St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to create and serve a delightful St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board filled with all kinds of green, orange, and white snacking foods! Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board
St. Patrick’s Day Grazing Board
Category Archives: General
Luscious Lime Curd Recipe
Sharper and with a tangier taste than lemon curd, lime curd (in its natural state) is a slightly duller color than the traditional lemon curd with which most people are probably more familiar. One would think lime curd would automatically have a lime green color but this is not the case as the juice from limes is actually a very pale bland color. I added just a touch of green gel icing coloring to brighten up the curd and give it a pretty lime green color, more consistent to what might be expected of the appearance of a lime curd. Continue reading Luscious Lime Curd Recipe
Clementine Sponge Pudding for Two
This self-saucing Clementine Sponge Pudding, baked in a bain marie, consists of a lovely citrus-flavored sauce topped with a light-as-air sponge cake. The pudding is proportionately sized for two servings making it ideal for the small household. Continue reading Clementine Sponge Pudding for Two
An Islander Day Cream Tea
As I write this post, it is a statutory holiday known as Islander Day here in Prince Edward Island. As such, I thought it would be an appropriate time to showcase my small collection of PEI commemorative cups and saucers. Continue reading An Islander Day Cream Tea
Roasted Peanut and Mocha Energy Bars Recipe
These powerhouse Roasted Peanut and Mocha Energy Bars are a substantial snack. They are a great pick-up snack anywhere and any time. Continue reading Roasted Peanut and Mocha Energy Bars Recipe
Rustic Oatmeal Bread Recipe (aka Porridge Bread)
Some may know this old-fashioned bread simply as “Porridge Bread” because of its rolled oat content. Rustic Oatmeal Bread is a hearty bread that has a soft, chewy texture. It’s ideal as a sandwich bread, makes fabulous toast, is great for French toast and, heck, it’s just fine slathered with butter or molasses! Continue reading Rustic Oatmeal Bread Recipe (aka Porridge Bread)
Tuna Stuffed Potatoes Recipe
These tasty Tuna Stuffed Potatoes are the full meal deal. With a filling of potato, tuna, egg, and cheese, all encased in potato shells, these twice-baked potatoes make a great lunch all on their own. Continue reading Tuna Stuffed Potatoes Recipe
Teatime to Celebrate 9th Blogiversary
Today marks nine years since I began My Island Bistro Kitchen food blog. Regular followers of my food blog and social media channels will know of my love for anything and everything to do with afternoon tea! So, it would only seem fitting that my focus for celebrating this milestone would be a celebratory afternoon tea. Of course, in my case, it’s any reason at all to enjoy afternoon tea! Continue reading Teatime to Celebrate 9th Blogiversary
Baked Haddock au Gratin Recipe
At least once a week, I have fish. Haddock is a favorite and while I like it simply pan-fried in butter, sometimes I like to dress it up and, on those occasions, I make Baked Haddock au Gratin. Continue reading Baked Haddock au Gratin Recipe
Decadent Dream Square Recipe
Always a favorite, this three-part square (shortbread base, topping, and icing), known simply as “Dream Square”, is a treat! Sometimes referred to as a vintage or retro square, I’m not sure it has ever been “shelved” long enough in history to put it in that category! This is a square that is, in my view, perennially in vogue. Continue reading Decadent Dream Square Recipe
Cranberry Shortbread Square Recipe
This lovely Cranberry Shortbread Square with a tender, buttery shortbread crust features cranberry sauce as an ingredient in the topping. The sauce adds lovely flavor and texture making the square rich and delectable. Continue reading Cranberry Shortbread Square Recipe
Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf Recipe
I call this quick bread the loaf with Christmas wrapped inside it! That’s because this Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf encompasses many of the flavors we typically associate with Christmas – the bright red cranberries, eggnog, warm spices of nutmeg, mace, and cardamom, citrus notes that come from orange marmalade, juice, and orange rind, mixed peel/citron, and pecans. It’s the perfect loaf for weekend brunch, coffee or tea break, or gift giving. Continue reading Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf Recipe
Spirited Dundee Cake Recipe
Less rich than a traditional fruitcake, a Dundee Cake still retains some of the elements of a fruitcake and makes a fine treat at Christmas or anytime, for that matter. It’s especially lovely as a teatime cake. Continue reading Spirited Dundee Cake Recipe
Cream of Carrot Soup
The humble carrot, often the last of the vegetables to be harvested from the garden in autumn, makes a fabulous base for a smooth Cream of Carrot Soup. With its superb flavor, color, and luxuriously smooth texture, this soup is a winning combination and can be made year-round. Continue reading Cream of Carrot Soup
Elegant Autumn-themed Tablesetting
This elegant autumn-themed tablesetting all started with ……
………. a rustic box of faux greenery and small white pumpkins.
