In the spirit of letting freedom ring in the good old summertime, let’s look at a sampling of easy 4th of July celebration ideas for your star-spangled spectacular.
The 4th of July is a special holiday celebration bedecked in patriotic red, white, and blue commemorating the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of the United States of America.
Summer sets an anything goes good with fun, food and family background, and goes perfect with the 4th of July.
It’s never too late in the party planning process to throw an indoor and outdoor party with a festive “pop” of festive seasonal color.
Outdoor celebrations around our house involve the double D rule (no, there is nothing going on that wild).
Dollar and discount store disposables and the convenient and affordable first line of defense against wasting money and valuable party time cleaning up.
Paper or plastic tablecloths, plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery packages serve the party purpose, and the red Solo cup is disposable party royalty.
Red Solo cup
I fill you up
Let’s have a party!
Intermingle items in red, white, and blue in with principal tableware favorites. I find I get more use out of items in either red, white, or blue vs. red, white, and blue.
Finding cute and clever ways to serve your guests is not that hard. All things summer is an easy theme to work with.
Mini terra cotta flower pots easily become a pot of s’mores fixings gold.
Mosquitoes are an outdoor entertaining nuisance, a pest of a pest.
Add the following items to your 4th Of July celebration ideas shopping list, watch the DIY Citronella candle how to make video from P. Allen Smith, and let’s project.
8 ounce Mason jars
floating votive candles
lemons and limes
citronella oil
fresh sweet mint and rosemary
Place the citronella candle jars around the table and surrounding party area.
Clear jars filled with fresh flowers and/or greenery from the yard come in make a simple and lovely display.
Small groupings-stacks-bundles of fresh fruit or summer vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, peaches, cherries, blueberries, or grapes dressed up with ribbon or in their natural state serve a colorful bounty of fresh and sweet summer style.
Red, white, and/or blue fabric is my suggestion for a table runner. This works for dinner napkins, too.
I can’t sew a stitch, but I can work a hot iron and a roll of hem tape like nobody’s business.
Determine the width and length (add one inch to both the width and length), cut your fabric to desired size, fold over each side (fold in the corners to create a 45 degree angle), and either sew sides or apply hem table with iron.
Don’t forget your Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon
If you’re going with the dinner napkin option, pair them with a patriotic palette ribbon natural and either a nautical rope ball or decorative tassels.
The finished result is a festive theme napkin ring and stylish dinner napkin presentation.
I love this printable from HMH Designs.
And this one from Today’s Creative Life.
Click HERE and HERE for the free patriotic food picks and place card ready printables.
Oh, say can you say that three times real fast.
Dressed up craft bags or plastic popcorn buckets make festive party favor containers.
Pack your 4th of July swag bags full of dollar and party store finds for beach, lake or backyard fun sure to go over real big with kids of all ages.
Tumbling Tower Game
Playing Cards
Patriotic Red, White & Blue Glow Stick Flying Disc
With summer’s official arrival and the 4th of July coming up, happy summer times are here again, friends. Like the summer temps, summer food recipes are a hot topic of conversation.
I really look forward to picking, preparing, and plating traditional summer fare. I’ll put a new spin on an old favorite to spice the taste factor up a bit, but all in all I stay true to the original recipe.
Fresh is best for many summer food recipes.
Fresh tomatoes?
The official unofficial fruit of summer.
Yes, a tomato is a fruit.
Fresh corn?
Flickr
Stir in chopped bell pepper, onion, Kosher salt, fine black pepper and you’ve got a sweet summer treat.
Fresh peaches?
Peel ’em up and pass the sugar.
When I can’t make it out to the local growers, it’s to the farm to market produce section at the local grocery store I go. There’s plenty of summer food recipes out there with an ingredients list of seasonings ready to enhance the flavor quotient.
Today I’m shining the summer food recipes spotlight on traditional and new traditional favorites sure to please.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
1½ cup (12 ounces) dry elbow macaroni
½ cup mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon Kosher salt (or more to taste)
black pepper to taste
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, diced
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 whole green onion (green and white parts), sliced
1 cup whole kernel corn, drained
Directions
Cook the elbow macaroni in salted water according to directions on package. Drain cooked macaroni, rinse with cold water, and allow to completely cool.
Chop, slice, and dice the tomato, bell pepper, red onion, and green onion.
