FABBY: Almond Biscotti with Coffee

 Here are my biscotti in a beautiful, "silver overlay glass" platter that we inherited from my Mil....Bill wrote about this unique pieces on his post: "Simply Vintage Table Setting".  This platter is Italian and an antique as it was my Mil's mother and she was born in 1894.

This tablecloth is from Spain and it's made of organza, I love using it on top of other linens, but today I chose to use it alone..

 This china set is one of my oldest too, maybe 28 years old, I have 16 place settings, I use it for lots of people when I serve  a buffet.

 The Italian-silver overlay glass platter...look at the silver, it has grape leaves and grapes, strawberries, flowers and leaves, a cherry plant with cherries...really a scrumptous job!

 My silver tea set I bought around 22 yrs. ago on one of our trips to the Big Apple. The cute butter dish is silver plated and it's not part of the silver tea set. The silver tea "samohbar"  was my Mil's too.

 The whole table setting.  The sterling tea spoons were my mother's, she gaved them to me because  they were used for her First Communion...they're 12.  My mom's is 81 and very well.

 A better shot of the whole table.

In Italy, "biscotti" refers to all kind of cookies, not just to the crunchy-twice baked  variety it implies on this side of the Atlantic.  Italians love duncking it in coffee, tea, or a dessert wine, such as, Vin Santo.  Now, my husband loves biscottis and so I make it for him quiet often, since it's his fav cookie ever!  Hubby and me usually have afternoon coffee at 4 pm with some cookies, a piece of home made bread, or in this case, his biscotti.  
Here is the recipe for the ones that might want to have it.

Almond Biscotti:

1/3 Cup butter
2 Cups all purpose flour
2/3 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Cups slivered almonds, finally chopped
1 egg yolk, (optional)
1 tablesp. milk, or water (optional)
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 tablesp. shortening
PREP.:
In electric mixing bowl,  beat butter, for 30 sec. and  1 Cup of the flower, the sugar, 2 eggs, b.p. and vanilla; beat until combined.  Using a wooden spoon, or spatula, stir in remaining flouer and nuts.  Dvide dough in half.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Shape each portion into a 9" log.  Place each one apart 4" on cookie sheet.
Flaten dough slightly bout 2" wide.  (shine it with an egg and milk wash, if you like...I don't bother) 
Bake at 375F. for 20-25 minutes...or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
With a serrated knife cut diagonally into 1/2" slices. Lay slices, cut size down, on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325F oven for 8 min.  Turn slices over; bake for 8 to 10  min more, til dry and crisp.  Transfer on wire rack and cool.
In a heavy small saucepan, heat choc.,  and shortening over low heat until melted; stir occasionlly.  Place cooled cookies  flat side up, on waxed paper.  Drizzel chocolate atop cookies, or dip into melted choc.  Let choc. set up.   (I don't do this cause hubby doesn't like it with the choc., I do, and it's  great with it)
I thank Marty for hosting this nice party, TTT  at:  htt://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

New Antique French Table

 This was the way our receiver, or foyer looked like before, kind of empty and with a great space for something such as this smack in the middle!.... and it's perfect between our formal living room and dining room as well.
 
I'm fixing the cushions of our Oriental Chippendale chairs.

 Here she is!...as a receiver table in our foyer! My hubby bought it to my total delight! 

He thinks we can also use it when we have dinner parties to accommodate four people more, besides the formal and breakfast dining tables.

 I love the beautiful legs it has...

 I did a spring tablescape with this china set we bought in 1979, it's a Chinese design from the 1950's.

 Here is a better close up of the dishes, the plates have butterflies in all the flowers.  I just used my glass chargers from Turkey  so we can see the Carrara table top better.

Italian Bormiolli Rocco stems.


It also came with dessert bowls and for Oriental soup bowls too...as the ones I served here are more the European 'soup-plates.'

 You can appreciate the butterflies on the plates in this closer shot of the plate.

 The tea set that came with the china, I set it in the Chinese Secretary that's right in front of the new table, bellow.

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I hope you like the space where  we placed our beautiful Italian vintage, Carrara marble table  my husband fell in love with, so did I (quietly), for which I was so gladly surprised that he loved it (out loud) and bought it!..it was one day that we were visiting the  Antique European Imports Shop. 
We had quite a big nice space that was our foyer at home and nothing was there... so  hubby thought it would look beautiful right in the middle!  I hope you liked it!

Thank you Susan for hosting this great party:  Metamorphosis Monday at:  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Thank you in advance for all the nice people that will visit, as you always make my day!

HAPPY EASTER to everyone.

LOVE,
FABBY

FABBY: Spring Tablescape

 I took my  Oriental-Chippendale chairs from the living room that's adjacent to my new vintage Italian table with Carrara marble top, and put them next to it for this  Spring Tablescape.

