Mother/Daughter Senior Brunch 2023

 

We had four young ladies from our church to graduate from high school back in May. I have known each one of them since they were born, and all of them were part of my Miss Manners program as they grew up. I wanted to honor them, so I hosted them and their mothers for brunch last Saturday.

One mother and daughter were unable to attend, and my own daughter was out of town. That gave us an uneven seven in attendance, so I decided to squeeze in an extra setting so we could all sit together in the dining room.

I'm so happy with the way my tablescape turned out. It's feminine, summery, and so welcoming. Let me take you on a little tour!

Normally I mix and match my plates, but this is perhaps my favorite set of china that I own. I decided to just use it and let it shine in all it's glory! This pattern is called "Double Phoenix" in red, and it's by Nikko. I have used it several times, most recently for Valentine's Day 2023. But My favorite table featuring these dishes was a Paris-themed Valentine's Day dinner a few years ago. Take a look at it. It's breathtaking!

I went ahead and set the plate stack, even though I removed the bowl and dessert plate before they arrived. I always like to give you a bird's eye view of a table setting. As usual, I took the liberty of placing things where they fit, and not necessarily where they go.

I wanted a lot of texture to break up the red and white dishes. I think I succeeded!

I don't have anything blooming in my yard right now, so I picked up a $5 bouquet from Walmart and fleshed it out with greenery from my yard. Actually, I took a chance and ordered it online to pickup with my grocery order. I got lucky. It was in pretty good shape. One rose was beginning to turn a little brown, but I removed a few outer petals, and it was fine. I've completely changed my mind about baby's breath. It is usually just used as a filler in a rose bouquet, but when there's a mixture of colors and lots of greenery, I think it provides a pop of color (yes, white is a color!), and a textured softness to the arrangement. 

I added some fern fronds and some gardenia greenery for bulk.

I always use candles or at least tea lights in my tablescape, no matter the time of day. They add such a warmth and intimacy to the table. These little red tealight holders picked up on the dish pattern.

I made these pretty little rose bowls several years ago. You can see how I did that here.

I pulled out my pretty little green stem glasses to use. I wanted to add another color to the mix, and there was green in my napkins. I was given these glasses years ago by my sister-in-law. She had purchased them at Cracker Barrel. I only have eleven. If you ever see them anywhere, let me know! I got the vintage juice glasses off eBay a couple of years ago for Jewell's Hobbit-themed senior tea party. I used them with amber colored stemware for that party, but I like them mixed with the green better.

I made these napkins over twenty years ago. I was in charge of setting a table for an event, and I used these with green stems and my white everyday dishes. I wish I had a picture of the table, but that was before I began keeping a record. I love toile! And these play so nicely with my dishes, don't you think?

The flatware is Abigail by Hampton Silversmiths and came from Target nearly 25 years ago. I only hand wash it, and so far, the gold accents have held up beautifully.

Another view of the entire table...

You know I love a theme. Strawberry was my choice for the day. Each course contained strawberries, and it went nicely with the plates. I chose to serve this Strawberry Kiwi fruit blend tea from Harney and Sons. I always like to offer a non-caffeinated option.

It's hard to read this tea canister, but it was a traditional English Breakfast tea. I purchased this at Biltmore on our last trip. I've started displaying the tea canisters as part of my tablescapes. I think they're pretty, plus, it allows my guests to learn about the tea I'm serving them. 

I love a good salad for breakfast or brunch, especially when it's full of fruit! Baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries, feta, red onion, and some walnuts I toasted that morning in a skillet with butter, salt, and sugar. I topped it off with a poppy seed dressing. It was a hit!

We love French toast at our house, but it's hard to make it for a crowd. I made a French toast casserole with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I made it the night before and then just baked it off before they arrived. A friend had recently given us a gift basket from Vermont, and it had a very nice quality maple syrup in it. It was the perfect topping. I baked the breakfast links in the oven, as well. That meant all I had to do that morning was make my cheese grits. I make my grits with milk and chicken broth, and then I finish them off by adding grated applewood smoked gouda cheese. Delicious!  

