Recipes

June 27, 2017, posted by Gina – I wrote a post detailing the tablescape I pulled together for our 4th of July gathering and shared the menu. But here, you’ll see all the recipes (or links) for each dish. The blue and white Spode cup on each place setting that you see above will be the recipient of the first dish…delicious Watermelon with Balsamic and Feta.

Tequila Lime Chicken from Ina Garten

Fresh Corn on the cob, cooked and served with butter, salt and pepper.

I have been making Balsamic Roasted Potatoes for years. I no longer need a recipe but wanted to give credit to whoever created this delicious dish. I thought it was Giada but I could not find anything. Then I thought it was Ina and again, I could not find anything. So here goes the recipe straight from my memory and I give thanks to whoever shared it with me.

June 5, 2017, posted by Gina – We’re taking a little break this week from our regular manners and moods posts to share a few simple recipes. This meatloaf is one of Mr. GDFC’s favorite meals. If you are rolling your eyes over meatloaf, you might want to give this recipe a chance; I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Chicken Salad…as pretty as a centerpiece. This is the same chicken salad recipe that we posted HERE but this presentation is quite different. We took our favorite chicken salad recipe and tripled it for a large crowd. We topped it with a bit of fresh parsley and radish rosettes to give it a little color. Serve alongside crackers or fresh French bread.

Well, if these aren’t just the prettiest thing! We found this recipe for Buttered Rosemary Rolls in The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. We followed her infamous step by step instructions in the link above and were mighty proud of these when they popped out of the oven. It kind of makes you look like a real chef. Thanks, REE!

May 23 2017, posted by Gina – The colors in this salad are so pretty you could almost skip having a centerpiece on the table. The best part is that this is one of our all-time favorite salads. Easy and healthy!

May 6, 2017, posted by Gina – This is the third in a series of posts about a recent garden party luncheon I hosted. Earlier this week, I took you on a tour of the garden and the patio where my guests enjoyed an appetizer and champagne bar. I also posted a tutorial showing how to make the rose pavé centerpiece for the main table. Today, I’m sharing the menu for the luncheon with you and a recipe for Salmon and Vegetable Smorgasbord.

You may recall I am in a cookbook club with 11 other members and it was my turn, and my pleasure, to host. We meet monthly and the hostess plans the menu and prepares the main course. We are currently cooking our way through the Junior League of Jackson Cookbooks, Southern Sideboards and Come On In. If you don’t have these cookbooks, I can’t recommend them enough to you. Our menu for this luncheon was:

Savory Pimento Cheese Finger Sandwiches
Onion Sandwiches
Dill Stuffed Eggs
Salmon and Vegetable Smorgasbord
French Potato Salad
Glazed Crackers
Chocolate Paté

Savory Pimento Cheese finger sandwiches (left) and Onion Sandwiches (right)

Dill Stuffed Eggs

Salmon & Vegetable Smorgasbord

Notes:  I used smoked paprika; I used Pepperidge Farm pumpernickel and sliced in half; I substituted very pretty dark organic kale for the lettuce

French Potato Salad and Glazed Crackers

Chocolate Paté

March 16, 2017, posted by Gina – Let’s have a little fun this St. Patricks day and make a memorable meal.

Here’s our menu:
Potato Bar  – Baked potatoes with lots of toppings to choose from; shredded cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon, green onions… the possibilities are endless.
Green Salad
Irish Dessert Bars

For the Baked Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 450°. Scrub potatoes until clean. Place them on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. If you like a steamed texture, you can wrap your potatoes in foil but we prefer them without foil. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Test to see if they are fork tender. Top with all types of goodness.

Green Salad

We thought we would share one of our favorite basic green salads. We avoid buying bagged lettuce since fresh lettuce tastes so much better. There are a few exceptions, like a nice bagged Spring Mix, Spinach or Arugula. But our go-to salad is iceberg and green leaf combined with tomatoes, green or red onions and croutons. Simple and good. Lately, we are loving the Olive Garden salad dressing that you can now purchase in the store. It is delicious and you should give it a try.

And for dessert…

February 13, 2017, posted by Gina – I had the pleasure of attending my Cookbook Club luncheon the week before last. Our hostess chose a Mardi Gras theme and we all enjoyed the décor as well as the food.

Each table was adorned with floral arrangements in the Mardi Gras colors of green, purple and gold. The sparkling tri-colored table runners enhanced the arrangements and the place settings, which incorporated McCarty pottery and copper placemats, worked beautifully.

One of the ladies was charged with making Bloody Marys and our hostess provided an assortment of garnishes for this libation.

We began our time together with a wonderful Zucchini Cheese Spread. Then we served ourselves buffet style beginning with a delicious salad. The main course included Marinated Tomatoes, Grilled Asparagus and Crawfish Quiche. To top the day off we enjoyed a King Cake and a Bourbon Chocolate Tipsy Cake.

We want to share three delicious recipes from this luncheon with you: Grilled Asparagus, Crawfish Quiche and the Very Special Tossed Salad.

February 7, 2017, posted by Gina – Are there recipes that you find and would like to try but never seem to have the time to make them? Well, that was the case with two of these recipes that I made for a Valentine’s Brunch. I set up a simple and sweet buffet to serve these delights. Check out our Blog Page to see how everything came together.

You may have a favorite banana bread recipe like I do but I just had to try this one. The recipe I’ve used for years is tried and true but the toasted pecans and cream cheese filling in this version seemed too good to pass up. This was a wonderful treat.

The chicken salad recipe I usually use is one that I have made for over 20 years but I don’t make it very often. I like it because it tastes really fresh and has a great combination of flavors.

I have wanted to make these coconut cream filled strawberries ever since I came across the recipe 10 years ago! They were worth the wait. The sweet coconut cream is so delicious with the fresh strawberries and they look so pretty.

January 24, 2017, posted by Gina – It happens every year. Many of us may have indulged over the holidays and by January 1 we have started diets that include healthy shakes, veggies, fish or other light fare. Far from our thoughts are the decadent foods of the holidays. Then suddenly it’s time for the Super bowl. At the first invitation to a Super Bowl Party, we begin to sweat about eating something other than the healthy foods our bodies and minds have adjusted to for over a month. After all, we have made progress, hopefully. Our jeans fit nicely again, our exercise routine has ramped up and we are feeling better. How on earth can we ruin all of that? The fear is real!

Let’s try something a little different by indulging a little but not fall off the wagon totally. With these four simple recipes, we can have some gridiron fun without busting our weight loss goals. Instead of creating a menu filled with many appetizers, here we have a meal that will make you forget about those calorie laden finger foods.

Some notes for the Mexican Salad with Cilantro Dressing recipe: This beautiful layered salad works well in a pretty glass bowl or trifle bowl. Some stores sell thinly sliced lettuce in a bag. We suggest shredding the Monetary Jack cheese yourself rather than using the pre-shredded kind. If you need to save time, some stores sell pre-cooked bacon slices. This is an easy recipe but has many steps. Go ahead and prepare your beans and dressing in advance. You can chop your veggies the day before and they will keep in plastic bags. Following these steps makes this salad easy to put this together and creates a beautiful dish.