If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or receive new messages via email by subscribing using the form on the right side of the page. Thanks for visiting!

Pots and Baskets

Create Storage. Not enough room for pots, pans, sieves, and baskets? Look up. French chefs use pot racks. I needed easier access to my cookware than the space under my cook top, which is crowded with venting pipes! Our first solution was to install metal baskets on rollers under the cook top. However, there is only room for cookie sheets, cake racks, muffin tins, roasting pans, perforated BBQ veggie baskets, and an electric frying pan down there! Our next solution was to install a pot rack. However, we could not afford a fancy iron or copper beauty. Here’s how we created one on the cheap.

Pot Rack. You may be blessed or cursed with a huge fluorescent light box above your stove in the kitchen. It’s not my favorite technological wonder. (It helped when we replaced our glary fluorescents with “day light” bulbs.) This box was in the way of hanging a pot rack above the stove. So, my clever husband found a work-around. He mounted eye-hook bolts in the ceiling and then wrapped wire cable through the hooks. He fed the looped cable through slots he sawed into the plastic panels to hang a metal bar. We got the bar and hooks for hanging the pots from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and eye-hooks and cable from the Do-It-Center. As you can see from the photo, it holds a lot of weight! The bar is subtle, somewhat stylish, cost-effective, and definitely useful!

Hanging Baskets. It’s a girl-thing, I think—collecting baskets! Maybe a carry-over from hunter and gatherer days? I find it difficult to pass up a basket at a garage sale. However, I am pretty picky. It can’t cost over $3—usually is $1. It has to be large and intricately wrought, the more unusual, the better. I do use my baskets. I like to see them, have them around me to choose from for the occasion. Hanging them from my light panel not only makes them easy to reach, but also lovely to look at. And, they mask that outdated light panel! We can’t afford to replace the light box with recessed, directional lighting. So, “hiding” it is the next best answer! Nails for hanging the baskets are easily pounded in the seams between the frame and molding.

Pot Lids. One of the best investments we’ve made is in a pot lid holder. You can see it in the photo. It’s hanging on the wall to the left of the refrigerator. It was not too expensive. We found it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, too. We used our 25% off coupon that comes in the mail every so often. A bit of advice—mount a board on the wall first, then affix the rack to the board. Over time, the lids have rubbed the paint off the wall, exposing the plaster beneath. Not chic.

Handy Tools. I love having my kitchen tools within reach. Ladles, a box cheese grater, spider (webbed Asian strainer), a pressure cooker, long-handled spoons, and a double boiler all hang from my pot rack. Some people like a bare kitchen. I’m inspired by one with everything I need to get right to work being creative. You can have a cook’s kitchen, too. Make use of the space above your stove or sink. Pot rack bars can be mounted on walls, too. Check out all the great solutions at IKEA for not much money. My only caution would be to avoid hanging heavy cast iron cookware overhead!

Gift of Homemade Muesli

Baked vs. Raw.  Granola is a sweet, crunchy combination of baked rolled oats, nuts, and fruits.  Muesli is an unbaked, unsweetened mixture of several kinds of rolled or flaked grains with nuts and fruits.  Brand concoctions are often very expensive for very little substance!  And, sometimes they seem to skimp on the fruit and nuts you like best.  However, if you make a very big batch of either yourself, you should save money in the long run and get just what you want.  To start, a best bulk buy is the large 2-bag box of Quaker Oats at Costco or other discount store, like Smart & Final.

Typical Granola.  You can customize your granola and muesli to your liking.  Granola lovers usually prefer old-fashioned rolled oats (not “quick” oats).  To these, they add slivered almonds, walnuts, or cashews with coconut and brown sugar in the proportions they like.  A tsp. of cinnamon and dash of ginger are optional.  Add maple or rice syrup combined with an equal measure of oil and a bit of salt to the oat mixture.  You can mush the mix together to make it clumpy, if you like.  The mixture is then spread on 2 jelly roll pans, with or without parchment paper.  Some people bake it at 250º for 75 minutes, turning frequently.  Others bake it at 325º for 20 minutes.  Most add raisins after the granola has cooled and store it in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. 

