Entertaining at The Owlery

Well, I sorta already showed my dining "room" on the SUYL--Kitchens from Kelly's Korner, but I will go ahead and share it again!  A few of those who viewed my pictures commented on my teapot collection, so I will share a bit more about that.  We actually just had a friend from work over with her boyfriend and son.  My kitchen area turned into a disaster:

BUT I think that is a sign that it was a successful meal!  (This picture was taken after they left, and I started cleaning up.)  Some of my favorite things to cook include chicken pot pie with lots of veggies; cobbler; French toast; roast beef; red, white, and black bean chili; and Cadbury chip brown sugar cookies.  For this dinner, I made baked chicken with McClard's seasoning, mashed potatoes from scratch, green beans with thyme, buttery corn, homemade cheddar bay biscuits (like the ones at Red Lobster!), and Nutella cookies with peanut butter.  Enjoy another look around the heart of our home!

This is how our kitchen usually looks.  This is looking into our dining "room" from the kitchen.

 looking into our dining area from the living room

 Our table is an antique Duncan Phyfe dining table!  A couple from Zach's parents' church gave it to us when we got married because they were switching from two residences to one. It needs to be refinished, but it is just beautiful.  It seats six, but we keep one chair in our bedroom for sitting.  I love imagining all of the different meals shared at this table and all of the different people who have sat down at it.  Zach's Momo made the lace tablecloth several years ago and gave it to me for my birthday.  The vase in center was made by Zach's mom who is very into pottery.  All of the birdy items were gifts from my birthday week that Zach's mom organized this year since I was recovering from surgery during that time, and the ironwork napkin holder was a wedding gift (I don't remember from whom.)  The rug, which you really can't see, was purchased with wedding gift money.  And I'm a new seamstress!  Zach got me this sewing machine for Christmas last year!

 the original needlework on the dining chairs

We wish we had the money to restore them to their former glory, but we can't right now.  We are planning to cover them with some fabric to protect the needlework and better match our decor at some point.

 I keep cookbooks, photo albums, yearbooks, photo boxes, picture frames, and scrapbook clutter on this shelf.  It needs to be better organized.  (That is one of my goals for this coming month!)  Our Willow Tree collection that we received from my mama, Grandma Byrd, and aunts on my dad's side are on top of the shelf along with a decanter that has been in my family forever.  The Alice in Wonderland bag was a birthday gift from my friend Katie; I used it in grad school, but now it holds fabric scraps.

 This china cabinet belonged to one of Zach's great aunts and was given to us by his parents to use since they weren't using it.  It holds my teapot collection, including our Alice in Wonderland collection.  (More on that in a second!)  The horse paintings were Zach's uncle's; he passed away before I met Zach.  :(  On top are some plants from my mom, a set of candleholders that were left in our first apartment, and the tiered serving dish that was a wedding gift from some ladies at Zach's parents' church.  Our kitties sleep on the ottoman to the right; we store coupons in the basket.

Oh, and our chandelier can be dimmed, so we have MOOD lighting!  But it makes for very bad lighting for pictures.  *lol*

This is a somewhat better look at my teapots.

 The top row has my Alice in Wonderland teapot (in the center) that Zach got me for Christmas when we were dating.  (It was the only Christmas we celebrated while dating because we got married exactly a year after we met on September 19!)  What is funny is that I got him a voucher for high tea at the Intercontinental on the Plaza when we were going to KC after New Year's (along with the dark blue tea cup you will see on the back of the second shelf--great minds think alike! :).  For my 24th birthday following that Christmas, he gave me several of the Alice pieces (plates and cups) during my birthday week, and his parents gave us the creamer pitcher the next Christmas.  My mama kept getting forgetting what fairy tale was behind our fairy tale...and gave me the Cinderella snow globe for Christmas after we were married.  *lol*  There's also a small white toy tea set I had when I was a little girl; I used it for my Samantha doll.

Left to right:  The rose teacup and saucer came from my best friend Monica (it was her Nan's; Nan passed away last year, and I loved her like a grandma, too); Zach's blue cup from our first Christmas together was mentioned above; this red housewarming teapot is from Brian and Whitney (they were our primary matchmakers); the burgundy and tan teapot that stacks on its cup was a birthday present from my roommate Rose; the Union Jack teapot was one of my souvenirs from my study abroad trip; the book teapot was a birthday gift from my sister-in-law; and the Japanese cup was bought on one of my many LR trips to Whole Foods.

