cathyboettner

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

This is a riff on one of the tables I did for the tablescaping class. I started with the quail and added the faux pine greenery, a brass centerpiece bowl of pine cones, faux sugared pears, and real pomegranates and chestnuts. The place settings are RAK buffet plates and Pier One MacIntosh rimmed soup bowlsContinue reading “And a Partridge in a Pear Tree”

Progress in the basement

My husband finished the masonry work around the wood stove and was able to get the stove back in place with the help of our son. He really did a beautiful job. We still have to sand and finish the doors and put the hardware on them. Then my husband is going to make someContinue reading “Progress in the basement”

A Holiday Treat that starts with a mix

First, I mixed up two packages of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix using the recipe for rolled cookies–two packages of mix, 2 sticks of softened butter, 2 eggs, and 6 tablespoons of flour. I rolled the dough into about tablespoon sized balls and placed them into well greased mini muffin pans. I flattened them intoContinue reading “A Holiday Treat that starts with a mix”

Coffee Cakes for Gifts

These are wonderful to make as gifts, or to make for your family for the holiday weekend. Brioche dough (make the day before you plan to assemble the cakes) 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) 1 package dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup butter softened 6 eggs 4 1/2 cups of flourContinue reading “Coffee Cakes for Gifts”

Minimalist Christmas

I did a Halloween table with the same dishes and glassware. This is a minimalist holiday table. The centerpiece is simple with a row of artificial fir trees in white pots and black lanterns. The place settings are “Anniversarie” dinner plates by Santa Anita, and “Millbrook” coupe soup bowls and bread plates by Independence. TheContinue reading “Minimalist Christmas”

Holiday Table Ideas

During the COVID holidays, I challenged myself to come up with really cute/creative tablescapes using only items that I had in the house at the time. Here are some of my favorites from that series of posts. Toyland Table For this Toyland table design, I looked through the sweet toys that used to line theContinue reading “Holiday Table Ideas”

A PERFECT Sweet Potato Dish

This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, especially for Thanksgiving, or anytime we have ham or pork chops. It’s pretty easy to make–and the secret is to roast the sweet potatoes and the apples separately so that the apples don’t steam the potatoes. Unfortunately for you, I didn’t write down exact quantities this morningContinue reading “A PERFECT Sweet Potato Dish”

Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I have been making cinnamon rolls for years. The boys used to take them for boy scout camping trips and we brought them to all the boys’ regattas. Chris and I made hundreds of pans of them to raise money for his trip to Europe when he was in 7th grade. In fact, they wereContinue reading “Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls”

Cranberry Raspberry Orange Sauce

I have never been a fan of canned jellied cranberry sauce–the shape of it; the taste of it; the awful sound it makes as it slides out of the can. There was nothing about it that I found appealing in any way. So I started making my own cranberry sauce from a recipe that wasContinue reading “Cranberry Raspberry Orange Sauce”

Stromboli Sandwiches for Birthday Dinner

Stromboli patty (or meatball) recipe: 2 lbs hamburger or ground turkey 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce 3/4 cup Italian style dry breadcrumbs 2 eggs 2 tsp Italian seasoning 2 tbsp garlic salt 20 oz turkey Sweet Italian Sausage with casings removed Place all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mixContinue reading “Stromboli Sandwiches for Birthday Dinner”