Woohoo, I Did It!

Hey everyone!  I'm so excited, because I just did a new blog header!  Do you like it?  I've been stewing about this for the longest time, because I really wasn't sure how to go about it.  My previous one, that I've had forever, was designed for me as a blog give-away;  & all the instructions I had read sounded so complicated.  Finally I found a very easy tutorial at Decor & the Dog.  She used Picnik, which I know is going away mid-April, but it was so simple.  I plan to make up some more headers using this method & just keep them stored for future use.  I know this isn't a big deal to most of you, but most of what happens with my blog design, happens purely by accident -- seriously!  Anyway, I hope you like it.  I may change some background colors & such, but I kind of like it just the way it is for now!  Hope ya'll have a great day!

CAS

The Dinner Party that Almost Was!

Hey everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend; we sure did.  In my last post I shared about the vegetarian meal I planned for our friend & her daughter.  As is typically the case with anyone battling the "Big C," you have good days, not so good days, & really bad days.  My friend had one of those "really bad days" the day of our little dinner party & had to cancel.  Well, because I already had everything & even had some things prepped, I prepared the meal for The Man & I.  I shared the meal I planned HERE, so now I would like to show you my table.

I always use the breakfast room table whenever we have small gatherings.  It's just much more

intimate & cozy.

This is how I had it arranged when I thought we were having guests.

I used my plum & white toile placemats & napkins with my Fiesta china in Cinnabar, White, Rose & Chocolate.  I just kept it really simple with some little battery-operated tealites, some crystal water goblets, and a lovely arrangement of fresh flowers.

The little white bird salt & pepper shakers are from Pier 1 a couple of years ago.

The flowers are from Trader Joe's.  They have the loveliest flowers.

Love the Gerbera Daisies & these sweet little minies.

I have 8 of these placemats & napkins, plus a tablerunner that is currently on my dining room table.

Got them a year or so ago at Tuesday Morning.  They reverse to a small check which is really fun!

I just love taking pics like this this with the camera just sitting on the table.  I guess I'm weird!

When our plans changed, the table downsized to this.  The Man & I had a lovely dinner for two.

Well, the other day I shared that I was off to hunt for duvet fabric for the master bedroom.  I totally lucked out & found just what I was looking for.

It's a black & cream linen-type fabric, but washable (which I've already done), in a lovely fleur de lis pattern.  I'm so excited to get the duvet & shams made, & then I can show you the room.  It will be awhile, though.  We are having some things done in our yard right now, too.  Never a dull moment around here....lol!

If you have started following me either on GFC or the Linky Followers and I haven't yet responded or followed back, PLEASE let me know so I can do that.  I really try to keep on top of all that, but I just don't want anyone to get left out when I goof up.  Okay?

Thanks so much for stopping by,  please come again soon.

CAS

I'm happily linking to:

Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

An Attempt At A Vegetarian Meal

Hey everyone!  I hope ya'll have been having a wonderful weekend.  It's been busy around here but fun, too.  Last week, I had invited a dear friend of ours & her daughter to come for dinner.  She seemed rather pensive & finally shared with me that she has recently been diagnosed with cancer.  I was shocked, to say the least.  Her hesitation in responding to my invitation was due to a radical effort on her part to eat vegetarian in an attempt to make her body as healthy as possible for what she has to face.  She said that maybe she could just come to visit for a little while instead of having a meal.  I promptly said no way, that I would be happy to prepare a vegetarian meal & quizzed her on exactly what she could & could not have.

Now, truthfully, I have cooked some meatless meals but not true vegetarian.  But, off I went to the internet-- how did we ever live without it before?  She can't have any dairy, which narrowed my search quite a bit, but I finally found a recipe that sounded delicious & fit the parameters.  This is what I found:

Sweet Potato, Corn & Black Bean Hash

*http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_corn_black_bean_hash.html

From EatingWell:  March 1998

Quick and easy hashes are fabulous one-pot meals for those nights when getting dinner on the table fast is a priority.

2 servings, about 2 cups each | Active Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, cumin and salt; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in corn and black beans and cook until heated through. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition

Per serving : 419 Calories; 6 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 80 g Carbohydrates; 16 g Protein; 17 g Fiber; 771 mg Sodium; 621 mg Potassium

4 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat

I thought it might be fun to share some photos of the steps in preparing this dish.  What can I say, I sometimes think I'm THE PIONEER WOMAN.......lol!  Anyway.........

I steamed the diced sweet potatoes in my Pampered Chef steamer for just a few minutes to soften them just slightly.

I diced the onions & garlic together.

I was never impressed with cast iron pots & pans until I was able to use them on this  gas range.  Now I want more pieces!  Do ya'll use cast iron cookware?

See all this golden brown goodness!  This smelled so fantastic!

Next I added the slightly cooked, diced sweet potatoes.  They get sauteed until they begin to brown around the edges.

Then it was time to add the jalapeno & spices, stirring for just a few seconds, & then the water.  Cook for a few minutes until the liquid is absorbed. 

Finally, I added black beans,  whole kernel corn & cilantro.  Can ya'll say "YUM?"

This is Snap Pea, Cucumber & Asparagus Salad & it is so good.  I first heard about this amazing salad over at Liz's at Savvy Seasons.  You really can toss in just about anything you want (I added baby peppers, cut in circles), but you can find the original recipe HERE.

This was dessert, but I forgot to take a pic until the next morning after the meager leftovers had been in the fridge over night.  They looked much better right after I made them.  I used a good quality bittersweet chocolate, & even though the strawberries were not great, they tasted very good.

The meal turned out very well, even though our plans got changed drastically.  I'll share more about that tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll also share how I prepared my table, but here's a sneaky peek.

Teehee!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, & please come again soon.

CAS