In keeping with my strawberry theme, I made strawberry lemon blondies. They were delicious! This was also a make-ahead dish, so I just had to make the glaze the morning of the brunch. Easy Peasy.

One last look...

I loved having these precious young ladies and their sweet mamas in my home! I wish them all the best as they begin this new chapter in their lives!

Saturday Night Fish Fry

 

I wish blogs were scratch and sniff! Nothing smells as good as fried fish. And if this post had a theme song, it would be "Saturday Night Fish Fry" by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. (Go look it up. Such a fun song!)

It was rockin', it was rockin'

You never seen such scufflin' and shufflin'

till the break of dawn!

We've had a couple of successful fishing trips in my parents' pond lately, and our freezer was full! We decided to have a fun fish fry and concert. More on that later in the post!

This isn't a plug for Pepsi, but if you look in the background, you can see where we had moved our deck table under the trees in the front yard and set up the fish fryers. It was hot that day (although it's hotter this week!), so we waited until after 5:00 pm to set it all up and start cooking.

We had fourteen people that night, so I placed two 6 foot tables end to end. I used full length white tablecloths and then a couple of red checkered cloths on the diagonal to cover more real estate. If you've ever attended a low country boil, you know tables are covered with newspapers and then they pour the shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage down the middle. Then everyone just tucks in! I took my cue from that and put newspapers down the middle, but we used them to throw our bones on. We kept all our food in the kitchen to avoid bugs. We fixed our plates inside and went outside to eat.

I picked up a bouquet of yellow and white daisies from Walmart and split them between several mason jars. We also put out lots of tealights since we planned on being out after dark. Plus - candles make everything more festive! 

We used plastic plates and utensils to keep it easy. Three families were involved and everyone brought something. I boiled potatoes and corn like I would a shrimp boil - seasoning and everything. Cool, creamy coleslaw was a must. It came from The Chicken Shack in Luverne, and it was the best I've ever had! Another friend brought dessert. I made my homemade hushpuppies. Ain't nothing like fried fish, y'all. (I even love them cold the next day.) This was bream from my daddy's pond. It was really good! 

Last summer, I happened to be behind an older couple at Walmart who was buying a couple of these aqua chairs. They were $4! I quietly paid for my groceries, put them in my car, and went back and bought the 15 that they had left! These stack beautifully and take up little room in my garage. We entertain outside so much, and seating is often an issue. For fancy outdoor teas, I've been know to take my dining room and kitchen chairs out there. But these are perfect for a picnic or firepit night. Jewell went back and pulled out some of my aqua tealight holders to tie the chairs in to the rest of the table.

After dinner, I took a trash bag out to the table and threw away all the used plates, as well as the newspaper with bones. Clean up was so easy! We were ready for dessert! 

Once the sun went down, we had a private concert by two of the dads and two of the boys. So much fun! We heard everything from Don Williams to Nirvana with some original stuff thrown in. Of course "Sweet Home Alabama" was played before it was over. The crowd cried for "Freebird" and waved their cell phone flashlights, but alas, one band member had to preach the next day, and the other lead singing. We broke up about 9:00! But a fun time was had by all!

Best friends are such a blessing, especially when that friendship is shared by the whole family. This was such a fun night! Hoping for an encore soon!

Blueberry-Lemon Cake

 

This blueberry-lemon cake is a real stunner! I found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine and added it to my menu for the Summer Berries Birthday luncheon. I adapted it just a little, as I am always apt to do. The recipe below reflects those changes. It did not disappoint!

Watermelon Gazpacho with Herbed Puff Pastry Sticks

I love a theme. It makes table and menu planning so simple! Summer Berries was the obvious theme for this luncheon. The beautiful plates I found at a local thrift store began the beautiful story! I just took it from there and looked for recipes that featured different types of summer fruit, particularly berries. 

Summer Berries Birthday Luncheon and Tablescape

Here's a simple little tablescape I threw together last summer to celebrate a couple of birthdays in our mother/daughter group. I found these plates a few years ago and used them for a Father's Day meal honoring my father and Gerald's. You can see that design by clicking here. It looks TOTALLY different. I love how the same set of dishes can be changed up so drastically by just swapping out napkins and a tablecloth.