SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 17

Greetings and thanks so much for stopping in for Sundays With Celia Vol 17.

I hope you’re having a really great weekend! Mine has been a busy one. Helped my friend Nancy get ready for the annual Lake Arrowhead Kitchen Tour that took place on Saturday. You may remember that 2 years ago my kitchen was featured on the tour.

And, I hosted my own Fall Luncheon. We invited the lovely couple who purchased Stone Hill Cottage from us over to our home in Lake Arrowhead for a casual afternoon. I have fun with my chalkboard, which usually has some kind of message inscribed on it to welcome my guests.

Thankfully it was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy one last meal on the terrace.

I threw this floral arrangement together in minutes by sticking sunflowers into oasis. I speared a couple of pomegranates with wooden skewers and stuck them into the oasis and voila, a fall flower arrangement was born.

I also made my own burlap table runners in minutes by cutting 2 strips of burlap into narrow lengths. The natural width of the burlap fabric was exactly the right length to fit across the width of my table with the perfect overhang. Then I simply frayed the edges by stripping away about 1 inch of burlap on either side of the fabric and a table runner was born.

For lunch I prepared an Arugula Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Dates & Toasted Pistachios. Stay tuned and I’ll post the yummy recipe soon.

I also made simple yet delicious Breadsticks using pastry dough that is dredged in sea salt, fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese.

I got the recipe over on a great blog I follow called The Enchanted Home. You can get her quick yet elegant recipe by clicking here.

By the way, I just started using Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. It’s the salt preferred by many chefs and I’m so happy I finally tried it. I love the flaky texture which makes it a terrific finishing salt. And the flavor is outstanding. I used it on these breadsticks and it really made all the difference.  I got a 2 pack of this wonderful British Maldon Sea Salt flakes here. I kept one and gave the other to my girlfriend as a little hostess gift when we went to her home for the Presidential debate and dinner. This is going to be my salt of choice from now on. But getting back to my Fall Luncheon menu…

for our main course I prepared a rustic Swiss Chard & Gruyère Quiche. I got the yummy recipe from William Sonoma’s Blog called Taste. I did change it up slightly by adding 1 cup of sauteed Mexican Chorizo to the filling. It was delicious and a bit of a departure from the customary quiche recipes. Get the recipe here.

Then for dessert I made my recipe for Pumpkin Slab Pie. Instead of making 2 round pies, I simply form the pie crust in a 9″ x 12″ sheet pan and add the same amount of filling that is used to make 2 round pies. Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and you have the perfect fall dessert that’s just slightly out of the ordinary.

DECORATING FOR FALL ON SUNDAY

Having people over was the kick in the pants I needed to get my home decorated for fall. I always pick up the best and most affordable fantasy pumpkins at Trader Joe’s.

But I also love to decorate with the cloth pumpkins that I make myself. Get my DIY, step-by-step Cloth Pumpkin Tutorial here.

A Beauty Secret on Sunday

As fall arrives on our mountain top so does cool, dry weather which for me makes my already dry skin much dryer. For years I have suffered through the winter with dry, flaky hands and calloused feet, making me dread this time of year. To make matters worse I’m not a lotion lover, as I don’t like my skin to feel greasy. But I recently discovered an inexpensive solution to my problem, No-Crack Super Hand Cream. I adore this cream because it moisturizes my hands and feet, leaving them super soft without feeling greasy at all. They make both a “Day Use” and a “Night Use” cream but I prefer the Day Use cream because, as I said, it’s not greasy. At night I slather it on my feet too, then put on socks and I wake up to soft, callous-free feet.

A LOOK BACK

This week I spent a lot of time showing you around beautiful Orcas Island, the largest and most visited of the San Juan Islands. I took you to Orcas Island Pottery, to the Rosario Resort & Spa and to the highest point on the island, Mt. Constitution in Part 2 of our Orcas Island Tour.

Then we had a fantastic Farm-To-Table Dinner at the acclaimed Hogstone’s Wood Oven where we ate oysters, pizza and sorbet.

And I showed you all around the prettiest vacation rental cottage in the whole-wide-world at Rutabaga Farm.

A Look Forward on Sunday

I’m so glad you joined me here today for Sundays With Celia Vol 17. I hope you’ll check in here next week as we have Cocktails With Donkeys…

and dine at Red Rabbit Farm.

And, I’ll also give you a reason to come visit Lake Arrowhead. Next weekend is the 4th annual Lake Arrowhead Mountain Arts Studio Tour where the many talented artists on our mountain open up their studios to the public. More information about the art tour coming next week.

So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 17

Thanks so much for dropping in! 

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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains affiliate links that help to make this blog possible.