Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sea Of Galilee, Israel

Jesus said to them, I am the BREAD OF LIFE; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:34



Giveaway and Decorative Touches for Mirrors

The Giveaway~ One Year Bloggiversary

I am having a giveaway to thank all of you for your friendship, encouragement and support for the past year!

Click here to view the 1st Bloggiversary post.

The Giveaway includes:

~ A StoneGable original Fall Wreath

~A box of Mamelah's FAMOUS Chocolate Macaroons

These are my all-time favorite cookies! Heaven!

~A gorgeous box of Homemade Truffles from Save Room For Dessert

Everyone RAVES about these confections

~A year subscription to "Belle Inspiration" Ezine

A new exquisite on-line magazine!

~ And a caboodle of other treasures

Everyone needs some extra surprises!

1 of the following gives you 1 entry:

*leave a comment

*become a follower or let me know you follow

*become a facebook follower or let me know you follow

exclusive Facebook giveaway ~ Nells' Hill "Feather Your Nest" by Mary Carol Garrity

One of my favorite decorating book. Full of creative and inspirational ideas!

* post StoneGable's giveaway on your blog

Giveaway ends Sunday October 3rd at 8:00 pm EST and winner will be announced by Monday.

Decorative Touches for Mirrors

Mirrors are a favorite here at StoneGable. Their beautiful reflective quality, the way they throw light and take up space while enlarging it is so attractive to me.

They also look fabulous when decorated with a little embellishment. (And I AM the embellishment queen!)

I tucked this pinkish berry garland around the mirror last fall and enjoyed it so much there that it has stayed.

The mirror is in my "Bohemian" downstairs bathroom. I LOVE this wallpaper, and will probably never remove it. The walls are decorated with a collection of hand painted vintage trays and other hand painted items that are similarly related. ( Later this fall the bathroom vanity cabinet will be painted red and glazed- look for an upcoming post.)The mirror was originally my Mother's and hung above our piano since I was a child.

I think little embellishment on a mirror can soften it and give it such interest! This old mirror looks so fetching with a little bit of green gracefully draped over it.

Small wreath hung from beautiful ribbon also give a mirror panache.

Do you embellish your mirrors? I'd love to hear!

 I am participating in Pink Saturday. Thank you Beverly for hosting this great weekly pink party! Please visit How Sweet The Sound.

My stylish and wonderful friend Splenderosa at Gems on Glamour is having a fabublous jewerly giveaway! You won't want to miss it! Please tell her I sent you. Click here to see her Swaroski Crystal Cuff Bracelets! She is giving away 2!





These are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Giveaway and Pear Galette

Pears are a beautiful, perfumy elegant fruit with a honey-laced flavor and succulent texture! There are 3,000 varieties of pears know around the world. What a delicious world we live in!



I had an abundance of pears after posting a tablecape tribute to the pear. Click here to see the tablescape. Not wanting them to go to waste I made a couple of pear galettes. A galette is a rustic open faced tart, or pie. Wonderfully formed and filled with fruit.

This galette is very easy to make. The pate brisee (butter pie dough) and pear galette are from Martha Stewart. I promise, this is the best and easiest pie crust to work with!

Pate Brisee

•2 1/2 cups flour

•1 teaspoon salt

•1 teaspoon sugar

•1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

•1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Put flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of seconds to mix.
Cut butter into small pieces. This is best done right on the wrapper, because it won't stick and  when cut is easily transported to the food processor.

 Pulse until mixture resembles course meal.

Add a stream of water just until dough holds together.

Put on pastry cloth dusted with flour and divide into 2 lumps.
Form into discs and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pear Galette
5 ripe pears
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
dusting of cinnamon
1 TBS butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
sanding sugar
apricot jam

Peel the pears and core with a melon baller. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add cornstarch, sugar and salt. Mix gently.

Roll out dough to a 14 inch circle.

Put dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Pile pears in the center of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bring the sides of the dough towards the center of the galette.
Dot pears with butter.

