Rainbow Love

I love opening my cabinets to be greeted by a cheery rainbow. 

I've been rotating the larger dinner plates based on the colors of the season. We're still in the darker and icy hues of winter.

Fiesta Olympics!

I guess I should invest in a set of black fiesta so I can make the rings authentic. I don't have a set of ivory either.

 Syracuse themed coffee!

 My organizing obsession got a little out of hand today. I saw this colorful binder system on pinterest and just had to have it. Now that we're beginning our journey as a married couple it made sense to organize everything nicely. Our categories are Medical/Insurance, Auto (it should read "stupid car"), House (!!!), Taxes, Bills etc (for any major bills, purchases, warranties, receipts, etc we should keep), and finally Pet paperwork! The store had two more different shades of blue and green...can you think of any other categories we should have? I really just want to buy those last two colors!

 One more Fiesta rainbow shot because I can't resist.

Do you know your colors?

Kale Salad

This salad knocked my socks off which was pretty awesome considering it was made from leftover kale and random bits of things from the cupboards! A salad was in order since I had a bunch of leftover kale from the deliciously healthy Green Meatloaf. There was also some leftover feta languishing away in the fridge so I tossed that it and topped it off with one of my favorite salad topping combos: cranberries and pecans (or sunflower seeds). A tangy lemon vinaigrette was mixed up and my poor leftover kale was turned into a deliciously zippy salad. The tartness of the vinaigrette worked well with the sweetness of the cranberries. The best part is it was amazing the next day for breakfast! Since kale is so hearty it stood up to the dressing and did not get soggy and mushy after it was dressed. The flavors melded together well and I've already got another kale salad lined up for this week!

P.S. Let's admire this beautiful yellow Fiesta salad bowl from the Kitchen Kraft line. Thanks Mother Unit!

Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave

A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Mix it all together and shake, shake, shake!

**Note: this was the basic recipe, I did end up tweaking it by adding a little more of this and that until it suited my taste. 

An Almost Disaster Dinner Party

Last night Brad & Christine came over for a little dinner party. I made one of Mr. Lawyer's springtime favorites: Spicy Sausage & Pepper Pasta in a Tomato-Wine Sauce.

Two hours before they came over my kitchen looked like this:

It's a little tricky maneuvering around a new hot water tank that's blocking your fridge.

 And my bathroom was a hot disaster and a half.

Nothing like coming home and finding a soaking wet hallway carpet.

Thank goodness our maintenance staff is top notched and easily bribed with baked goods. They replaced the tank and cleaned everything up lickety split so I didn't have to cancel.

Now for a close up of the table settings!

Scarlett & Turquoise

 Juniper & Tangerine

 Cinnabar & Peacock

 Plum & Sunflower

A Must Make Dinner!

Instead of new recipes today we have two must try repeats!

Maple-Rosemary Brined Pork Chops

Maple Roasted Root Veggies & Squash

The pork delicious, amazing, and oh so tender! Mr. Lawyer started the brining process this morning, if you've never brined anything before give it a try! I highly recommend this recipe because the flavor is so amazing. It is divine! It was the perfect recipe to break in our new cast iron skillet.

For the roasted veggies I diced up a combination of butternut squash, carrots, and turnips for the veggies. There is nothing like roasted veggies! I love the little caramelized bits around the edges. The colors were very vibrant and candy corn themed.

Our fall themed tablescape featuring the cool hues of Plum and Lapis, fall leaf inspired napkins, and a beautiful centerpiece made with leftover wedding flowers.

I love my gurgle pot. It doubles as a great vase. So cute!

MAKE THE BRINED PORK!

Corn Pudding!

Mr. Lawyer's family has a delicious holiday tradition: corn pudding! Now I must admit when I spent my first Thanksgiving with his family and he was explaining it to me I was a bit skeptical. I think he used the words "mushy". I am happy to say that I'm a fan of corn pudding! It is a little mushy but it's also delicious!

Please admire the pretty vintage Forest Green plate (1951-1959) bought at an antique festival for a steal. It's in gorgeous condition with no visible scratching.

Corn Pudding

(from the kitchen of Mrs. T!)

Ingredients:
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- by 9-inch baking pan or a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Mix together the corn, Jiffy, sour cream and butter in a large bowl. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Delicious on served on top of some turkey chili!

Rainbow Kitchen!