Muesli Choices.  Rolled oats are usually the predominant grain.  Sometimes you have to go to health food stores (pricey), but check out ethnic produce markets for better prices to find other grains and ingredients.  Options include:  wheat flakes or bran, barley flakes, rolled tritacle (rye flakes), and quinoa flakes.  Use what you find at the best price to learn what you like.  Dried fruits could include any or all:  raisins, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, mangos, dates, prunes, apricots, and shredded coconut.  Also, add seeds:  flax, sunflower, even sesame.  Include some nuts:  walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts.  I include a bit of Kosher salt in my mixtures, too.  Stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the refrigerator or freezer beyond 2 weeks. 

Ways to Enjoy.   Granola goes a long way.  Use it to top pudding or ice cream.  It’s a great snack.  Most people like it for breakfast with milk, soy milk, rice milk, or yogurt.  It can even be served with hot milk.  Allow it to become mushy!  I’m not a big fan of just snacking on muesli.  Pour milk over muesli and let it macerate in the refrigerator overnight for a yummy breakfast.  You could also add milk to your muesli before microwaving it for 3-5 minutes for a hot breakfast.

Gourmet Cereal.  Need an affordable and healthy gift for someone special?  Make a batch of granola or muesli and present it in a pretty screw cap container.  Save plastic and glass containers from pickles, mayonnaise, nuts, or biscotti for gift-giving.  Especially if your recipient doesn’t get to indulge much in fancy treats, this gift will be all the more appreciated.  Hand print or use your computer to fashion a label with a list of ingredients and suggested ways to serve.  Your thoughtful gift will be enjoyed and may spur your friend to make more, when it runs out!  Make it a once-in-awhile treat for family, too.

Apricot Tree

Cut Costs. Where can you cut gardening costs? Postpone professional fruit tree pruning. You may be savvy about the proper way to prune an apricot tree, but I am not. Neither my husband nor I feel comfortable trying because our tree sits on a slope. We don’t climb trees anymore. Nor, do we have the proper tools and truck to haul away clipped branches. We’ve always relied on our gardener here in southern California to do it for us. Our former gardener included annual pruning in our monthly fee for weekly yard upkeep. However, our new gardener priced the job separately at $200 per year!

Postpone Pruning. Our apricot tree had been pruned every year, just after the buds emerged, in February. Under that regimen, the tree produced a large yield every other year. That was okay with us because we couldn’t manage so much fruit! With the economic downturn, however, we have not had our tree pruned for 2 years. Surprisingly to us, our tree has produced a more consistent heavy yield each year! And, we saved ourselves $400! The branches have grown much longer. The tree looks much bigger and fuller for not having been pruned. It may cost $200+ when we finally do have it pruned!

Fruit Dilemmas. It was a mistake to plant our apricot tree on the back slope, because we cannot balance a ladder to either prune or pick the fruit! The fruit is ready the last week of June and the first week of July. So, there’s a mad scramble to pick the ripening fruit to share with family and friends before the birds and squirrel get to it. You can guess who wins this contest! The birds are in giddy rapture, singing and feasting, then swooping down to the birdbath for a sip and a splash! The squirrel twirls and gnaws around one apricot after another, while hanging upside down! The result is a carpet of half eaten apricots under the tree and all over the playhouse deck! My fruit “cage” picker on a long pole just cannot compete! The fruit falls through it or is obscured by the plastic milk jug I tuck inside to try to capture the flying fruit that drops into the middle of my bush below!

In a Jam. We used to make DELICIOUS apricot jam and wished we could sell it. But, that would have taken Health Department approval! We’d such a stockpile of it, even after sharing, that years went by while it sat on the shelf! We had to throw a lot of it out! Before planting a fruit tree in order to make jam, consider the costs and time involved. It takes a huge amount of sugar, expensive pectin, fresh lemons, and lots of sterilized jars. The apricots must be pureed and cooked in a very large pot at a usually hot and busy time of the year. We could have made more than 50 jars of jam/year, but it was too costly.

Apricot and Blueberry Pie. We don’t make jam anymore (must restrict our sugar intake)! I was able to steal enough apricots from the birds this year to make a pie for the 4th of July. Here’s how. Make it a day before your party so juices congeal. Mix 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 c. cornstarch, and ½ tsp. cinnamon together. Divide this mixture between 1 c. berries and 3 c. apricots, mixing each separately before layering the pie, first with berries, then the apricots. Dot with butter. Crimp on top crust, make slits, sprinkle on sugar, cover crimped edge with foil, and bake 45-50 minutes in a preheated 425º oven.

Island Decor

Outdoor “Rooms.” Need a new look for your patio?  Patio furniture that’s been around for more than a decade can look rather worn.  New cushions at $35 a pop add up fast!  I rejuvenated the cushions on my furniture with indoor fabric, found at a garage sale, sewing simple sacks, hand-basted at the opening.  These still looked fairly good after a summer of sun.  But, my set of Martha Stewart/KMart chairs, tables, and chaises, originally bought on sale at summer’s end, had lost their appeal.  With no money to spend on new furniture, how did we get a new outdoor “room”?  Here’s how we did it.

Tropical Décor. First, we found inspiration.  Where would you like to go on vacation (if you could afford it)?  A Polynesian, South Seas theme came to my mind immediately.  We took a 2 pronged approach.  We put our old patio set (12 pcs.) on the free website, www.Craigslist.org. And, we sought out a bamboo tiki bar and rattan dining table with chairs on the same website.  With the sale of the old patio set and a couple of old wing back chairs on Craigslist, we made enough to buy the perfect tropical furniture on Craigslist!  We’ve been having fun finding odds and ends at garage sales to fill in.  We splurged in buying a woven palm cover for our old market umbrella.  It was $100 online from www.designtoscano.com (plus shipping).  We used cheap bamboo roller blinds and garage sale bamboo to build a sun screen.  Palm pods from a neighbor’s trimmed tree were hung from the patio rafters, looking rather like a pod of dolphins, arcing across the ocean!  We’re enjoying our patio again, entertaining in our new outdoor “room.”

Beach Décor. Patios decorated with a theme transport guests to another place and time.  Who doesn’t love the beach?  Update your backyard or balcony with a fresh beach look.  Look for or make signs on old pieces of wood:  “This way to the beach!” or an arrow on which you paint “Beach.”  Bring out a beach ball, beach blankets, towels, and woven mats.  Check garage sales for faux lighthouses, fish nets, buoys, brass lanterns, shells, rope, and sailboats.  Fill a rubber raft full of sand for kids to play in.  Hang a beachy travel poster from the rafters.  Play Beach Boys music at your barbeque parties.

Western Décor. My parents built playhouse/storage units in their backyard to simulate a short street in an old west town.  Made from board and batten with reclaimed windows on concrete slabs, they actually function well.  The general store is a giant pantry.  The barn houses the lawn mower and garden supplies.  The assayer’s office is Dad’s tiny workshop.  The livery stable has bikes and large tools.  A giant old iron kettle is full of flowering kalanchoe.  Zinc buckets, washboards, a saddle, a harness mirror, tack, and wagon wheels hang here and there.  My mom painted very realistic horses looking out the windows of the “barn.”  Each little house is about 6’ x 8’, each painted a different color.  We love to sit on the swing under the patio roof to enjoy the view, complete with hitching post.  Sometimes, Dad and my sister salt a big crock of pickles to age out there.  We love the ambiance, with a red-checked tablecloth on the wooden table with a blue-speckled, enameled coffeepot filled with flowers for a centerpiece.  It’s an ongoing work of love.

Kugelis, Potato Pudding

Summer Food Festivals. Learn how to create your own ethnic food festival this month, potluck style. Once upon a time 50+ years ago, my family would trek from Northern Indiana into Chicago to Dan Ryan Park in the summer. That was before gangs and the health department intervened in wonderful ethnic celebrations. Families in the Chicago area would set up booths in the park to sell their favorite traditional dishes. People flocked to these celebrations of diversity. I couldn’t wait to sample the Russian piroshkies, deep-fried doughnuts filled with savory ground beef and onions. Delicious! Why not invite friends to a summer melting potluck gathering in your backyard or at your local park?

