Beautiful Buffet

Today's Wordful Wednesday is a hodge podge of things I want to share. Life's Buffet, the things I'm diggin'. I try to keep things simple on recipe days to avoid much too lengthy posts, so Wednesdays are a good day for me to deviate, to give you more of me & what's behind the apron. Not that you asked or anything.....hah.

Getting an unexpected little treat in the mail from not just a bloggy friend but also simply a ...

Thank you Kacey!

And remember the island I was waiting for? It came a while back & I'm loving it!

Scary Mommy sent me that cute little dishtowel after I entered a contest I didn't even win. Thanks again Scary Mommy!!! The Island wanted to dress up for the holidays...

Tristan's 1st tree. What fun not to have any rules. Anything goes on this one unlike the formal one in the living room. Both favorites but for different reasons!

Lovely handmade organic soap made by the amazingly talented Nazarina over at Giddy Gastranome. These will make perfect additions to homemade goodies in a gift basket! Thank you Nazarina. Go visit her here ! Everything she makes is beautiful & with lots of care & love.

The perfect Poinsetta to dress up the dining room!

And lastly, perfecting my newly acquired napkin folding skills for my Christmas table setting. Decisions, decisions. The one on the left or the one on the right? Visit here to see how you can fold napkins for your next gathering.

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Things to Come......A Wordful Wednesday

Quaint & charming spaces are sometimes created through untraditional means. Putting something in a small space can then make it a cozy, small space. The first bed & breakfast I ever stayed in had a clawfoot tub at the foot of my parent's bed. Weird, I thought, but that's why I fell in love with B&B's!!

Our kitchen isn't big enough for a built in island so I knew this mobile island was perfect. I had been wanting one for so long, unable to find the right one, until now. Am I crazy for looking forward to creating so many memories over this cute little piece of furniture? For being so excited to have my kitchen reflect more of who I am & what I enjoy?

Chef's Catalog - please hurry to fulfill my order just in time for Christmas entertaining. I'll love you forever!!!

Speaking of Christmas, this will be a perfect treat before dinner. This vertical pear salad with watercress, toasted pecans, crumbled blue cheese & vinaigrette is not only pretty but delicious when drizzled with some honey. I'm expecting 9-10 people for the holiday but instead of making one per person I may serve them on a few plates & scatter them around the table for a family style salad.

Click Here to Print Recipe

These are just 2 things I am really looking forward to during the holidays but would mean nothing if I couldn't share them with those I love!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

A Plate of Muffins

I came across a Martha Stewart craft for making a glittered party pedestal over at a Life Made by Marcie. Go check her out to see the awesome pedestal she made for a Halloween party she had. You can mark it for next year. Although I had no need for this exact kind, it did give me an idea to make my own serving plate.

Here it is & I love it. I plan to make more at different heights which will make for a nice presentation at the holidays. Sure you can buy them but this was fun to make & cheaper. I found the plate on clearance & the candlestick at Michael's. Just glue them together & you're ready to entertain.

Garlic & Sundried Tomato Corn Muffins

What would look nice on this serving plate are some of these muffins I made a few weeks back. This recipe is from Giada & while I got mixed reviews I thought it was worth sharing because it's easy enough & intriguing. If you like garlic, sundried tomatoes & corn muffins you might want to give them a try. I think they're nice served with soup.

2 (8 1/2 oz)pkgs Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8oz jar)
2/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 muffin tins. In a large bowl combine the muffin mix, corn, garlic & sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine. In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream & eggs until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin mix. Stir to combine. Spoon the mix into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

My Thoughts:

I would recommend decreasing garlic to 2 cloves & maybe adding a bit more sundried tomatoes. Not by 50% but just a little bit more.

Click Here to Print Recipe

Since this post is getting long I will hold off until tomorrow to share with you a family favorite I have grown up on. It's something some of you may never have had before!

My Personal Cornucopia - 202nd Post

(click on the smaller pics to get a good idea of what really makes me happy)

A pantry Makeover:

Cozy Corners to get lost in imagination, share in culinary delights or wash the day away:



Getting to know the Woman Behind the Waitress at my favorite Thai place:

(Annie was in costume for Halloween)

Buying individual bottles & Sampling Beers with family & friends:



Enjoying the flow of fresh air that brings with it Energy & Life:



and

My Little Angel just right this moment with his shortest haircut yet:

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Great Kitchen Find

This is a dip chiller with a matching tray. Chips & Dip Anyone??

A recipe will come later but for now I wanted to post these two items I bought online and just received. This site is great if you love kitchen accessories but want them to fall into a certain theme. They have over 25 themes and within each theme there are about 11 different items like salt & pepper shakers and the like. I have a little bit of a wine theme in my kitch but it's a subtle one. This dip chiller was bought seperately from the tray. I just thought it was a good idea to put the chips or crudites on a matching tray next to the dip. The top of the bowl comes off so you can put your ice underneath. Can't wait to use it this weekend!!!!!