Tag: Villeroy & Boch

Breakfast “out of bed” and 2 Delicious Recipes … “Bell Pepper, Onion and Mushroom Medley” and “Breakfast Frittata”

Here is a quick and easy side dish that “dresses up” any meal!  It’s especially delicious with grilled steaks and chicken and it makes a wonderful filler when you’re making frittata’s, fajitas, omelettes or quesadillas!

*BELL PEPPER, ONION AND MUSHROOM MEDLEY

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons steak sauce (I used A1 steak sauce)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into thin strips
  • 1- 4 oz. can of sliced mushrooms, drained (or fresh) 

Directions:

  1. Add olive oil, soy sauce, your favorite steak sauce, and garlic powder to a medium frying pan; begin heating mixture on medium heat.
  2. Cut 1 medium onion and 1 bell pepper into thin strips and add to skillet 
  3. Add mushrooms to the onions and bell pepper in skillet
  4. Stir vegetables in the skillet, incorporating all the vegetables into the sauce
  5. Sauté until peppers and mushrooms are tender and onions are translucent
  6. Serve warm; delicious with grilled steaks, chicken or as a filler for frittata’s, quesadillas, fajitas, omelette’s …

This past week Richard and I headed down to the Texas coast to the romantic seaside town of Rockport to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary. Since we were going to be travelling on our anniversary, I decided to surprise Richard the day before we left, with breakfast served “out of bed.” (; I made a breakfast Frittata using the veggie medley above.

Breakfast frittata and mixed berries

Though a frittata sounds fancy and hard to make, it’s a simple Italian dish that is made with eggs and enhanced with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. It is similar to an omelette or crustless quiche. Just about anything can be added to your egg base, but to reduce excess moisture and baking time that makes your eggs dry or spongy, your ingredients should already be cooked. Below is the recipe I created for the frittata I made, using the *bell pepper, onion and mushroom vegetable medley from above.

Breakfast Frittata

  • 6 eggs, beaten slightly to blend whites and yolks
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
  • pepper “to taste”
  • 1 1/2 cups *bell pepper, onion, and mushroom medley
  • 6 strips of bacon cooked and cut into bite size pieces (I used pre-cooked)
  • 1 cup grated Colby/Monterrey Jack cheese + additional 1/2 cup cheese for topping frittata when it comes out of the oven

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease a cast iron skillet for a traditional frittata
  3. Place cast iron skillet on burner turned on medium heat
  4. Add already cooked *bell pepper, onion, and mushroom medley (recipe above) to skillet or baking dish
  5. Stir together eggs, milk, chicken bouillon, and pepper
  6. Add cooked bacon and 1 cup grated cheese to egg mixture
  7. Stir egg mixture, meat, and cheese together gently and add to vegetable medley in the skillet or in your baking dish
  8. Cook mixture without stirring, just until the edges begin to”set”
  9. Place skillet or baking dish in oven
  10. Cook for 15- 20 minutes (in cast iron skillet) watching closely the last 5 minutes.
  11. Cook only until knife inserted in the middle of the frittata comes out clean, but center still has a glossy appearance
  12. Sprinkle additional 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the frittata
“until edges are set”

While the frittata was cooking, I filled a diamond shaped antique dish with a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, and gave them a sprinkling of sugar. Then came the fun of finding a cozy corner in the bedroom. This seemed the perfect spot … like sitting in a treehouse that overlooked the lake with a low table waiting for setting, a rustic little bear lamp for a little glow, and seating with lots of pillows. You’ve heard of breakfast “in bed.” This was breakfast served “out of bed” … just for two. ❤

A whole lot of cozy.

I love combining rustic and elegant pieces. Crystal, china, and crocheted lace napkins mixed well with my rugged cast iron skillet, miniature braided fish rug, and frayed patchwork napkins circled with wooden napkin rings.

Villeroy & Boch china Design Naif

Even though we cooks are usually our own worst critics, the frittata was delicious, and the setting was perfect.

We had a wonderful time on our anniversary. Here are just a few pictures of the picturesque seaside towns of Rockport and Port Aransus on the Texas Coast.

