Liberty Blues Fourth of July

 

 

 

Let us hear it for the red, white, and blue this Fourth of July!  Here at the Red Couch Recipes home we are festooned in red, white, and blue.  As some of you know, we moved to the Spokane area.  Much of my things are still in boxes, as we are moving again soon.  Lucky find!  I found my Liberty Blue dinner plates.   I haven't posted a tablescape in ages....

 

I only have the dinner plates.  Don't you just love the detail on the sides?

 

 

I set up the table outside.  A-hem, my husband has been building a 3-D printer on our dining room table.  Good thing we love to eat dinner outside!  I have no intention of using these dinner plates on the 4th of July.  I plan to be somewhere cool on a lake.  Washington has been hot, hot, hot lately.

 

I love using bandanas as napkins; they are so festive and bright, and it doesn't hurt either that they wash up so well.

 

Life looked through a bubbly glass is sweeter.

 



 

The patio space in this rental home is not like our old deck, but we still eat here almost every night.  

 



Thanks for dropping by my RED COUCH!

Posted with Tablescape Thursday.

Patriotic Piggies

Wishing you a great 4th of July from Red Couch Recipes.

Talley's cute little piggies!

My daughter and six of the girls her age came to my home for Activity Days (LDS Church program for girls 8-11 years) and we talked about being a good citizen and the reason we celebrate 4th of July.  I painted all of their toes in patriotic colors and applied the little flower stickers and sealed them with clear fingernail polish.  As you can see from the top picture, I got in the mood for the 4th of July and painted my piggies too.

From my Piggies to yours, have a great 4th!

Posted with the following:  I'm Lov'n It

Liberty Blue for the 4th of July

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes and my Liberty Blues Tablescape for the 4th of July!

The Liberty Blue line was produced for the United States' Bicentennial in 1976.  They were an incentive for  customers of the Ben Franklin Savings and Loan and later were used as promotion items at grocery stores.  If I would have been older then, I would have been all over these.  As a young girl, I conned asked my mother to buy me a series of history books.  Later in college I wanted to become a history major, but felt that I couldn't get a job and took a different direction; I did get a history minor.  The dinner plates feature Independence Hall and other pieces feature historical people or scenes such as Monticello or Betsy Ross.  I love the border of the plate.  I first saw this pattern on Beth's, Beyond the Garden Gate blog and fell in love with it.  Thanks Beth for the tip; it is readily available on Ebay.

I tucked a Bachelor Button inside each napkin ring.  Last year my dear husband sprinkled wildflower seeds all over in the bare spaces of our backyard -- these Bachelor Buttons came back this year-- love them.  I bought the blue "daisy" bowl years ago.  It is very impractical as it cannot hold much -- it works to add color to the table.

I really, planned to do a table without red this week, but what would the 4th of July be without flags?

Here's the placesetting.

I hope you have a great 4th of July and take a bit of time to remember our founding fathers who bravely took the step to declare our Independence 235 years ago.

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.

Posted with the following:  Tablescape Thursday

Patriotic Popcorn Bars

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes!

Looking for a 4th of July treat that you can whip up in minutes and is sure to please your kids?  These popcorn balls fit the bill.  They are over-sized, fun and tasty.  If you have been around my blog at all, you know that I like to create with Jell-O; these popped into my mind the other day.

To make these giant-sized bars, you make the Jell-O popcorn recipe three times with three different flavors of of Jell-O.  I used cherry, berry blue, and lemon Jell-O.  I also used a dab of food coloring in the cherry and berry blue batches; this is optional.

Jell-O Popcorn Recipe

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 small package Jell-O ( 3 ounce size)

Popcorn -- I used my air pop popcorn maker -- it makes 12-13 cups of popcorn.

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Pop popcorn and place in large bowl.  Place syrup, sugar, and Jell-O in small sauce pan.  Stir well then bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute.  Do not over boil as the mixture can turn hard. Pour over popcorn and mix well until the popcorn is covered with they syrup mixture.  Butter your hands and put popcorn in large baking pan and press firmly and tap popcorn down into pan.

