Tuesday December 07, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Food Styling at the Video Shoot

Here's a beauty shot of the diabetes-friendly blueberry coffee cake. It's quite a production getting all the details right!!

Tuesday November 30, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
A Trio of Desserts

How can you resist??
Pumpkin cheesecake
Maple Cream Pie with gluten free crust
Cranberry Raisin Pie

What I love about this arrangement is the desserts are three different heights so it adds interest to what everyone already knows will be a sweet sensory overload. It also begs the question are they in height order of deliciousness? Only my Thanksgiving guests know the answer. But, really, isn't it a matter of taste?

Tuesday November 23, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Thanksgiving Themed

What can I say, I am a sucker for cute and sometimes borderline tacky table accoutrement!! These suit my fancy and are fun for a day or two to set the stage for the real tabletop decor - the FOOD!!

Thanksgiving decor

Thanksgiving Turkey tabletop

Tuesday November 09, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Hot Pot Top Tip

Try saying that three times fast!!
How many times have you lifted a pot lid to peak or check on the progress of your dish to find you've scorched your fingers? Granted some of the All-Clad pots now have heat-resistant lid and pot handles, but many don't.
And leave it to my oh-so-clever Mom to come up with a solution for one of her pots. Check it out:

Two wine corks - how simple!! Love you Mom.

Tuesday November 02, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
the Power of an Heirloom Spoon

Sometimes it's just a well-worn serving spoon that brings someone back to their grandmother's kitchen. In this case, it's Jim's grandmother's serving spoon that he inherited when his Uncle Junie died. In fact Jim reminded me that he was the only relative that wanted the old worn spoons. Most of his cousins and even his brother and sister viewed it as junk. But Jim views this old hotel silverware as a priceless, meaningful connection to his past. Now can you see why I love Jim and why we are together. We are truly sentimental.

What's really special about this spoon is how it is clearly worn on the left side from years of serving up those home cooked meals!! Everytime we use this spoon I can see it transports Jim to his grandmother's table.

Tuesday October 26, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Halloween

Halloween has really taken off as an all-out holiday. You can really out do yourself if you're not careful - so many choices in the stores and between Martha and Country Living Magazine, you have no excuse!!

As for me, I have to confess, I have fallen short in the the homemade table decor category this year. I have so many things vying for my time. However, because I always have my eye on things, am an avid catalog reader and shopper, I do have an extensive closet of decorations. I must say TJ Maxx isn't just for the fashionistas!! And if you wait until after Halloween, I bet you can pick up some great decorations on sale from Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Williams Sonoma.

Here's my table:
Table runner from last year's Crate and Barrel catalog; tin pumpkins from TJ Maxx - 4 years ago; and indian corn and mini pumpkins from the farmer's market - this year.