Wedding Reception at Home- the Morning Of!

morning light in the dining room - so soft and dewy

gorgeooooous  flowers by Twigs- my fav

roes, hydrangeas, jasmine in soft pinks - so Amy

The box we made for Amy - a piece of old rhinestone jewelry from each of us is in the box.
Thank you Linda D. for the perfect box!

the wedding cake iced with organic edible sugared roses- 3 layers of chocolate, almond and red velvet

mini martini glasses with sugared rims ready for the dessert martinis

flower bouquets through the house of dahlias, butterfly plant, queen Anne's lace and apples from my neighbors tree

just taking the roasted grapes with sea salt and thyme out of the oven !

foyer table, blending the outside porch with the inside decor- rustic and sweet!

front porch ready for the party thanks to Candy and Penny!

apples, lavender, and mums

Mr. RTH built this stand for our mixture of  bar ware- been collecting odds and ends for a while now, so when one gets broken, no one has to feel bad.  Just go find another odd ball glass for the collection!

Candy and Penny created wonderful romantic vignettes on the porch tables

bar set up at the end of the porch

mona lavender plant and kale from Home Depot!  Pretty in the French planter from the store.

It is the morning of John and Amy's wedding reception and the house is very quiet at the moment. That will change in an hour!  Very soon  the RTH girls will arrive and the busy task of getting all the food ready for the table will begin!  But right now  it is fun to enjoy the decorations that Penny, Candy and I did yesterday.   We have a few more things to do with flowers this morning and need to finish setting up the bar.  I am looking forward to the day and hope it is everything that Amy and John would want!

Easy Sunday Morning Brunch

Love the rhinestone collars for wine bottles or decanters - available at  the store

My favorite champagne glasses- Palais by Bayel in France

Puffed and golden brown just out of the oven

 

I wanted to prepare a simple -no stress- brunch for Sunday morning. So I assembled an Overnight

Raspberry French Toast the night before that was so easy.  The next morning I took the casserole out of the refrigerator and added the crumble to the top along with the fresh raspberries and popped it in the oven.  The smell was divine as the French toast baked.  Asiago and Parmesan scrambled eggs and uncured applewood smoked bacon were leisurely prepared while  the casserole baked. As a finishing touch, I sliced fresh oranges and added raspberries with a little Grand Marnier splashed into the bowl.

A little champagne poured into a glass and breakfast was ready!  Note:  this baked French toast is light, fluffy and very good. I think you could add pecans to the crumble topping and make it  even more deelish.  Any berry could be substituted. While I sliced the challah bread into slices, I think it would have been more consistent presentation if I had diced the bread  into cubes and made French Toast bread pudding- something I will try next time! But definitely a keeper of a recipe and one that can be easily adapted. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday.

 

Baked Raspberry French Toast

 

12 slices of bread

8 large eggs

4 T.  granulated sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

3 c. milk

2 c. fresh raspberries, cleaned

4 T.butter, softened

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

 

Butter a 9 by 13 baking dish.  In the prepared dish, arrange the bread in layers, cutting in half as needed for coverage.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla and milk. Pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the dish from the refrigerator and sprinkle the fresh raspberries over the bread.  Combine the butter, flour and brown sugar; blend with a fork until combined.  Sprinkle over the berry layer.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until puffed and brown.

Serve immediately with syrup.



Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebration Table

There is something about the British Royalty that is fascinating to watch- such an archaic system, yet so enchanting and fairytale like.  Afterall, everyone loves a great fairytale.  I couldn't help but want a little piece of the celebration- 60 years as Queen Elizabeth- a little piece of this history lesson to have as my own.  So I ordered the dessert plates designed for the celebration from The Royal Collection  (www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk). They are beautifully made with a gold band and the royal crest - God Save The Queen!  Setting the table with my  crown embellished china from the old Helmsley Hotel in New York and hotel silver from Pottery Barn, I felt quite royal myself!  An assortment of crowns from my daughter's collection were used to embellish the table, along with just three single white roses placed in a crystal compote.  Vintage crystal from France added the necessary sparkle to the setting.  A blue taffeta tablecloth russels softly as one sits at the table and leans back against the beaded and crested  pillows.  Time for tea anyone?  We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday.  Please visit.

