I made this themed vegetable potato salad meal for Carol. She enjoyed it! I think this is my first time to make flies out of food. The idea to make flies to accompany the frogs came from my 21 year old niece.
Left Side: Frogs – Havarti Dill with smoked paprika details, bell pepper, white potato cut with a cookie cutter, sprinkle with basil and roasted, zucchini cut with a cookie cutter, hummus
Top Right: Flies – raisins with sliced almonds, one is on a strand of spaghetti to make it fly, Macadamia nuts
Bottom Right: Frog – Apple cut with a cookie cutter, cinnamon details, blackberries
Today is my 12th anniversary of having this blog. I made this meal for myself. In my yearly goals for 2023, I have two blog related items: explore flavor and create more themed sides. This meal does not explore flavor but it has 3 themed items!
Contents: Dragonfly – Nishiki rice shaped in a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, homemade pesto, blueberries, black beans with salsa, Flowers – carrot cut with a cookie cutter
Here is my Floral Themed Guest Room (2nd Floor). The main projects were hanging floral wall paper stickers and wooden tissue boxes. This is one of the few rooms in the house where I did not paint the walls or change the flooring.
Small Table: This was in my Mom’s childhood bedroom. She remembers it was old when she got it. It had a skirt around it when she was a kid. My Mom painted it for my guest room.
Chair: The former owners left it with the house.
Folding Tray Table: I had this for a long time.
Floral Wall Paper Stickers: No longer available where I bought it but this is similar. Elizabeth helped me install them. They were relatively easy to attach.
My parents and I celebrated my niece’s 21st birthday a little late with her this year. It was special to be able to celebrate her birthday at the Lake House.
Decorations: My mom and I had various decorations. We had fun assembling them.
Flower Napkin Rings
Tablecloth and Napkins: Floral
Paper Centerpiece: I found a unicorn centerpiece at the Dollar Tree. I removed the unicorn and made my own round out of cardboard, paper, and stickers. I attached my round to the honeycomb paper round.
Menu:
Garlic Bread – Wegmans Pane Italian with Irish butter, garlic powder, and parsley
Mushroom Bourguignon (see recipe below)
Broccoli and Rainbow Carrots Bourguignon (for me since I don’t eat mushrooms)
Funfetti and Chocolate Ice Cream Cake with Whipped Cream and Thin Oreo Cookies
Mushroom Bourguignon
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 pounds mushrooms
1 1/2 cups rainbow carrot chunks
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
Brown mushrooms in olive oil in 2-3 batches, remove from pot.
Add butter to pot and melt, once melted add the flour and whisk.
Add wine, stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Simmer until sauce thickens a little.
Add mushrooms and rainbow carrots back into the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.
My parents, 21 year old niece, and I celebrated the 4th of July at the Lake House.
Drinks: Assorted drinks with maraschino cherries
Red, White and Blue Salad: Romaine, Cherries, Blueberries, Cheddar stars cut with a cookie cutter, assorted dressings
Fireworks Pizza: Homemade pizza dough cut with a Firework cookie cutter that Renae made on her 3D printer, tomato sauce, mozzarella, tomato sauce drops after baking to represent fireworks. I planned to also make pesto drops but I forgot my homemade pesto at my house.
Star Pizza: Homemade pizza dough cut with a star cookie cutter, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese
Flag Pizza: Homemade pizza dough cut with a flag cookie cutter, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce stripes after baking
Left Side: Flags – Tortilla chips cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with olive oil, brushed with Butterfly Pea Powder, Paprika – bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes, hummus, cherry tomatoes, radish, cauliflower
Top Right: Cashews
Bottom Right: Stars – Strawberries cut with a cookie cutter, blueberries
Deborah and I went on an adventure to Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto, NY (it is about 2 hours away). It was a beautiful day to walk around and explore. This was my second time to the park, I went with my oldest niece in 2008.
