Lake Bluff Farmers Market inspires the Menu

Farmer's Markets are plentiful in the Midwest during the summer months. My town, Lake Bluff, has a great one. Local growers bring a huge selection of fresh vegetables and flowers. Honey, fresh baked goods, dips, olive oil, olives, hummus, granola and the best cheeses are all available to purchase. I always determine my weekend menus on what inspires me at the market. Beets are a favorite of my family and the orange beets are the largest I have ever seen. Fresh crookneck squash will be fried with bacon and onions, while the gorgeous large blackberries will make a yummy cobbler. Cheeses with mustard seeds and nettle are available this week. Nettle cheese is a seasonal treat, made with stinging nettles. When the nettles are cooked, the stinging sensation is removed from the herb and it is delicious in cheese. The soft mild blue cheese will be awesome on the center cut beef filets from the local meat market, The Daily Grind. Scones of blackberries and peaches will be delicious served with the fresh peaches from Michigan for breakfast on Sunday. And I couldn't resist the little bouquets of the vivid colors of zinnias- so pretty on my summer porch. S'more brownies and miniature pecan pies are treats to share and look so pretty under the French Pastry server ( they just arrived at Romancing the Home!).

Berry Cobbler Recipe - The simplest ever! Melt 3/4 stick of butter in a 9 inch square pan. Mix together 2/3 cup each of milk, flour and sugar. Whisk in 1 1/2 t. baking powder. Pour into pan of melted butter. Add 2. cups of berries to the top of the batter. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake for 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven. Delish. This recipe is from Horsepasture Christian Church cookbook from the year 1977. This church is located in Southwest Virginia and is the home to many good cooks, including my aunts!

Dinner Party Tablescape in Purple and Orange

Love this shade of orange ribbon!

What a beautiful centerpiece - made by Mariterese from flowers from the Farmer's market!

Little tussie mussies of fresh herbs and scented geraniums adorn each napkin.

Vintage crystal and Arte Italica- very pretty glasses to enjoy the wine!


Mariterese's courtyard reminds me of being in New Orleans- very, very lush.

The weather in Chicago is absolutely perfect for an evening of alfresco dining! A dinner of Apricot Chicken, grilled asparagus and pasta salad- yum! The purple chargers from Romancing the Home are the perfect compliment to the vintage yellow and gold dinnerware. The gold and cream tiger motif napkins are the unexpected "pop" on the table. I hope the lucky guests enjoy the evening- Bon Appetit! Be sure to visit www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for other inspiring tables.

Paris Bistro Inspiration

New velvet pumpkins just arriving for fall- love the new turquoise.

A customer favorite- the basil and lemon olive oils.

New French wicker wine bottles, olive oil jars and cutting boards.
Love the new Rolling Cart with the cutting board.

Notices the old lithography stone --great for serving a cheese board.

Another shot of the lithography stone- dates to the mid 1800's.

We love this new style of plateau. On top are our new candles from New Orleans. My favorite is the Crepe Myrtle scent.

Every time I return from a major buying trip, I am inspired to re-merchandise the store. Since casual entertaining is an American way of life, we decided to expand our casual dining and kitchen accessory area. Because we love the French style of design, our overall theme is Paris Bistro. Anchoring this bistro is a beautiful kitchen with grey distressed knotty alder cabinets and zinc counter tops. A mirror, aged and distressed with a French bakery theme, is in the center of the kitchen. As new merchandise arrives, we are expanding the space to include the large cabinets across the aisle. We are expecting a new shipment this week from Napa Valley that includes some wonderful pastry domes, menu cards, and iron candelabras. As they come in, I'll share pictures with you. We also found some great new foodie treats at market that I can't wait to show you! Stay tuned!

Garden Statues

Lynda came to visit in June with two of her Atlanta girlfriends, Donna and Debbie. Donna has been taking photography classes and spent some time photographing our garden. She just sent the pictures to me. I love the way she captured the statuary - it almost looks as though they can speak to you. Some of the pictures were taken at night, creating a magical glow around the flowers, particularly the pink rose. I just love them and think I'll create some note cards with the images. Thanks Donna!

A Paris Apartment in Illinois???

A sweet little sitting area in the kitchen!
A little French settee with votives and a collected bunch of pink flowers - how pretty!



A French pastry table filled with delectable sweets under cloches for dessert!



Notice the wonderful old pressed glass cake plates and the incredible pottery dome!





For appetiser- a soft cheese, surrounded by fresh cherries and pepperoni- so pretty!





Just look at these gorgeous cherries- what a great idea on an antipasto platter!





One elegant single rose in a venetian vase!


One can tell Christy's a cook by her collection of cookware on her stove!


Dessert under glass- can't wait!



The buffet table - a white azalea surrounded by satellite vases of white phlox.





What a great idea for the powder room- a plate rack used as a towel rack


with small pictures tucked in the center!





A beautiful daybed off to the side in the great room!




Great collection of vintage busts and books!



What a bed to dream in- sweet dreams forever! so so pretty!



A compact , yet efficient and elegant computer area in the bedroom.

Sometimes you get lucky and get invited to an enchanting home for dinner. Christy invited a group of us to dinner tonight. Arriving, I felt as though I was in Paris, in an exquisite apartment, and being treated to a dinner by a private gourmet chef. Christy has a collection of beautiful crystal, silver and art that creates a magical home. I love her talent for mixing heirlooms and new finds and creating a cozy space of her own. I had to share pictures of her home with you.

Being an Italian girl, she's an outgoing hostess and put on quite the spread! Dinner was relaxed and delish! Summer pasta, made with home made linguine, a sausage and cheese salad and her special bruschetta- how much better could it get? A crazy thunderstorm occurred during dinner and made us happy to be inside enjoying this wonderful dinner with friends.

An Enchanted Arbor

Imagine my surprise when I return home from my Atlanta road trip and round the corner to my driveway and see this enchanting arbor! Mr. Rth had surprised me with an arbor built from the limbs of the old Juniper trees that we had removed earlier in the season. Our neighbor, Dave, and he had worked really hard to get it done while I was gone. It's not quite finished - there's a table going across the center for seasonal displays. It sits in the middle of a row of Arborvitae and centers on my herb garden. Dave, being the artist and designer of the team, built a copula on the top to mimic the trim above the windows of our 130 year old home. I can't wait to see it frosted in snow and ice in the winter season. What a wonderful addition to our garden!

Green and Orange Accents on the Table

Things are starting to come in from our orders at the gift show. The purple, green and orange pansy dishes arrived Thursday and Candy has already displayed them in the window. Purple chargers enhance the chartreuse and orange salad plates. We have mixed them with vintage Pickard gilded cups and saucers. The tall candelabra lamp softly glows in the background and beckons one to sit a spell. Note the cute little butter servers with the seed pearls. A silk green thrown is casually displayed on the 1930's gilded chair to play up the yummy green dishes. A Noir pier mirror leans against the wall in the background.