National Foods. Almost everybody’s family in the U.S. can ultimately be traced back to some other land of origin. What ethnic food is like a national treasure to your family? All the ladies in my husband’s Czechoslovakian family would say pierogies! These are delicate kraut, potato, cheese, or prune dumplings served in butter with browned onions. Fantastically savory! Ask guests to cook up their family’s special recipe just before arriving for the food fest, keeping the food hot or cold, as required. Supply heating trays, an oven, stove, refrigerator, or cooler to be sure food is kept at a safe temperature.

Regional Selections. If guests all come from a similar region, then the menu will hang together, e.g., Easter European, Asian, or Latin. But, if they don’t, then you will have a melting pot of dishes, for which there is a fancy term—culinary fusion. Some restaurants are actually based on fusing ethnic cuisines at a high price. The great thing about a potluck is sharing the cost of feeding a crowd. Sharing ethnic food makes good cost sense, because most beloved ethnic food is made from simple, inexpensive ingredients. These are often the peasant dishes that filled a family’s stomachs and warmed their hearts.

Kugelis. Such a dish very dear to my Lithuanian father, is potato pudding. We make it for birthdays. Preheat the oven to 350º. First, in a food processor, finally chop ½ large onion and whir in ½ c. matzo meal, ½ c. sour cream, 4 eggs, 2 t. salt, 1 t. baking powder, ¼ c. melted butter, and 4 crumbled slices of crisp bacon. Set this aside in a large bowl. Peel and quarter 7 large potatoes. Grate them in the processor. Remove and squeeze out liquid in towels. Return grated potatoes to processor to chop finely. Add potatoes to onion mixture. Mix well. Pour into a buttered 11/2 to 2 qt. casserole. Bake for 1 ½ hrs. Serve hot with sour cream. Slice and fry leftover kugelis in oil or butter as a side dish.

Experiment. There are probably as many recipes for kugelis as there are Lithuanian cooks! Hot milk can be substituted for sour cream in the mix. Some people use farina instead of matzo or bread crumbs or none of these. But, the trick is to work with the potatoes at the last minute quickly, so they don’t turn pink. Some squeeze the liquid from the potatoes, letting it sit awhile. They pour off the liquid and put the remaining white starch into the mixture. Vary amounts of ingredients to your liking. Enjoy with friends.

Heavenly Bamboo Hedge

Heavenly or Hellish? Nandina domestica, aka sacred bamboo, though Asian, is not really bamboo. However, it has a reputation for growth and hardiness much like bamboo. Care must be taken with both canes, as to where they are planted to control their vigorous ways. In the southern U.S., from Texas to Florida, people share cautionary tales about this “evil,” rampant plant (see davesgarden.com). They say too many volunteers emerge, seeded by the droppings of berry-eating birds. All parts of the plant are poisonous (except to birds). With such a bad rap, why do people still plant heavenly bamboo?

Beautiful Specimens. Heavenly bamboos are very lovely to look at! They have slender leaves which vary in color through the year: from red to copper to bright green to blue green to pink and purple! They produce what look like conical, 10” seed sprays, i.e., panicles of white buds. These can be cut and used as lacy filler around potted white amaryllis or white roses, until the buds drop. After the sprays come plump red berries, which make pretty additions to floral displays around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Hedge or Screen? The photo shows a delicate hedge of heavenly bamboo between a dense row of Italian cypress trees and a concrete driveway. This is a neighborhood scene that I enjoy on my daily morning walks. I have not seen any other heavenly bamboo in this family’s yard, only the hedge. My guess is that the plants are around 20 years old. They can be kept compact through pruning. My plant is sandwiched between my air conditioner, which resides to one side of my dining room French doors (ugh!) and the sidewalk. It screens off that unsightly machine very nicely, yet allows air to pass through. I have not seen birds feeding on its berries, which I remove before they fall to the ground. I hope it has not invaded neighboring yards! Ask your neighbors for berries to start your own plants, if you decide it’s the right plant for your needs.