My quest is over! I updated all of the switch and outlet covers in my house. I am not accustomed to living in a house with plain outlet plate covers. I am used to decorative ones that serve as art. My childhood bedroom had a ceramic light switch cover with pink roses. The last house I lived in had special covers probably installed by the previous owners. When I bought this house all were plain almond color. It took me over a year but I changed all of them! Some I bought and some I made. To celebrate I made myself a light switch cover themed meal.
Below is a collage of many of my fancy outlet and switch plate covers. Some of the rooms are not on my blog yet because I am waiting for something to be finished. I probably have to wait months until the French Doors for my library arrive. Go here to see my home decoration posts.
I made this for Renae’s oldest who is graduating from High School. This is only my 3rd time to make a Graduation themed bento. I previously made this and this. It was requested that I make this for Natalie and I was happy to do it.
Left Side: Diploma bread, Cheddar cheese, blueberries
Top Right: 2023 – Carrot cut with a cookie cutter, cucumber
Bottom Right: Graduation Hat – Caramel milk chocolate square and mini peanut butter cup, attached with some chocolate and chocolate detail on top, almonds
I made this snack meal for Elizabeth on a day that she helped me install a lot of home decor decals. Recently she crocheted this cute fox for me so I made a fox themed meal.
Left Side: Fox and Kits – tortilla chips cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt – bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes, Cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes
I never had a dedicated movie room before but it was on my wish list when I looked for this house. I don’t like having a television in my main living area. I did not have one at all in my last apartment. I used my laptop to watch programming. Some visitors and an ex-boyfriend sometimes complained that I did not have one. Now I have a dedicated room for viewing. I don’t consider the white folding table and wooden activity table part of the room since they don’t coordinate well. I could remove them if I wanted but it is how I am living with the room now so I kept in the photo. The decor in this room is simple since the main focus is the tv.
Flooring: Contractors removed the carpet and installed vinyl plank flooring.
Walls: I did not paint the walls and kept what was there when I purchased the house.
Art: I bought this frame and assorted movie posters. It was difficult to find the size I wanted in a movie I was okay with and liked the image. These are not necessarily my top 4 movies but I like all of them.
TV: Samsung 75 inch
Reclining Soda and Individual Recliners: These have power recline and I love them! I ended up getting them from Raymore and Flanigan.
White Folding TV Table: From Walmart. The exact model is no longer available.
Small Wooden Table and Chair: I had this for a long time in many apartments and in my last house.
Switch and Outlet Cover Plates: I bought these from Etsy.
Deborah and I went to Chimney Bluffs State Park along Lake Ontario near Sodus, NY (about an hour from my home). We parked in the alternate parking lot near the steps to the top and a path to the beach. It was my first time there. I was in awe at the beauty! I made a picnic dinner and Deborah brought chairs and delicious homemade iced tea made with lemon balm, spearmint, and some raspberry juice. It was a delightful adventure!
I made two of these, one for Deborah and one for me. The Thai Peanut Potato salad was okay but not good enough to make again.
This is my first time to live in a house with a basement bathroom. One of my Grandparent’s houses had a basement bathroom when I was a kid. It was next to the bar. My basement bathroom is adjacent to my movie room. I did not do much to decorate this room. My Dad installed a new toilet paper holder since the previous was broken and he changed the ceiling light bulbs. Other than buying a few things, the biggest project in this room was to decoupage the switch and outlet plates.
Shower Curtain with Rose Hooks: Bed Bath and Beyond (no longer available)
Bath Mat: From my last apartment
Trash Can: From my last apartment bought at Home Goods
I made this lunch for my friend Arna. When I was a child, I learned the saying, “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.” A life theme for me is it is important to keep old friends. I value the shared history. Arna and I first became friends years ago when I was married and had a house in a town about an hour away. Her visit last weekend was special. We had lunch, toured my house and gardens. It was a wonderful day!
