A {picnic} Table Winner!

So Tuesday at the {picnic} Table has drawn to a close. Thanks for all the great entries! It's always fun to see what recipes, projects, and table-talk you share!

The winner is . . .

Candice of Sunshine, Handmade, who linked up a yummy-sounding chocolate cake! Candice is a regular contributor to Tuesday at the Table, and I am really pleased for her win - she touched my heart with her post about the center of the home. Congrats, Candice - I'll be emailing you!

So are you all up for one more round of this month-long linky party? I hope so, because I'm really excited to declare August the month of Tuesday at the {herbal} Table! Using herbs in your cooking is such a great way to enrich the flavors of whatever you are making! So stay tuned - Tuesday at the Table will be back next week!

Tuesday at the {picnic} Table

Well friends, the link up for July's Tuesday at the {picnic} Table ends at midnight tonight! And Wednesday, in amongst W.i.P. Wednesday and Fresh Sewing Day, I'll choose and announce a random winner! {Forget what the prize is? You can check it out here.}

I highly suggest you take a peek at the link ups - there's lots of good recipes, some lovely table-talk, and a variety of awesome kitchen/picnic/food-related projects. And then consider linking up yourself!

Meanwhile, my topic for today is Deviled Eggs! I think they are one of those foods that you love or you hate. So you probably have a strong opinion about them. But either way, they are great for pot-lucks, barbecues, and definitely for picnics! I'll start off with one of my stand-by recipes . . .

Deviled Eggs with Chive and Tarragon
Recipe from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes by Jeanne Kelley

6 large eggs
3 Tb. sour cream
2 Tb. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. snipped fresh chives
1 Tb. minced fresh tarragon
salt
pink peppercorns, cracked, or black pepper

Cover the eggs with water in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer eggs slowly for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water to cool. Refrigerate the eggs until well chilled.

Peel the eggs and carefully cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and transfer them to a medium-sized bowl. Set the whites aside. Stir the yolks with a fork, breaking them into bits. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard and stir until smooth. Mix in the chives and tarragon and season with salt to taste. Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites, dividing evenly. Sprinkle the tops with pink peppercorns. Serve, or chill and serve within 3 hours. Makes 12.
To be honest, I substitute minced basil for the tarragon, put the mixture in a large zip-lock bag with a tip cut off and 'pipe' the filling into the whites. and lastly, I do not have pink peppercorns, but I do have pink salt, so that is what you see sprinkled over the eggs, along with some chives.

According to wikipedia, deviled eggs are kind of a universal dish, with regional twists found all over, especially in Europe. Also, "Deviled eggs are so popular in the United States that special carrying trays are sold for them." I don't have one, but I do have a deviled-egg platter, yes I do.

Looking for a new variety to try? Check out Deviled Egg, with over 50 to choose from! There are deviled egg recipes galore on the web! One I'd really like to try - Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon. oh yeah.

Source: cookingchanneltv.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Thanks much for joining me for Tuesday at the {picnic} Table! It may be the last day, but feel free to jump right in with a recipe, some foodie-talk, or a table-related project . . . and link up here!

Tuesday at the {picnic} Table

In no way, shape, or form is it picnic weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Over the last couple of weeks, though the sun has peeked out now and again, we have had frequent thunderstorms, lightening to go along with it, an onslaught of huge hail, and torrential rains. Summer? Hardly.

But in keeping with the theme this month at Tuesday at the Table, I do have two picnicy recipes to share, both of which have gone with us on many family outings over the years. The first is an easy, packable sandwich; the other a chocolatey, fun dessert. Both do well made ahead a bit, but do need a place in the ice chest as you adventure out.

Turkey & Pesto Foccacia Sandwich
1 large loaf foccacia bread
1/2 # smoked turkey breast, sliced
1/4 # provolone cheese
7 ounces prepared pesto

Split foccacia in half horizontally. Spread pesto on bottom. Layer turkey and cheese. Add top of foccacia. Cut in squares to serve. (I always put all the sandwiches back in the bag the foccacia came in - easy serving once you get to your picnic site.)

