With July 4th approaching, here’s a recap of some patriotic ideas and Red, White & Blue treats for your Independence Day Celebration!
Click on the links to revisit or for a taste :)
A refreshing combination of pureed watermelon & lemonade~ garnished with watermelon stars and blueberries.
Banner Yet Wave Burgers~
We pledge allegiance to small bites, allowing us the freedom to snack in good conscience over the course of a long holiday :)
A Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad~ liberated from mayonnaise, garnished with a fireworks display of flowering dill!
White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, rolled in blue sugar and served in a Bright Stars cupcake liner.
sure to be extinguished quickly :)
Fresh & flavorful served with
Red, White, and Blue Tortilla Chips!
with Cream Cheese Ice Cream~
Or the real thing. . .
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Posted in Food, July 4th, Tablescape
Tagged Banner Yet Wave Burgers, Blueberry Salsa, Broad Stripe Berries, July 4th menu, Land of the Free Lemonade, Patriotic Mini MoonPies, Red Velvet Berry Cobbler, Rockets' Red Glare Potato Salad, Watermelon Cupcakes
I’m lakeside enjoying a little seaside dining
Pfaltzgraff’s Seaside brings the color palette
of the sun, sand, and sea to the table.
Shells, starfish, and a rope detail,
dot the coastal borders of the plates
in shades of blue and green with
a touch of sunny yellow.
I combed the aisles of World Market recently
and found square water hyacinth chargers
with a fringed shell border.
A discovery as fun as spying a starfish
in the depths of the
16 ounce soup/cereal bowl.
A sculpted salt and pepper shaker set,
sand dollar and starfish, washed up on a bed
of crushed shells from Michaels.
And seeded glass goblets give
the illusion of watery bubbles~
Twisted rope flatware
adds a nautical detail~
My shell seeking uncovered ceramic shell napkin rings
from Pottery Barn and Rosalie paisley napkins.
A Seaside lighthouse sugar & creamer set
stacks to make a tower~
And can also provide a decorative way to serve
condiments, cheese, or salad dressing.
Seaside Dining Details:
* Seaside Dinnerware/ Pfaltzgraff
Water Hyacinth Chargers & Flatware/ World Market
Napkin Rings & napkins/ Pottery Barn
Goblets/ HomeGoods
Click here:
to enjoy some Seaside dining and receive
20% Off 1 Seaside Item, June 17th – July 1st!
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
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A garden metaphor for life~ note to self and blooming
chalkboard inspiration for my Potting Shed back door.
Life is a Garden~
Leave the flowers and pull the weeds.
A favorite pillow had suffered through
multiple pollen seasons on the porch
and washings, and was looking
a little weedy & shabby~
So I picked a few flowers
from Michaels to plant.
It’s blooming now
in my Potting Shed~
a pollen-free zone :)
I cut a few flowers
that grow like weeds. . .
Elderflower.
And I am weeding my way through some
collections to do some bird watching.
Time to weed!
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“Anyone can be a gardener.
It’s simply a matter of choice.
On the day you find yourself
fretting about the first frost~
Or ruminating about
rhododendron color,
The day you say to yourself,
‘I’m a gardener’–
You are One.
You need no degrees
or doctorates.
No accumulations of blue ribbons
at a prestigious Iris competition.
No title bestowed by an
intimidating gardening society.
No personnel official to
declare, ’You’re in.’
Nor any special knowledge of
pH factors or compost heaps.
What is essential is training your
vision to see beyond what’s already there;
Having enough strength to haul around
a garden cart filled with fifty-pound bags;
And money, because you can’t start
planting without any plants. . .”
~ Dianne Benson, Dirt
I have an additional set of jars to
giveaway so there are three winners of my
Congratulations to
Judy Raffl, Gert Stevens, and Cyndi Raines!
I’ll contact you by email and get your jars to you.
Happy Canning & Gardening!
Thanks to all who entered!
Cowgirl Couscous Salad is a combination of a southwest couscous salad and cowboy caviar.
More of a procedure than a recipe, you can adjust the ingredients to satisfy your buckaroos’ taste buds or add chicken for additional protein for more of a complete meal.