To prepare the dressing grab a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, milk, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir all together to incorporate and set aside.
Place macaroni in a large mixing bowl. Add the bell pepper, green onion, red onion, tomatoes, and corn.
Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Chill salad for at least 2 hours before serving.
Bread and butter pickles recipe from Recipe Girl. Click on over to the delicious Recipe Girl blog for the recipe details.
Layer tomatoes and onions in jar. Sprinkle the pepper and allspice into jar.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, honey, sea salt, and water to combine.
Pour vinegar-sugar-honey-sea salt-water mixture into jar covering the tomatoes and onions. Place lid on jar and seal tight. Give the jar a vigorous shake to incorporate the flavors and to thoroughly coat the tomatoes and onions.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Firecrackers, chicken, and the summer soiree are part of the recipe for summer entertaining success.
Contrary to summer soiree belief, not everyone grills and barbecues.
Oppressive heat, inclement weather, building restrictions, personal taste preference- you get the idea.
If you’re not on board the grilling/barbecue train, this recipe for oven baked Firecracker Chicken from Jo Cooks has got your name written on it.
Who remembers cranking out homemade ice cream on a hot summer afternoon?
Dave the Builder and I both have done our fair share of cranking over the years of childhood. What complaints we had about having to crank were quickly diminished when the ice cream was ready.
When a good crop of peaches came in at the local orchard, my grandmother would peel and dice a bowl full of fresh peaches to add to the ice cream.
Talk about good!
In the spirit of summer, good memories, and great summer food recipes, this recipe for fresh peach ice cream from Southern Living is deliciously appropriate.
Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients
5 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
2 cups mashed peaches
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Whisk in the milks. Cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, 15 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the peaches and vanilla.
Cool completely (about 30 minutes); cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.
Pour the custard into the freezer container of a 2 ½ to 3-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Transfer to a freezer-safe container; freeze 2 hours or until firm.
Summer simple suggestions in chic summer style for bedecking interior and exterior settings, entertaining, dishing up summer fare, and outdoor living it up easy peasy is greatly appreciated.
Southern, Northern, Eastern or Western Living- regardless of geographical location, summer living and loving decoristas have got the memo, and it’s all about keeping it summer simple and summer simple suggestions.
It’s kinda sorta tough to kick back, relax and savor the season when you notice heavy equipment sitting on the sidewalk in front of your house and you, the homeowner, have no earthly idea what it is doing there.
Seems our city water department has a little curb appeal water line improvement of their own in mind.
This does not make my summer simple suggestions list.
Progress isn’t always a pretty process, and the installation of a new water lines makes it difficult to achieve summer curb appeal style, but we forge on.
We trimmed the unattractive dead sago palm fronds and within a week new green growth emerged.
Here’s a trick in my simple summer suggestions repertoire for getting your Sago palm(s) summer curb appeal ready.
Sago Palm Care
Outdoor planted Sago palm care involves watering the plant regularly until it takes root.
I like the look and the drought tolerant aspect of the mature Sago palm.
Fertilize at least once a month beginning in spring to aid in active growth.
Covering the base of the plant with mulch will help to protect the roots from cold snaps.
In inclement winter weather or fall freeze, we cover the exposed Sago palm with a heavy duty extra large black trash bag to protect it.
If it’s not one thing, it’s this.
Cue The Rolling Stones, cause it’s shattered.
The lawn and garden guy’s super duper heavy duty weed eater took aim at a loose piece of exposed aggregate, obliterating the exterior glass panel of the patio French garden door.
One simply can’t patio pretty with ugly on parade.
Thank goodness for the friend who frequents our summer patio soirees that just so happens to own a local glass company.
It’s time once again to get your summer soiree on, and the ideas for fun in the sun or evening tiki torch, lantern or string light are flowing.
We’re working with what we’ve got in the front of the house, and if you are like us, you’re getting your porch, patio and deck hangin’ game plan down pat.
Comfortable, fun, relaxing, refreshing, simple, tasty and stylish as chic- this is my number one summer simple suggestions formula for a festive summer gathering.
If Ina Uses It
I read with interest an article listing the pros and cons of a charcoal grill.
The pros outnumber the cons, and personal preference trumps all however, the one pro of the charcoal grill worth mentioning is worth mentioning. Grilling on a charcoal grill ups the flavor quotient and gives great grilled flavor.
