Hey there, Bleeps! I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday! I sure did! I got a bit stressed in the end of tying everything together. You know how you have a vision of how you want everything to look and it just doesn't quite fit, well that happened to me, but it still turned out nice. Above, are a few photos taken the day of Thanksgiving and also just a few minutes ago that I staged to showcase a sample of the place card and the menu presented at the table setting.
We hosted my mom, sister, and also our neighbors. I was very excited to use my new vintage dishes found at a local retailer. Instead of making traditional place 'cards,' I made one-layer card that fit into a small pine cone to accent the table setting. The table was kept simple with a charger and a simple 'wheat' centerpiece (picked that up from Marshall's). I created the menu in Photoshop and Mac helped by printing and cutting them. I added ribbon at the last minute and wished I had time to mat them on brown cardstock, but darn...time was up! I think that would've made a bigger impact and I still will mat one later and showcase the difference just so you all can see!
The place cards are Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestabilities die cuts and stamped with Waltzingmouse Stamps coordinating set. I added oval nestabilities die cuts, stamped a pine cone theme (Stampin' Up! - autumn days) and then added the names by stamping eat individual letter (Papertrey Ink - simple alphabet). The place cards were finished off with a few green rhinestones.
Now, this year I wanted to tackle a few new baking recipes. As background, I am NOT a baker. I rarely bake anything other than box brownies or cake mix! Although I love to cook, I am not a baker. But, I did manage to attempt the recipes. I had a few disasters! The pound cake turned out great; however, I overfilled the baking pan and it bubbled over causing it to shrivel and die! We tasted some of the over flowed bits and it as GREAT, just very UGLY! So, that was not served...DARN IT (again)! I also made a peach cobbler. The dough part is most my un-favorite thing to do EVER! Mind you, I do not own a mixer (at least not at that time), only a hand mixer, which I did not use and so it was quite daunting. The dough was not 'perfect' but turned out good enough to cover the dish (whew)! The recipe was great, but I needed to add a bit more 'juice' to it. I was so afraid of it being soupy that I did not add it all...another DARN IT! However, at least it was good enough to serve! I also tried a brownie dish that I've made before. The disaster with this dessert was I forgot to thaw the cool whip...a big "OH MY GOSH" at the last minute! My sister dashed off to the store to find some cool whip spray, but it's SO not the same as traditional cool whip, but as a good enough fix to serve! Lastly, I tried my hand at homemade yeast rolls. These actually turned out great!
I said I would not bake again, but I think I will now that I went out and picked up a Kitchen Aid mixer at Wally World in the Black Friday extravaganza! I think that will make baking just a tad easier and the fact that I've tried once, it shouldn't be as hard the next go 'round, right?! Well, at least I hope not! All of the rest of food turned out okay, but not THE BEST like I like it! When I do this again, I'm going to tackle more food the night before when I'm not under the gun!
My sister and I shopped all of the door busters. We shopped at a local outlet mall from midnight and then made a few stops and did not finish up until after 7 am Friday morning. I had 2 coffees and was so energized by the shopping that staying awake was no problem until I 'crashed' at Bath and Body Works! A lot of people think it's crazy to get out there and shop with the masses, but it's really fun! I only recommend it to those who can handle crowds, people bumping, and patience. Lines are very long at times and you have to be willing to sacrifice time for a few dollars! It's just something to do for me and to experience. I can also see why some people would rather pay the extra money not to wake up at the crack of dawn and deal with the masses; it's all up to the person! People watching is so fun to me (remember, I'm the "watcher" from my anniversary post) so I truly enjoy it!
Grateful for time with family and friends and even the food disasters! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving too!
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Sunday!
10 comments:
Ashley - you need to try the easiest cobbler ever - cuppa cuppa. 350 oven. Melt stick of butter in 9 x 13 dish. Meanwhile, whisk 1 C ea flour, sugar and milk together. Pour over melted butter. Spread fruit over top (can be fresh, frozen, canned) Bake 30-40 minutes until done. (This is off the top of my head; google for more exact recipe).
All the cobbler recipes I found b4 this were what I would call a deep dish pie. Pie crust not= "cobble up" in my book. But when I found this recipe in one of Hoppin' John's cookbooks I knew I'd found what cobbler meant to me.
Oh Ashley, serioulsy, this is fabulous. I love how it was simple, yet so elegant. Just your style! I didn't do Thanksgiving this year (my first time ever). My mom had my boys, so me and my DH went out to eat!! Kinda fun treat. Hugs to you!
Your table is soooooo elegant! What a treat for your guests! I always get stressed out at the end too! But then ya pig out and take a nap!
I just love love love the centerpiece and place card ideas. Awesome stuff!
Oh how GORGEOUS!
I LOVE your dishes...what are they?
Super wow, Miss Ashley!! Love everything about it!!
Congratulations! I just wanted you to know that your project will appear on the Yahoo Group Late Night Stamper’s blog finds of the day for Nov. 30. Want to receive your own copy of the blog finds of the day? Join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stampinuplnstampers/
I think your table setting turned out lovely. I'm glad dinner was a success overall.
I bet you will be baking up a storm with your new Kitchen Aid mixer. My DH got me one years ago and it has made a huge difference. The important thing to remember when baking is to measure and be precise. You can fly by the seat of your pants when you cook, but not when you bake. LOL Good Luck with your next baking experience!
Beautiful! My Thanksgiving table was not fancy. I just bought a flowering plant at the Farmer's Market. I thought of doing some simple place cards, but I ran out of time. I love to bake. Lucky you for getting a Kitchen Aid mixer. I've been wanting one for years. My kitchen is too small to store it.
Beautiful tablescape!
Post a Comment