Beach cottages in Rockport, Texas

Beach at Rockport, Texas

Port Aransus Ferry, Harbor and Beach

Then the rugged beauty of the Texas Hill Country we traveled through on our way back home AND the awesome and incredible “Jacob’s Well” an artesian spring with an underground cave system and crystal clear waters that allow you to see the layers of bedrock and strata in the depths of the water in Wimberly, Texas near New Braunfels. Look it up; my pictures don’t do it justice and Richard was getting nervous I was getting so close to the edge! (:

Hope you are enjoying some adventures on these dog days of summer! Try the Breakfast Frittata and set a cozy table in a “new spot” to enjoy it in. You’ll be surprised at the sense of adventure and the fun it adds having your meal in a different place!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

The Cottage Series – Part 3

~ by Trenda

Cottage Series Part 3

Cozy and cottage go together like peas and carrots and a way to add some “cozy” to your home is to display the things you love to collect.  In my  first chapter of  The Cottage Series and also in The Cottage Series Part 2  I’ve shown you some of the collections inside the crooks and crannies of Cottage Green and given you some decorating tips on how to add the “cottage look” to your home.  My kitchen cupboards display a lot more than just the usual dishes!  Nestled and peeking out among the plates and dishes of my kitchen hutch, you’ve seen an assortment of things I love to collect … salt cellars, silver spoons, Staffordshire creamers, thatched roofed sugar bowls, miniature tea sets, and Boyd’s Bear collectibles.

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I have a collection of “farmyard fowl” that all began after my mother-in-law gave me the rooster and hen set I’d always admired that she kept on a little shelf in her kitchen.  My husband said “as long as he can remember” this rooster and hen were displayed in their kitchen.  I love that she gave them to me and I now have them in a little cubby Richard made in our kitchen, that I fondly call “the chicken coop.”

chicken coop

The coloring of the smaller rooster on the right, matched perfectly with the antique rooster and hen my mother-in-law gave me, so I grouped them all together.  I can never resist antique dishes in green and white and I loved this plaid plate when I saw it!  Though there was only one and I didn’t know yet, how I would use it … I bought it.  After Richard made my little “coop” I placed the plate in the back of the shelf and loved the bold background and the way it contrasted with the colors of the roosters and hen.

2 roosters and 1 hen

 

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The middle shelf is anchored with a quaint coffee mill, another cherished gift from Richard’s mother.  A music box we bought in Switzerland  – is not something you would usually find in a kitchen (;  It plays the sweet tune of “Edelweiss” and is wood carving of a young boy in overalls, holding his pet rooster in one arm and a pail of feed in the other … with a trail of chickens behind him.  The music box looks perfectly quaint, centered on the coffee mill and right at home in the kitchen with some smaller hens, ducks, baby chicks and geese I’ve collected and “scattered” for company on the shelf.  Another plaid plate propped behind the farmyard scene is another orphaned plate I found!

middle shelf

DT whimsy

Make sure your shelves don’t appear top heavy or out of balance.  Decorations on your top shelf should appear visually “lighter” and simpler than the items placed on your lower  shelves.  A French inspired hen by Villeroy and Bach and a Colonial Homestead plate by Royal China is a simple and sophisticated “finial”  perched above the other shelves.

top shelf

DT top heavy On the other side of the kitchen, Richard removed the doors from these cabinets so I could display my collection of antique green and white dishes and other cherished pieces.  The dishes are a mixture of patterns … Currier and Ives “The Old Curiosity Shop” … Old Colonial Homestead … and Green and White transferware from England but they’re lovely “mixed together” all in the same shades of greens.

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Stacking dishes in your cabinets not only creates visual interest, but also gives you more room … a double bonus! (:

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DT stacked dishes

More roosters, ducks, chicks, and even eggs are a punctuation point on each shelf and a re-occurring theme.  Each season, I replace these accent pieces with different decor.  Red, white, and blue Americana is getting ready to replace the hens and roosters … which will later be replaced by autumn decor … which will be replaced by antique Thanksgiving turkeys … which will be replaced by Christmas treasures.