Black Bottom Cupcakes
8 ounces cream cheese, soft
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 6 oz. package chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups flour -- sifted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup water
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Place cream cheese, egg, sugar & salt in a bowl. Beat well & stir in chocolate chips; set aside.

Beat all remaining ingredients until blended. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full. Top each with a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven & cool. (Makes 18)

I'm excited to see what recipes, projects, or table-talk you all have to share this week! Don't forget, just one more week to link up for a chance at the prize! Link up here!

Tuesday at the {picnic} Table

Welcome back to the {picnic} table!  Did you remember there's a guest post at A Quilter's Table today? It's my pleasure to welcome my daughter, who is here to share one of her recent sewing finishes!

Hi! I’m Rachel and I blog at Snippets of Sweetness. When I was asked to write a guest post for Tuesday at the {picnic} Table, I immediately knew what I wanted to write about. Pink Penguin’s lunch bag has been on my To Do list ever since Ayumi published the tutorial. With the sunny summer weather finally settling over Seattle this month, it was the perfect time to whip up a new lunch bag and embark on a quest for a personal picnic spot.

A quick search through my stash turned up the perfect fabric for this particular project: a fat quarter bundle of summery fabric from Fruit-A-La-Carte by Hoodie for Timeless Treasures. Usually, I gravitate toward cool colors and geometric prints, but I have a weakness for food fabric.

Pink Penguin is one of my favorite crafting blogs; Ayumi has impeccable taste and a knack for choosing cute fabric. She creates exquisitely unique items that often urge me to run straight from my computer to my sewing machine. I have followed her tutorials for her fabric basket and reversible patchwork bag in the past, and have been quite happy with the results. For whatever reason, I puzzled over the lunch bag pattern several times before I started. However, I’m not one to follow a pattern or recipe exactly, so I made a few modifications to her lunch bag pattern, one of which was unintended.

For starters, I am scared of interfacing. It’s silly, I know, but I am convinced that I’ll mess it up somehow and end up with the interfacing stuck to my iron instead of the fabric. I’m rather fond of my iron. Instead of interfacing, I used Insul~Bright in the main part of the bag. I was pleasantly surprised with how cold it keeps my food. A lunch packed at 7am is still cold at 12pm! The other major change I made was accidental. I cut all the pieces correctly until I got to the Insul~Bright, which I managed to cut ½” too short. In the end, I just trimmed the rest of the pieces to match. Next time I make one of these, I will use interfacing, at least for the handles, and make the whole thing a little bigger.

Once I had my Personal Picnic Purse ready to go, all I had to do was find a personal picnic place. Luckily, there is a small park-like area just across the street from my work, and once I ventured over there, I found that it has well-situated benches that provide light, shade and a perfect vantage point for people-watching. My Personal Picnic Purse has inspired me to eat my lunch outside every sunny day since I made it. It’s just too special to sit on my desk all day. Here’s hoping that my Personal Picnic Purse inspires you to make your own, and to enjoy eating alfresco whenever you can.

Thank you, Rachel! What a darling project!


Do any of the rest of you have a picnicy project or recipe to link up? You can do that right here, where the link up will be open through the month!

Tuesday at the {picnic} Table

This last weekend, we celebrated the marriage of a close family friend. At the rehearsal dinner, the bridesmaids were quizzing the guests for marriage advice. I was touched by what son had to offer. "Eat together." Our families have always been big on sharing a meal around the table, definitely seeing it as a way to connect to each other. There's really nothing quite like it. Research even proves it. Taking the significance and joy of the table outdoors adds a festivity to a simple meal, a refreshing change to our routine.

Over the years, one of our favorite desserts to take on picnics was Baby Cheesecakes - easy to make, and easy to transport in the ice chest.