Left Side: Camels – Cheddar cheese, bell pepper, sweet potato (roasted) cut with a cookie cutter, Eye – paprika, Palm Tree – zucchini cut with a cookie cutter, dried blueberries, hummus
Top Right: Hazelnuts
Bottom Right: Camels – Cantaloupe cut with a cookie cutter, Eye – cinnamon, Pineapple Greek yogurt
I made this turtle themed meal for my Mom at her Lake House. She enjoyed it especially the little turtle tortilla chips. We decided that we would not make the Blueberry salad again. It was not special enough.
Bottom Right: Turtles – cut flour tortilla with a cookie cutter, place on cookie sheet with parchment, spray with cooking spray and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
I asked my Mom what theme or food she wanted for Mother’s Day. She said Daffodil dinner. It made sense since we celebrated at the mountain Lake House and the daffodils were about to bloom. They were in full bloom for our dinner.
Drinks: Pina Colada with Orange Juice or Seltzer with a ground up pineapple
Daffodil Main: Orange Cheddar mashed potato daffodil with roasted asparagus and sugar snap epas
When my Mom asked for “Daffodil”, I was lacking inspiration since I have done it many times before. The drinks were a late idea inspired by my niece who likes serving themed drinks. I wanted daffodil colored drinks. The dessert was a last minute idea. We went shopping right before the meal to get the whipped cream and cookies. The store was out of heavy cream so we used whipped cream from a can. The meal was enjoyed by all!
I made this snack meal for Elizabeth. I enjoy making cute food for her. It is usually the same food but I find different ways to present it. Today we have frogs.
Left Side: Frogs – tortilla chips cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt – bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes, Frogs – cheddar cheese cut with a cookie cutter, cherry tomatoes
Over the weekend, Renae and family came over for dinner. Jeff hung poster frames in my movie room. Maybe sometime soon I will reveal that room. I made ordinary shaped ravioli which is rare for me, usually I make fun shapes. You can see a glimpse of this years glorious daffodils in the above photo. I brought some blossoms inside when I deadheaded the patch this week.
Ravioli – I used my favorite pasta dough, filling – Ricotta, Asiago, Parmesan, salt and pepper, (I made and put in freezer), boiled just before serving, served with homemade tomato sauce
My critique of the meal: I especially liked the flavor of adding a third cheese to the ravioli filling. While I normally make fun shaped ravioli, using something like this which I had a long time is fun to use. This chocolate mousse recipe is delicious and easy to make. My guests liked that I gave them small spoons to eat the mousse.
Tomorrow is the coronation of King Charles III. I like to celebrate moments in time with cute food, so I decided to create this coronation themed meal. I had many crowns in my collection but not the right shape for the St Edward’s crown. Renae was very kind to print a cookie cutter with her 3D printer.
Left Side: St Edward’s Crown – Cheddar cheese cut with a cookie cutter, details cut with knife, jewels cut with oval cookie cutter, painted with food coloring, Purple – mashed potato with butterfly pea powder, peas
Top Right: Pistachios
Bottom Right: Union Jack – Apple, painted with food coloring
I made this bento lunch for my Mom. Over the years I have made a lot of cute food for her but she was especially delighted with this one. Maybe it will make one of my top 10 bento for 2023.
Container: Wooden box purchased in Kyoto at Bento&co.
I made a mostly make ahead meal for my Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law and myself. It was a fun way to enjoy a meal with family and welcome spring.
Butterfly Ravioli – I used my favorite pasta dough, filling – Ricotta, Asiago, salt and pepper, (I made and put in freezer a week ahead), boiled just before serving, dried parsley garnish
Pesto Cream – homemade pesto thawed from my freezer mixed with sour cream
Salad – Romaine with zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, and kohlrabi cut with a cookie cutter
Vinaigrette – a basic no recipe with olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, and honey
I made this for lunch when my parents were visiting. We all ate it but I put this portion in the cloud boxes. If you make if for a packed lunch, I recommend packing the pesto dressing for the zucchini noodles separate and mix before serving. It was a fun way to eat zucchini noodles!
