the ornaments are SECURELY fastened to the eye hooks, all we have to do is lay the crate down and each ornament swings inside its cubby! 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't have to take each one out and wrap it up!  I stack the two crates on top of each other then place them inside a large plastic bag to keep off the dust. 

 

Great look, simple display and easy storage!!  How great is that?!

 

I'm linking up to these parties to see what other ideas you all have for decorating with vintage finds ..

 

Organized Clutter Queen - Vintage Christmas

Metamorphosis Monday

Must Love Junk - Rustic Christmas

From Dream to Reality

Inspire Me Tuesday

Fishtale Cottage - Cottage Christmas

Home Sweet Home

 

 

 



Christmas Dollar Store Finds

I love shopping at the new Dollar General Store in our small town.  There are always new surprises there and when I read Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage and Debbie from Debbiedoo's were hosting another challenge, I knew I'd shop there first for a frugal setting.  There are Dollar Tree stores in nearby towns, too, but I thought I'd give my Dollar General first crack.

Several weeks ago I spied these plates and mugs and thought they might make a nice modern winter setting.  Since the plates were rather small and I already have several sets of Christmas / winter dishes, I passed them up.  After reading about the Dollar Tree Christmas Challenge, an idea started to form.  Back to the store I went and purchased these two plates, the mugs and glasses, a small bottle brush tree, holiday bling and some mittens.  I had already bought these placemats on sale after the holidays last year. 

 

 

Since the plates are luncheon size, I thought I'd use them at the kitchen island. 

 



 
 

I thought the mittens were a fun way to display the flatware.  I used green napkins I already had and stuck them in the mugs.  The little village vignette was made from Dollar Tree houses.

 

 

They started this way.

 

 

 

And after spray painting them white and adding white glitter here and there, they ended up this way.

 

 

 

 

 

I really like these plates and mugs and am looking forward to using them for breakfast or lunch  You may even see them again soon in a different setting!

 

 

 

And now for another Dollar Tree sharing moment....

 

Several years ago, I was at the Dollar Tree in a neighboring town when I saw this little village.  I fell in love with it and brought it home ... all for $20!  Since then, I've added a few trees and a couple of houses I received as gifts.  The last several years it's been on top of the dining room hutch.

 

 

 

 

 

 



You just never know what treasures you'll find at dollar stores!  That's what makes shopping there such a fun adventure!!   I'm looking forward to reading about the pretty ideas you all find!


Linking to these fabulous parties
       Fox Hollow Cottage  
       Debbiedoo's
       Inspire Me Tuesday