Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

Mardi Gras translates from the French to English as Fat Tuesday. It's the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. In France, where I spent 13 years of my youth, celebrations were not anything like the wild celebrations associated with New Orleans. Even in Germany, the Fasching partying is a bit more demure (but not much)! Nonetheless, it was a time of feasting and parades and parties.

For our private celebration, I've chosen a piece of hand-dyed velvet for a table covering in a lush shade of green. Green, purple and gold are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. Green for faith, Purple for justice and Gold for power. 

The color variations in the velvet are what bring the hand dyed piece to life.

A simple place setting consisting of a not quite bright green charger, a gold rimmed plate, a gold napkin rolled into a sausage and folded, a crystal salad bowl, gold flatware and many strands of beads. 

Crystal for a bit of champagne and sip of wine.

Masks are a must. Although it's difficult to find the nice feather bedecked ones here, a bit of glitter glue on some plain Jane ones is a fair substitution.

To replace the missing stand, I used a larger votive bowl filled with more beads to hold the amber vase, a gift from a dear friend of mine. Crystal candle holders with  a bit of gold on them and adorned with candle decor. The ring of ornaments slides over the candle and rests on the candle holder.

  

Fresh flowers are such a nice touch.

I hope you enjoyed the brief Mardi Gras party.  How did you celebrate?

 

Saffron Crawfish Risotto Recipe

If you do not have access to crawfish, substitute shrimp in this saffron rice risotto. The key to good risotto is adding the liquid in increments, and stirring often.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 pinch saffron or turmeric
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 pound cooked and peeled crawfish tails
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preparation:

Cook onions in butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until soft. Add rice and saffron; stir 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed.

Stir in 1 cup broth; cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding remaining 1 cup broth and 3 cups water, allowing each to be absorbed before adding another, until rice is tender and mixture has a creamy consistency. It will take approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

Stir in peas, crawfish, Parmesan cheese, salt, cream, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce. Cook until risotto is thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes.

If crawfish is unavailable, substitute deveined medium shrimp.

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe Source: USA Rice Council

Cast of Characters:

Hand-dyed Velvet  - a quilt show somewhere

Olive-y green chargers - Hobby Lobby years ago

Gold rimmed dinner plates -  Rosenthal

Crystal bowls - gift

Crystal champagne and wine -Libbey Rock Sharpe

Gold flatware - International

Napkins - Pier One

Vase - gift

Base for the vase - Mikasa Cheers votive holder

Candle holders - Home Goods

Green tea light holders - Crate and Barrel

Beads courtesy of our son and I'm not asking!! Thanks sweetie.

Thank you so much for dropping in. I so enjoyed your visit and hope you did too. I'll be linking up to Susan's Tablescape Thursday and to Designs by Gollum Foodie Friday. Please go check out the lovelies presented there just for you!

Springing forth

I wandered around the backyard yesterday and was rewarded with this lovely sight. Within the past week, the shoots have emerged from the soil and are reaching towards the sun. I can't wait for all the tulips to come out. Our crabapple tree has buds as does the elm. This is the most exciting time of year.

A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost

OH, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill. 

 On another note, the estate sale foray was handsomely rewarded! A lovely tablecloth with 12 napkins. Irish Linen stitched up in Cypress. All in pristine condition. 

 

Isn't the stitching divine?

And the set came with this lovely runner too.

And 2 more runners, 4 tray liners and 12 coasters! 

I scored!! Happy Sunday to one and all. Be blessed and find joy.

I'm linking up to the Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday. Be sure to drop in for some delightful visits!

the reluctant entertainer - Sandy Coughlin's book

Regardless if you are married or single, regardless if you have children at home or not, regardless of whether you are 'content' with your home or not; when was the last time you shared your home with others? Be honest! Probably, it's been a while. If so, this book is for you!

I was the lucky recipient of the book,  the reluctant entertainer by Sandy Coughlin, giveaway on Amy Locurto's Living Locurto blog.  Thank you Amy, Sandy and Bethany House. I received my lovely book Wednesday and have had two evenings to indulge myself with  the delightful pages between the covers. Just check out the table of contents!

A chapter that hit close to home... overcoming perfectionism! I really am working on that. It's a disease, I'm sure it has a name - doesn't it?

The recipes will make you want to have an event just for an excuse to make these! Oh they are very, very scrumptious looking.

And my favorite quote from the book . Well, one of them anyway. Isn't this so insightful? And so true!

I hope you'll check out Sandy's blog - Reluctant Entertainer for daily inspiration and down home advice.  And you'll get to meet Sandy who is gracious and kind and entertaining savvy!

I also hope that all of you creative types find your way over to Amy's Living Locurto blog for fun times, great projects and  many give-aways.

Thanks to everyone one more time, I've delighted in my new treasure!

 Reluctant Entertainer, The: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality

The table that almost wasn't

Ever have a day week where everything is just a bit off kilter? You go to get flowers and after the third stop, you decide that the flowers have all died and gone to flower heaven because there are only some seriously sad looking ones around. You thought it was Mardi Gras a week early. The greenery in the yard is frost bitten, oh yeah what there is of it. So you are left in quandary: to table or not. This is life, make the best of it! Table!!       So we are dining simply this evening. 

 A self-sewn burlap runner down the table. Each setting anchored with a black felt placemat. 

Topped with a shabby wooden charger.

And then a white dinner plate.

Black and white transferware on top of the black sateen napkin creates a setting of interest.

For a bit of whimsy, I used 4 salad plates from Villeroy & Boch that depict humorous hunting scenes. The plates are in a mixture of French and German. Saar is a state now in Germany, but once was part of France. They speak a dialect that encompasses words from both languages in that area.

Love these plates. On this plate, the hunter is chasing the animals as they are running around the thicket. Loosely translated: This is ridiculous, been going around the thicket 6 times now and can't see the buck." Actually the term used is Bock which refers to a goat, but I don't see one in the picture!

Another loose translation: Darn it Seppi (a guy's name), the buck isn't back there! 

This one is labeled in a mixture of French and German. Another loose translation: Lauban (dog's name) Come here and bring it back, you evil beast!

Now this one is funny, as the dog has torn off the bib front of the hunter's Lederhosen. It says: Teifi, Phylax (dog's names) Devil, evil this is a nice gift. Bescheerung actually cannot be translated as it is the word for the entire "ceremony" of opening gifts. Did you notice that not one animal was harmed?  

Close up of a bit of the rim area.

Black and silver flatware adds a bit of elegance to the table.

Curvaceous French Countryside glasses go so well with this setting, don't they?

A hand-painted centerpiece that was supposed to hold flowers, is also painted with animals. Look at those darling ball feet!

Tried some frost bitten greenery left in the yard, but it was too bad to leave on the table!

To tie the candles into the table, I tied twine around the pillars and this brought the burlap up from the table.

 

Cast:

Burlap runner - fabric from Hancock Fabrics

Black felt placemats - Halloween item from TJ Maxx

White wooden chargers - Pier One

Plates - Wedgwood Windsor

Hunt salad plates - Villeroy & Boch

Black and white  farm scene salad plates - Royal Stafford

Crystal - Mikasa French Countryside 

Flatware - Hampton's San Remo - Horchow's

Black Sateen napkins - Tuesday Morning

Centerpiece - Handpainted Coimbra, Portugal - Horchow's

Candle holders - Hobby Lobby

*Disclaimer: nothing for this table was purchased especially for this tablescape. All items have lived in the house for a long time. ;-)

I'm linking up to Susan's Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. It's a lovely place to hang out and a wonderful chance to visit many other plate addicts!