Left to right:  The pastel polka doted teapot and cup was found at a flea market by my SIL; the plate commemorating Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding was a gift from my in-laws for my 26th birthday last year (my mother-in-law's best friend Fiona is Scottish and picked it up while she was visiting her family); the purple flowered teapot was a housewarming gift from my friend Katie when Monica and I got our apartment during grad school; and the simple flowered teapot was Zach's when he went away to college.

And there you have it!  Want to come over for a hot cuppa?

Menu Monday: BLUEBERRY-STUFFED SCONES

I may have mentioned this before, but we really love eating breakfast for dinner around here. For example, Saturday night I made buttermilk waffles with buttermilk syrup (thanks to the ladies at The Pretty Life Anonymous) and turkey bacon. Breakfast foods are filling and cheap and are sooo enjoyable to eat. Besides, who has time to eat a nice big breakfast in the morning? Mornings are hectic around here; we are lucky to eat at all (but Zach and I both do). We also like to have breakfast as a quick fix for dinner or an easy meal to make when we are busy or are preparing to travel, as we are this week. We are going to Brickworld outside of Chicago because my husband loves Lego, and I love my husband. ;) (Plus it's going to be pretty awesome AND our friends Rob and Mechelle are going. I really am excited; I promise. I just think Mechelle and I are more excited for Giordano's pizza. ;)

Since Zach and I have met, we have shared plenty of scones. I have made some from mixes--the best ones bought at World Market on trips to KC--and I have tried several recipes. I made one using sour cream and orange zest the first summer we were together, and I remember we liked that one quite a bit although it was crumbly. The one I used on the morning of the Royal Wedding? Not so much. Tonight, however, I am happy to say I have found a scone recipe we both like, even though the scones it makes are somewhat different from the ones to which we are accustomed. By that, I mean that the fruit is an actual filling as in a fried pie or dumpling, rather than being mixed into the batter. I had quite a bit of buttermilk leftover from "brinner" this weekend, so I wanted a recipe that would use some of it up. Fortunately, I found a recipe in the cookbook that Zach bought me for our first Valentine's Day together. WIN!

We bought some more blueberries at the Farmers Market, so BLUEBERRY-STUFFED SCONES were born!

-Combine 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1/6 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1-1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. baking soda in a bowl.

-Add 6 Tbsp. butter or margarine and mix until the flour mixture becomes crumbly. (I used my KitchenAid [of course!] on the 2 setting.)

-Add the 1/2 c. buttermilk until combined. It will be very sticky.

-On a floured surface, tear off 2-in. diameter portions from the dough and roll the dough out into circles that are about 4 inches in diameter. (I suggest flouring the surface and rolling pin in between each circle, and it doesn't hurt to flour your hands, too!)

-Place 7-10 blueberries in the center. (You can use any kind of fruit, jam, baking chips, cheese, nuts, or what have you. Use your imagination. :)

-Fold the circle in half and seal edge. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush the top of the scones with heavy whipping cream. (I used Baking Joy every time I need to grease a pan or what-not for baking. My mama always used Crisco, and while that softens your hands, it sure is messy!)

-Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned at 400 degrees.

-Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. (I wish I had used my sifter. They would have been that much prettier!)

[10-12 scones]

-I also made cheesy, chivy eggs to go with the scones for "brinner." Zach says I make the best eggs he has ever had, and he loves chives. The chives, rosemary, and basil are doing great in our herb garden. The mint is o

kay--some of the bottom leaves have browned, but it is growing upward and the top leaves are huge and green--while the cilantro just can't catch a break. Does anyone have any tips?

P.S. I'm such a nerd and just remembered how to imbed links! I'm proud--and embarrassed!

P.S.S. We are going to be gone until Monday, so no posts until next Tuesday at the earliest. The only food I will be talking about will probably be Chicago-style pizza and hot dogs!! I'm sooo excited about them.

P.S.S.S. I had radishes again this week in salad Sunday night. They are so nice and peppery. But can you cook them? I need to research that.

P.S.S.S.S. Someday, I promise, I will have a lovely camera that takes lovely pictures. Right now my iPhone will have to suffice. : /