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DT seasonal

A beautiful pierced aluminum antique ceramic casserole dish belonged to my mother and was a present, I was thrilled she gave to me.  The beautiful matching brass-handled casserole dishes on the top shelf  were a gift from Richard, 40 years ago. ❤ Sweet memories I get to look at every day that are easily reached and are practical and useful decor!

moss green shelf

 DT loved dishes

Visually uniting my cabinets to my counter tops, I placed a Fitz and Floyd platter on the counter top that matched both the French Country cabbage serving bowl and the storybook, goat-topped dish in my cabinets. The canisters match the sugar and creamer set and the ceramic colander on the shelves.

moss green cannisters

DT counters

By the way, open shelves are easy to “create” in your home by removing your cabinet doors, filling in the holes left from the hinges with wood filler, and then painting.    Though open shelves definitely add a “cottage feel” to any home, I also use these decorating tips “behind closed doors.” (;   It is delightful to open a cabinet door and see a vignette made up of sparkling dishes, artfully arranged.

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

 

scripture house

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

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Winter Wonderland Tablescape …

I had fun creating a whimsical tablescape befitting our first wintry weather, complete with snow flocked trees, a frozen pond, and miniature skaters.  Little twinkle lights glow in faux white branches covered in glitter while the “real” tree branches loom beyond the window, stark and dark against the twilight sky.

twilight

A navy tablecloth covered with white lace is the snowy backdrop for crystal mugs and cherished blue stemware … reflecting sweet “yesteryear.”  Memories of our  own dear little boy and girl carefully choosing each jewel colored stem and buying them for me with their combined allowances … Momma’s beloved Christmas present! ❤ ww place setting.jpg

Christmas Naif dishes by Villeroy and Boch, painted by the French artist Gérard Laplau depict a picturesque village scene with children playing near a snowman … “with a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal” and a horse-drawn sleigh … are perfect for my Winter Wonderland!

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“Come to the church in the wildwood” with windows glowing, amongst the twinkling trees and spruce.

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  Winter evening beckoning in the deepening twilight, within and beyond …

ice pond.jpgThese little skaters, with their magnet pedestals actually pirouette around the iced pond when the music box is wound up and playing. 

closeup skaters.jpgAfter dinner coffee and Dutch Almonette cookies are waiting to be served.  Crystal mugs, biscuit barrel, and sugar creamer set match the “icicle” look of the frozen pond and snow flocked trees.

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“Coffee?”  “Yes, please!” (:

mugs.jpgWhite crocheted-edged napkins are tucked inside navy blue napkins and are tied with a simple gold cord which nonchalantly holds the salad and dinner fork.  Individual little tealights glow in white holders covered in “snowballs” and personalize each place setting.

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Hope you’re staying warm and enjoying this special season with moments … snuggled under cozy blankets … holding steamy mugs that warm your hands … gazing at the beauty of winter through frosted window panes … with family and friends taking “the bite” out of the frost! (:

last shot

From my cottage to yours ~  Trenda 

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Thank you for reading my blog!  To have all my posts delivered to your email address, just click FOLLOW in my post above … or click on my site: cottagegreenonthelake.com

FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST!

Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’m joining:

Chloe Crabtree with Celebrate & Decorate

“The Cottage Series”…….. by Trenda

cot·tage /ˈkädij/ noun

  1. a small simple house, typically one near a lake or beach.
    • a dwelling forming part of a farm establishment, used by a worker.  “farm cottages”
synonyms: cabin, lodge, bungalow, country house, shack, chantey

“Cottage decorating is an unpretentious approach of displaying collected treasures and keepsakes that have been accumulated over the years, or that have been passed down through the generations.  Each objet d’art in our home is reminiscent of our family’s lives together and reflects cherished memories.  Tucked away in kitchen cupboards, displayed on bookshelves, or in free standing vignettes, I love and display these memories in what I call … “the Cottage style.”

 Periodically, I am going to be writing posts about “the Cottage Style” with pictures of cottage decor … simple cottage recipes … how to fill cottage shelves, cache’s, and cupboards with collections and keepsakes … that I am calling “The Cottage Series.”  Let me know how you enjoy this new series!

