In honor of our little herb and vegetable garden, and our recent "crop" of cherry tomatoes and basil, I found this delicious recipe for a simple Summer Garden Pasta.
(photo courtesy food network)
Our "garden fresh" cherry tomatoes and basil combine with olive oil, minced garlic, grated parmesean, a few red pepper flakes and some angel hair pasta to make a lovely summer dinner!
This dish is so easy anyone could make it...enjoy!
With the warmer temperatures of summer finally here, we all like to "spruce up" our Front Porches, here are some tips from a newsletter I wrote a while ago with some ideas for creating a Fabulous Front Porch...
1. Make it Functional-
4. Make it Seasonal-
OK, so here in Florida, it is very difficult to grow hydrangeas, but they still remain on of my favorite flowers...I just have to buy them at the market to enjoy them instead of growing them in my backyard!
citygardenideas.com
I remember when I lived in Georgia and North Florida, these were everywhere in early summer! I had a big bush like this growing right outside our door and would have fresh flowers for months. I still love to decorate with hydrangeas this time of year (mostly, the "silk" variety)!
Here's a big basket of them on my coffee table!
Hydrangeas still remind me of summer...and I love using them all around the house.
What's your favorite summertime flower?
"A noise like of a hidden brook in the leafy month of June,
that to the sleeping woods all night singeth a quiet tune."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
For this week's Fun Family Dinner, and in honor of summer and the beautiful warmer temperatures, I set up a fun outdoor picnic at our neighborhood park, here's what we did...
The Table
This week's table was outside in a cute "tiki-style gazebo" at the park/playground in our neighborhood. It overlooks the water and is a really great little spot...which begs the question- why haven't we done this sooner? Anyways, to make it "pretty" I brought a blue and white picnic tablecloth, a mason jar with flowers (ok, a little much- but I am a decorator- remember?) and the "centerpiece" were decorative bags with everyone's dinner.
The Food-
Ok, since I went "all-out" on the cute decorative bags, I took a shortcut on dinner and picked up everyone's favorite sandwich from the local sub shop. I heard NO complaints and clean-up was a breeze!
Everyone got their very own bag (with monogrammed tag) with a sandwich, chips, apple, cookie and a water. (I did 75 of these bags recently for our school's teacher appreciation week and they were a big hit!)
The Fun-
For fun, after dinner the kiddos played on the playground and "mom and dad" watched from a nearby bench- another great night!
I have decided to take a brief "blog break" for the next week or so- with school winding down and summer kicking off, I am going to take a little R&R time from blogging.
I will still be posting photos from this year's family project every Friday for Fun Family Dinners, so stay tuned for that!
For this week's dinner we decided to celebrate the American West with a "Wild West Dinner", here's what we did...
The Table-
I set the table with our red and white check table cloth, white plates, and for glasses I used Mason jars!
For cute napkins, I used bandanas with black metal napkin rings.
Our centerpiece was a western cowboy hat, some rope, a Mason jar filled with wildflowers and a few votive candles.
The Food-
For dinner, we prepared a traditional western meal of steak, baked potatos, and a Ranch salad- yummy! I was proud of the girls because they both tried steak for the first time, mixed reviews, however.
The Fun-
For fun at dinner we just talked about each other's day, then after dinner, while I was doing dishes, the girls took turns "roping" various things in our backyard- which is harder than it looks! Later that night we all watched some of the new Discovery Channel series, "North America".
What a great night! Join us next week for another Fun Family Dinner...
This past week's "dinner" was actually a "brunch"...in honor of Mother's Day! Here's what we did:
The Table-
My daughters set a lovely table using pretty pinks and greens, and my favorite Lilly Pulitzer table runner. Didn't they do a great job!?
for the centerpiece, they used some covered soup can arrangements of pink peonies and a large platter of yummy breakfast items!
The Food-
I think I have mentioned this before, but my husband is the BEST BREAKFAST MAKER EVER! He cooked up this delicious assortment of brunch foods.
The Fun-
We all had fun enjoying a yummy Mother's Day Brunch and as a bonus- my mother joined us for the meal! Hope you all had a wonderful day too!
This year, why not take the money you usually spend on a summer vacation and invest it in your own home- that way you can enjoy a special "getaway" everyday! Here are some tips on how to turn
your home into a first-class resort...
1. Take inspiration from from one of your favorite vacation destinations.
Maybe it's a tropical island or a cozy cabin retreat, or a contemporary big city, or an elaborate European hotel- wherever you like to vacation, take inspiration and re-create the look in your own home!
2. Turn your Master Bedroom into a fabulous "hotel" suite.
Just like your favorite resort, stock your bedroom full of luxurious
hotel amenities like high thread count sheets, a comfy goose down duvet,
black-out lined draperies, a beautiful desk, sitting area, lighting, and
artwork.
3. Turn your Master Bathroom into a luxurious "spa" oasis-
Along with gorgeous cabinets, sinks, faucets, lighting, and tile, be sure to have a generous supply of fluffy white towels, beautiful soaps, lotions and toiletries; as well as a cozy bathrobe. A lovely framed mirror will dress up any bathroom.
4. Incorporate special items from your travels-
Display mementos from your favorite places throughout your home such as seashells, sand,
artwork, photography, authentic textiles, pottery,and tableware. These will add interest to your home AND remind you of a favorite trip.
This is the last recipe from the tea party I am going to share, but it may be my favorite. I have been making this pound cake recipe for years and love it each and every time.
I found the recipe in an old Southern Living magazine (it was a 5 star rated recipe), and it has gotten rave reviews here at Starfish Cottage over the years as well. Like everything, there are so many variations I have for it- sometimes I bake it in 2 loaf pans, sometimes in one large bundt cake pan. Sometimes I do a vanilla frosting, sometimes lemon or key lime frosting! Sometimes I use vanilla extract, sometimes I use almond extract. Sometimes I serve it with strawberries and whipped cream on the side, sometimes I cut it up and use it in a trifle...it is good any which way you make it!!!
When I make two loafs, I ALWAYS wrap up one for the freezer and save for later.
I love the delicate crumb crust that forms on top, and it stays nice and moist inside. So here is the link to the recipe... Southern Living's Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Note: I always use the reduced fat cream cheese and it turns out great!
For the party, I did a lemon frosting- 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar and 2 tbsps lemon juice- this frosting is so thick I spread it on with a spoon and let it trickle and ooze down the side, then I pop it in the fridge to let it harden a little.
I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we have!