Last fall, I planted 220 daffodils around a River Birch in my front yard. My friend Deborah helped me break the ground. Carol went with me to the garden store. My parents helped me plant. We had a warm winter; the daffodils were poking up from the ground since early February. I was concerned that my daffodils would be blind the first year. Blind daffodils do not bloom. My concern was unfounded. They are fabulous as you can see in the photos below. Many of my neighbors have remarked how beautiful they are.
My gorgeous daffodils are making me so happy! I frequently look out the window at them, talk about them to anyone who will listen, and walk out to the tree to visit. My neighbors probably say to themselves, “She is out visiting her daffodils again!”
Of course, I had to celebrate with a daffodil themed meal. I don’t think that mine look as good as the inspiration but they are attractive and were delicious! I used the recipe for the dough (with turmeric). I made my own filling with finely cut cabbage, snow peas, carrot, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and a little cornstarch.
Contents: Windmill – cut flour tortilla with a cookie cutter, place on cookie sheet with parchment, put small aluminum foil ball under portion to elevate, spray with cooking spray and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Strawberries cut to look like tulips, blueberries, Tulip Rows – carrot cut with cookie cutter, peanut butter, celery, mixed nuts
My parents, brother, and sister-in-law stayed at my house for Easter weekend this year. We had 6 at our main meal since my friend Carol was able to join us. I decided on a Spring forest theme. My Mom did amazing work with the table plants and flowers. My sister-in-law assisted with setting the table. We put candy eggs in the nests. I was concerned that the eggs would fly when people removed their napkins. That only happened to one person.
Napkin Rings – Wooden with Nests (from Hobby Lobby) and Ferns (from Michaels). I hot glued ferns to the nests, then wired the nests to the wooden rings. Cadbury mini chocolate eggs.
It was wonderful to have family members involved in the preparations. My Mom and sister-in-law set the table. My brother decorated the desserts. The woodland table was fantastic! The desserts were adorable! As for menu items, the only one I would not serve again is the Pea and Leek tart but I would make the crust again it was perfect. We cut the potatoes for the gratin in cubes because I was nostalgic for Saltsman’s. They were wonderful! I want to only make cubed potatoes gratin in the future. They are more enjoyable to eat. It was a memorable Easter!
Easter weekend, I hosted my parents, brother, and sister-in law. It was a wonderful time with my family.
Decorations: This was my first year with a mantel for Easter. I bought the garland at Michaels, the rabbits came from TJ Maxx. My Mom found the eggs. I bought pink paper grass at Michaels. It was very messy so I expect I will use something different next year. I bought the wreath last year from Michaels. My Mom made beautiful arrangements for my kitchen, dining room and library. A glimpse of my library is in the photo below. I will not reveal my fabulous room until I get replacement French Doors. I ordered them in March and they told me it will take 6 months! My hallway floating shelves has an egg my Mom found, I added a cupcake stand, an Easter Card from my niece, and my Easter Egg Tree.
Easter Breakfast: We enjoyed our traditional breakfast the day before Easter. There were 6 of us since my neighbor Eugene joined us.
Table:
Tablecloth – My Mom’s Easter tablecloth
Placemats – Assorted color rounds
Napkins – Paper Easter napkins
Plates – My Mom’s Easter plates
Arrangement – Made by my Mom
Bunny Silverware Holders: I enlarged this pattern and made the felt bunnies in pink, blue, yellow and green to coordinate with my placemats.
Foil wrapped chocolate Easter Bunnies I bought at Parkleigh.
Cheese Plate with Fresh Mozzarella, Swiss, Horseradish Cheddar, and Aged Irish Cheddar (I used cute stickers on the labels)
My critique of the meal:
The basket bread was especially good this year. It is a time honored family tradition for my Dad to make it. The cheese plate was a new addition this year. It was enjoyed by all. Having this breakfast the day before Easter was a good idea to space out the larger meals and also for time management. My Mom did a wonderful job with the table decorations. My sister-in-law assisted. It was an enjoyable meal.