Make an egg wash and brush it on the dough. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Warm 2 TBS apricot jam in the microwave until melted. Pour over pears in the opening of the dough.

Put the galette in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove and put in oven.
Bake for 1 hour until the center is bubbly and the crust is browned.

Let sit until galette reaches room temperature. Slice as you would a pie and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Pear Tablescape and Giveaway

The Giveaway~ One Year Bloggiversary

I am having a giveaway to thank all of you for your friendship, encouragement and support for the past year!

Click here to view the 1st Bloggiversary post.

The Giveaway includes

~ A StoneGable original Fall Wreath

made especially for you by me

Click here for a Tutorial on the wreath

~A box of Mamelah's FAMOUS Chocolate Macaroons

These are my all-time favorite cookies! Heaven!

Visit Mamelah's to see all their delicious goodies!

~A gorgeous box of Homemade Truffles from Save Room For Dessert

Everyone RAVES about these confections

~A year subscription to "Belle Inspiration" Ezine

A new exquisite on-line magazine!

~ And a caboodle of other treasures

Everyone needs some extra surprises!

1 of the following gives you 1 entry:

*leave a comment

*become a follower or let me know you follow

*become a facebook follower or let me know you follow

(a second giveaway for facebook followers coming Thursday)

* post StoneGable's giveaway on your blog

Giveaway ends Sunday October 3rd at 8:00 pm EST and winner will be announced by Monday.

The Pear Table

It is almost Pumpkin time at StoneGable... Almost! Tucked between the sun and fun of lazy August days and the falling leaves, crisp breezes and pumpkins of October is Orchard Time!

Beautiful apples, luscious grapes and fragrant perfumy pears! September is a wonderful celebration of fruitful bounty!

Apples and grapes have had their 15 minutes of fame and now the pear is in the spotlight. Delicate and dripping with honey-laced flavor, the pear is worth a table all it's own.

The pears are the true stars of this Autumnal table. Hand painted pear bowls grace each place setting. They are recycled from a post last year. Every element of this table is something I had in my cupboards and used on past posts. I just recycled them, so to speak, to create this tribute to the pear.

The pear bowl sits on a trio of eclectic dishes. The edges and shapes of each dish are very different... this adds to the mismatched feel I love. It is the color of each dish that pick up the a color in the hand painted pear and becomes the unifying element.

To continue the natural feel, each place was set with a twiggy place mat. Vintage flatware with smooth, warm amber handles sit between the grooves of mats.

Three seckle pears and a tiny candle sit at each place as a personal vignette. The pears, at their luscious peak, are a take home gift for each guest to eat and remember their evening at StoneGable. I think their form and color are so beautiful!

Two little wreaths work together to make a statement of a napkin ring! Twiggy birch and a faux golden bittersweet wreaths gather up the napkins. This is an over-the-top treatment that I just love! It brings such pizazz!  Earthy meets glam!

The centerpiece  is shared by 2 pear elements. A large decorative pear sits upright and larger than life.

 An arrangement of several varieties of pears are nestled in a twiggy birch wreath on a turned pedestal. Bosc, Green Anjou, Bartlett and Forelle pears become a feast for the eyes!

The pears are real, the leaves faux. Aren't they exquisite. The blush on the Forelle pairs are captivating!

Bubble glasses are a StoneGable favorite. These, in amber, continue the gold color theme in the table.

Green glazed pots filled with popcorn become interesting candles.

The overall look is warm and organic with a touch of old world color and feel.

 At StoneGable pears are artistic delights and culinary wonders!

The Menu

Mixed Greens with Sliced Pears, Spiced Pecans and Bleu in a Poppyseed Dressing

Pork Chops With Smoked Gouda and Bacon

for recipe click here and look on Wednesday's menu

Whipped Potatoes

Roasted Root Vegetables

Pear Galette

recipe and how-to's on this week's foodie friday

Chardoney

with pear overtones

Coffee & Tea

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch.