Summer Salad Saturday Week 3

Welcome to the 3rd Summer Salad Saturday. Still no Mr. Linky. I have given up on the idea. But just leave me a message and a link and I will add you to this Meme. Lets get started. Do you love BLT Sandwiches? If so then you are going to love the salad I am sharing this week! I discovered this salad last Summer and I made it every chance I got. I think I was beginning to look like a macaroni noodle! Here is what you will need.



Bacon Lettuce and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad


1 box of large elbow macaroni cooked and drained
1/2 - 1 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
1/2 to 1 full head of iceberg lettuce chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tablespoons of sun dried Tomato Paste
When I did not have any Sun Dried Tomato paste on hand I bought a jar of Classico brand Sun dried Tomato Pesto and it worked pretty well. So keep that in mind for an easy alternative if you can't find the Sun dried tomato paste. You will use the same amount 2-3 tablespoons of this as you do the paste.








I cook up the bacon first so it can cool which makes for easier crumbling. I find that if I cook it in the microwave on a bacon tray it crumbles easier than if I fry it in a pan. I don't know why that is but it makes life simple! Then I chop up the lettuce. I like to do the mayo and sun dried tomato mix and bring it to room temp. I add a couple tablespoons of the boiling pasta water to thin it down a bit. I mix in the mayo mix while the pasta is still hot. This way it just mixes in smoother and easier then just ad the lettuce and bacon. Easy peasy and oh so yummy.







Have a Wonderful Weekend. It is hot here in the South this weekend which makes for perfect salad eating weather.


For more fantastic salad recipes visit the following blogs.....


mamaison

bramasoletoyearnforthesun

millefleur

butteryum

A Fathers Day Table

Welcome to my Fathers day tablescape. This Sunday is Fathers day so what better way to celebrate that with a themed tablescape? Okay I am sure Mr. Whimsy can think of numerous ways he would like to celebrate and I am sure none of them are sitting at a decorated table but I just couldn't resist! For my table I pulled everything from around the house that would work in a testosterone fueled tablescape. Plaids, paisleys, golf, dogs a compass and of course the neck tie!


I had originally draped the table with a table cloth but found that the exposed wood of the table seemed more manly. I had an unused Black Watch plaid sheet from a sheet set I had bought my son years ago (he prefers just the duvet with no top sheet) so I decided to cut it up and make two runners out of it for this table. I crossed them one over the other.

Over them I layered a fabric sample square that I had in my stash. Hint go to your local fabric stores and ask if they have any expired fabric samples you can have or purchase for little money. They are usually always a finished square and they make wonderful napkins or as I used here a layering tool for your table center piece. You can coordinate fabrics to make a lovely table using them.

On top of the paisley cloth I stacked up some books and places a distressed tin of grass. Flowers just didn't seem to go with my "man theme".
I couldn't resist using this brass hunting dog statue I had in my study. It tied in perfectly with the themed transferware plates I have. Plus some antique compass thinga majigger.

See? They have the same dog on them in almost the exact same pose.

These plates are from the Royal Staffordshire collection.

At each place setting I used a different tie pulled right out of the closet! I layered the white plate over a red matelasse round place mat then used some gold napkins with the tie over the napkin and then the transferware plate over that. Another option would be to use the ties as a napkin ring and tie them as you would a neck tie over a rolled napkin.

A green checked tie.

A gold and blue paisley.

A green and navy paisley.

and....this geometric one.

I tossed some golf tees here and there around the table for fun.

A warm and inviting mix of patterns and colors makes this table a fun choice for Fathers day.

Now if Mr. Whimsy notices that will be a shocker.......so most likely it will all be taken down and just provided for all y'alls creative appetites.

To see more wonderful tablescapes visit Susan at Between Naps on The porch by clicking here.

Have a wonderful Fathers Day.

