It’s Christmas week, what better time for the Novel Bakers to share a wonderful book from Southern Living: Christmas All Through the South! Not only does this book include tempting recipes (and not only extremes such as Martha Washington’s Great Cake with 4 pounds of sugar and 40 eggs), inspirational decor ideas, and essays from southern writers on such diverse topics as…
The Forest Feast Gatherings is filled with easy recipes and simple ideas for entertaining and creating ambience for a party, and includes several menus for party buffet bars, including a Breakfast Taco Bar and a Grilled Cheese Party. There are also complete menus for different occasions. The dessert on the Winter Feast menu was so tempting, and I decided it would be easily…
~~ now that I have your attention ~~ Yes, the recipe for this deliciousness awaits you when you open the beautifully illustrated, latest addition to The Forest Feast series of cookbooks by Erin Gleeson: The Forest Feast Gatherings. I hesitate to even call it a cookbook, for it is more like a book of art, and it is a pleasure…
Have you ever met a fictional character whom you wished to slap? ~~ hey, girl, get yourself out of that bed and from under your married-with-children/old enough to be your father boss because you should know by now that this is not going to end well ~~ That’s what I was feeling on page one of the latest Novel Baker’s choice:…
For the last two summers I’ve been very stressed over the condition of my hydrangea bushes. Last year there was one blossom. One, about the size of a golf ball. After wicked winters, hurricanes, and early frosts, I feared the worst! But these beauties are of hardy stock, and this year I am happy to report that the bushes are bursting with…
I am a passionate tea lover. I drink tea to relax, invigorate, celebrate, comfort, warm or cool myself, in chunky mugs or china cups or from a thermos at a picnic! So when the Novel Bakers chose The Vintage Tea Party book series for this week’s theme I was thrilled. I poured myself a cup and opened the first book,…
During all the happy days I spent with my two grandmothers I cannot recall one moment of standing side-by-side with either of them for the purpose of learning to cook. My grandmothers and their families were recent arrivals in the USA, crossing different borders but with the same objective of becoming an American citizen. My maternal grandmother came to Ellis Island as a…
I love to read, but I’m not one who will read any book that comes along simply because it is new. I have pretty strict rules — excellent writing, take me on an adventure, make me laugh or tell me something new, introduce me to engaging characters, and NO SAP. Lately I’ve been enjoying the newest book by Frances Mayes, Under…
Picnic theme inspiration can come from so many places, and one of the best is a great tablecloth! Recently I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Happier Than a Pig in Mud, and saw Lynn’s cute tablecloth with a map of the US and very fun graphics. Of course I had to go hunting online for one, and I found this! I…
A Year in Provence — what a wonderful idea. I’m not sure how I would manage to get you all over there, together with my books and all our picnic goodies, however, so instead I’ll share our recent picnic inspired by Picnics in Provence. Just up the road from us is Weir Farm NHS, once the home of the American painter J. Alden…