Baby Cheesecakes
12 vanilla wafers
2 eggs
16 oz. cream cheese (neuftachel works great)
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
grated lemon rind

Place 1 vanilla wafer in each cup of paper lined muffin tin. Combine eggs, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and mix thoroughly at medium speed. Pour over wafers. Sprinkle with lemon rind. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Refrigerate. OPT. Add 1/2 c. melted chocolate chips to make chocolate cheesecakes.

I was looking on Pinterest for some fun picnicy sewing projects, and look what I found!

An insulated picnic bag

Source: sewmamasew.com via Noah on Pinterest

A picnic quilt

Source: modabakeshop.com via Tanesha on Pinterest

Fun huh? Do you have a picnic or table project to link up? Or a recipe that is picnic-worthy? Link up right here. And remember, the linky is open through the month, so when inspiration hits, it's there.

I have a little surprise for you for next Tuesday! A Quilter's Table's will have its very first guest post, by someone near and dear to me! Hope you can join us!

Tuesday at the {picnic} Table

Welcome to Tuesday at the {picnic} Table, another month-long event celebrating the table, wherever you find it! Just one linky for the whole month - right here on this post. Each Tuesday I'll have a link back so you can find it easily and I'll keep it front and center in the Tuesday at the Table tab under my header as well.

I must have had picnics on my mind when I woke up Sunday, because almost immediately, I thought of picnic, a shop in Seattle that I had heard about but never visited. Thinking it would be perfect inspiration for this month's table topic, hubby and I went to check it out. 

It calls itself a "food + wine boutique", and I think that is an accurate description. They offer "wine by the glass and bottle, unique food gifts, a diverse selection of cheese and charcuterie items as well as a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches to eat-in or take away." Perfect. We had just eaten when we visited, but were still able to find several items to enjoy later.

Admittedly, there was alot to tempt us! 

arrow pointing to very awesome kale & chickpea salad with pepitas - yum!

We could have easy packed ourselves a picnic, without a doubt! As it was, we enjoyed perusing the cold case, the heirloom beans and various condiments, the wine, etc. etc. Fun shop.

Meanwhile, back to reality, and I have the easiest of easy picnic recipes to share, what we call "Turkey Rollups." Basically, take a flour tortilla, spread with soft cream cheese (I prefer the whipped), layer a couple of slices of deli turkey and roll up. I'll either wrap them separately, rolled up in plastic wrap, or make a bunch and fill a zip-lock bag. They are easy to transport, stand up well to a stuffed cooler, and always seem to be enjoyed.

I'm working on pulling together a prize package that I'll share later this week, but for now, post about a picnic recipe or experience or project - or really, anything related to the table - and link it up for a chance to win. Most important, we'll enjoy sharing together . . .

A {summer} Table Winner!

With June nearing a close, the Tuesday at the {summer} Table event is officially over. It's been great fun to have many of you link up recipes and table-related projects, and simply chat about the table. Thank you!

Several of you responded to my invitation to make potholders along with me this last week. Look at this array of kitcheny goodness!

Source: patchworknplay.blogspot.com.au via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: gemini-stitches.blogspot.com.au via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: pieceful-lynne.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: fabricmutt.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: snippetsofsweetness.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: craftyshenanigans.blogspot.co.uk via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: shecanquilt.blogspot.ca via Debbie on Pinterest

I love the variety of styles!

Sooooo, I guess I should announce the winner of the {summer} table prize, huh? Well, according to the random generator, it is . . .

Susan of the The History Quilter, who shared a recipe for Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Pudding as link-up #32. Congrats, Susan! Susan is a frequent contributor to Tuesday at the Table, and in addition to quilting and  enjoying time in the kitchen (and garden), is a quilt podcaster. So get acquainted with her if you aren't already!

Hope to see you back next Tuesday, when A Quilter's Table will host a new event for the month of July! 

<a href="http://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Quilter’s Table" src="http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x440/debjeske/TuesdayatthepicnicTable-175.jpg"/></a>

As always, even with a picnic theme, any recipe or kitchen/table project or story can be linked up! And July 4 (Independence Day for the U.S.) is next week, so if you have any holiday food/projects, that would be great! So the fun continues . . .