Carnival Prize. When my daughter was just a little girl, she was so excited to have won a plant for me at the town festival, Conejo Valley Days. It was a heavenly bamboo! I had no idea where to plant it or how it behaved. Luckily, I planted it in a spot sheltered from the wind. I know it likes being planted by concrete. Not many plants do! It would be a good choice for patios and entryways. I prune mine to form a narrow leafy wall. It doesn’t require much water and survives the occasional cold snap (38º) we get in southern California. In freezing weather, cut it down and it will grow back in spring. My plant gets partial sun, though it can take full sun, too. If you win a plant, check the Internet or a garden book before planting it for least surprising and best results!

Street Landscaping. Landscaping an area in your yard? See what’s been planted in your neighborhood. Copy plant choices that look great. Down our main drag, a long hedge of heavenly bamboo was planted up against the block wall shielding an exclusive housing development from the busy road. Over the past 25 years, that hedge has put on an absolutely gorgeous display of color! It does not appear that a single plant has ever been lost. But, always keep kid and pet safety in mind first when making your selection.

Cookies and Milk

Hi, I’m Home! The child in all of us would like to come home to a treat after a hard day of work, school, or activity. When dinner may still be hours away, and there’s a hollow to fill, what satisfies? Of course, the first thought might be warm cookies right out of the oven and a cold glass of milk. That’s at the top of the nostalgia meter for comfort food! It’s also at the top of the calorie content scale. Boo hoo! What registers high with a yum factor and low on the sugar/fat chart? First, serve non-fat milk. Here are more ideas.

Old Stand-Bys. Pre-schools and thrifty moms have certain commercial, small snack favorites they offer children that total just 58 calories: 2 squares of crisp sugar honey graham crackers, 2 gingersnaps, 1 oatmeal cookie with raisins, or 3 vanilla wafers. One fig bar is 50 calories. Four whole saltine crackers are 48 calories. The trick here is to dole out the snacks, rather than offer a big cookie jar or box full of them. For adults watching their weight, having a measured amount waiting on a plate upon arrival home is a treat, too.

Homemade Goods. Cookies made at home tend to be larger and chock full of more goodies, like 1 of Mrs. Field’s cookies: chocolate chip 280, chocolate chip with walnuts 320, oatmeal raisin 180, oatmeal chocolate chip 280, peanut butter 220, peanut butter with chocolate chips 300, butter cookie 290. Although we tend to think of oatmeal cookies and rice crispy treats as being healthier choices, size and rich ingredients load on calories. A 2” x 3” x 2” (not very big) rice crispy bar is 150 calories. Instead of making a batch of cookies all at once, consider making 1 cookie for each family member, then saving the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. You could bake 1 cookie every other day per person to control how many get eaten in a day! Also, make the cookies smaller.

Other Snacks. Ever heard of ants on a log? There are only 7 calories in a stalk of celery. Spread a scant 2 Tblsp. of peanut butter or cream cheese along the entire stalk (200 calories). Cut it into 4 “logs.” Then evenly divide 1Tblsp. of raisins (26 calories), the “ants,” over the logs. Each log will be roughly 58 calories. A cup of canned chicken noodle soup is 67 calories. One whole, peeled cucumber sliced and chilled in a dressing of rice vinegar and soy sauce is only 58 calories. To satisfy a craving for something crisp, ½ cup of dry Cheerios is 50 calories (and they help lower cholesterol).

Fruit Pros and Cons. While fruit doesn’t have the fat content of peanut butter or cream cheese, it does have sugar. Fruit calories add up: medium orange 71, apple 80, pear or banana 100. A cup of plain yogurt is 144 calories; but with fruit, it’s 225.

Comfort in Company. Focus on finding and giving comfort through communication, instead of food. Sharing how work, school, or activities were while nibbling on a light snack or low-calorie drink can nourish the need for comfort. I applaud Michele Obama’s efforts to help children manage their weight through good food choices and exercise. If we don’t learn that as children, it’s even more difficult to practice as adults. Make it fun!