Rustic Welcome

To display my collection of dishes and other keepsakes, Richard removed some of the doors from our kitchen cabinets.  I have a passion for cubby’s and shelves and just hearing the word “cupboard” my mind conjures up delightful visions of stacked plates, old creamers in the shape of cows or thatched roofed cottages, and folded piles of embroidered tablecloths, cup towels, and napkins edged in carefully stitched crochet!  I painted the interior of these cabinets a deep mulberry color and instantly loved the charm it added and how it made the cabinets look like a built-in hutch.

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I topped my shelves with a grape swag that reminds me of the picturesque vineyards we saw on the hills of Germany, France, Italy, and Spain (a surreal “thrill” from our years of living in Germany!) Among the thatch roof cottage dishes and under the grape clusters seemed the perfect setting for Beau and Belle with their bare feet, wide brimmed hats and a basket of  “just picked grapes” in Belle’s hands.

2Mon Cherie

The whole cupboard is filled with crystal stemware and different sets of dishes and cookware “at-the-ready” to be used or placed on the table.  Villeroy and Boch dishes are  are a special keepsake and gift from Richard when we visited the little town of Bacharach, Germany located on the Rhine River.  The dishes and cookware shown here are in the “Naif” collection and are designed by Gerard Leplau from Corsica, France.  His paintings feature charming family and village scenes and occasionally biblical motifs, like “Noah’s Ark” pictured on the top shelf.

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 Intermingled among the dishes and adding some whimsy to the cupboard are sweet little gifts given or made for me by our children.  A cherished collection of Boyd’s Bears collectibles, “Words of Wisdom for Mothers” complete with a tiny easel for display, a beloved birdhouse painted by dear little hands, and a miniature tea service.

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A mixed collection of antique thatch-house sugar bowls and creamers look right at home with my village scene dishes.  This cottage creamer is filled with a treasured collection of silver baby spoons, some still bearing sweet indentations of little teeth … and this exciting find at an antique store, one little fork embossed with the word Baby.

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On the bottom shelf are stacks of Kaiser Romantica (I even love the name!) porcelain china in the Marseilles pattern. Pink and blue flowers rim delicate scalloped plates and are sprinkled with tiny pink rosebuds.  Richard and I hand selected each piece of this china from the German Kaiser Porcelain factory, near the Czech border.  I was 9 months pregnant, with our daughter and we didn’t realize so much effort was going to be required, picking out our china. The porcelain pieces were displayed in stacks on shelves of planked wood which were propped up on cinder blocks.  We both began the treasure hunt, but after much bending and the stooping required to find the perfect pieces, I had to finally sit down.  I “passed the baton” on to Richard who finished the selection with precision and zeal!  He finished choosing all of our dishes, a service for 12 complete with all the serving pieces, a coffee and tea service with warming cache’s, a soup tureen with 12 darling soup bowls, a pedestal cake plate, a covered vegetable bowl, platters, serving trays, porcelain napkin rings, and decorative roses to place upon the table.  Every time I set the table with these dishes, I remember his endearing effort and patience while performing the task. ❤

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 An elegant coffee server with a clock is standing in  “good company” with some cabbage-leafed teapots, just the right size for tea parties.  Also, tucked under the cloche is a cherished souvenir glass in a brass stand with an emblem saying “San Francisco Cable Car.”  My father gave this keepsake to me when he came back from a business trip to California, many years ago. ❤

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Displayed in a vignette under the glow of lamplight and basking beneath the golden gleam from the picture frame is a recent “find” at a flea market that was unbelievably priced at only $1.50!!! … a set of silver antique bread and butter knives from England!  I “fell in love” with the little clasped case they came in before I even saw the price!

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From Richard’s and my research, the silver markings on these knives and their deep blue Bakelite handles helped us conclude that they were made around the 1930’s.  However, the age and silk lining of the case and silk “hinges” indicate, they may be even older.