Resorting To The CrockPot

As you may or may not have noticed I have not been around much over the past 10 days The kids are out of school Mr Whimsy is out of town and life is jumping ahead at full speed over here at the Whimsy household. Every time I think I can come up for air and catch my breath I go under again! Having three kids at home full time is no vacation for moi! I am going to do my best to keep things lively here in blog land and participate in as many fun Meme's as possible. I fear that most days I will be resorting to the crock pot to keep life running over here in as non frantic of a fashion as I can manage. Oh and I thought toddlers were difficult HAHA!
Remember Saturday is our third Summer Salad Saturday. I know not many have been participating but to those who have thank you! I love the recipes.
Have a SANE week!

First Concert Taylor Swift = Priceless!

Friday was the big day. Little Miss Whimsy was going to her first concert. Here we are getting ready to drive to Greensboro. We went with our friends. Of course we had to have our picture taken in front of the Taylor Swift Bus. You know they were hoping and praying she would step out of that bus at any second!

Kelly Pickler was the opening act.



They are all smiles and ready for some TAYLOR!!!

There she is rhinestones guitar and tall black boots! Every 10 year olds wish come true! Okay shhhh us moms were just as excited.

And the response was an all smiles thumbs up! Or in my daughters case a "peace out"

We had great seats but they became even better when Miss Swift came into the crowd!

Talk about good seats, ours backed right up to a box and who was sitting in it? Chris Daughtry!!! We could reach out and touch him.

And we did............!

Taylor Swift Concert Tickets = $150.

Taylor Swift Concert T-Shirt = $25.

Sitting near and meeting Chris Daughtry on top of it = Priceless


WE WERE BOTH YOUNG WHEN I FIRST SAW YOU...............

I CLOSE MY EYES AND THE FLASHBACK STARTS ....WERE STANDING THERE......ON A BALCONY OF SUMMER AIR

Who knew? Taylor Swift not only plays the guitar and writes all her own music, she plays the piano and the drums too! One talented 19 year old!

For her encore she came back out in a Tarheels basket ball jersey! Smart girl!

Her opening acts came back on stage and performed with her....Gloriana and Kelly Pickler.

"Mom, when can we go again?"

Summer Salad Saturday Week 2

Hello again and welcome to the second in a series of Summer Inspired Salad Saturdays occurring every Saturday here at Southern Whimsy in the month of June. This week I am going to share a very quick and easy way to spice up your fruit salads. This makes fruit salad really pop and is oh so refreshing on a long hot summer day.

Fruit Salad with Lime Mint Dressing

First lets mix the dressing up:

1 cup of Mint Jelly

2 Tablespoons of honey

1 Tablespoon of Lime Zest

3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice

In microwave cook jelly on high for 1 minute. Whisk in honey and all other ingredients until blended well.

Now lets cut up some fruit.

2 apples (I like to use granny smith myself)

1/2 fresh pineapple

1 cup of seedless red grapes

1 cup seedless green grapes

1/2 cantaloupe

1/2 honey dew

all cut into bite sized pieces

Now pour that tangy dressing over the fruit salad. Toss it up well! If I am getting really fancy and serving this delight to guests I like to place them in a pretty fruit cup and add a sprig of mint to the top of each. I hope y'all enjoy this very southern fruit salad! Take some out on the porch with a tall glass of sweet tea and you will be ready to fend off the hot days of summer!

If you would like to add your favorite salad recipes to this weeks Summer Salad Saturday just reply to this with your link and I will be sure to add you to the list of participants. Have a great weekend!

Please visit these wondeful blogs to find more fantastic salad recipes.

Ma Maison

huckleberryprairie

Summer Salad Saturday Reminder

Just a reminder SSS will be on for this Saturday again. Please respond to the email I will be posting. The email may not come until sometime on Saturday. Sorry for the delay but me and little Miss Whimsy will be going to see Taylor Swift tomorrow night and the day will be full tomorrow. I will be checking in over the weekend for anyone wanting to be added to the participant list. I can't wait to get more yummy salad recipes!