 For the centerpice I used a vintage flower base, cut glass from Venice in yellow with yellow and lilac chrisatemus.

 You could see the butterflies on the design by the chrisantemus, that's my touch of spring as I don't have bunnies, but I have DOGS!

 The soup bowl is the classic European shape, although it has round bowls too, notice the dinner plates are not so big as the Chinese don't use big plates like we do, now they make them for Westerners.

 The dessert bowl  I often use them for fruit salads, ice-cream or "ceviche".

 In the background on my Chinese black laquer secretaire  I placed the cups with the tea set fom the china set. 

 The gold glass chargers are hand painted in Turkey.

 It came with this pretty tea set.....it also came with porcelain spoons, that I don't know where they are in my tons of boxes!

 All set for chinese tea...but knowing me, it'll be for coffee!

 A nice shot where you can see the "spring" dogs, china, my Italian Bormiolli goblets and in the forgrownd my secretaire with the doors open where I keep my oriental figures and bowls from our travels.

 The whole table.

 Another shot of the table and chairs.

 My dogs for "all seasons..."they came from my collection of porcelain, bronce and ceramic dogs, some vintage, some not.

Hi everyone, I  wanted to make a spring tablescape but had no rabbits, or bunnies, or eggs, except in the frig! But!...I do have dogs for "all seasons", ha!  This china is one of my earliest buys, I remember it wasn't expensive, but I fell in love with it because of the pretty original chinese design, with chrisantemus in pretty colors, even lilac and it  also has butterflies on four of the  flowers, therefore I thought it was perfect for spring along with the same color flowers in my flower base.  We bought it around 1979 and  the owner of the shop told us that it was an original Chinese Design from the 50's and it's made with very fine porcelain, the cups are so thin you could see thru them.  My hubby who knows so much about china and ceramics as he owned a factory up to three years ago, (for the ones that haven't visited my older posts with our designs) said that the way they make them in China now is different, in a more technical way, more modern I guess, but this set is made like before technology  and the brand in the back is all in chinese simbols still.  I hope you like it as I do.  Thanking you in advance for your visits, I appreciate it so much, as you're all so special to me.
I will be linking to the follwing parties, for which I give each one hostess my thanks for letting me participate.
Today at FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY-MOSSY LOGS
The Tablescaper for SEASONAL SUNDAYS - at:  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Susan  of Metamorphosis Monday - at:   betweennopsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Marty Table Top Tuesday - at:  astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

FABBY: My Daughter Alexandra's China Design

Hello my friends, I have missed you!  We went to visit my daughter Alexandra who lives in Quito- Ecuador, so I haven't open my blog to visit you.  The idea was to go, and see how Alexandra has decorated her beautiful apartment that's in a building very high on a heel with a view to die for!  She took some photos, she's also a profesional photographer... of the view from all her windows at night.  The church at your right, all lit up, is Guapulo, a 400 year old colonial church.  Quito is full of Colonial churches, houses, buildings, lots of Republican and Colonial Arquitechture, therefore, it's Patrimony of Humanity.  Someday when I go to the old city I will take lots of photos to show you all.

 Guapulo, the Colonial Church at your right. You can appreciate how high is her view from her apartment, it's like a gorgeous "live artwork".

 THE VIEW!

 Night view from her apartment window.

 The whole table.

 Dinner plate.

 Salad plate.

 With the consomee or cream bowl with two handles.

 The tablecloth, it's not, it's an Indian batik scarf that Alexandra had and it was big enough to serve the purpose, plus it's pink!

 The center piece is a toureen with 4 handles, designed in Colonial times by the Spaniards.

 Cute salt and pepper shakers.

 Alexandra bought this stunning antique cupboard and buffet,  it was originally in a Meditation Temple, or Ashram in India.

 You can see the rest of her gorgeous china with at least 150 pieces and 14 place sets.  We can also appreciate the hand carving in the wood of the buffet.

 The very modern silver lamp in the background is from the Italian company Kartell, designed by Phillip Stark.

 Her kitchen with her new adquisition, that great American made "butcher block" we shopped, along with her German pots. Take a look at the ceiling, it's like a blackboard, she changes what she wants to write using white or colour chalk.  She's the artistic kind.

 Butcher block with home made bread my hubby makes with no eggs and no fat, really great!

 Cup and saucer.

As you can see I could not pass by the chace to make a small tablescape for three on Alexandra's French vintage  small table.  Alexandra always loved to take pictures since she was a young girl, so one day she went to the shopping area here in Cuenca and took pictures of the dandle skirts native women wear, all embroidery all around the buttom of such and she brought me this design she saw on a green skirt that went with a pink one with scallops as the women wear always two, one embroidered and the other scalloped in a trimming...so this is what our tablewear vertion turn out.  Hope you like this one too.
I thank our hostess, Marty, for Table Top Tuesday.
Love
FABBY