Seashells-and-Ceramics

Seashells. People have collected shells from time immemorial. Shells hold a fascination for most people. They’ve been used to adorn the human body and decorate everything from boxes to lamps to bottles, bags, clothes, mirrors, bookends, and napkin rings. They whisper of exotic places, vacations, briny havens under the sea, the mystery of life and our possible origins. Summer is the perfect time to haul out your collection of shells and display them in new, beautiful ways. Hopefully, there are still beaches where shells may be freely collected. That is part of their great appeal. They are harder to find and consequently cost more to acquire bagged and even more glued on interesting bases!

Ceramics. My daughter gave me the gift of choosing ceramics for Mother’s Day at Moorpark College’s annual ceramics sale. It is such a wonderful treat to visit the school’s art studio and view their lovely creations. I’ve fallen in love with their green glazes. Lots of beautiful pieces are under $5. This year I chose one a bit more expensive, but still very reasonably priced. That is the extraordinary aqua-green shell-like beauty on the pedestal, functioning as a vase with the seed spray coming out. The obvious play on nature is so striking. I love combining my shells with my ceramics.

“Anthropologie.” The highly creative décor in the clothing and collectibles chain called Anthropologie is changed regularly. It’s an absolute inspiration to browse through their tables and wonder at their walls. Their buyers find an eclectic mix of books, ceramics, scents, fabrics, furniture, and natural artifacts to display from around the world. Creating that same kind of well-traveled look and feel at home is appealing. How can you achieve it? Put out seashells and a seashell guidebook or encyclopedia opened to shells. Collect and display or draw botanicals with pen and ink: fern leaves, palms, orchids, bananas on a stalk. Collect and display seeds, pods, driftwood, pine cones, fronds, and faux mushrooms. At garage sales and flea markets, watch for woven mats, ethnic prints, and carved wooden masks and animals. Check used book stores for large picture books.

Indoor Displays. Martha Stewart’s recent guest on her T.V. show demonstrated how to glue shells onto sconces. He first covered the sconce with white glue and sand. When it was dry, he mounted shells using a tube of glue (527?), rather than a hot glue gun. He mounded sand up against a glued shell to keep it in place while it dried. Mastic and tile grout work, too, showing white between shells. With a hot glue gun, my daughter arranged shells on the back of my terra cotta turtle. The result was beautiful, but difficult to achieve. I cannot bring myself to glue larger shells to a mirror or picture frame or string them together. I do not want to damage them in any way. I love the effect of arranging them on glass or silver trays (like petit fours) for friends to admire and identify.

Outdoor Displays. At a gardening store, I found pot hangers made of ropes of tiny seashells to hang large conch shells in. Lucky me, I snapped up a very large coral specimen (1’ x 1’) for $1 at a garage sale! Mounted on a twig stool by my fountain, birds like to perch on it. Create a fun scene your child, the scientist, would love to explore!

Wedding Centerpiece

Pricey Centerpieces. According to pricehelper.com, wedding centerpieces can cost an average of $1272, not counting the $698 for wedding party members’ bouquets and boutonnieres! Whew! Plan your wedding in the summer for best flower prices, not Valentine’s Day, when flower prices soar. Better yet, plan ahead to create your own centerpieces. Start planting roses and hydrangeas now for your future wedding celebration! And, consider buying fresh flowers through Costco.com when the time comes.

Florist Secrets. My daughter has been invited to a number of weddings this year, some in which she has stood up with the bride. I was the happy recipient of a floral centerpiece that was given away at the end of one of these wedding celebrations. It lasted from the rehearsal dinner on Thursday through the following Thursday. I assume it was assembled the day of the rehearsal. Keep your eye out for interesting, inexpensive vases or urns. They do not have to match, but be in the same “family” type. Glass vs. concrete vs. resin, etc. Start collecting them for that special day. Florists use a variety of containers.

Beneath the Flowers. Underneath the flowers, there is a florist’s foam block, available at Michael’s or other craft stores. It should just fit the container. It is soaked in water with a packet of preservative. If you are unable to find these packets in a gardening store, add a little bleach and sugar to the water. If a concrete urn is being used, line the urn first with waxed paper to prevent the water soaking the pot. Then, place the wet florist’s block on top of the paper. This step is unnecessary with a glass vessel.