Blackberry Farm - Surely Heaven on Earth

 The Main House used for breakfast and lunch service

Veranda off the Main House- love that table built around the trees.

 Morning Mist

Boat House- perfect for reading a book or enjoying a cocktail. 

 One of many bridges on the 4200 acres.

Main House Sitting Room - dressed as an old country manor home with fabulous antiques.

Main House Dining Room used for breakfast and lunch

The Barn - used for dinner and houses the wine cellar and demonstration kitchen.

Blackberry Farm's picture of the Barn's main dining room.

Dining room china designed from drawings by John Coykendall,

the Blackberry Farm master gardener.

Sitting area in the demonstration kitchen in the barn.

Demonstration and teaching kitchen in the Barn.

Love this sitting area in the Barn.

Entrance to the Barn dining room - simple and elegant.

Miniature strawberries being grown for desserts and garnishing.  Lovely!

Mr. John Coykendall, grinding corn for cornmeal.

The Garden Shed- so quaint!

Reverend Taylor Heirloom butter beans

Hollyhocks, typically grown in the old south to identify and hide  the outhouse!

Flats of basil and mizuna microgreens being ground for the kitchen.

Wild ramps being prepared for pickling

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Blackberry Farm Cheese Cave- their blue cheese is divine. 

 You can order their food products on line.

Chef Dustin Busby, the Larder House manager.

Lunch that Chef Busby prepared for us.- poached farm egg on a bed of caramelized onion and carrot puree, with quinoa cooked in ham hock liquid, sauteed wild greens and country ham.

A sampling of entrees for the evening meal.

 Blackberry Farm cocktail in process being developed for the summer months.

I just happened to be on the veranda during the photo shoot!

Shaved cucumber strips around a seared tuna salad- absolutely divine!

Notice those herbs on top - mizuna - purple mustard greens in micro green stage- peppery taste and very very good!  I will definitely grow some!

Eggs gathered from the free range chickens on the farm.



Breakfast offering at Blackberry Farm.

Italian Truffle Dogs-Lagotto Romagnolos- used to sniff for truffles on the property.-

They raise and sell these gorgeous dogs.

The Fly Fishing Shop - how cute is that!!

Inside the fly shop- ready for lunch with a Blackberry Farm boxed gourmet lunch.

Mr. RTH fly fished every day - all day! His version of heaven on earth!

One of many places to relax. Love those burlap monogrammed pillows.

 On the front porch of our Holly Glade Cottage.

Just relax!

We are just returning from Blackberry Farm, a glorious place in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains in east Tennessee. Southern hospitality at its finest - Blackberry Farms employees are the nicest group of people, so accommodating to every little request.  The views were intoxicating and the food was habit forming - you just could not get enough. Every course was a work of art served in an old barn that was found in Pennsylvania and re-assembled here.  Suzanne Kasler, an Atlanta designer, magically transformed the space into an inspirational masterpiece.   4200 acres are at your finger tips to explore, hike, fly fish, horseback ride or just simply rock away your time on the Main House's veranda. My favorite time was spent with John Curkendall, the farm's master gardener and the Larder House manager, Dustin Busby.  After spending time with Mr. Curkendall in the garden and learning about how to grow and harvest basil and mizuna microgreens, lamb's quarter,  heirloom tomatoes and butter beans, we joined Dustin in the demonstration kitchen to prepare our lunch with vegetables just harvested from the garden.  Dustin taught us to proper cook and season quinoa, caramelize onions and carrots, make fresh ricotta cheese, and properly poach an egg.  We were able to tour the larder house and see local wild ramps being prepared for pickling. As the larder manager, Dustin also is in charge of the sheep and free range chickens that roam on the property.  After lunch we went back to the garden for more local stories and information of the life of a master gardener with Mr.Coykendall.   This magical place makes you reflect on life and realize that it is the simple things that matter most. I guess I really am a county girl!  If you ever get the chance, this is a dream place to visit.