Lunar New Year Tablescape

I guess I have begun to blog about once a year now!  

Not every year, but most years, we celebrate the Lunar New Year's.  This year we invited a cute family from our church over for dinner.  What was on the menu?  We had Lemon Chicken and Pork Dumplings, Basmati Rice, and Almond Cookies.  I have been making the Lemon Chicken for over 40 years now, but the Pork Dumplings were added to our Lunar Menu a few years ago.  The Pork Dumplings were a huge hit with the pre-teen and teenage boy of the family we invited for dinner.  They wished I had made more, and their mom called for the recipe later.  Today, I am just showing my table, and I have plans to post the Pork Dumpling Recipe later.  You can find the Lemon Chicken recipe here on my blog.  Here is a picture of it.  It is funny, I was deep frying to the last minute, and I did not take pictures of the Lemon Chicken, Rice or Almond Cookies we had for dessert.  I apologize for the lighting; we held the dinner at night, and the lighting is not so great.

 Here is a picture of the full table.  Inside the snake envelopes was a dollar coin and chocolate coins for everyone at the table.  The giving of red envelopes is called "hongbao" during the Lunar New Year

Mandarin oranges symbolize prosperity, good fortune, and happiness.  Red is a prominent color during the Lunar New Year symbolizing luck, happiness, and prosperity.  The brass Chinese characters were bought many moons ago in Chinatown in San Francisco.  I believe they symbolize double happiness and long life.  I am not totally sure about this.

This is a mirror right by our table.  I bought the fans, napkins, chopsticks, and red envelopes from Oriental Trading Company.  I have four children that live away from us, and this year I sent a package at the end of January that included Valentine's things and Lunar New Year things like napkins, envelopes, fans, and fortune cookies.

I bought the Chinese strawberry candies from World Market.  The boys enjoyed them.

This is a huge Chinese dragon puppet my sister Jackie gave me years ago.  I didn't have room for him on my table...LOL, so I placed him on our piano.

Well for now I bid farewell.  One of my favorite things in life is to prepare a special meal for people for people I love.

Top of the Mornin' To You

So do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?   Whether you are Irish or not, it is always fun to show off your green.  My childhood memories are of always having corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for St. Patrick's Day.  The community I grew up in were always ready for Friday night fish fries, and they were always ready to put on the green.

So, just a little note, I have not blogged for awhile, but I hope to begin again.  Life got the best of me....

It is always fun to have a little chocolate decorating the plate.

When my children were going to elementary school, big contests were held to see which child from each grade level would wear the most green.  Sadly, my children always lost.

The gold and white plates were from TJ Maxx last Christmas.  The green plates were from World Market at Christmas time a couple of years ago;I have matching red ones.

I have used these bubble glasses for so many occasions.  I love them.  The green candlesticks were from when we were first married, and we have been married for thirty years!

The napkins rings actually have fall leaves embossed on them, but if you won't tell, I won't tell!

Just another view of the table.

For dessert, how about some chocolate cupcakes with Andes mints on top?

This gives a better view of the two-toned cupcakes.

I hope you enjoyed this table, and I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day, with love from Red Couch Recipes.

Posted with Between Naps on the Porch.

Easter Fresh

Dear Red Couch Readers, I have been missing in action for over three months.  We lost one of our sons in January, just 31, and it has been hard to come to terms with it.

I have thought of blogging again, but not until Easter have I done anything about it.  Easter for us is more than bunnies, eggs, and chicks.  Yes, we love those things, and it is always nice to have soothing "fresh" colors around after a hard winter.  Easter for me, means that because our Savior Jesus Christ died for us, and took upon our sins, that life is not over after we die.  We believe that we will see Chris again, and that he will be healed.  Because of Jesus Christ, we have hope.  I cannot imagine losing a son and not having this hope.  So just because I am featuring bunnies on this table; I want you to know how thankful and grateful I am for our Savior this Easter time, and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father loved us so much that he sent his son.  He truly is our source of life. 

We bought these little egg cups years ago, and I just love their little legs and shoes.

I have a small collection of these "faux" chocolate bunnies.  Just don't take a bite of one.

The blue bunny glasses were acquired last year. 

The sterling was brought out for the occasion.  The bunnies like the good stuff!

The little vintage post card screen is so cute, and it provides a nice backdrop.  The little egg plates are new this year.

Here is a better shot of it.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter with you and yours.  I have missed blogging, and I have missed you and your kind visits and comments.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Posted with Tablescape Thursday

Getting the Christmas Tree Tablescape

I walked into Wal-Mart and could not resist these plates by Better Homes and Gardens.  I do not need new Christmas salad plates, but they beckoned and I answered.  I love the scene that it evokes, of times when we used to get a fresh tree.  In my childhood we did have wood-paneled station wagon, not quite as cool, and we used to go cut down our trees.

I set the table with these green napkins that I bought at Wal-Mart several years ago and the napkin rings I bought from the Style Sisters.

Here's a side view of the table.

Another view of the table.

I added a little candy cane interest with these candles and...

the candy canes on the table.

This table makes me smile!

I will share the recipe for the Cranberry Cheese Cake Bars soon.

Thanks for dropping by!

Posted with Tablescape Thursday.

Celebrating Thanksgiving With the Neighbors

Hello Red Couch Readers, I want to share with you my Thanksgiving with my adorable neighbors.  They are next-door neighbors, and we really lucked out to live next to them.  They have three sweet daughters, and they just had an addition to their family on Saturday , a little boy!

This is the dining room we ate.  Ashley, the mom and wife, always does such a good job decorating.

 She made a cute butcher paper table cloth with painted handprints of her daughters and the parents.

Everyone was given a crayon so that we could write what we were thankful for.

 She had a beautiful centerpiece.

A close up of the centerpiece.

 Each placesetting had this cute sign.

 Using the crayon to write what we are thankful for.

Winco grocery store sells butter molded into turkeys for Thanksgiving and butter molded into Christmas trees for Christmas.

I love this chalkboard wall, where she always has something interesting posted.

Desserts on Log Cakestands

She made lovely hand pies.

Alice, Their Youngest

Their Middle Child, June, With Our Talley

Their Oldest Child

B. J, the Husband and Dad

Ashleyis a woman with a lot of style.  She delivered her baby two days later.  You might ask, why we didn't have Thanksgiving at our home?  We offered, but she wanted to do it.

It was a lovely Thanksgiving spent with good neighbors and friends.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Posted with Tablescape Thursday

Thanksgiving Turkey Table

Whew, how did November come, and now it is mid-November?  I have always wanted to take a picture of my Thanksgiving table with the turkey on the table, and it finally happened!  I love setting a Thanksgiving table, the fall colors are just so warm and inviting.

The star of the table, of course, are these turkey plates by Myott.  I love them!  I bought some, and my sister Jacqueline gave me some, so I have salad and dinner plates for twelve.

I bought these compote dishes from a Christmas Tree store in Virginia.  I think they were thirty-nine cents!  The napkin holders add some bling; I won them from Kathleen in my early days of blogging.  I tucked a fall pick in for extra color.

Just a side view of the table. The chargers were on discount at Wal-Mart many years ago, but I think they still have them.

This turkey server was on our Thanksgiving table when I was young.  It is perfect for holding stuffing.

Just a view through a bubbly glass.

Just one more view of the napkin.

And the moment I have been waiting for....the turkey.  Okay, so the turkey doesn't look like Southern Living, but I love finally getting a shot of my turkey with my table.  Usually, we just dive in and eat before I can get photos taken. 

I hope you are able to share time with your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Posted with Tablescape Thursday.