Left Side: Basket – Tortilla chip – cut flour tortilla with cookie cutter, brush with olive oil, sprinkled with salt – bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes, Easter Eggs – carrot, romaine lettuce
Happy Spring! This is my collection of Spring themed food.
Over the years, I created a lot of flower themed food. I will restrict the flowers in this collection to Daffodil, Tulip, Lily of the Valley, and Flowering Trees.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I made this fun meal for myself. I rarely make food with rainbows since I find it difficult but I am happy with this very simple rainbow. Click here to see my St. Patrick’s Day food collection.
Contents: Rainbow – Red, Yellow, Green bell pepper, cottage cheese, Shamrocks – Tortilla chips cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with olive oil, bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes. Pot of Gold – Peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and non-fat milk powder, dried pineapple
Decorations:
Dining Room: This is the first March that I decorated my Dining Room. I bought the shamrock wreath from Walmart online but I can’t find the same one to link. I made the simple Shamrock garland with paper, hole punch, and string. The trophies are from my youth Irish Step Dancing days. I received the Belleek Irish Cottage tea light holder in 2004.
Hallway Floating Shelves: St. Patrick themed honeycomb decorations, plastic shamrocks (from Dollar Tree years ago), cards from my 20 year old niece and Mom.
Left Side: Sheep – cheddar cheese (cut with a cookie cutter), food marker detail, cheese tortellini with Italian dressing, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, black olive
Top Right: Utz White Cheddar Cheese Balls
Bottom Right: Sheep – apple slice cut with a cookie cutter, apple
Left Side: Elephants – Bell pepper and cucumber cut with a cookie cutter, romaine, Tortilla chips – cut flour tortilla with cookie cutter, brush with olive oil, sprinkled with salt – bake in 375 over for about 10 minutes,
I know that this does not look like Abe Lincoln. My Dad ate this and had no idea what the theme was supposed to be. But, I provided fun nourishment to my family and that is what really matters.
This is my collection of winter themed food including snowmen, snowflakes and winter sports. As with my other collections, I plan to update when I create something new.
Happy Valentine’s Day! This is my first year decorating my fireplace and mantle for February. Last year I did not yet have the mantle. Also I was too busy working on my house to decorate. I am very pleased with the results! It makes me happy to view it and know that I made it myself.
Felt Rose Wreath – I used this template but cut by hand. I used three different shades of pink, cut leaves out of green felt, the heart wreath form was from Hobby Lobby. I used a lot of hot glue for this project and of course burned myself a little as is common when I use my hot glue gun.
Valentine Garland – I bought the wooden bead garland with tassel ends at Hobby Lobby. I also bought the wooden hearts. I glued paper on the hearts, made a hole with an awl, threaded thin ribbon and tied to garland.
XO Sign and Background – I bought the sign at Hobby Lobby. Since it was not clearly visible against the white fireplace, I covered a piece of carboard with decorative paper.
Green Vase with Fabric Roses – I have had the green vase for a long time. The satin roses were used with birdseed at my wedding since we were told to have guests throw birdseed after exiting the church. A coworker and my Aunt helped me prepare the roses. I think they are beautiful and match this theme.
Pink Taper Candles in Glass Holders
Heart Waffles with Ricotta, Strawberries and Maple Syrup – I made this meal for myself to celebrate myself and have a cute Valentine themed meal in my beautiful dining room. The paper Valentine was an art therapy assignment to make a Valentine for myself.
These are my hallway floating shelves for seasonal decor.
Top Shelf: Valentine card from my parents. Stuffed animal Kangaroo with heart (had this a long time).
Bottom Shelf:Wooden elephants cut with my Cricut machine. My 20 year old niece styled the elephants. I added some hearts for the season.
Eclectic Lamb 
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