Need a Thanksgiving Tablescape Idea?

I am serving as a counselor in Relief Society over Relief Society meetings.  I invited my board over for a get-to-know you breakfast this past Saturday morning.  It was so enjoyable to plan and prepare to have people over.  It was bitter sweet as I remembered doing the same kind of thing many times over in our previous home in Keller, Texas.  I constantly remind myself that I haven't 'lost' friends, I'm simply making new ones.  To my friends old and new, here's a few pictures of my table that you might enjoy.  Who knows, you might even use a few of these ideas at your own tables this Thanksgiving...

I love fall.  It's no wonder the colors in my home reflect these dark, warm tones.  I've used a rust colored table cloth, fall leaves (from Pottery Barn) sprinkled all over the table, various gourds around the table, mini pumpkins at each table setting and of course, a few acorn candles to add that 'touch' to the table. 

I love dishes!  Over the years, I have collected a few different sets.  These are the carmel brown and olive green sets that I picked up on sale at Costco (my favorite store) years ago.  I mix and match the two sets.  I think it makes for a more interesting table.

These sets of dishes came with their own leaf bread plate.  I love it!  I think every table needs a touch of whimsy.

I love chargers.  Over the years this is another thing I have collected.  They add the 'Wow' factor to an individual table setting.  Here, I have used a dark brown rattan as the base charger with an antique gold charger on top of it.  Then, I have placed my main plate with a salad plate with a delicious yogurt parfait on top.  The luncheous plate makes for easy and elegant removal of a finished parfait. 

Let's face it, we don't set the table with chargers for dinner every night.  I only break out the chargers for special occasions.  So, when your guests sit down, they immediately know this is a special occasion and they are special guests. 

As I write this, I have a big lump in my throat thinking about my dear friend, Stacey Williams.  She is a master floral designer.  When any of us had a special occasion that needed flowers, there was no one else we'd rather turn to than 'Our Stacey'.  She never turned us down, and always came up with the most beautiful, out of the box arrangements I have ever seen.  I have learned so much from her.  As I arranged this simple centerpiece, I thought of how proud she would be of me.  I guess the best in us does rub off on others.  I know the best of Stacey, in more ways than just flower arranging, has rubbed off on me.  Thank you, dear friend!!!!

Take a simple pumpkin, cut off the top and take out the seeds.  Buy 2 bunches of beautiful flowers.  (Always buy more flowers than you'll think you'll need.  Believe me, you'll need them.  And even if you have extra flowers, you'll think of something to do with them; like placing individual, small vases with flowers at every table setting, or setting a small, fresh bouquet near the bathroom sink where your guests will say, 'She thought of everything!')  Then, think beautiful, happy thoughts and just add flowers one at a time until your amazing centerpiece emerges.  I promise, it will!!

Here's bonus pictures of our buffet.  Egg and cheese souffles from Panerra Bread.  (Someday I will learn how to make them.  They are awesome!)  Individual hash browns made in a muffin pan.  (Hit. Total hit!)Fresh cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins and flaky croissants with fresh butter and homemade raspberry and triple berry jam.  And in case you didn't notice, there were individual yogurt parfaits waiting for guests at each table setting.  Simple, easy, delicious!

"Mom, I'm Bored!"

What do you do on a rainy day when your 9 year-old comes to you and says, "I'm Bored!" You suggest she could clean her room. No takers there. "How about playing Barbies or organizing your American Girl Doll stuff." A simple negative nod of the head. "How about playing a good old-fashioned board game? You know the ancient ones that you actually have to roll the dice and move the men, like Life, Sorry or Monopoly?" About now, I'm getting the look like I have three heads all of a sudden. Hmmm. I'm almost out of ideas until I look out the window to see big drops continue to fall from the very gray sky outside. The nester in me knows that there is nothing better than the smell of fresh-baked bread on a gray, cozy, we-might-as-well-stay-inside day.

"Hey. I know. How about learning how to make bread with me?" I reluctantly suggest.

"Sure!" The cute, little nine-year old girl, replies.

So we both don our favorite aprons and get to work. Come along. We'll show you how it's done.

The recipe for Fool-Proof Homemade

Whole Wheat Bread

This is for real, folks.
We're actually going to pretend we're 21st century
pioneers and grind our own wheat!

Lucky for us, we have just the wheat we need.
Soft, white winter wheat.

Start by slowly putting 10 cups of your
wheat in your wheat grinder.
It takes a few minutes. It's loud.
It sounds like an airplane taking off.

A few minutes later,
you've just made your very own
healthy, fresh, whole-wheat flour.