Layer the popcorn flavors in a large pan.  My 13x 9 x2 was too small so I put them in a roaster pan.  Make sure you butter the pan.

Turn pan out on parchment or waxed paper.

Cut into large blocks.  I used both a serrated knife and an electric knife -- this was the only semi-difficult thing to do as the bars are very thick.

I thank you for dropping by Red Couch Recipes and I hope you make these for someone you love.

Posted with the following:  Sweets for a Saturday, Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday, Wow Us Wednesdays

My Country's Flag Tablescape

Welcome to my Flag Day Tablescape!  I love our flag and the colors of red, white, and blue. 

"My flag, My flag My country's flag,

I love to see you wave." 

The salad plates are by Warren Kimball, the "Spirit of the Flag" dishes sold many years ago at Target; there are four different plates.

My in-laws are very patriotic people.  This Flag Day my father-in-law lamented about the lack of flags out on flag day.   Of course, they had a flag posted in their lawn on Flag Day.

"My flag, my flag, my country's flag,

The banner of the brave."

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The dinner plate is brown reactive ware.  I picked up eight dinner plates at Tai Pan Trading on clearance for ninety-seven cents each.  Each piece is individual and unique and they have such a pretty finish.

Here's the place setting.  We use these red "hobnail bowls"  all the time.  They are ovenproof and are great as over-sized ramekins for individual casseroles.  I picked them up at Michael's on clearance earlier this year for fifty cents.

"Wave on, wave on forever,

The banner of the free."

My "bubbly" glass view with patriotic straws from the Dollar Store.

Bandannas -- perfect for patriotic tables.  My red pots with geraniums and lemon thyme light up my deck table.

I've placed flags in the vent holes of the red lantern which make it look so festive.

"Wave on, wave on forever,

The flag of liberty." -- LDS Children's Songbook

Thanks for dropping by my "Our Country's Flag Tablescape at Red Couch Recipes

Posted with the following parties:  Tablescape Thursday, Summer Blog Party, Wow Us Wednesdays

Fireworks Cookies

Get ready for the 4th of July with these "Fireworks Cookies" -- they will add some pop, crack , and sizzle to your celebration.  When I spied the cover, of the current Martha Stewart issue, I knew I would be making a version of the featured cookies. So light up the 4th with these colorful cookies.

They are surprising simple, and forgiving to make.  Just whip up a batch of these "No-Fail" Sugar cookies and some Royal Icing.

No Fail Sugar Cookie Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

6 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Mix well.

Roll to desired thick and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or just until beginning to turn brown around the edges. I like to roll them at least 1/4 to 1/3 inch-thick; they just taste so good thick. Also be sure to check them at 8 minutes with the first pan. Most likely, especially if they are thick and large cookies, you will need time, but just to be sure, check them early.

Royal Icing Recipe

Makes about six cups of icing

7-1/2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

6 tablespoons meringue powder

12 tablespoons warm water

Beat in a stand mixer for about 4-5 minutes until smooth. You may have to add a slight bit of water, if it is too thick for you to outline the borders of your cookies. If the icing is too thin, then add more powdered sugar. When adding water, do so carefully. You can use a decorator tip or bottle to make the outline. Outline your cookies and allow them to dry for at least one hour. For flow consistency, filling in your cookies within the outline, you will need to add additional water. Fill in with the help of the back of a spoon; back up the icing to the border. When all the feathered, firecracker or psychedelic details are added, let dry overnight.

Pipe an outline of the cookie -- this is a stiff version of the Royal Icing.  Flood the cookie with the back of a spoon and back it up to the outline -- see details above. While the flooded cookie is still wet, you can pipe the elements described below.  It is best to work with one cookie at a time.

Firecracker or Pinwheel Effect -- Bottom Left and Right Cookies

 

Flood cookie with white Royal Icing.  For the "firecracker" look, pipe concentric circles in your choice of colors.  The circles don't have to be perfect -- mine weren't :). 