Sometimes, inspiration can from from seemingly simple sources as is the case with this tablesetting. I have had the rustic box arrangement for awhile. It usually spends the autumn on the island in my kitchen. But, this year, it became the inspiration for my Thanksgiving tablesetting and so has been elevated to the dining room. Other than the tiny pumpkins scattered throughout the tablescape, I bought nothing special for this tablesetting. You’ll be amazed what you can find when you shop around your own home!
In fall tablesettings, I typically choose the warm autumnal colors of yellows, reds, rusts, and golds but, this year, I’ve opted to go with muted earthy tones – greens, whites, and browns, principally. One thing I recommend in tablesettings is to keep the number of colors introduced to no more than three. Any more and the table can start to appear chaotic.
The Canvas
I have intentionally left the table bare with no tablecloth in order to allow the maple wood of my dining room table to form the canvas for the tablesetting. Letting the wood of the table be part of the tablesetting is in keeping with the earthy look. To frame the centerpiece, I have opted to use a short white runner. It gives a base, is unobtrusive, and it defines and contains the size of the tablescape.
The Centerpiece
While the box of greenery and pumpkins is an autumn arrangement in itself, had it been the sole item in the center of the table, it would have looked isolated and that it had just landed there with no supporting or grounding items.
To take a pre-made arrangement and give it a custom look, it needs some supporting actors that will draw the eye down the length of the table’s center. These connectors include small white pumpkins, pinecones, green leaves, and white votives. No need to be fussy or overly precise about the placement of these items. As the tablescape builds, places needing a “filler” will reveal themselves. Care, however, needs to be taken to ensure the table is not overloaded.
Lighting
I am a fan of layers of lighting. In this case, two layers are used – tall, neutral-colored, tapers flanking the core centerpiece and then lower lights, in the form of votives for soft glow, interspersed here and there throughout the tablescape. Adding layers of light ensures a glow from all angles of the tablescape and candles always contribute to the ambiance.
Placesettings
Adding a place card to each placesetting adds a touch of sophistication and personality to a table. Additionally, it allows the host/hostess to identify where they want guests to be seated and there can be several reasons why the strategic placement of dinner guests could be important at a dining event, even a casual or informal one.
Formal placecards are not always necessary, especially for more informal occasions. Here, the place card is a simple leaf upon which the guest’s name is printed. The addition of a small cone provides a stand for the leaf and, along with a sprig of greenery, maintains the tablesetting color scheme and earthy theme.
Silver charger plates frame each placesetting. Silver is on the cool spectrum so is in keeping with the overall cool-toned tablescape. Charger plates, of course, ground and define a placesetting as well as lend an air of sophistication and style to the table.
White dinnerware is most often my “go-to” for tablesettings because it matches everything and food looks great on white.
The miniature soup tureens are a favorite and they add height, interest, and style to each placesetting. They also double as a holder for the napkin, folded into the Bird of Paradise fold.
Using glassware that has lots of cuts in it is a great way to add sparkle to the table whether the light that causes the sparkle comes from natural sunlight or, in the evening, through the glow of candlelight.
This tablescape makes use of typical seasonal foliage and pumpkins but in more toned-down hues. No matter what is on the menu, this table has all the ingredients for a festive autumnal meal.
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For other Thanksgiving tablesetting inspiration from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
Thanksgiving Tablesetting
Thanksgiving Tablescape
Autumn-themed Thanksgiving Tablesetting
A Victorian Teatime Tablesetting
My dining room table is set with a beautiful Victorian teatime tablesetting with a teaset from Moritz Zdekauer. It bears the mark “MZ Austria” with the eagle symbol. I am unsure of the name of the pattern. It bears resemblance to the Bridal Wreath pattern, also produced by MZ Austria, but this set does not have the floral swags consistent with photos I have seen of the Bridal Wreath pattern. If anyone can conclusively identify the pattern, please do let me know.