I haven't left the apartment in four days, I can't smell my favorite candle, I can't taste the difference in my gin, I've gone through a box of tissues, and netflix is my new best friend. Summertime sickness sucks.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

 All day, every day.

Repeat.

I've got the blues!

We are busy, busy, busy! Yesterday we had Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower for dinner....that was it. While Mr. Lawyer was away this past weekend I lived off spinach & cheese ravioli, week old stromboli from my bridal shower, and a bag of trail mix. Last night I went to bed at 8 and netted 10 hours of wondrous sleep, three cheers for summer camp exhaustion! So tonight I was ready to cook. No special recipes tonights: frozen veggies, mexican chicken, and some delicious saffron jasmine rice (a shower gift from the Mother Unit and Grandma Claire, thank you!). I did create a wonderful blue blue "tablescape" for our dinner. There were five different hues of Fiesta blue: Lapis, Peacock, Cobalt, Periwinkle, and Turquoise. 

 The saffron rice really popped against the blue!

I first had Buffalo Cauliflower at Ms. Jackie's house. It was delicious!

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

(from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp garlic powder
22 oz (6 1/2 cups) cauliflower florets
3/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a large non-stick baking sheet with oil.
2. Combine the water, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Coat the cauliflower pieces with the flour mixture and place on the baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.
4. While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and butter in a small bowl.
5. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the baked cauliflower and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Shower Time!

This past weekend some very lovely ladies threw me a wonderful bridal shower. Tonight was the first night that I was able to use some of my new goodies! Our first Fiesta tables setting with a special guest appearance by the pasta dish! I picked out a cobalt pasta dish because I thought the color would go really well with the red and white of the saucy pasta. I was not disappointed!

The theme of our dinner was Virginia! The Mother Unit brought us up some salad and tomatoes that she grew in her garden. She also gave us some homegrown onions, garlic, and a ton of fresh herbs that got thrown into my sauce. To top it all off we opened a bottle of Virginia wine she gifted us. Go Virginia and mom's garden!

Cookies & Milk

A little juniper and vintage chartreuse cookies and milk action to celebrate the "jeezy creezy I just ordered our wedding invitations!!" excited freak out.

Woo!

Monday Blues

Last week the fiesta itch started again. I needed a new color or even just a new piece. I wasn't going to make it to my bridal shower. So I scored some cheap ebay finds. The first beauty to arrive was my sapphire tea cup! It's the perfect little pick me up for the Monday blues. Sapphire is considered a rare color because it was a special color made just for Bloomingdale's in 1996/97 and fired for only 180 days. This means the prices are outrageous! I only dreamed of sapphire until I spotted this little teacup for a steal. It's such a gorgeous bright blue, similar to vintage cobalt but even brighter.

Here it is on top of my peacock mug.

My Post 1986 Blues

Peacock, Turquoise, Periwinkle, Sapphire, Cobalt

Up close!

Wedding Worries

I counted the wedding guest list. It's BIG. *cue mini freak out* So I hit up the bar and reorganized my dishes.

ZEN.

French Inspired Breakfast

The 'rents stopped in Philly on their journey back to NY. Since they wanted to get an early start in the morning I settled on a French-inspired serve yourself breakfast. It was a hit and I got to show off some of my fun fiesta.

Croissants, scones, and yogurt...oh my!

Oh yeah, and some fruit.

Herbed cheese, butter and honey, strawberry jam, and pumpkin butter.

And the colorful coffee mugs make an appearance!

I love my kitchen rainbow.

A Dress Party!

Last night we celebrated saying YES to the wedding dress! Woo! We had the family over for an appetizer dinner and cheap bubbly. It was the perfect excuse to 1) celebrate the dress with family, 2) try some new recipes, and 3) show off my fiesta!

I had my go-to Cabot cheese platter with Grandma's pickles, wheat thins, olives and some lebanon bologna we picked up at Reading Terminal. I made some Roasted Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce, I mean you can't go wrong with shrimp.

For some more hearty appetizers I made these marvelous Ham & Cheese Sliders (recipe below), spicy Buffalo Chicken French Bread, and some gooey Caprese Dip.

Everything was pretty delicious if I might say so.

