JBigg: Life in Kentucky: February 2016

Baked Cabbage Steaks & Ham Salad

Last week I posted about learning to create a "peninsulascape" in my remodeled kitchen. Lots of messages were left on the post and I sure appreciate each and every one of them. I used a centerpiece of fresh cabbage, a Bordallo Pinheiro platter, and a BP pitcher filled with fresh flowers.

What I didn't get to share with you was the food I made for the luncheon.

I saw this recipe for Baked Cabbage Steaks on line from Maw's & Friends's Favorite Recipe Book. The recipe has been shared around on FaceBook; so I decided to give it a try.

Preheat the oven to 400, then wash and remove outer leaves of a head of cabbage. Cut each slice 1 inch to 1.5 inch steaks. Brush both slides with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. I baked them about 40 minutes so the edges start to brown.

I am not a huge cabbage fan but decided to try it, especially since it is so low cal.

Ham salad and a few crackers were added to the menu and served on the cabbage dishes. Glad I added the ham salad to the menu, since the cabbage was just ok.

Thanks for stopping by for cabbage steaks and ham salad; plus another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy

Linking to:

Monday Yellow Mellows

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Winter Blues Wednesday@ DIY by Design

Refresh Your Space @ Jennifer Rizzo

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Essence of Home

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

DIY Sunday Showcase @ The Interior Frugalista - Saturday

Table It Link Party @ Life and Linda

Sundays at Home @ Love of Home

Inspiration Monday @ Our Southern Home

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Dishing It and Digging It @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

Early St. Patty's Day Tablescape with Bordallo Pinheiro

With St. Patty's Day coming up in March, the green is coming out. I know so many of us have Bordallo Pinheiro green cabbage dishes but I just love them and felt it was the perfect time to use them on my table.

We have been going through a move to Kentucky and a kitchen remodel. At this house I have a peninsula and want to learn the best way to feature some of my tablescape on it. So this is my first attempt to design a tablescape on the peninsula. Wonder if there is a term for a tablescape on a peninsula? Peninsulascape? Any body know, please enlighten me!!

Between April Cornell and the BP, the place setting was easy to create. I always enjoy using April's placemats, tablecloths or napkins. Such pretty designs and beautiful colors and not too pricey.

I thought I had the matching napkins for this placemat but I wasn't able to put my hands on them; I brought out yellow napkins to mimic the brighter yellow in the placemats. The yellow and green in the placemat were such warm colors, I used the gold silverware.

I started placing two of the placemats along the peninsula. The green goblets are $tree, I know thousands of us have these and they work so well with our tables.

Then a third placemat and setting was added. Plus I tried moving the napkins to the goblet.

Don't think I like the napkin in the goblet. But now the dilemma began, where to put the centerpiece. I planned to use a Bardallo pitcher filled with flowers and a BP platter. When I was just using one placemat, I thought the centerpiece with two pieces was enough.

As more placemats and place settings were added, it got harder. My centerpiece seemed too small. I added a head of fresh cabbage to the centerpiece grouping to make it larger.

I like the centerpiece sitting with one placemat but I didn't like it at the end of the three place settings.

I moved the three piece centerpiece to the center of the three placemats. Plus I added a towel on a towel rack at the end to add a little something extra.

The towel was embroidered by my friend JoAnn over at Jo on Legacy Lane. She is working on getting her blog up and going after being away from it for a while. She makes beautiful quilts so I believe she is going to feature some of those. I am encouraging her to get it going, she has such talent and an eye for decorating.

I can see that I have some improvements to make with planning my centerpieces to use on the peninsula. I think I need more pieces for the centerpiece to use along the placemats. What do you think, give me some advice?

Thanks for stopping by for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

PS - Don't forget to give me some much needed advice for tablescaping on a peninsula. Thanks.

Linking to:

Monday Yellow Mellows

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Winter Blues Wednesday@ DIY by Design

Refresh Your Space @ Jennifer Rizzo

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Essence of Home

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Table It Link Party @ Life and Linda

Sundays at Home @ Love of Home

Inspiration Monday @ Our Southern Home

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

DIY Sunday Showcase @ The Interior Frugalista

They Belong to the Road - a beautiful story

This is a story I shared a few years back (2012) on my blog. It is so lovely that I wanted to share it with you again especially as the daffodils are starting to bloom and you might be looking for daffodils.

I was living in Missouri at that time and it was a beautiful day at 82 degrees. I wanted some daffodils for a tablescape I was working on and asked my husband to take me for a drive in the country and look for daffodils.

The story is so touching about the daffodils so please follow along.

We weren't having much luck finding any daffodils until we passed a very elderly man and woman who were cutting up tree limbs and burning them in the ditch across the road from their house.