3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces grated Gruyere
12 small Brioche buns
4 ounces baby arugula
3 medium tomatoes, sliced in 1/8-inch-thick rounds
2 small red onions, sliced in 1/8-inch-thick rounds
Ketchup, for serving
Directions
Build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill.
Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the mustard, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with a fork to combine, taking care not to compress the ingredients. Shape the meat into 12 (2-inch) patties of equal size and thickness.
When the grill is medium-hot, brush the grill grate with oil to keep the sliders from sticking. Place the sliders on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the sliders over with a spatula and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, until medium-rare, or cook longer if you prefer the sliders more well done.
For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, place ½-ounce Gruyere on the top of each burger and close the grill lid. Remove the sliders to a platter and cover with foil.
Slice the buns in half crosswise and toast the halves cut side down on the grill.
Divide the baby arugula among the 12 bottom buns, top each with a slider, and finish with a slice of tomato and red onion. Cover with the top of the bun and serve hot with ketchup.
– from Food Network
Culinary experiments put the taste and c’est si bon in the summer entertaining mix.
Summer menus require summer classics, new discoveries and improved additions.
Fried chicken is practically required eating in the South and a mainstay of the summer dining and picnic table.
Once the Places In The Home gang discovered how good the fried chicken is from the deli at our local Kroger, frying chicken at home has become a thing of the past.
Here’s my tip for simply summer impressive- it’s all in the presentation.
I go heavy on the presentation and simple with the preparation.
A pack of mini terra-cotta clay pots from the dollar store become individual s’mores supply pots.
Chippy, rusty, and charming- this vintage Hershey’s Milk Chocolate metal tray would make a great serving tray or decorative accent for the s’mores table.
Vintage ironstone and in the style of vintage table linens set a summer chic table.
A quick trip to an antique shop, garage sale or Goodwill store usually results in an ironstone serving piece find or two.
Vintage picnic wares and baskets bring memories to the table, and can be used for the actual purpose of food and beverage and/or as decorative accents.
Dave the Builder and I bought a vintage picnic table from a fellow antiques dealer with the express purpose of featuring it in a summer display at Hopefully Classic.
I used a vintage picnic basket filled with hydrangeas for a super easy, super cute centerpiece.
You can make quite the keep it summer simple statement with a collection of glass jars or melamine vegetable bowl and whatever flowers, greenery or veggies are growing fresh in your yard or garden.
No garden or flowers on the homestead?
Check out the floral department and produce section of your favorite grocery store or farmers market.
Mini watermelons on a natural table runner of Pittosporum paired with Lemon Lime Nandina is summer simple and summer chic.
Ears of fresh corn with the husks slightly peeled back in order to expose the corn kernels grouped in threes and tied with woven ribbon of your color, pattern and texture choice or metallic twisted rope is another fresh centerpiece idea.
Bring the sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cool.
Puree the plums, cooled syrup, and lime juice in two batches, using a blender, until smooth. Stir the plum puree and yogurt together in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, leaving about ½ inch at the top, as the mixture will expand when it freezes. Follow popsicle mold manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
I saw this VW Bus throw pillow and immediately my thoughts went to summers spent camping with my childhood friend and her family in their VW Bus.
Louisiana is a long way from the California coast, but the Gulf Coast is a fun place to sand, swim, sun and sing we’ve been having fun all summer long, Louisiana style.
The Beach Boys definitely make up the soundtrack of summer.
My final summer simple suggestions tip is as follows:
Art and interior design are like two peas in a stylish pod.
Fresh starts, fresh vegetables, and fresh colors do the body, mind, soul, and home good.
Just ask Sasha Emerson.
The Los Angeles based interior designer is mastering the art of personal downsizing without sacrificing the creature comforts of home through art and interior design.
As they say, you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole.
I know.
I’ve tried.
It ain’t happening.
Repurposing from within allowed Sasha’s decorative integrity to remain intact. She discovered balance and comfort frame a pretty picture through art and interior design.
Benjamin Moore’s Split Pea makes a made in Palm Beach style color match to the lush purple window coverings in the main room of Designer Sam Allen’s Connecticut apartment.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
– Edgar Degas
Give Peas A Chance Garden Marker
The framed 1960’s supermarket ad for Del Monte Sweet Peas captures the essence of Sasha’s flea-market chic home decor, and fancifully pays homage to Pop Art Icon Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup I: Green Pea.
