R.S. Germany (19th Century) Porcelain and Hand Painted Sugar and Creamer ~ Rogers & Hamilton Raphael Sugar Spoon ~ Antique Mercury Glass Pillar Holder ~ Dinner Diaries ~ Metallic Rimmed Marbleized Appetizer Plates ~ Ceramic Pineapple
Elegant is a state of mind, and even the most casual of casual gatherings can be a stunningly elegant affair when a place is set for personal style at the head of the table.
Twinings Earl Grey Tea ~ Oro Porcelain Teapot ~ Stoneware Teacup ~ Jo Malone London Orange Blossom Home Candle ~ Ginkgo Gold Foil Notecards
In these hustling and bustling holiday times, taking a teatime out to relax with a cup of tea, author a handwritten note of greetings or thanks to a friend or client, or to enjoy the scent of a favorite candle in a session of aroma therapy is holiday highly suggested.
The key to a great hostess gift is one that reflects a sense of style and ‘with you in mind’ thoughtfulness.
Home Sweet Holiday Home is all about our favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes.
Delicious anticipation over our favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes builds all year long, and inquiring minds and holiday appetites drive family and friends home to break bread and give thanks for these favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes.
Our holiday dinner menu is influenced by traditional, new traditional, and regional Thanksgiving side dish recipes.
12 ounces day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons Creole seasoning
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Coarsely chop any large oysters. Set aside.
In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Remove 2 tablespoons butter and reserve. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sage, parsley, thyme, and garlic; cook 1 minute. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, bread, bread crumbs, lemon juice, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir until combined. Add oysters and 1 cup of reserved oyster liquor; stir gently. Spoon into prepared pan. Drizzle with reserved 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Bake, lightly covered, 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until bread is lightly browned and oysters are curled around the edges, about 25 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and add asparagus. Top with canola oil, salt, and pepper, and brush evenly with basting brush. Bake until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add water to a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In a stainless steel bowl, add egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Hold bowl over simmering water making sure bottom of bowl does not touch water, and whisk vigorously until volume of egg mixture doubles. Slowly whisk in melted butter until sauce is thick and combined. Remove from heat, and stir in crawfish. Serve immediately over asparagus.
Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned. Serves 6 to 8.
Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Gradually add muffin mix alternately with milk. Fold in corn.
Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 45-50 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Makes 8 servings.
Look at that crispy edge perfection- the hallmark of Southern buttermilk cornbread.
Good cornbread is the base ingredient of great dressing.
I’ve enjoyed bread dressing, oyster dressing, and sausage dressing.
All are quite delicious in their own right, but our traditional holiday turkey dinner is not complete without Southern buttermilk cornbread dressing.
Here is my recipe for the cornbread:
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons oil
2 cups buttermilk self -rising white corn meal mix
1 cup self-rising flour
½ Tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
Directions
Set oven to 425 degrees. Preheat oven while preparing cornbread mix. Mix corn meal and flour into mixing bowl. Stir in milk and eggs and mix well. Batter should be a medium thick consistency. Thin by adding additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
Grease baking pan or oven safe skillet(preferably a black cast iron skillet) with 3 Tablespoons cooking oil. Bottom of pan or skillet should be coated well but not swimming in oil. Place pan in oven to heat oil. Once oil is heated, remove pan from oven.
Pour batter into greased pan. Return pan or skillet to oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Buttermilk Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
crumbled cornbread
¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning, optional
*We are in a sage free zone here at Places In The Home. If you want to add this seasoning/herb to the recipe, I suggest ¼ teaspoon sage.
1 medium bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
4-6 cups chicken(canned is fine) or turkey broth, or more as preferred
Directions
One skillet of crumbled cornbread will make approximately 6 servings. For dressing, crumble cooled cornbread by hand to a fine consistency with no lumps. Place crumbled cornbread in large mixing bowl. Add poultry seasoning, green onions, celery, beaten eggs and broth (½ cup at the time).
Mix well.
You want the consistency of your dressing to be soupy. Pour into lightly greased roasting pan or deep casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until top is lightly browned and knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Thanksgiving recipes perfect for the slow-cooker from Taste of Home.
Making Louisiana gumbo is what’s cookin’ in the Places In The Home kitchen today.
“Cajun cuisine is a technique-driven cuisine, because
it’s a very humble style of cooking.
It’s about what can you do with humble ingredients
like onions, celery, bell peppers, oil, and flour.
