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

Cindy @ Dwellings ~The Heart Of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday!

And. . .

Christine @ Rustic and Refined for Table It!

And. . .

Karen @ Karen's Up On The Hill for Something To Talk About!

And. . .

Debra @ Common Ground for Share Your Style!

And. . .

Jody and Stan @ Rooted In Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays!

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.

Life Is Fragile. . .

Music speaks to me.
It motivates me when I'm creating and designing.
It calms and soothes my inner soul.

Today, 
music uplifted me.

Life is fragile.
My life is fragile.
Today, I felt fragile and vulnerable.

I turned on my classical piano music 
and before I knew it, 
I was removing the linens in On Crooked Creektt's Dining Room.

No pencil / paper layout to follow.
No prior inspiration to re~create.
I allowed the music to speak to my creative spirit.

I placed a freshly ironed vintage white damask tablecloth 
on our extended table as a base for our tablescape.

First, 
I placed a creamy ivory, khaki and yellow embossed runner atop the tablecloth. 

Next, 
I added the requested khaki linen place mats.

Our newest dinnerware in creamy ivory and embossed curvy edges
seemed to flow with the chords of the music playing softly in the background.

I admired the way it accents the bird dessert / salad plate
giving it a more stately presence within the place setting.

Everyday Oneida flatware accompanied by our everyday clear bubble glassware,
with dishwasher ease, keep clean~up to a minimum.

I added the bird cup and saucer mimicking those that frequent the bird feeders 
in On Crooked Creektt's Gardens beyond the patio doors.

Gathering the crocheted edged linen khaki cloth napkin
inside my chippy bird napkin rings and placing it on an angle 
atop the dessert /salad and dinner fork softens the place setting 
and follows the angle of the table runner.

My centerpiece, 
a family of white reticulated glass birds on garden orbs and pedestals.

A laser cut sea shell blossom serves as the flora atop my wrought iron footed tray.

Looking up,
I catch a glimpse of "Mr. Ed" as he works diligently 
at another of On Crooked Creektt's 2015 Projects.

As the symphony swells,
my entire mood shifts and I, too am uplifted.

Gentle reminders that my  life is continually filled with abundance
On Crooked Creektt becomes evident everywhere I gaze.

Once again, 
the music stirs a sense of peace within my soul.

I am grateful for the blessings within my life and my home.

Life's fragile moments, 
combined with vulnerability,
changed in an instant through the language of music.

Until next time. . .

On Crooked Creektt will be joining

Cindy @ Dwellings ~ The Heart Of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday!

And. . .

Christine @ Rustic and Refined for Table It!

And. . .

Karen @ Karen's Up On The Hill for Something To Talk About!

And. . .

Debra @ Common Ground for Share Your Style!

And. . .

Jody and Stan @ Rooted In Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays!

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.

From Whence Inspiration Abounds. . .

Returning to my Traditional roots in home design
has made my life more content and tranquil here On Crooked Creektt.

"Mr. Ed" and I have worked many interior design changes
titled 2015 Projects since January, 
however, the lower level Family Room 
continually presents itself with multiple design challenges.

This long, narrow room makes me seek into the very depths of my inner designer
to try to accomplish a symmetrical seating and dining arrangement 
while using the furniture pieces we own.

Recently, as I was purging through past publications of Southern Cottage,
I was inspired by the Traditional Southern Cottage Style 
combining rich patina of heritage collections 
with the fresh appeal to modern day living.

I guess you could call this my "Ah~ ha Moment"!

On page 10 titled Relaxed ELEGANCE, 
under the Traditional & TRUE section, I began to see similarities.

Our English roll arm club chairs were similar to 
Relaxed ELEGANCE wing back chairs.

Another Relaxed ELEGANCE similarity 
was in the over sized coffee tables and the long neutral sofas.

And while I didn't have a Relaxed ELEGANCE over sized club chair,
I do have a comfortable heritage chair and a round table within the Family Room.

While On Crooked Creektt's 1970's Ranch Style Home 
doesn't have symmetrical bookcases on either side of the fireplace,
I compensated by positioning the TV stand and the vintage record cabinet
on opposite sides to bring balance to the space.

I still had that one awkward space where we descend the stairs.
This area is wider than the rest of the lower level Family Room
and features the red chicken wire cabinet, quite nicely.

A special thank you to my blog friend, Kathy @ Sharing 
Shadymont for her recent post on Furniture Rearrange At Lake House (here). 

Once I saw the difference Kathy made to her living area 
by moving a wing chair to the bedroom, 
I knew that moving this armed dining chair from the back of the Family Room 
to the front was what was needed to make sense of this awkward space
merging it into the Relaxed ELEGANCE Traditional design.

My goal with or lower level Family Room was to create a design
that reflects our current everyday life style 
and to bring the furniture pieces closer to the focal point. . .our fireplace.

Each and every week,
I stand in awe at the continual inspiration I receive 
from the ever amazing host and hostesses linky parties in The Land of Blog!

It is from these parties and Traditional design publications 
that I obtain some of my greatest inspirations for my own home decor!

One just never knows from whence inspiration abounds. . .

Until next time. . .

On Crooked Creektt will be joining

Cindy @ Dwellings ~ The Heart Of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday!

And. . .

Karen @ Karen's Up On The Hill for Something To Talk About!

And. . .

Christine @ Rustic and Refined for Table It!

And. . .

 Debra @ Common Ground for Share Your Style!

And. . .

Jody and Stan @ Rooted In Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays!

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.