When I first saw the pop of art, it immediately evoked thoughts of weekend grocery store excursions to our local A & P- my mother’s idea of big fun.
Looking back it was.
Thinking about split pea art and interior design brings back memories of shopping at A & P and the display feature for School Days Brand Early June Peas.
Design and color are the cornerstones of visual merchandising.
The aforementioned School Days peas and the I remember it as if it were yesterday red tomato-green lettuce leaves- navy blue background Ann Page Mayonnaise label serves memory and a craving for a spring Easter comfort food classic.
This comfort food recipe for pea salad is uncomplicated, styled for a classic taste, and quick to please.
I liken it to the creature comforts of home through art and interior design and memories of the walks down the aisles of A & P hand in hand with my darling Mother.
I’ve learned so much from both.
English Pea Salad
Ingredients
2 large hard-boiled eggs
1 yellow bell pepper
2 oz. Cheddar cheese
½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. sour cream
3 tbsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 tsp. chopped pimiento
1 tsp. Apple-Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soul-food seasoning or seasoned salt
1 tsp. granulated garlic
½ tsp. Freshly ground pepper
2 dash Hot sauce
60 oz. early peas (such as Le Sueur)
Directions
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the peas, mixing well. Stir in the peas. Refrigerate the salad for at least 10 hours or up to overnight. Serve at room temperature.
With spring and Easter right around the corner, I thought I would include this two peas in a pod recipe for Sweet Pea and Ricotta Tart from Good Housekeeping.
Sweet Pea and Ricotta Tart
Ingredients
Tart Crust
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
5 Tablespoons cold butter
3 Tablespoons trans-fat free vegetable shortening
ice water
Filling
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium leek, chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) peas
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ cup ricotta
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup microsprouts or microgreens
Directions
Make the Crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, blend flour and salt. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle in 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until large, moist crumbs just begin to form. Shape dough into disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight, let dough stand 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll pie crust into a 12″ circle and fit into a 9″ pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving 1″ overhang; tuck overhang under and crimp edges.
Line dough with large sheet of parchment paper or foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes or until dough is set. Remove parchment with weights and bake until crust is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool completely on wire rack.
Make Filling:
In a 10″ skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add leek and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until leek is tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add peas and cover; cook until tender, stirring once halfway through, 3 to 5 minutes. Let mixture cool, then stir in lemon juice.
In a medium bowl, stir ricotta, cream cheese, pecorino, lemon zest, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until well-combined. Spread in cooled pie shell. Top with cooled pea mixture and garnish with microsprouts.
Celebrating Thanksgiving begins two weeks out at Places In The Home. Our family mosaic now includes new additions of a daughter-in-law, a niece-in-law, and a great nephew.
The gang’s all here, just not all at the same time.
The more the merrier.
A lovely sentiment to holiday celebrate, entertain and gather together to.
The home for the holidays welcome mat is out from October to January.
The first holiday decorating and entertaining oops of many (because what would the holidays be without some kind of snafu) involves a breakdown in china pattern communication between me and my brother.
Presently in recipe development mode, Southern pecan sweet potatoes wrapped in puff pastry will make a culinary debut as the new holiday side dish.
Also new to the holiday menu is a spice rub with the herbs, spices and flavors of fall-autumn-the holidays-Louisiana-home.
You get the idea.
I tried the spice rub out on boneless, skinless chicken breasts last week.
Dave the Builder gave the spice blend 5 out of 5 forks.
I on the other hand thought the rub a tad too hot with pepper, and readjusted the amount from 1 Tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.
You can add to, but you can’t take away from. There’s the rub.
Taste of the Holidays Spice Rub
Ingredients
2 Tablespoon minced onion
2 Tablespoon dried thyme
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
Directions
In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together. Store spice rub in an airtight container.
Begin by patting each chicken breast or the pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel. Coat meat with the Taste of the Holidays Spice Rub. Lightly drizzle olive oil over tops of each chicken breast or the pork tenderloin.
For Chicken Breasts: Bake uncovered in a preheated 350° oven for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165°F.