How can you intensify flavors and create meals
that are satisfying and hearty and make you happy.”
—Frank Brigsten
Roux:
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Heat oil in a black skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour in gradually, stirring well. Reduce heat to low.
Stir/whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches a rich brown color, approximately 30-40 minutes. You must stir/whisk constantly to prevent the roux from burning.
Black flakes indicate burned roux, and burned roux tastes horrible. If you burn it, throw it out and start over.
Start over?
Yes. Start over.
It’s worth it.
If making traditional roux from scratch is not for you Kary’s Roux in a jar has got your name written all over it.
Now, let’s gumbo!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
8 cups water
traditional roux; see recipe below (or 8 ounces of instant roux from jar)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
**Substitution: meat from cooked deli rotisserie chicken, shredded
12 ounce package smoked or andouille sausage
12 ounce bag frozen chopped onions
12 ounce bag frozen chopped bell peppers
1 bunch fresh chopped parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons celery seed
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fine black pepper or to taste
-OR-
in place of salt and pepper season with 1 Tablespoon Créole seasoning or to taste
1 cup white wine
cooked rice for serving
Directions
Roux
Heat oil in a black skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour in gradually, stirring well. Reduce heat to low. Stir/whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches a rich brown color, approximately 30-40 minutes. You must stir/whisk constantly to prevent the roux from burning.
Gumbo:
Slice smoked or andouille sausage into ½ inch pieces. Using a seasoned skillet for optimum taste results, cook the sliced sausage over medium-high heat until browned. Transfer cooked smoked or andouille sausage to plate lined with paper towels, allowing excess grease to drain. Set aside.
Place chicken breasts in gumbo or stock pot, add water, and bring to a boil. Add celery seed, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper to season.
Stir and reduce heat to medium low; cook chicken breasts until done. Transfer chicken breasts from pot to large mixing bowl. Shred chicken breasts and return to pot.
Turn heat back to medium high. Add roux. Stir until roux dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; add minced garlic, chopped onions, bell pepper, celery, bay leaves, parsley, chicken bouillon cubes, remaining salt and black pepper (or Créole seasoning).
Carefully pour in white wine. Stir to blend and incorporate.
Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer uncovered for approximately 2 hours, allowing all flavors to marry. Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off top of gumbo.
Add chopped green onions and continue to simmer for additional 5 minutes.
Give gumbo a taste to see if you want to add more salt, pepper, garlic, Créole seasoning or chicken broth before serving.
Serving:
Serve gumbo over cooked rice.
Top with a sprinkle of ground filé, chopped green onions, and hot sauce to taste if desired.
Gumbo is delicious on the first day, and flavor filled filé fantastic the next day.
Holiday hospitality guest room essentials in mi casa es su casa fashion fit perfectly into the ’tis the holiday company’s coming season.
Creating a comfortable home away from home guest room for visiting family or friends begins with holiday hospitality guest room essentials.
Our Canadian snowbird arrived home last week, officially kicking off the There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays party.
That red suitcase is the ultimate holiday decoration.
“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Friends and family, Mr. Emerson.
The goal at Places In The Home is for our guests to need or want for nothing.
My darling Daddy always welcomed guests with the heartfelt declaration “if we don’t have it, we will get it.”
Welcoming words for sure, and that is the objective.
When Dave the Builder and I are overnight guests at the homes of friends and family, we consider the comforts of home furnished by our hosts not only thoughtful, but guest room life savers.
Let’s take a look at my list of guest room essentials.
Guest Room Essentials
Topping the list of guest room essentials is space!!! Dresser and bedside tabletops and drawers cleared and ready for guests to clutter set out and fill is always appreciated.
To reduce the risk of scratching the top of a dresser or bedside table(s), simply place a plush bath towel or blanket on top of the furniture piece.
Closet space complete with extra clothes hangers and a bottle of wrinkle releaser, thank you.
Rack ’em up
I like to put out one or two luggage racks for our guests to utilize vs. wall to wall luggage on the guest room floor. Navigating the guest bedroom should not resemble an obstacle course.
Looking good, Billy Ray! Feeling good, Louis!
The snowbird loves our long standing holiday tradition of watching the movie Trading Places on Thanksgiving night (Black Friday Eve).
I love the above line from the movie, and seize every opportunity to inject it into a conversation.