Then just past the fence that marked their property, there were several clumps of daffodils and they were blooming. I was excited so see the daffodils next to the road.

We drove along the road a little further, turned the car around and headed back to ask about the flowers. I got out of the car and the woman walked over to me; I asked if the daffodils past the fence were hers and she said "no, they belong to the road." I simply smiled and asked if I could take some pictures and cut a few for my table.

I was glad I wore my rubber boots because it was muddy around the daffodils. I took my pictures and cut a few flowers and was just thrilled to get the flowers.

We stopped back by, I rolled down the window and thanked her for the flowers even though they "belonged to the road."

I was very quiet on the way home as I thought about her phrase "they belong to the road," and I knew I wanted to include the story in a post.

I hope you enjoyed the story along with the daffodils - Judy.

Posting to:

Monday Yellow Mellows

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Winter Blues Wednesday@ DIY by Design

Refresh Your Space @ Jennifer Rizzo

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Essence of Home

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Table It Link Party @ Life and Linda

Inspiration Monday @ Our Southern Home

Sundays at Home @ Love of Home

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

DIY Sunday Showcase @ The Interior Frugalista

Remodeling the Kitchen - hutch and inspiration

Our kitchen remodel is progressing. You may remember this was the original look of the wall opposite the sink area. Two cabinets and a desk; I have way too many dishes for that to work!

With my love of dishes and stemware, I knew I needed more storage space for these collections. Pinterest and Houzz were perfect places to look for kitchen inspiration. I found the ideal piece I knew would work in my six foot of wall space. Here is the inspiration piece for a kitchen hutch.

I wanted glass front doors, plus glass shelves and lighting inside the cabinets. I showed it to my cabinet maker and he said "no problem, we can make it." His drawing matched my requests exactly.

Wow, I have been so excited for this piece to arrive and now it has.

The bottom piece has drawers to store dishes. Stronger slides were added to sides of the drawers to support the weight of the dishes (many, many dishes).

The installers setting up the top piece of the unit. The hutch goes to the ceiling for added space since we only have 8 foot ceilings. Crown molding was added to complete the custom piece.

I added a garage to each end of the hutch to store big items like mixers and coffee pots. There are electrical outlets in each garage; the electrician is coming back next week to finish the outlets.

The countertops are LG Hausys Minuet quartz which has a soft grey veining. Nothing bold or shocking; one I could easily change accessories and still be happy with the look.

Here it is (plus a few dishes):

My daughter started filling the hutch and drawers for me with stemware and dishes while I was in St. Louis at my surgeon's office. I'm still hobbling from my recent knee revision and couldn't get on a ladder to clean the glass shelves so I was very appreciative of her help.

The backsplash guys installed the tile yesterday and the grout today. I bought a grout that never has to be sealed. The price was a little more but nothing further needed.

The tile is Urban Canvas Matte Light Smoke 2x4. The grout was still wet when I took this picture and will need to be sponged off again when it is completely dry. I'll show you another picture later.

Did you noticed the wire hanging from the hutch? It's the wire that goes to the under counter lighting that will be installed in a few days; more on that later. There is also puck lighting inside the cabinets that the electrician will finish up.

I'll leave you with a glimpse of what's been happening on the other side of the room.

Be sure to stop back for the completion of the kitchen. Thanks for stopping by for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Check out the rest of the kitchen remodel:

Remodeling the kitchen - hutch and inspiration

Remodeling the kitchen - new lighting

Remodeling the kitchen - sheet rock and a lesson learned

Remodeling the kitchen - tearing it out

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspiration Monday @ Our Southern Home

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Winter Blues Wednesday@ DIY by Design

Refresh Your Space @ Jennifer Rizzo

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Essence of Home

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

The Creative Circle @ Up to Date Interiors

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Table It Link Party @ Life and Linda

Sundays at Home @ Love of Home

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

DIY Sunday Showcase @ The Interior Frugalista

Looking Out the Window - The Eastern Bluebird

Looking out my window last week, I saw a beautiful bluebird with brilliant royal on its back and head plus warm red-brown on the breast.

Gosh, I wish I would have had our better camera instead of my iphone, but I didn't. It was snowing, windy, and cold. I was amazed how long the Eastern Bluebird sat on the branch. Maybe he was too cold to move.

I think I need to bring the other camera down and keep it close to the window for moments like these.

I read here that the Eastern Bluebird is a small thrush with a big, rounded head, large eye, lump body, and alert posture. The wings are are long, but the tail and legs are fairly short. The bill is short and straight.

He was very plump and I sure hope he is able to survive this snowy, cold day. Thanks for stopping by for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Nature Notes @ Rambling Woods

Our World @ Our World Tuesday Meme

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House