Big Impact From A Big Change & A Little Change

Welcome to another Met Monday hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on The Porch. Today I am featuring a dear friends home. She asked my advice not too long ago about some changes that could be made to her home. She was getting ready to have the home painted and the balcony over the portico front was in bad shape and needed replacement. Her home is a very traditional one. I suggested taking the balcony banister down and replacing it with iron. This was an easy sale for her since she had been thinking along those same lines. She really wanted to change the entire color of her home but her hubby would have none of that. I think the style of her home is very suited for the white and black. Her and I then talked about changing the door color. Something more vibrant that the traditional black. The obvious choice was a red. We both knew a red would work but it would also be completely predictable. She was ready to strike out with something fresh and different. Sage green? Pear Green? Apple green? Gray? Robins egg blue? In the end I suggested a yellow leaning towards gold. She liked the idea and as you can see in the photo above this is what she went with.
Here are a couple before pictures. The home has lovely lines.



I love how the black iron opened up the front of the home and gave it a less heavy look than the wooden rail system did. The yellow door is so fresh!




Although replacing the rail system was a big change, painting the front door was not. That is a quick change with a big impact that anyone can do. Thank you for stopping by today and visiting. To see more transformations and ideas visit Susan here. Have a great week everyone!

Summer Salad Saturday

Welcome to the first Summer Salad Saturday. Well folks looks like I am another casualty of Mr Linky. I could not get it to work. So please respond to this post if you would like your link to be added to the list of participants. I will keep trying to figure Mr Linky out in the mean time. Arrrggggg! I am excited to share with you one of my all time favorite salads. It is easy and tasty! I could eat this one every day if I had the chance! Jot down this recipe and enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 LB bacon fried and chopped in pieces

5 large chicken breasts cooked and cubed

1 large head if iceberg lettuce chopped/shredded

3/4 cup chopped green onions

1 3oz can of chow mein noodles

1 8 oz can of water chestnuts sliced

Oriental dressing

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon dried mustard

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons ketchup

whisk together

combine all ingredients and serve cold!

To view more wonderful salads visit the following:

Mille Fleur

Butter Yum

PoofingthePillows

Huckleberryprairie.

mamaison

A Gardening Themed Luncheon

Hello and welcome to what appears to be a new trend for me.....another Tablescape Thursday. This fun event is hosted by our friend Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch. To visit here and find some more eye pleasing table creations click here. Now this tablescape is not my own but one I stumbled upon during a shopping excursion I went on last Friday with a friend. As soon as I spotted this I knew I had to share it. Sadly I only had my cell phone with me ( I know, I know I broke the number one rule of blogging, no camera) so the pictures are not the best quality but they are enough to give everyone a glimpse of some creativity at work. I love the idea of a garden party luncheon. This table is a little over the top since it was simply created for viewing purposes on a Decorating stores floor, But one idea can lead to another.......

and I immediately was spinning some ideas around in my head. Birds nests with robins eggs on candle holders. Cute cotton gardening gloves in patterns used as flatware holders. Desserts made in individual small terra cotta pots. You could do a chocolate silk with oreo crumbles as the soil and a fun silk Gerber daisy peaking out. Placed at each place setting what a fun and bright way to dress up a garden table. How cute would a garden party be for a young girls birthday? My daughter loves to plant! A couple flats of flowers would make for a great craft! There are such numerous ways to run with this theme.

I love the rustic feel they created with this table. This lunch would definitely be served in an old barn in my day dream! What type of Garden Party will you be creating this Summer? As always thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today. I am so glad you could make it!

Just A Reminder

This Saturday is the first Summer Salad Saturday in June! Do you have your recipes ready to share? I will try to have Mr. Linky up by 9Pm Friday. If he is being stubborn and I fail please post in the comments (I Will have a post up on Friday if Mr Linky isn't working) and let me know if you are participating and give me the link to add to my blog. Grab the icon above and place it on your blog so we can get this thing rolling! I am ready for some Salads!