MOTHER'S DAY 2021

Hello Loves...
I so hope all the Mother's out there
were celebrated in style and received
well deserved pampering on Sunday....
I certainly had a marvelous and fun-family filled weekend!
Just in case you were interested....here are a few
highlights of Mother's Day at ESTELLE'S..... 

I planned the menu and wanted my boys to visit, relax
and enjoy some home cooking....they do all the clean-up
and leave the kitchen spic and span!

The weather could not have been more pleasant...
trees swaying in the delightful breeze.......

We are going to need several days of really warm temps
for the pool to get just the right temperature....
but dipping your toes in the water feels so refreshing.....

Here is what was on the menu.....

Barbecue ribs.....

Scalloped cheesy potatoes....

Tuscan Pasta Salad....

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

and

Southern Pit BBQ Beans.....divine!

For the sweet ending...
we had Rainbow Chip Cake,
topped with Sea Salt Caramel Truffle Ice Cream
and fresh strawberries...oh heavenly days!

Even though I said, "no gifts"...
I was spoiled rotten.....

All of our festivities were on Saturday
and Sunday was just a relaxing day....
we  had an easy breakfast of Peaches and Cream Cinnamon Rolls.....

Thanks for stopping by today....
until next time...
BE BLESSED AND BE KIND

NEW KITCHEN FAVORITES....ONE FOR BAKING and ONE FOR DINING

Hello loves...
how in the world are y'all doing today?
You know when I discover new products that I love,
then I want to share them with you...so let's see
what's new around Estelle's!

I will always try to improve my baking skills
and recently discovered a secret ingredient which
will kick up your baked goods to a new, delicious level!

This is a very good Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe
published by BAKED BY AN INTROVERT

I have found that most muffins are best when
served warm from the oven......

The darling and I did our taste test by
sharing one muffin........we both agreed
that this was two thumbs up!!!

The recipe link is provided below....
happy baking y'all!

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS 

Now, on to the next new addition
from The Pioneer Woman!

Oh, yes honey....I'm in love......
this is my third set of her dinnerware

I absolutely love this denim dinnerware and think

all of her homegoods are so pretty and so affordable!

I learned years ago, when selecting dinnerware, both
for everyday and formal, that you need to imagine
serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on the plate to see
if it appears appetizing or not!

And as you know by now,
all of her kitchen accessories are color coordinated...genius!

I am really on a kick of adding lots of blues.....
My Mother's favorite color!

COMPANY COMING? NO TIME TO COOK?

My mother was a lovely hostess
to her friends and family and belonged
to many social clubs throughout her life.
I was fortunate enough to learn
how she created beautiful  table settings
and prepared food that was so scrumptious,
yet could be prepared with "no-fuss" menu!

I'll bet you are thinking of all the time
it takes and expense involved to entertain
with lavish appetizers that are expensive
to prepare...but just wait...
these easy and economical ideas were featured in Southern Sideboards 
back in the early 1980's...

*Saturate a block of cream cheese with Pickapeppa sauce.
*Top a cracker spread with cream cheese with a sweet pickle slice.
*Use cheddar cheese and hot pepper jelly in a cracker round.
*Wrap a Waverly cracker with a thin slice of bacon,
 bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.

*In a double boiler, melt Jalapeno cheese with can of chili with beans,
serve in a chafing dish with buttery crackers.

*Top Triscuts with melted butter and lemon-pepper seasoning.....
toast in a 350 degree oven until hot!
*Spear toothpicks with browned sausage and cubes of cheddar cheese...
serve with a dipping sauce made from 1/2 cup mild taco sauce and 
1/4 cup Picante sauce.
*Top artichoke hearts with chive cream cheese spread...serve chilled.

*Mix together one fresh cooked shrimp, chopped with 6 ounces

of cream cheese, 1 T. chives, 1/2 t. Tabasco, and lemon juice...
serve this spread with cocktail crackers.

 *Remove crust from slices of sandwich bread.
Cut each slice into 2 triangles and
spread with mushroom soup.
Roll up to a point and wrap each with
1/2 slice of thin cut bacon.
Fasten with toothpicks and bake at
375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Entertaining is simply hospitality!
It is a genuine Southern custom that we will
go to great lengths to make company feel
at home....

SUNDAY SUPPER, GARDENING REFRESH, and LUKE THE DUKE

Hello Kindred Spirits...
I so hope life is treating you kindly
and there are smiles on your faces
and joy in your hearts!
Here is a look back at last week at Estelle's...... 