In the meantime, this is a lovely delicate and romantic teaset from which to enjoy an afternoon tea or a light supper. I have used this set in the past for afternoon teas including this Valentine Tea.
There are no dinner plates in the set. Rather, the smaller plates which we know as “supper plates” or “tea plates” or, more commonly today, salad or dessert plates, are the largest plates in the set. These would be used for scones or small sandwiches or, in the case of supper, perhaps some cold cuts, biscuits, and condiments.
The plates are scallop edged with gold filigree trim on the edges. A border of tiny pink flowers amidst pale green leaves adorns each plate that also has a small rose spray in the plate center.
The small fruit nappies would typically be used for serving fresh seasonal berries with cream, a fruit compote, or, perhaps, preserves or canned fruit such as pears, peaches, or plums.
The set has a large serving bowl which seems almost disproportionately large to the other pieces in the set. It could be used for a salad, such as potato salad, or it could be used for a fruit compote.
Two serving plates accompany the set. One would most likely have been used for serving sandwiches for an afternoon tea and the other for teatime squares, cake, and/or cookies. Alternatively, the plates could have been used for serving cold meats for a supper.
The cream and sugar set is also quite large and is in keeping with the Victorian style.
The set has a lot of detailing and design elements and a significant amount of delicate gold trim.
The set also includes a salt and pepper duo and, because this is an antique set, some of the gold trim on the shaker tops has worn off.
This set has no matching teapot so I have opted to use a Sadler teapot with pink roses.
The teacup shape is very plain and simple. The short, stout, shape of the footed cup resembles Royal Albert’s Hampton shaped cups.
Each cup has an intricate floral pattern of tiny soft pink roses and green leaves around the cup and each has a tiny pink rose motif on the rear interior. The cups have ornate gilt filigree banding around the exterior rim and the simple loop handles on the cups also bear gold gilt trim that is carried to the saucer edges.
I have chosen to pair my Victorian style glasswear with this set. Again, larger pieces in keeping with the period of the teaset.
The table linen I have chosen is a white antique Irish linen cloth. White keeps the overall look simplistic and soft and really makes the tiny pink roses on the dishes pop.
The napkin fold is a simplistic triangular fold and is placed between the supper plate and fruit nappy. This is an easy fold to do and is ideal when the napkin has a motif or monogram to be featured. Placing the napkin between the two plates is also beneficial if the table is either quite small or crowded with placesettings and serving pieces as the napkin is one less thing to find a space for on the table.
I have chosen a low profile floral centerpiece for the tea table in colors complementary to the dishes. The soft, subdued colors do not detract from, or compete with, the teaset. Keeping the centerpiece low makes it easy for guests to see and converse with each other.
Now, what would you serve on these dishes and what tea would you pair with the meal?
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Creamy Homestyle Corn Chowder Recipe
Late summer brings some wonderful flavors and that includes corn. After a few “feeds” of corn-on-the-cob, I am ready to have the veggie served in other ways, like in this Creamy Homestyle Corn Chowder. Pure comfort food at its finest and nothing compares to the homemade version! Continue reading Creamy Homestyle Corn Chowder Recipe
Classic Cherry Clafoutis For Two
A classic dessert with French origins, Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced “kla-foo-tee“) is remarkably simple to make with the most basic of ingredients. If you can mix together the batter for pancakes or crepes and pour it over cherries in a baking dish, you can make this dessert! Continue reading Classic Cherry Clafoutis For Two
Small Batch Cherry Jam
Homemade jam is such a wonderful treat. And, of course, there is the sense of accomplishment seeing the results of processing fruit into tasty jam. Today, I share my recipe for small batch Cherry Jam. Continue reading Small Batch Cherry Jam
PEI Lobster Rolls and Potato Salad
I am often asked for my recipe for lobster rolls and, I have to say, mine is fairly basic. I don’t mess with a good thing by adding any wonky or unusual ingredients. I want the lobster to be the star and nothing to interfere with it. I go with the basics – lobster meat, celery, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salad dressing or mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Sometimes, I will add a finely chopped green onion to the filling but that’s about it.