With a toothpick, drag lines from the center circle to the outward circle. 

Psychedelic Cookies

Flood cookie with white Royal Icing. Pipe colors randomly on cookie. Drag toothpick in swirling motions.

Feathered Cookies -- Top Right

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Flood cookies with white Royal Icing.  For the feather cookie, pipe lines across the cookie, then drag, with a toothpick, the piped lines from top to bottom.

All the Cookies

I have included a "hand-drawn" guide below for the firecracker or pinwheel cookies and the feathered cookies.

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch today.

Posted with the following:  Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Show and Tell, These Chicks Cooked Linky Party, Summer Blog Party, I'm Lovn' It, Tickled Pink, For the Kid's Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Wow Us Wednesdays, Workshop Wednesdays, Hookin' Up With Hepworths, A Themed Baker's Sunday

Time to Remember: Memorial Day Tablescape

Memorial Day is a Time to Remember, a time to reflect on those who have served in military service and lost their lives.  It is also a time to remember those who have lost their loved ones.  In my youth, Memorial Day festivities would always involve a visit to the cemetary to place or plant flowers at the graves of our loved ones.

I am sorry but I give up on commenting tonight; I am not successful.  Hope Blogger gets this fixed.

Thanks to all of you for the Birthday Wishes.  I am trlly blessed!  I received a couple of early birthday presents yesterday.  I went to bed last night smiling because we just found out that my son got a decent grade -- better than I hoped for-- in his Algebra II class; he had been struggling this past quarter and I was worried.  Tomorrow is their last day of school and I am sooooo happy.  Then, the Betty Crocker Facebook page linked to my Patriotic Groove Cookies yesterday.  I received around 7,000 pageviews as a result of their link.  Just goes to show you that "Betty" is still a very popular gal!

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Today I set a Memorial Day table in my favorite colors of red, white, and blue; in fact I think red, white, and blue can be used all summer long; I plan to :).

Lots of RED going on here which gives the table lots of energy. 

Week Number Four using the Red Pots :), but who is counting?

I love bandanas as napkins, how about you?  They are inexpensive and soft to the touch.

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch to view my Memorial Day Tablescape.

Table Information:

Wal-Mart:  Placemats, Red Plates, Blue Floral Salad Plates, Bandanas, Flatware

Michael's:  Red "Hobnail" -- on clearance for 50 cents each

Sister-in-Law Camille:  Star Plates

Red Goblets:  Costco

Posted with the following parties:  Tablescape Thursday

Patriotic Groove Cookies

Let's hear it for the Red, White, and Blue!

I have been cookie crafting a bit in the kitchen recently and I came up with these Patriotic Groove Cookies.  Don't you think they would make a splash on your Memorial Day or 4th of July Table? 

Patriotic Groove Cookies

Recipe and Instructions

1 cup sugar

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Red and Blue Coloring

Mix sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and almond extract, and egg. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until well incorporated.  Divide dough in three equal parts.  Leave one part uncolored for the white dough; color one part of dough with red coloring; color another part of dough with blue coloring.  Form all three dough parts into rounds.  Then flatten into disks.  and cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Sometimes I cheat and place the rounds in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  Take dough and combine the three colors to make a cookie, about tablespoon size or a little larger.    Place cookie dough balls on baking sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for about 5 minutes.

Notes:  I loaded my colors into a cookie scoop, but you could just press the colors together to make them.  If you DO use a cookie scoop, make sure you clean the scoop out, with a paper towel, after you form each cookie so that the colors won't transfer.  The cookie recipe is from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I have used this basic recipe many times in my cookie crafting.

The Three Doughs

Loaded in the Cookie Scoop

 "There’s a dear old flag floating over land and sea

And beneath its folds all men alike are free

Tis the emblem of a righteous liberty
The old red, white, and blue."

Partial lyrics to the song, "The Old Rd, White, and Blue."

Cooling...Almost Ready to Eat

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch!  I hope you will add some pizazz to your Memorial Day or 4th of July table with these cookies.

Posted with the following:

Made By You Monday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays