FABBY: Tea Set & Pumpkin Bread Pudding

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 I baked this Pumpkin Bread Pudding cake today, that's why I just posted... from my Betty Crocker's Easy Entertaining Book...I had so much fresh pumpkin so here it is, my hubby loves this cake.  Here is the recipe:                  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING:

3 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1 can (16oz.) pumpkin
6 cups bread cubes
1/2 cup currants
1/2 chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350F.  Grease springform pan 10X3.  Mix all ingredients except bread cubes, currants, and pecans in large bowl until well blended.  Stir in bread cubes, currants and chopped pecans.  Let mixture stand 10 min.; spoon into pan.  Arrange pecans halves on top of pudding, (I didn't put them on top, but inside the batter).  Bake 50 to 60 min., or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 min. and remove side of pan.  Serve warm with cream or ice-cream, if desired.




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I created this tablescape for tea inspiring myself in this beautiful tea set, with lovely bright pink roses, made in the Chzech Republic, acquired around three years ago. I displayed it on my glass lazy susan so I can turn the tea set on whatever angle I wanted to shoot.

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 A closer look of the Chzech tea set.  The pretty cyclamen  has the colors of the roses of the tea set.  The porcelain white and gold plant pot was made at our former Ceramic Co.

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 I really love the tea pot, it's tall with pretty handles. There's a cute little butterfly too...hubby says it's a mosquito, lol...or is it?!


I paired the tea set with my mil's antique china teacups, cake plates and dessert bowls, as it has roses in the same colors as the teaset! 
The pretty mercury glass votives, I like to use them for Christmas... I have two.

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 Each piece of the porcelain tea set has such pretty shape...kind of on the slender side too.

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 Here is a better shot of one of the mercury glass votives.

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 This is a pretty cotton linen embroidered tablecloth from the Philippines, the kind that takes too long to iron all the wrinkles, lol.

The pretty sugar bowl and the cute creamer.  I think it's a bow or a butterfly that unites the handles?!...what do you think?

My father gave me that cute silver butter dish at your right.

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 The water crystal goblets are French and were my Mil's; she left us three sizes, twelve of each. The glass and silver marmalade container was a  birthday present from my mother several years ago. 

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   Hi my darlings!  I'm sure you're all busy getting ready for Thanksgiving, even cooking something you can freeze...I do some cooking and freezing, like my sweet potato pudding and cookie dough, than the rest is easy enough. 

Thank you in advance for your lovely and very appreciated visits. 
 
I am going to start my visits to you on Beverly's Pink Saturday at:  http://howsweetthesound.blogspot.com/    Thanks again for hosting lovely ladies and for making us have so much fun!

Sunday Favorites at:  http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/
Seasonal Sundays at:  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Sunday Showcase Party at:  http://underthetableanddreaming.blogspot.com/
Just Something I Whipped Up at:  http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/
Sass's Sunday Salvation Show at:  http://sassafrassalvation.blogspot.com/
Masterpiece Monday at:  http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/
On the Menu Monday at:  http://atstonegable.blogspot.com/
Amaze Me Monday at:  http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
Blue Monday at:  http://smylingsally.blogspot.com/


Mod Mix Monday at:  http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday at:  http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/
Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/
Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday at:  http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/
Tabletop Tuesday at:  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday at:  http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/
Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/
Trish for Tea Party Tuesday at:  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at:  http://coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
White Wednesday at:  http://fadedcharm.blogspot.com/
Wow Us Wednesday at:  http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thursday at:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Vintage Thingie Thursday at:  http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/
Open House Party at:  http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at:  http://thefrenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
It's a Party at:  http://acreativeprincess.blogspot.com/
Catch a Glimpse at:  http://aglimpseeinside.blogspot.com/

FABBY: Recycled Tablecloths

   After changing our window treatment from  yellow moire to Hunter Douglas shades in our formal living room and family room; I thought:  "what a shame all this beautiful Italian moire has to go to waste"!  Than one day I walk up with the idea that I should take it to my seamstress and have the draperies be transformed into beautiful tablecloths!  I washed the curtains and took them to the seamstress, she agreed and made two great, all lined yellow tabletoppers for our round alabaster breakfast table and for the large table in our formal living room.  I did my Thanksgiving tablescape using the yellow topper and a tea table on the round one.
The seamstress charged me $7 for the round one and $10 for the large one, so you can't beat that, for $17 two terrific tablecloths!
Here goes the metamorphosis from draperies to tablecloths.

 BEFORE:  There are two large windows like this one and two half the size of these, so I did have  a lot of material that was perfect for the tablecloths transformation, or metamorphosis.

 AFTER:  The formal dining large table with the new recycled tablecloth.

AFTER:  The round alabaster breakfast table with a pretty ruffle on the yellow moire tabletopper.

  I hope you liked my NEW recycled, from curtains to tablecloths, I am thrilled! They look great in real life and the moire is so pretty!   I did recycled the dining room curtains as well and I got one for the large table, as that one was a smaller curtain, so  there was not enough, but for one table.  I will show it after Christmas  maybe for  a New Year's tablescape as it is somewhat silvery.
   Thank you my darlings for your sweet visits, you are all so very appreciated.   Wishing you all a very happy week.   Lots of hugs.
FABBY

I'm linking to Metamorphosis Mondat at:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Masterpiece Monday at:  http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/
Tabletop Tuesdat at:  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

FABBY: Thanksgiving Table 2011

Hi my sweet friends!   I'm sure you're all thinking and even making already your Thanksgiving tablescape for this year...I am!  My table for 2011 Thanksgiving is going to look like this, while my table will have a fall look my house will be all Christmas decked up!  I am posting a couple of weeks in advance as here in Ecuador there is no Thanksgiving as in the USA so we usually celebrate the next Saturday after Thanksgiving, usually at an American friend's house who is married to an Ecuadorian too; or at home with the family.   Hope you enjoy my Thanksgiving 2011 tablescape.  
I will be joyning some parties, so I'm thanking the super lovely ladies that host them each week.
I'm also thanking you all my darlings for your sweet and wonderful visits, they are so appreciated!

Love,

 I did my Thanksgiving tablescape using part of my china made at our former Ceramic Co.  I paired the china with my orange plates and the salad and small pan with the birds motiff. The chargers I used my Turkish glass ones because of the gold color. The small pan will go in the oven with a potato and cheese antree.

 This is a dip platter which I use with a hot chile cheese sauce dip and small empanadas.

 The name cards are set on a walnut which I copy cated from Martha Stewart's. The duck lid on the bowl is for patè and it's from Portugal, bought in Bloomingdales NY in the 80's.

 This other mud duck was bought in NY's China Town several years ago.

 I was so happy to have recycled my living room and den yellow moire draperies into two beautiful tablecloths!  I think gold is great for fall too.

 You can see in this high photo I took of the fruit centerpiece bowl with two birds, one is feating the other and from up here they look like they're kissing.

 Coffee or tea is ready in this corner of my buffet to drink along with dessert, or later in the afternoon.

Some pink flowers for Beverly's Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound.

 The vintage church brass candle sticks that were my mil's, with orange candels.

Here are the two cute birds in the fruit bowl which I put gourds in as a centerpiece...the one that is feating the other must be the mother bird, lol!

The glass charger with my mother's doily.

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The plates layers.

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The layers with the pottery pan, which  can be used in the oven perfectly as they are made of terracotta.

This is a pot with a duck lid and I often use it for a Pecan Sweet Potato pudding that goes in the oven in this same pot and to serve it I replace the lid on it... and the pudding it's everyone's favorite!

 This is a vintage cheese platter in depression glass and hand decorated, (you can see like an Arizona house with a cactus plant) made in the USA from the 1950's....it was my mil's too and my hubby has such fond memmories  when we cut cheese from it at the dinner table.

The bread plate it's so cute with the decoration of  a flower flanked by two birds decorated in  many colors.

FABBY

Tablescape Thursday at:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Vintage Thingi Thursday at:  http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/
Open House Party at:  http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at:  http://thefrenchcupboard.blogspot.com/
Thrifty Thursday at:  http://bornagaincrafetr.blogspot.com/
Transformation Thursday at:  http://theshabbycreekcottage.blogspot.com/
It's a Party at:  http://acreativeprincess.blogspot.com/
Feather Nest Fridat at:  http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Vintage Inspiration Friday at:  http://commonground.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home at:  http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Thrifty Things Friday at:  http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Fridat at:  http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/
Flaunt It Fridat at:  http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Potpourri Friday at:  http://apotpourrioflife.blogspot.com/
Fridays Unfold at:  http://stuffandnonsense.blogspot.com/
Few of my Favorite Things Friday at:  http://bargainhuntingandchattingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/
Sunday Favorites at:  http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/
Seasonal Sunday at:  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Sunday Showcase at:  http://underthetableanddreaming.blogspot.com/
Just Something I whipped up at:  http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/

FABBY: Tea 4 2



I love my daughter's gift for my bithday past Oct. 20th.  One side of the tea cups has a style of birds and the other side another, like next photo.

These two cups from the Chzech Republic were a  gift from my daughter Alexandra for my past birthday and I'm in love with them as they have such adorable birds on each side of the tea cup and on the saucers as well.

 

You can see a close up of the tea cup, isn't she too cute?!



Here is the saucer with two small birds too...I don't know the name of birds, but I'm sure you know which they are.  I used my white Noritake plates to make them stand out better against the yellow tablecloth.



I used my two Oriental white porcelain teapots, they both have a Chinese signal and the round one is footed and I just love the square one...they were a gift from hubby from many years ago.



The reticulated small bowls for marmolade are Italian, hubby brought them from Italy more than twenty years ago. The pretty plant with flowers are in a porcelain plant pot, trimmed in gold, was made at our former Ceramic Co.



The tablecloth I had made from my living room and den's yellow moire draperies we just changed, along with a rectangular for my formal dinner table. I was so lucky there was a lot of material to do both!



 I love this tea box my very good friend Myriam  gave me for some few Christmas ago, specially because her talented sister makes them.  The work on the lid is pewter and the work is also made by her sister.
 A closer shot of the adorable tea cups and saucers with one of the Italian lacey bowls.  The spoons are vintage silver.

 Here is the tea box opened, you can see it has separations to store the various teas.

My daughter Alexandra  gifted me for my birthday these two beautiful tea cups and saucers from the Chzech Republic in yellow with two cute birds on both sides and on the saucers too, and I just loved them, you can imagine how much; so we've had some tea together as she, our daughter Sofia, her hubby and the little girls were here for a four days holliday.  We had a great time been together all of us, it's not often that this happens, so I was lucky to receive belated birthday presents from both.   I hope you like my pretty tea cups I'm going to share with you on the great Tea Tuesday parties and some other wonderful and fun parties. I'm thanking all the great ladies that host them every week for having me.

Thanking you in advance my blog friends for all your lovely visits and generous comments.
Have a wonderful week.
FABBY

Metamorphosis Monday:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Lady Katherine for Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/
Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/
Wanda Lee and Pam for their Tea Things Parties at:  http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/
Martha and Terri for Teacup Tuesday at:  http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/
Trish Tea Partry Tuesday at:  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/
Miss Spencer's Teacup Party Thursday at:  http://missspencers.blogspot.com/
Tea for Two at:  http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/
Friend's Sharing Tea at:  http://berneedinsteatimeblog.blogspot.com/
Marty for Tabletop Tuesday at:  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Wow Us Wednesday at:  http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
White Wednesday at:  http://fadedcharm.blogspot.com/
Whassap Wednesday at:  http://elementsinteriors.blogspot.com/
Bunny's BlogHop Wednesday at:  http://bunnyjeansdecorandmore.blogspot.com/
Open House Party at:  http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

FABBY: Walnut Coffee Cake

I have a full house for four days for local holliday. So our two daughters, sil and  my two grandgirls are here, and mother of course... forgot, and our grandpuppy Chloe too!  I baked this delish Walnut Coffee Cake from a Good Housekeeping Book, recipe they all love... and I fixed a small table, so my daughter Alexandra who's a professional photographer can shoot some pics for her digital magazine. Alexandra gave me some pictures for me to share with you, and she kept others for her digital magazine.  I'm also sharing a photograph my husband took of our daughter Alexandra.

 Here is the cake with walnut filling.  The silver spoons were my mother's and were used in her First Communion when she was 7 years old back in 1937.

 With a red candle it would look great Christmas time, as this fall candle is orange. Alexandra loves my reticulated china set, so she used the teacups for the photo shoot.

 Don't you just love that sky in the background?

 The tablecloth  I had made from my living room moire yellow draperies and they came out great for the round table and, I had enough material for the large rectangular one too.

 Than later Alexandra thought it would look great putting the walnuts inside the cavety below. If anyone likes to enter Alexandra's web page and see her work, she'd love to have you, as she's our No.1 fan of us ladies and gentlemen from blog land.     http://www.editorialstudios.wordpress.com/ 
   Here is our daughter Alexandra in a photo hubby took of her for a magazine.  She lives in the capital, Quito.

I am also sharing the recipe as I've made it a few times and everyne loves it, I remember my dear MIL loved it so much she had me make it for her "Saints day". 

THE PERFECT COFFEE CAKE

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 Cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flouer
3/4 Cups chopped pecans or walnuts (I use walnuts)
1/3 Cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar
3/4 Cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 container sour cream (16 ounces)
1 Cup confectioner's sugar
4 to 6 spoons milk.....(I prefer to use lemon juice instead of milk)

Preparation
1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 12 cup fluted baking pan; dust with flouer...(my mil taught me to use fine bread crumbs instead of flouer to gurantee non sticking and it's totally true!)
 2)  On waxed paper, combine b. powder, b. soda, salt and 3 Cups of flouer.  In small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar,cinnamon and remaining flouer.
3)  In large bowl of mixer at medium speed , beat granulated sugar, butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla until creamy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.  Alternatelly beat in flouer mixture and sour-cream
beginning and ending with flouer mixture.  Beat just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.
4)  Evenly spread 2 cups of batter in prepared pan; sprinfle with half of nut mixture.   Top with 2 cups batter.  Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture, then spread with remaining batter.
5)  Bake cake 55 to 60 minutes on until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 min.  With small metal spatula, loosen cake from pan; invert onto rack to cool completely.
6)  Prepare glaze:   In small bowl, stir confectioner's sugar, milk or lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over cake  using a tablespoon.

Feathered Nest Friday at:  http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Foodie Friday at:  http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home at:  http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Thrifty Things Fridat at:  http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Fridat at:  http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Fridat at:  http://thepicketfence.blogspot.com/
Falun it Fridat at:  http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Open House Party at:  http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Potpourri Friday at:  http://apotpourrioflifeat2805.blogspot.com/
Beverly's Pink Saturday at:  http://howsweetthesound.blogspot.com/
Seasonal Sunday at:  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Sunday Favorites at:  http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/
Just Something I Whipped up at:  http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/
On the Menu Monday at:  http://stonegable.blogspot.com/
Amaze me Monday at:  http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
Metamorphosis Monday at:  http://betweennapsontheporch/
Tea Party and Tea things Tuesday at:  http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/
Tabletop Tuesday at:  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://ladykatherine.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup tuesday at:  http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/
Trish for Tea Party Tuesday at:  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/
Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday at:  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/
Wanda Lee and Pam for their Tea Things Parties at:  http://theplumethpen.blogspot.com/
Friends Sharing Tea at:  http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/
    
Thank you for your lovely visits, I always love and appreciate them very, very much.
I will be entering some great parties too.... so thank you darling hostesses for having me again.
Lots of hugs,                               
FABBY