Friday, June 26, 2015

An Enchanted Evening. . .

I  l o v e this time of the year. . .
late evenings out~of~doors seem to be enchanted!


Often times, late into the evening, 
I slip through the patio doors just to gaze upon the lighting bugs!


Since my childhood,
I have been. . .and continue to be. . .
                                                       enchanted with lighting bugs!


The inspiration for an enchanted evening tablescape
comes from the first sighting of lighting bugs of  Summer
and the first harvest of our lavender On Crooked Creektt!



Keeping within my favorite tablescaping hues of
black, white and green, I also, added a bit of ecru and purple into the blend.







Once I chose the white damask tablecloth and linen green table runner,
I simply added my food network dinner and dessert / salad plate
set atop my black and white botanical toile round quilted place mats.

Every day Oneida stainless flatware 
are flanked with black and white gingham check napkin 
wrapped within a white beaded napkin ring.

Clear bubble glass stemware water glasses 
and vintage fluted green rimmed juice glasses serve as our stemware.

Individual lavender bouquets 
are placed within miniature ecru vases purchased on a Spring trip to Nell Hill's.





Lidded white urns, purchased a few Seasons ago at Nell Hill's somewhat
reminiscent of statuary Garden urns, bring a touch of Summer indoors.

For ambient lighting, as dinner hour leads into an enchanted evening,
I encircled the Garden urns with soft scented tealights.

I, also strung two cut glass strands of beads along either side of the centerpiece 
to capture the sparkle of the flickering candlelight.







This enchanted evening tablescape,
although romantic enough for two, has been set for four.







Classical piano music plays softly in the background
while the fragrant scents of freshly harvested heady lavender, 
blackberry and sage infused tealights evoke an enchanted evening.






Soft scented candle light,
classical piano music , freshly harvested lavender and lighting bugs. . . 
On Crooked Creektt it's an enchanted evening!


Until next time. . .


On Crooked Creektt will be joining



And. . .



And. . .



And. . .



And. . .




Each and every week,
seeds of inspiration bloom from these host and hostesses linky parties.
Be sure to visit and delight your family dwelling with brilliant interior design.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Herb Butter!

I detest being out~of~doors!!!
I detest flying insects!!!


On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden 2014!

But, in order to have fresh herbs. . .
I braved the elements and the flying insects, 
and gathered enough herbs to make Herb Butter!!!



Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, Rosemary, 
Lemon Thyme(Regular), Lemon Thyme(Variegated) and Sweet Basil!



Sweet Basil is my all~time f a v o r i t e herb!!!



Followed closely by Flat Leaf Italian Parsley!!!


Lemon Thyme (Regular) on the left. . .
Lemon Thyme (Variegated) on the right!

Lemon Thyme not only has a beautiful variegated appearance,
it is also, a  h i g h l y fragrant herb!

Added to a stick of softened b u t t e r,
and oh, my goodness. . .something magical happens!!!



Once I bring the herbs indoors,
I keep them in running water while I clean and separate each variety.






Then,
I place them immediately into individual glasses 
filled with fresh, cool tap water.



Since I had already set the unsalted butter on the counter to soften
before I journeyed to the Herb Garden, 
I was ready to begin preparing the herbs.

* * * * * * * Tip * * * * * * *


You will find that I prepare my herbs without using any of the stems!


I am adamant about this process!!!



I prefer my herbs have the most decadent flavor from each individual herb
and have found that leaving the stem portion can make the herbs bitter!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Finely chopped Sweet Basil, Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
and the Lemon Thyme prepared and awaiting being added to the whipped butter.



Whipping the unsalted b u t t e r enhances the taste 
and gives a decadent appearance to the finished product!

I added less than 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
to bring out the ultimate flavors of all the ingredients!



Then,
I sprinkled the individual h e r b s atop the whipped b u t t e r!


Lemon Thyme (Variegated).


Flat Leaf Italian Parsley.


Sweet Basil.




Next,
I gently folded the h e r b s into the whipped butter to combine.



Using a piece of waxed paper,
I placed the contents of the bowl into the middle of the paper
and shaped into a log.





After placing a few more pieces of Sweet Basil atop the h e r b butter,
I gently wrapped the butter and placed into the refrigerator to harden, once again.



This h e r b butter can be used on warm breads, 
for seasoning vegetables
and my all ~ time favorite. . .
place a pad of herb butter atop a freshly grilled steak, 
cover with foil and indulge!

I just repeated the process for the second stick of butter,
then placed this stick of herb butter into the freezer until needed or for gifting!


On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden 2014!

Braving the elements and gathering herbs
in On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden
makes all the toil involved worth every bite of this decadent herb butter!!!


Until next time. . .



On Crooked Creektt will be joining



And. . .



And. . .



And. . .



And. . .




Each and every week,
seeds of inspiration bloom from these host and hostesses linky parties.
Be sure to visit and delight your family dwelling with brilliant interior design.