Mr. McGregor's Garden Tablescape

Our church preschool has a tablesetting fair as a fundraiser each year. This year I was inspired by a friends' collection of green thumbprint depression glass dishes to choose the bunnies of spring as a theme for my table. Donna also collects bunnies, so I was well on my way to creating a lovely table. I snapped a picture of Donna (with a church friend in the background) because her collections allowed this table to develop.

 The green depression glass pieces are just beautiful, aren't they? I used every piece I possibly could. Including the creamer, sugar bowl, glasses, cups, saucers and plates. We had to improvise a bit because there were not eight plates just the same size. To remedy that, we used different sized milk glass plates underneath each green plate, followed by a yellow charger and a round green place mat.

 The silverware was wrapped in a paper doily and tied with twine to add to the garden feel. Each chair had a bunny on it.

 Note the small cake server that the gentleman rabbit is standing on. I liked how it allowed me to have varying heights on the table. A yellow water pitcher is hiding in the background. The napkin holders were floral watering cans Donna had picked up. I wish I had a better close up of those!

 The next two photos just show that simple chair covers can be made by draping a flour sack dish towel at an angle over the back and tying with with ribbon. I attached spring ornaments to each bow. The guests got to take the ornament and dish towel home with them, but not the bunny from their chair.

 Our friend Ruth had these two large standing bunnies. We had them near the table to regally greet the guests. In the far back is the extra table where guests could rest the bunny from their chair when they were seated.

 The pussy willows are actually artificial. They were bound together with rubber bands and then held in place with decorative stones. We needed a lot of weight to keep the tall tin vase from tipping over.

 The cabbage bowl filled with mints was one of my favorite touches. Being a teacher, I also loved including these favorite little Beatrix Potter books to remind people of where the theme, Mr. McGregor's Garden, had come from.

 This view shows the little watering can napkin holders a bit better. It also shows the square napkins that we used as placemats under the round placemats and chargers.

 Each table setting had one of Donna's glass bunnies and a tiny glass dish of candied peas and carrots. I used a non-traditional votive cup to hold the JellyBelly candied peas and carrots.

I got the packages for $1 each at our local Dollar Tree. Interestingly, those little candies generated more questions and comments than anything else on the table!

Gifts for each guest were presented in clear lunch bags. The bags included bright green moisturizing gloves, a packet of lettuce seeds, a Ghirardelli mint, a floral scented drawer sachet and the empty packaging for the JellyBelly peas and carrots to give nutrition information and make taking home the treats easier.

Putting this table together was particularly fun because I got to use so many pretty things that belonged to Donna and Ruth. At one point I was on the other side of the table, on my knees, tying a chair bow, when Donna approached and all she could see was my head peering over the table. She said I looked like a little girl playing house. I replied with glee, "But I am!"

Day 1 of 50 Days of Celebrating 50 Years

The BIG CELEBRATION started with a dinner for my book group based on our latest read, "Babette's Feast," by Izak Dinesen. (This is actually a short story from the book Anecdotes of Destiny and Ehrengard  by Dinesen.) My son is a chef and created a menu based on the Feast prepared by Babette. Babette had 12 at her table, I had 10. I did line up candles down the center just like Babette.

This is Al's version of "Blinis Demidoff".  It is made with  Salmon roe, dill sour cream,and a blini. A blini is a little buckwheat pancake. This was served as an hors d'oeuvres with champagne as my friends arrived.

Chef Al is showing the Salmon Caviar.

Lolo decides to try this delicacy!

The most unique ingredient in the meal was turtle. This is a BEFORE picture of $50 worth of turtle meat.  Our chef removed all the meat from the bones and then cooked it and diced into teeny tiny pieces before making it into "Potage a la Tortue et girolles" (Turtle Soup with Chanterelles.)  Chef had been watching the chanterelles in a secret growing spot and we were lucky enough to have them grow to the perfect size just before the feast! The soup was served, just as Babette did, with "Amontillado Sherry." (I did have to go to several liquor stores before finding this exact sherry.) Chef told us that the perfect finish to the soup was pouring the remaining sherry from our glass into our soup bowl when we were just about finished. It was delicious, of course!
Sorry I somehow have no pictures of the soup.

The third course was "Salade de epinard avec gateau au fromage de chevron." (Spinach salad with a small cake of goat cheese.)

Course number four was "Paté de Canard e Faisan fumé en croute et Morilles a la creme." This is an incredibly rich puff pastry filled with a duck/pheasant mixture, complimented with a morel cream sauce and a side of sour carrots and accompanied by the red wine, "Ménage a Trois Red."

Finally, the dessert course arrived with either a glass of a sweet white wine, "Funf Moscato", or a hot cup of decaffeinated coffee.

Bhabas al rhum aux corinthe
Creme de epice et framboise

This is Rum-currant savarin with whipped cream and macerated strawberries. What you can't see is the savarin (it is the little cake) is filled with a cardamom custard. It was the perfect finish to the evening. We were blissfully satisfied but not stuffed. It helps when it takes nearly 3 hours to eat the meal!

We were served by these two delightful young people. They were dressed up in black and white. This is after they were paid in their other black and white!

Thank you to Lolo and D!

"May my food my body maintain,

May my body my soul sustain,

May my soul in deed and word

Give thanks for all things to the Lord."

We began our meal with this prayer, taken from the story, "Babette's Feast." I close this blog with the prayer wishing all of you well-fed bodies and souls.

lm