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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

Morning Glory Tea Set

Posted in Dishes and Serving Pieces, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , on April 24, 2013| 2 Comments »

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Uncle John, my dad’s only (and younger) brother,  was in the service stationed in Japan in the early 1950s.

When he came home, he brought all his sisters (including his lone sister-in-law) a lovely tea set.

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The pattern is Noritake Morning Glory and from what little information I’ve been able to find, it was only manufactured from 1950-1953.

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I can remember my mom using her tea set for  extra special occasions.

snake plate

She would carefully take the cups and the little snack plates down from the high shelf of a cupboard and serve special little sweets to the ladies gathered in our home.

Long admiring the set, I was thrilled beyond words when my Dad gave it to me the last time we were at their house. Trying to downsize since their move from the farm into town, I was more than happy to give the tea set a new home.

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And I need to plan a little party so I can use these beautiful china pieces.

Thanks, Uncle John, for being so sweet and bringing them back to your sisters in the first place!

If any of you know more history about the dishes, I’d love to hear it. Please leave a comment or send me a message at shanna@shannahatfield.com

She Who Loves Old Dishes

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How To Train Your Husband

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, tagged , , , on April 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I read something yesterday that made me laugh. A lot.

It was a relationship article written by a man giving women five pieces of advice about how to communicate more effectively with men.

His spot-on comments made me think of Captain Cavedweller and also of a movie I remember watching long ago on the Saturday afternoon reruns with my sister. It featured Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin.

if a man answers

Made in 1962, the movie was called “If a Man Answers.”

It told the story of a new bride and how she struggled to make things work with her husband until her mother gave her a book that would fix everything. The wife was appalled when she realized it was a dog training book, but desperate, she began using it on her husband anyway.

This would be a great movie to watch with girlfriends. Make some fun beverages and have some close friends over for a relaxed dinner and movie!

The movie is super funny with a cute ending. And if you need some tips on how to train your husband…

She Who Is Still Chuckling

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on April 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

choc chip cookies

Okay.

Here’s the thing…

I can’t make chocolate chip cookies to save my life.

I can’t.

Honest to goodness.

I can make flaky pie crust from scratch, make homemade bread, create somewhat difficult desserts with no problem whatsoever.

But chocolate chip cookies?

Can’t bake a batch that is edible no matter how hard I try.

I think the link in my DNA code that enables a person to make good chocolate chip cookies is sadly missing.

I’ve tried all sorts of recipes from the Nestle Toll-House recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips to an assortment of others. I follow the recipes to the letter and still no luck.

I don’t want hard, crunchy cookies or cookies that melt into a lake of oozy dough. I want the perfect cookie – soft, chewy, and wonderful.

So I’m begging, if any one of you have a fail-proof, idiot-proof chocolate chip cookie recipe, would you share it with me?

You can post a comment here or email it to me at shanna@shannahatfield.com

As with most things that challenge me, I’m determined to overcome this one or die trying. After all, a chocoholic needs to be able to make a great chocolate chip cookie.

She Who Is Humbly Hoping for Recipes

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Sausage Rolls

Posted in Appetizers, Breakfast, Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Recipes, tagged , , , , on April 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

sausage roll plated

I needed to come up with a filling finger-type food for a gathering I was attending and decided Sausage Rolls would be fast and easy to make, but also be a filling and tasty addition to the food contributions.

These come together quickly, require few ingredients and received Captain Cavedweller’s seal  of approval.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Brown sausage, drain grease, set aside. Roll out crescent dough, seal perforated edges and spread with cream cheese. I happened to have whipped in the fridge, but as long as it is spreadable you could use softened cream cheese from a block, too.

Brown sausage, drain grease, set aside. Roll out crescent dough, seal perforated edges and spread with cream cheese. I happened to have whipped in the fridge, but as long as it is spreadable you could use softened cream cheese from a block, too.

Top cream cheese with sausage.

Top cream cheese with sausage.

Sprinkle on cheese.

Sprinkle on cheese.

Sorry... got involved in rolling this up and slicing before I realized I'd forgotten to take any photos. Place sliced rounds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Sorry… got involved in rolling this up and slicing before I realized I’d forgotten to take any photos. Place sliced rounds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

When the crescent roll turns golden brown and the cheese is melted, pull from the oven and serve.

When the crescent roll turns golden brown and the cheese is melted, pull from the oven and serve.

Sausage Rolls

1 pound ground sausage

1 tube of crescent rolls (8)

1/2 cup shredded Colby-Jack chese

1/4 cup cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and coat with non-stick cooking spray. (You can spray the baking sheet and skip the foil or parchment, but I’m a lazy slug and don’t want to have to scrub the pan later.)

Brown the sausage and drain off grease. Set aside.

Unroll the tube of crescent rolls, pinching the perforated edges together to form a long rectangle of dough.

Spread cream cheese in a thin layer over the dough. Spoon sausage on top then sprinkle with cheese.

Starting on one long side of the rectangle, start rolling up the dough and filling. I forced Captain Cavedweller to help me because I couldn’t quite keep everything rolling forward like it should without an extra hand.

Once you have a nice, tight roll, slice off rounds about 1/2 inch thick and place on baking sheet.

Bake about 12-15 minutes or until crescents begin to brown and cheese has melted.

Remove from oven and savor the yumminess!

You can serve with barbecue sauce or ranch dressing if you want a little extra burst of flavor.

She Who Likes Easy Recipes

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