For Pork Tenderloin of approximately 1½-pounds: Roast uncovered in a preheated 425° oven for 20 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers between 150º -160°F. Let the tenderloin rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Memorial Day weekend welcomes keep it summer simple entertaining, outdoor living, backyard cookouts, and the summer entertaing-picnic packing times that go so well with summer.
Summer entertaining ideas o’plenty are filling up my notepad file marked hot style in the summertime.
Who remembers when the crudite tray ruled the appetizer course?
The ultimate crudite crate is a super cute summer entertaining idea.
Farmhouse chic is for sure the trend with staying power and one tailored-made for summer entertaining.
Millennials, brides-to-be, kitchenistas, decoristas, outdoor living entertainingistas love, love, love the ease of entertaining farmhouse chic brings to the table.
Our Millennial son aka the Canadian snowbird and his bride-to-be completed their trip with a quick trip to Waco and the uber popular Magnolia Market.
They give the market, bakery and the metropolis of Waco a glowing review.
As far as appetizers go, especially in the heat of the summer, I practice the rule of less is more.
Small bites and nibbles make the perfect edible complement to a cold beverage.
With that in mind, I think the Natural Wood Square Tray by Ashland from Michaels will make a big summer entertaining statement.
Like a picnic basket- pack it tight with fresh veggies for summer snacking.
Potato salad is a picnic-pot luck staple.
I don’t know if I would go so far as to categorize it as a vintage side dish, but potato salad has graced the summer picnic table of my great grandmother, my grandmothers, my aunts, my mother and my mother-in-law.
Recipes for potato salad vary in ingredients and styles, serving warm or cold is in the palate preference of the fork or spoon holder, and to add mustard or not add mustard is a whole nother potato salad issue.
I came across Doris Day’s recipe for German Potato Salad, and thought it would make a great addition to this post.
Doris Day’s German Potato Salad
Ingredients
6 medium-sized potatoes
1 large stalk of celery, chopped in small pieces
3-4 scallions (white part only), thinly sliced
4 slices lean bacon, cut in small strips
2/3 cup water
½ cup cider (or wine) vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Cook potatoes in their skins until tender. Cool slightly, peel and slice into a large bowl. Add celery and scallions. Fry bacon in saucepan until crisp. Add water and vinegar. Pour over potato-celery-scallion mixture, toss lightly.
Cover and marinate thoroughly (several hours or overnight) before serving.
To her words I add my own: entertaining well doesn’t mean entertaining extravagantly, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it is summertime and the livin’ is easy rules.
I’m coming to realize the correlation between vintage and comfortable is undeniable.
Easy and delicious, I served this fruit salad at the bridal shower and the crowd went yum.
Pretty presentation, and that’s what counts.
Tropical Fruit Salad
Ingredients
2 cans tropical fruit, drained
1 can pear halves, drained
1 pint blueberries
juice of one(1) lemon
1 large ripe avocado, halved and cut into slices
1 small container plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons honey
black pepper
Directions
In a mixing bowl, toss together canned fruit with juice of one lemon. Cover and chill 1 hour. Add to a small container of Greek yogurt two Tablespoons of honey and you’ve got the dressing.
Garnish with avocado slices, yogurt dressing and black pepper.
Dollar store wine goblets in the style of oatmeal glass make a lovely serving presentation.
I am snacking on this fruit salad as I write up this post.
Delicious, if I do say so myself.
By now you’ve realized vintage style glassware is a favorite. Inspiration is everywhere, especially at the movies.
Sparkling Spiked Peach Lemonade
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup of water
3 large peaches
6 cups sparkling water
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ cup vodka
Directions
In a small pot, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Remove the skins from 2 of the peaches, reserving the third. Cut an “X” in the bottom of each one, and place them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Transfer the peaches to an ice bath, and peel when cool enough to handle. Slice each peeled peach in half and remove the pits. Cut peaches into cubes, place them in the blender or food processor, and puree until liquified.
In a large pitcher, combine the pureed peaches, the cooled simple syrup, the sparkling water, the lemon juice and the vodka. Stir to combine. Add ice and stir again.
Cut the remaining peach into thin slices. Stir a few of the slices into the lemonade and use the others to garnish the glasses.
Picture perfect moments, colors, subjects and samplings worthy of creating a spring scene catch the eye, stir interest and offer seasonal inspiration.