Here' the staring ingredients.
Flour, salt, yeast, oil, honey, dough enhancer and water.
That's all folks!

First, pour 6 cups of warm water into your mixing bowl.
We're using my prized Bosch mixer.
I think this thing could actually mix cement.

Then add a few cups of flour and.......

mix for a few seconds.

Then add 1 1/2 t. salt.

Add 2 T. dough enhancer.

(Don't ask me what it does. It just does it.)

Add 1/2 c. oil.

Any kind will do.

Add 1/2 c. honey.

(Here's a tip: By adding your oil first, your honey

won't stick to the same measuring cup.)

And finally, add 3 heaping T. of yeast.

Yes, I said, heaping.

Add a few cups of flour a little at a time,

until the flour that was previously ground is gone.

When all the flour is finally in, let the dough mix

for 10 minutes.

10 minutes is up.

You should have a beautiful dough that is

beginning to clear the sides of the bowl.

With flour, less is more.

You know what I mean.

Oil your countertop with a little bit of oil.

Pour out all of your beautiful dough.

Dough. It's a miracle in the making.

Our dough will make 6 perfect loaves.

But today, since we're tricky, we're going to make

four regular loaves and two special loaves.

One cinnamon loaf and one loaf with cinnamon AND raisins.
My Handsome Husband LOVES Cinnamon Raisin Bread!

Aren't they lovely?

Ready to rise.

Place your ready loves in an oven that has been

preheated to 170 degrees and then turned off.

They should rise beautifully and double in about 30 minutes.

About 30 minutes later, they've doubled in size.

Simply turn your oven on to 350 degrees and press Start.

About 30 minutes later, the smell of heaven

starts to permeate the house.

You know your loaves are perfect when their

internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.

Oh man does it smell good in here!!

Six perfect loaves.

Bread. The staff of life.

Great job, Kellie!

You did it!

It's finally time.
Let's test them out.

And the verdict is?

YUMMY!!!

So, the next time your 9 year-old girl says, "I'm bored!" You'll know exactly what to do!!

The Perfect Meal on a Rainy Day

It's a cold, rainy day here in North Texas. The drizzly rain makes me want to hibernate in the warmth of my home. What could be better on a gray, rainy day than a simmering pot of Homemade Baked Potato Soup and the taste of soft, warm, fresh-baked Whole Wheat Bread? Nothing.

Six loaves. Enough to eat and share with friends.

Creamy Baked Potato Soup.

Smooth, Silky and Delicious.

Oh, my goodness. If you could only smell it!

Pure satisfaction.

The perfect after-school snack!

(Personally, I like mine with honey.)

Nothing says comfort like a meal of Homemade Baked Potato Soup and Fresh Baked Whole Wheat Bread.

Is There Anything Better Than Chocolate?

Yes, there is. Eating chocolate with friends!

We had our first Relief Society Enrichment Food Group evening. Chris Hickson hosted this event at her home, which is gorgeous. She demonstrated how to make Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, just in time for Valentine's day. Chris is SO darling, even eight months pregnant! And the chocolate molten lave cakes, well, how do you think they tasted? Delicious!! Complete with homemade raspberry sauce and homemade chocolate sauce and ice cream. Mm, Mm, Mm.

Chris stirring the magic mixture.

Eating chocolate with friends.

Watch out Rachael Ray. We've got Chris Hickson!

Pouring the 'magic mixture' into cupcake trays.

The finished product, complete with homemade raspberry and chocolate sauce, fresh raspberries and, of course, ice cream. Thank, Chris. This was so much fun!!

*Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes*

4 (1 oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate
4 (1oz) squares of semisweet chocolate
10 T butter
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
3 lg eggs
3 egg yolks
1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 6 (6oz) custard cups (Last night Chris used a muffin pan instead to make them smaller and she got 12 out of the batch, they were the perfect size for a single serving.) Microwave butter and chocolate, or melt in a double boiler. Add flour and sugar. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Add vanilla.
Divide batter evenly among cups (fill them up, because they do not raise). Bake 14 minuets (6 min if you are doing muffin pan size). The edges should be firm but the center will be runny and glossy. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

You can top the cakes with raspberry sauce or chocolate-caramel fondue. We also had them served with ice cream.

*Raspberry Sauce*

1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen raspberries w/ sugar, thawed
3 T raspberry jam
1 T fresh lemon juice

Strain raspberries - reserve 1/4 c juice. Puree fruit w/ reserved juices and jam. Strain to press out seeds.

*Chocolate-Caramel Fondue*

1 (14 oz)sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 1/4 oz) jar caramel ice cream topping
3 (1oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

Heat in fondue pot, or over stove on low to med heat stirring frequently.