Sunday supper is normally a little lighter and a little
easier than weekdays, however, I felt like serving
a real southern dinner with favorites of
barbecue chicken, sweet and sour green beans and
corn pudding...oh heavenly days....talk about good!!!!

I also mixed up some of our favorite homemade
salad dressing, which I have featured once before
in a previous post.....simply wonderful!!!

Don't you just love a fresh crisp salad?

And...we're not finished yet.......

How about sharing a delightful piece of Peanut Butter Pie!!!!!!
There's always something good served up in Estelle's kitchen......

Our days have been mostly sunny and a bit
on the cool side.....rather delightful!

The darling started a little fire to burn some old
documents and honey, this smell was divine...
reminded me of a fall day.....that campfire smell......

We are slowly but surely getting the landscaping taken care of....
this has been a rather costly project to remove dead shrubs
and replace them with new ones, along with new garden soil
and mulch.....

We have three more side beds to replant which
we can do hopefully in the next few weeks......

I have been looking through old recipe binders
and came across an old favorite which I sent to
Miss M......she had made this for husband Jay,
and his golfing buddies, Phil and Ron one afternoon
some years ago when I was visiting and she was so
delighted I found this......she had misplaced her copy
so I thought I would include it in a post so we both
could find it easily....it's the recipe for
Tex-Mex Shrimp Cocktail!

And yes, honey, yes....you are not seeing things....
I am picking up some new things for the fall season...
the ideas are forming as we speak.....
it delights my soul to think about.....

And....many have wanted to see a recent photo
of our LUKE THE DUKE.....

He has on a brand new pair of sports shoes....
and has been going through shoes like a dose of salts...
growing by leaps and bounds....
I cannot believe our youngest grandchild will be
thirteen this June....I cannot wait to spend
a full week with him during our family beach trip this summer......
time marches on children.....time to make memories.....

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE BREAD PUDDING....LUNCH ON THE PATIO

April in Texas...it's just about perfect...
seeing as this was a beautiful afternoon,
with the sun shining and a delightful 75 degrees,
we decided to enjoy lunch on the patio!

I made my well loved egg salad with
a side of fresh, crisp radishes!

I do believe I could eat egg salad any time of day....it's simple,
light and simply delicious!

And.....I had the ingredients on hand to try a new recipe
which was featured the other day by Trisha Yearwood!

This is her Chocolate-Orange Bread Pudding!
The flavors of chocolate and orange blend beautifully together!

This is a "two-thumbs up" winning recipe......
and you know the great thing about bread pudding y'all,
is using ingredients you have on hand...it need not be specific...
for this recipe I used sub sandwich rolls and
substituted Coconut Coffee Creamer for the heavy cream.....
this was MARVELOUS!!!!!
I also used semi-sweet chips, rather than dark chocolate.......

I highly recommend this recipe from Trisha....
this is company worthy!!!!

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

A WEEK IN APRIL....FOOD FARE, GUEST ROOM and OUTDOOR LIVING

It was just a beautiful week here in the great state of Texas!

Hello kindred spirits.....how in the world are y'all doing today?
It's been awhile since I have done a recap of a
"day in the life" post, so here are snippets of life
at Estelle's recently........

 

I have added new touches to the princess room
in order to transform it to a summer look....
It's the first time I have added blue and white to this room
and I just love it!
I added a new diffuser to the breakfast tray
which is from the Magnolia line....adorable packaging!

I have always loved Laura Ashley bedding and this quilt set
was quickly the inspiration piece for this bedroom!
I also purchased this beautiful soft blue throw and
a few velvet throw pillows....
the blue ceramic candle is also from Magnolia and believe me,
the scent is just marvelous!

I also hung this soft artwork which belonged to my parents...
this room is soft, feminine and soothing.....

The darling still enjoys an afternoon of
of puzzle solving....I bought him this one,
which is just beautiful......

I always look forward to sprucing up the patio
for summer.....which always begins with a back door wreath!

We also plant new bulbs and seeds in the huge pots
around the pool area....

I think it's so very important to create an outdoor
space where you can relax and enjoy nature!

What's new in Estelle's kitchen?
A beautiful new placemat from The Pioneer Woman...
she added this beautiful cream woven placemat
to her line of braided mats...I have her red one,
as well as her turquoise mat!

FOOD FARE

I love spending an afternoon baking....
to begin with, it was Mother's Dilly bread......
oh heavenly days.....the aroma.......

Next up, Banana Nut Muffins......

And finally, the Strawberry Rhubarb Oat Bars........

Summer's around the corner and life is beginning
to return to normal.....hope you enjoy your week.....