This recipe had been popping up a lot on pinterest. There were so many different versions! Some used Hawaiian sweet rolls, other used white, potato, or biscuits. I used potato because it was the only type of dinner roll my store had. There was also variations on the type of mustard (I went with dijon) and debates over the merits of mayo, miracle whip or a mix (I used mayo). One thing I do know is that these were simple and delicious. I feel that these sliders were the overlooked winner of the night. Yes everyone was raving about the buffalo chicken french bread (and it was delicious) but it had a more in your face flavor punch that demanded your attention. These sliders had an understated yumminess to them without all the fanfare of buffalo chicken. They were amazing right out of the oven and still delicious cold at the end of the night when I was cleaning up. Another keeper....although next time I might put more than one slice of ham on them.

Ham & Cheese Sliders with a Poppy-Mustard Sauce

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:

24 dinner rolls
24 pieces good honey or maple ham (I used a fabulous maple ham)
24 slices swiss cheese
Enough mayo for spreading on the rolls
1.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
1.5 tablespoons dijon or yellow mustard (Dijon all the way!)
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon worschestershire sauce

Directions:
1. Cut rolls in half but not all the way, leave the hinge intact! Spread desired amount of mayo on both sides of the roll.

2. Fold up one slice of ham and place on roll. Top with one folded slice of swiss. Close the rolls and place on a cookie sheet or large baking dish.

3. Mix together butter, poppy seeds, mustard, onion and worschestershire. Brush evenly over all the rolls (**I did not use all of it as some reviews mentioned that the rolls could get soggy bottoms**). Let it sit for 10 minutes. 

4. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove foil and bake for 2 minutes to brown tops. Serve warm.

Coffee Bar!

I've seen a few cute coffee bar set ups on pinterest. We got a new coffee maker and some fiesta mugs for Christmas....one trip to Ikea later and we have our own little coffee bar! Or hot beverage corner since our snazzy coffee maker also has a separate hot water function for tea and cocoa. It keeps the water hot so you can refill at any time. I had six cups of tea this morning....and then spent all afternoon floating to the bathroom. I was a bit limited by our small apartment and low cabinets but I made it work.  When I have a house/more wall space the coffee mugs will hang higher so there is more room on the counter for cute containers of coffee, more tea, and cocoa toppings.

BEFORE! 

The counter in front of the wine rack was wasted space and pushed the coffee makers close to the sink which interfered with doing the dishes. Also: drab and dark.

 AFTER!

Better use of the corner space the coffee makers slide down (the keurig is on the other side of the big one) which frees up a lot of counter space near the sink for dishes and food prep.

Plus I get to show off my pretty mugs which is wonderful because I'm running out of cabinet space!

The rainbow.

Now I just have to figure out where to put the wine rack...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I didn't think I was going to love Chocolate as much as I do.

As I mentioned in the last post, it's difficult to capture the true color on camera...you can see how the Chocolate changes depending on the camera angle, lighting, etc.

Chocolate and Cinnabar

 Chocolate and Rose

 Chocolate and Blue

 Chocolate and Periwinkle

 Chocolate and Marigold

Party in my Kitchen!

Some bridal shower gifts came early and now there's a party in my kitchen! The lovely Mother Unit got ambitious and hopped on ebay for a thrilling fiesta time (there might have been some alcohol involved?). I now own my first pieces of vintage fiesta! Woo! To recap: my darling Mr. Lawyer said I was not allowed to buy any until after our wedding (many of the contemporary pieces are on our registry), sighs. I did however purchase some marigold pieces as the color is to be retired this year and some retired periwinkle and cinnabar sets....because if it's retired it doesn't count! To tell if the piece if vintage you look at the back stamp, if all the letters in fiesta are lower case it's pre-1986 (technically 1973 when they stopped producing until 1986). Then you can narrow the dates down a little more based on the color runs. Mom bought me a set of yellow plates, some blue and rose small plates, my first teacup (!) and a variety of salt and pepper shakers (which are to die for, the shape just makes me irrationally giddy.). I do find it very hard to capture the true colors in a photograph, it constantly changes depending on the light.

Rose 1951-1959

Blue (cobalt) 1936-1951

Yellow - 1936-1969

 My colors so far: Rose, Periwinkle, Yellow, Blue (Cobalt), Cinnabar, Marigold

The colors mom sent me (minus the shaker colors)

I am loving this tea cup. I feel very sophisticated.

 Rose on Blue is very striking.

 Rose on Periwinkle for a more mellow choice.

 For the more bold: Yellow, Cinnabar, and Blue.

 Decorating with fiesta shakers! 

Thanks for the early shower gifts mom!