His and Her looking good-feeling good baskets are a big hit with overnight guests.
His and Her looking good-feeling good baskets are a big hit with overnight guests.
Wrap these welcome kits up and tie them with a holiday bow for festive gifting fun.
Gift Your Guests with the Gift of Comfort and Hospitality
Festive faux or fresh flowers.
A beside water carafe.
A stylish basket packed to please with his and her slippers, plug-and-power charging station for devices, reading glasses, tissues, extra toilet paper, room and linen spray, and a pair of mini flashlight (to avoid things that go bump in the night like toes and kneecaps).
Extra blankets, a scented candle, note pad with pen, and trinket tray on the bedside table or dresser top my holiday hospitality guest room essentials list.
Over the river and through the woods, To grandmother’s fantastic smelling house we go.
Staying connected to the world wide web while connecting with friends and family is the business and leisure routine of daily life.
Holiday sales, where to go, what to do, checking emails and social media, tracking Santa’s route- when you need to know you need the password.
Frame a WiFi password printable for beside table display so guests can connect to your WiFi network.
The Noisli app is a little peace on earth and goodwill toward traveling men and women. Peaceful background noises promote a serene environment conducive to a relaxing sleep.
A Good Read
Place a few best sellers and shelter magazines around the guest room for guests to enjoy.
Add a zing of seasonal deliciousness to hot cocoa with a dollop of flavored whipped topping, peppermint or cinnamon sticks, a splash of Kahlúa or a generous shot of Southern Comfort for a 21 and over spirited nightcap.
A relaxing cup of decaffeinated sweet cinnamon spice herbal tea. Little details pamper and please, and a bedtime treat always goes over big with guests.
It’s the little touches that make them feel right at home sweet home for the holiday.
That old black magic has me in its stylish black interiors spell.
Leave it to the vocal stylings of Louis Prima and Keely Smith on “That Old Black Magic” and the ever classic Blackglama campaigns to give me a Halloween appropriate idea for this post.
In regards to interior design and decorating elements, I often borrow from the genius of Blackglama and the question that rhetorically asks, “What Becomes a Legend Most?”
Stylish black interiors definitively ask and answer the question, what becomes a classic most?
The Design Daredevil
The color black instantly adds an air of drama to the space.
You may be asking yourself one or more of the following questions in regards to a fall afternoon color crush:
What is this fall afternoon color crush you speak about?
Another fall related post?
How much can one person possibly gush about fall?
When will the subject of fall 2016 fade from the pages of Places In The Home?
What is so special about and why all the fuss over and fascination with a fall afternoon color crush?
An unabashed expression of admiration for an awe inspiring color palette seen only for a very short season, but thoroughly appreciated on this fall afternoon.
Yes.
The beauty of fall knows no bounds.
Until the Places In The Home There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays series begins sometime around the first of November or my fall afternoon color crush cup runneth over, whichever comes first.
Inspiration is everywhere.
When the splendor of the season inspires, a fall afternoon color crush ensues.
“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!”
Mae West
“I see the turning of a leaf dancing in an autumn sun, and brilliant shades of crimson glowing when a day is done.”
Hazelmarie Mattie Elliott
“…I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
When the fair comes to town so does the craving for a classic carnival sweet treat, caramel apples.
The annual parish (you all say county, we Louisianians say parish) fair is in town this week which means time to develop a recipe for fair inspired, fall delicious baked caramel apples.
I don’t think you ever outgrow the love of fairs and carnivals or the classic food offerings associated with these only come to town once a year midways of amusement.
Dave the Builder gets a kick out of my proclamation “fair music!” when I hear “Up Around the Bend” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Back in my midway days, I definitely pondered perpetual motion twirling around the Tilt-a-Whirl, Scrambler, and Flying Bobs.
My tastes in carnival rides runs along the same lines as my interior design and decorating tastes. I keep the line moving to the center of traditional and classic and go easy on the thrills and frills.
Wash, core and hallow out apples about ½ way down the center. Place apples upright in baking dish.
Sprinkle the inside of each apple with lemon juice. Dust the center of each apple with cinnamon.
Add a generous teaspoon of the salted caramel frosting to the center of each apple.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apples are soft. Serve warm as side dish or as a fabulous fall dessert topped with your favorite flavor of ice cream or whipped topping.
No need for butter or margarine with this recipe. The salted caramel frosting pulls double delicious duty as both butter substitute and caramel flavor.