Preparing Flowers. The lovely arrangement in the photo had 4 large coppery-colored rosebuds, 6 magenta orchids, 5 green hydrangeas, 3 succulents, and hanging green clusters, which I can’t identify. You could grow all these flowers ahead of time. The orchids might be easier to buy. The roses were trimmed of their thorns and cut to about 6” long. They were stuck into the foam. The orchids and succulents were housed in small vials of water, which were stuck into the foam. I’ve kept vials like these from previous arrangements for future use. Of course, the problem is having all your flowers bloom at the right time!

Other Tips. Floral centerpieces should not be so high that they interfere with conversation across the table. If you choose to create bouquets and boutonnieres, you will need floral tape, hat pins, vials, and water bottles. Bouquets are usually flowers and berries cut to the same length and bound with ribbon, then set in a cut-off water bottle with preservative before and after the ceremony. Boutonnieres have wet toweling wrapped under floral tape and can be refrigerated in a box or bag until show time.

Fresh vs. Faux. Silk flowers are an acceptable alternative to fresh flowers, but their cost can be considerable, too. Two fresh rosebuds bound together per table can be a simple, yet lovely symbol of the bride and groom coming together in marriage.

Favorite Fruit. Need some new way to celebrate a loved one’s special day? Dining out can get pretty pricey. Cater your own bash. Base your party around their favorite fruit, hopefully one in season. May is definitely strawberry season in southern California. Oxnard and Santa Maria ship their strawberries all over the U.S. My mother’s favorite fruit is strawberries, so I based her Mother’s Day celebration around them. You could easily use the same theme for a birthday, graduation, or wedding party. Tomatoes or grapes, avocados, olives, or even corn are still other theme possibilities. Decorate your party table in red and white polka-dots with white and green accents for a strawberry party. The following dishes were made with 4 pints of strawberries.

First Course. My mom is of the belief that the best part of a meal is dessert. She’d rather have that first. So, I served fresh whole strawberries to dip in a cocktail glass of mock Devonshire cream. Combine a pint of sour cream with brown sugar to taste and ¼ tsp. of vanilla. Chill the dip, but not the strawberries. They lose flavor quickly in the refrigerator. Leave the leaves on for dipping handles.

Brunch Selections. I tried a new recipe off the Internet, French toast stuffed with strawberries and banana slices and whipped cream cheese. These were assembled in a 9 x 13 pan. Eggs beaten with milk flavored with cinnamon and vanilla were poured over all and allowed to set overnight. They were then baked for ½ hr. at 350º. My family enjoyed this dish, but I did not. I would much rather have made regular French toast or waffles and topped them with fresh strawberries and banana slices, passing a bowl of whipped cream. The spinach salad was dressed with strawberry and red onion slices and champagne dressing. We found a strawberry white zinfandel at our local market to offer, too.

Dessert. Yum, a strawberry rhubarb pie was a delicious finale. But, make it the day before your party for it to set properly. I doubled my single oil pie crust recipe to make a generous 10” pie. Combine 3 c. sliced strawberries with 2 c. finely sliced rhubarb. Stir in 1 c. sugar and ¼ c. cornstarch and a pinch of cinnamon. Fill the prepared pie shell, dot with butter, and cover with crust. Crimp the edges, put slits in the top and foil around the edges. Bake in a preheated oven at 425º for 15 min., then at 400º for 45 minutes. Cool.

Presents. I had the great fun of treasure hunting for gifts for Mom that featured strawberries. My sister also joined in. She found a sweet old-fashioned strawberry-covered apron (not cheap at Sur la Table). But you could make one. I found a hand-painted white tray with strawberries, a strawberry covered teapot, and a little strawberry garden in a box. Strawberry seeds and a prepared strawberry, terra cotta pot would have been a good choice, too. My best find was a strawberry pin made with red crystals. Have fun putting your creative talents to work. Center your next celebration around a favorite fruit, even if you are just treating yourself. Pineapples, anyone?