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Hope you enjoyed seeing how I display some of my collections.  Have fun looking over your collections and thinking where you can “showcase” them to enjoy every day in the “Cottage Style” – and yes, I do have folded piles of embroidered tablecloths, cup towels, and napkins edged in carefully stitched crochet … perhaps they’ll be featured in the next “Cottage Series!” (:

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From my cottage to yours  ~  Trenda

final xoxo

Thank you for spending some time reading my blog today!  To have all my posts delivered directly to your email address, just click on FOLLOW in the post above … or click on my site: Trenda @cottagegreenonthelake.com

This week I’ll be joining Kelly from The Essence of Home

and Courtney with French Country Cottage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2 – A “Welcome Home” for Thanksgiving 

by Trenda

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Anticipating and looking forward to our family coming home next week, I love decorating and creating a “welcome home” for each dear person that will be here for Thanksgiving. Last week our “welcome home” to Thanksgiving began with decorating the front door.  Today, we’re going to take a peek behind the front door.

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As you walk in our front door the first thing you see is our antique buffet.  It’s a beautiful piece of furniture; I was giddy when I found it hidden away in a dark corner in an antique store in Tyler. (:  The interior cabinets and drawers are as beautiful as the outside and sometimes I imagine the buffet’s “past life” … and different hands than mine putting away carefully stitched napkins and tablecloths, or special Christmas dishes, into it’s confines.

Come on in!  I’m so glad you’re here! (:  On Thanksgiving, all desserts and pies are displayed out on the buffet; it’s a tantalizing spread for everyone who enters!

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The buffet is filled with autumn’s bounty and has a woodland feel with birch pillar candles, squirrels posing on oak leaves or peering into logs, little nests filled with acorns, and perching birds near their feeders!  A beautiful Fitz and Floyd harvest platter and charming squirrel dish.

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The Friendly Village dishes by Johnson Brothers are ready on chargers for the Thanksgiving tablescape and another stack of dessert plates are stacked on a plate server ready to be loaded with everything delicious!

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Woodland friends … 

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A favorite “souvenir” from a vacation spent in Italy … an inlaid wooden tea cart is stacked and ready to stand-in as a portable side table.  The tea cart is filled with necessary items for the feast … plus a few additional items for a little “glitz and glow!”(:

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Below … more Johnson Brothers Friendly Village dishes, a turkey platter, a stack of antique silver “nut” trays, a crystal biscuit barrel and a silver coffee service.

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Our fireplace is questionably (since it has to compete with the view outside!) the focal point of our living room … and is all “decked out” for Thanksgiving. 

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 Harvest has “spilled out” onto the mantle with pumpkins, clusters of grapes, bittersweet, and walnuts all accenting an autumn swag.

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clock3Our “Beau” Pilgrim (I told you we like to name things around here!) made by Fitz and Floyd resides over the Mantle Harvest and has his own thanksgiving offerings … some maize and a pumpkin, in his hands.

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A Thanksgiving wreath (DIY instructions in a subsequent post!) trimmed with a bow and ribbon that says … Count Your Blessings, Fall Harvest, Thanksgiving Tradition, and Give Thanks.

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Before I have the fun of setting our table for Thanksgiving, I keep a simple setting on the table with all the essentials needed for an cozy autumn meal enjoyed with any friends and family that arrive before “the day.”  A part of the tablescape and ready to disperse are  … a stack of Villeroy & Boch (design Naif) dinnerware, napkins encircled with mini grapevine wreaths (click here for instructions for DIY Autumn napkin rings) silverware in a ginger jar, etched glasses, and a creamer and sugar bowl for after-dinner coffee. 

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Gorgeous view beyond the window … twilight on the lake.

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An autumn ginger jar holds silverware …

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I love these etched glasses from Germany and they are particularly enchanting when filled with ambrosia or holding a miniature compote  …

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Little pumpkin showcased under a cloche …

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Looking around, I love how our “Cottage Green” looks festive and says “welcome home” to all for Thanksgiving.  Now, I have to get to the shopping, cleaning, and cooking done!!!  But, like the ribbon on the wreath says … during this “Thanksgiving Tradition” and the blessing of our “Fall Harvest”  … “Count Your Blessings” and “Give Thanks.”

From my cottage to yours  ~  Trenda

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 Thank you so much for spending some time with me today!  I’d love to hear from you and I am truly delighted reading what you have to say.  Please leave any questions you may have or comments, below.  Don’t be dismayed if you don’t see your comment “appear” right away.  Word Press checks everything I receive for SPAM and all have to be approved, before posting.  

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