I call this Cowgirl Couscous Salad since my husband is not wild about couscous, so it’s ideal for me to fix if I’m home alone on the range :) or for a cowgirl lunch and it’s easily adjusted to make a smaller quantity.
I like the texture of Israeli or “pearl” couscous mixed with the other ingredients but you can use whatever couscous you prefer.
Cowgirl Couscous Salad
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep time: 15 mins.
Ingredients
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups halved or quartered grape tomatoes
2 avocados
1/2 of a medium red onion, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used frozen Trader Joe’s fire roasted corn)
1 lime
1/2 cup Italian dressing
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 – 2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
kosher salt to taste
Cook your couscous according to the box directions substituting chicken stock for water. Pearl couscous cooks in about 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl and let cool.
Cut your avocado and toss with the juice of a lime and salt to taste. Mix your other ingredients with your couscous and add Italian dressing. Gently stir in your avocado. Let flavors meld in the refrigerator an hour before serving.
If I’m making this salad ahead and waiting to serve until later in the day, I’ll wait to cut and add my avocado right before serving so it doesn’t oxidize.
Ideal to store & serve in a
and toss in your saddle bag :)
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These boots are made for walking so
they’re strutting their stuff
as vases. . .
Blooming with Hydrangeas, Elderflower,
Alstroemeria and grasses!
And providing for some table inspiration
and western flavor to pair with
I dressed my Belmont Blue Flowers table last week with additional blues and flowers~
hydrangeas in a watering can, blooming napkin rings and a flowered patchwork quilt.
This week, I took my cue from the color of the blue dinner plates which reminded me of soft worn denim~
suitable for a table for a hoedown or cowgirl dining!
In addition to boots, I lassoed some bandanas,
a jute runner, and the same quilt~
reversing it to paisley and play up the cowgirl side.
I wrangled a set of
introduced this year in celebration of
the Perfect Mason 100 year anniversary!
Heritage Collection Mason Jars are tinted with antique blue and have commemorative dates embossed on the back.
They’re sporting a little western wear~ wrapped with a bandana, holding dried beans and votives.
For a chance to lasso a set of limited edition commemorative ball jars for flowers, candles, or canning, leave a comment on my giveaway post, HERE.
Two different blooming varieties of salad plates,
square and round, are offered in
this Mikasa Gourmet Basics
handcrafted collection of stoneware.
And two different napkins are corralled together~
red checks with a bandana~
Receive 20% Off 1 item in the Belmont Collection
through June 16th with the link below:
Belmont Blue Flowers Table Details:
*Belmont Blue Flowers Dinnerware/ Mikasa
Reversible B. Smith Diantha Quilt/ Bed, Bath & Beyond
Flatware / World Market
Jute Runner, used here & Napkin Rings/ Pottery Barn, several years ago
Bandanas/ Hobby Lobby
Red Checked Napkins/ Pier 1
Chargers/ Pier 1 & World Market
Goblets/ HomeGoods
*Lifetime Brands’ products have been provided free of charge in exchange for promotional consideration.
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I’m gathering my Peonies while I may,
with the unpredictable weather~
Admiring their showy display and
vivid color before they fade as quickly as
a pair of brand new gardening gloves :)
Our peonies usually bloom around the beginning of May.
They’re a little later this year with the colder
than normal early spring temperatures.
Whenever they bloom you can bet that
heavy rain showers are sure to follow
and pummel them~
So while they’re here I’m enjoying
their heady fragrance and lush blooms!
In celebration of Peony Season and the 100-year anniversary of the first true Perfect Mason pint jar, I’m sharing some Ball Jar Love and giving away 2 sets of 6 Ball Heritage Collection Mason Jars! Heritage jars are tinted with antique blue with the Ball logo embossed on front and the 100-year anniversary dates embossed on back.
Perfect for modern standards, quality, and
reliability for your home canning needs. . .
or flowers and petals :)
To enter, leave a comment on my Canning Season post HERE.
The winners will be chosen June 14th!
“Had I but four square feet of ground at my disposal, I would plant a peony in the corner and proceed to worship.”
~Alice Harding, The Book of the Peony
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