Heirloom Meals: Savoring Yesterday's Traditions Today

Wednesday November 28, 2012

News:
Heirloom Meals Christmas Special

Coming soon to a public television station in your city!

You can download a list of broadcast airtimes to see where it's playing in your city.  (There may be more as the stations have been adding the show after we created this list - if you can't find your station/city - email us!)

Here's a show tease!

Christmas Show Recipes are HERE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Monday November 19, 2012

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Tradition with a Twist By Annie Selke

This year has been about transition for me, as you may have noticed if you follow my blog, Fresh American. I’ve been renovating and moving into the house that belonged to my late mother, and now I’m just over a week away from hosting my first Thanksgiving there—where Mum, the consummate hostess, celebrated many a holiday. As a designer, I believe that every tabletop is an opportunity for a bit of sassiness and self-expression, and so lately I’ve been having fun playing with some of Mum’s vintage plates, glasses, flatware, and accessories, and mixing them up in new arrangements. It’s comforting to have those bits and pieces, and all the memories associated with them, around during the holidays. It helps me connect not only with Mum, but also with all my family and friends who are carrying on the tradition with me.

For this tablescape, I was inspired by the rich variation in neutrals—from snow to cream and chocolate—in my indigenous Vermont granite dining table, created by Adam Ross Cut Stone Company based in Albany, New York. I started with the dessert plates, which are antique Copeland Spode and once belonged to my great-grandmother. Their stunning, raised lacelike pattern are at once astonishing yet subtle. I placed these on top of the “blank canvas” of contemporary white chargers from Crate & Barrel for an instant dose of depth and dimension. Not to mention plenty of room for all the side dishes I want to serve on Thanksgiving!

Those amazing tumblers and stemware are also from my great-grandmother’s collection. With their Old World, etched grapevine pattern, they’re an exquisite addition that really elevates each setting. Mum was the keeper of fine, ironed linens—they were always perfect!—so I chose a set of her simple, elegant linen damask napkins. The silverware, Mum’s again, and monogrammed with an S for Shreve, works equally well for Selke!

I wanted the centerpiece to have an easy, organic feel, and I wanted to stick with the nuanced neutral color story. So I chose white pumpkins in two sizes and slightly different shades, and tucked white lilies and roses between them. I added the magnolia leaves to pick up the chestnut brown of the tabletop, and the eucalyptus leaves for a pop of color. (This arrangement holds itself in place pretty well, but if you’re at all concerned about disturbing it, you can insert the flower and greenery stems into water-filled picks and then into small blocks of floral foam.)

Now it’s your turn. What family tradition or heirloom are you spotlighting on your table this year? Tell me in the comments for your chance to win a two sets of Juliet embroidered napkins from Pine Cone Hill—a $96 value!

Monday November 19, 2012

Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving

I would be misleading you if I were to provide the suggestions...however, my friend Alex Elman would not.  Alex is in the Heirloom Meals' Thanksgiving Special and offers some wonderful suggestions to pair with your meal.

Click on the photo of Alex and Me walking in her Dad's vineyard to link to her blog on pairing wines with your Thanksgiving meal.

Sunday November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving Show Air Times 11/18/12

Here are only some of the markets it is airing in today:

Boston - 5 pm (channel 44)

Austin, TX - 4 pm

Los Angeles - 11 am and 2 pm

Philadelphia - 5 pm

Houston - 4 pm

Seattle - 2 pm

Tampa - 2 pm and 5 pm

Minneapolis - 5 pm

Denver - 3 pm

Miami 5 pm

Cleveland 4 pm

St. Louis - 4pm

Charlotte - 5 pm

West Palm Beach - 5 pm

San Antonio - 4 pm

Las Vegas - 3 pm

Cincinnati - 4 pm

Columbus - 4 pm

Indianapolis - 4 pm

Nashville - 4 pm

Salt Lake City - 3 pm

Kansas City - 4 pm

Charlotte - 5 pm

Milwaukee - 4 pm

Greenville, SC - 5 pm

San Antonio - 4 pm

Birmingham, AL - 4 pm

Grand Rapids - 4 pm

Norfolk, VA - 5 pm

Albuquerque - 3 pm

Oklahoma City - 4 pm

Greensboro - 5 pm

Jacksonville - 5 pm

Sunday November 11, 2012

Life at Boulderwood:
Chick Magnet

There's something about chickens that make me very happy. As you know, ours free-range with impunity and at their peril.  But they are so care-free, happy and busy all day. They are a cure for a bad day or a stressful situation! They come running as soon as they see us and are not afriad of Burt.

Come to think of it, they are among the many things for which I am grateful.

Friday November 09, 2012

News:
Heirloom Meals Thanksgiving Special is Airing!

Please check your local public television listings for air times in your city.

For the Menu and Recipes from the show, please click HERE.

Check back often for special events and giveaways! And PLEASE share your recipes, memories and thoughts in the comments. I love hearing from everyone and telling your stories!

And, here's a great article that Carole wrote for The Huffington Post.

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