Being in the right place at the right time had its advantages for a I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph blogger and a spirited blue jay with a bird bath all to itself.
This creating a spring scene scenario went on for a good fifteen minutes.
Nature provided a magnificent matinee, and the star of this one bird show appeared ready for his or her close-up.
While we are on the subject of blue, I am quite impressed with the pale blue green color palette selections of The Naturals by Barry Dixon from C2 Paint.
Walking past the kitchen table on the way to afternoon coffee, I glanced down to see the April issue of Better Homes & Gardens opened to the feature In Praise of Violas.
I’m not a practicing member of the ladies that lunch club, but I love the idea of it, and the Southern Living feature The New Ladies Lunch is a delightful read on the subject.
Planning the Mother’s Day menu is soon to be the task at hand, and these Neiman Marcus Cheddar Cheese Biscuits look to be a Southern scrumptious must make.
1 cup (4 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk
Parchment paper
Directions
Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas and dough is crumbly; stir in cheese. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 to 4 times. Place dough in a bowl; cover and chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll dough to 1-inch thickness; cut with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.
Unbaked biscuits may be frozen up to 1 month. Bake frozen biscuits as directed for 26 to 28 minutes or until golden brown.
Spring in Louisiana means what it does to our neighbors to the north, east and west of the boot.
Beautiful blooms packing a powerful blast of in season colors.
Outdoor living at its finest.
Backyard cookouts and patio entertaining.
Know what else it means? Spring means crawfish boil season is here. Louisianians love to boil, peel and eat these freshwater crustaceans in quantity and quality. We do love our seafood here in the boot, and from March to June we set the tables, plan the menus, and prepare the seafood dishes around crawfish boil season.
Crawfish taste almost like lobster, with the differences between the two basically amounting to cost, size and seasoning. Crawfish are native to the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana and farmed crawfish ponds of the Gulf Coast region. Louisiana produces approximately 150 million pounds of crawfish annually, and also ranks as the nations number one provider of shrimp, oysters, crabs and alligator. Boiled to seasoned perfection, the crawfish boil is a weekend backyard gathering, festival or fais do-do in the making.
Those in the best price for crawfish in your area know you need an app for that. The Crawfish App is a free app available on iTunes. The app uses your device’s location or an entered address to list crawfish vendors in the area. You have the ability to view by price, reviews, or distance.
It’s amazing how a crustacean can create culinary excitement throughout the cities and parishes. We love to host a crawfish boil or two or ten during the season for friends, neighbors, coworkers and family. Fire up the pot and bring on the onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, lemons, crab boil and culinary imagination. I’ve been to crawfish boils where the host chef adds smoked or andouille sausage, okra, carrots, cabbage and fresh mushrooms to the seasoned boil. The flavor and the taste can be summed up in three words.
¼ cup ZATARAIN’S® Concentrated Shrimp and Crab Boil
1 box ZATARAIN’S® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil – In a Bag
12 frozen half ears corn on the cob
Directions
Fill an 80-quart crawfish boiling pot with a basket 1/3 to ½ with water. Place pot on a jet-style propane burner on high heat. Add onions, garlic and lemon halves. (You can use a small laundry bag for lemons and garlic. Or just leave the onions in the mesh bag they come in from the grocery with tags removed.)
Bring to full rolling boil. Stir in Crab Boil Complete. Add potatoes (in their mesh bag from the grocery or a laundry bag). Reduce heat to medium-low. Boil 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove potatoes.
Return water to full rolling boil on high heat. Add crawfish, celery, liquid Crab Boil and Crab Boil bag. Return water to full rolling boil on high heat. Start checking doneness just before water returns to full rolling boil. As soon as small gaps start to appear between the head and the tail on the largest crawfish, they are done. Turn off heat. Add frozen corn and cooked potatoes. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove corn and potatoes. Let crawfish stand for a minimum of 30 minutes, but 45 minutes is better. Serves: 20
To clean crawfish: Pour live crawfish into a washtub or ice chest; cover with water. Drain. Repeat 3 to 4 times until crawfish are clean. Drain. Discard any dead crawfish and debris.
~Zatarain’s
Turn up the heat, the music and the good times with a crawfish boil.
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This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
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Okay, let’s get back to the crudités crate ideas.
