SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 19
SUNDAYS WITH CELIA
Hi there! I’m really happy you’re here today for Sundays With Celia Vol 19.
It’s been a busy week. As I mentioned last week, Brad and I attended the annual Lake Arrowhead Artist Studio Tour. My husband is an art lover and when we got married I not only started living with him but with his art collection, which if truth be told, I don’t much care for. My sweet husband and I share a lot of likes in common but art is not usually one of them. You see, Brad doesn’t take into consideration our decor when he chooses art, I do. I know true art critics would chastise me for that, but when I buy art it has to compliment my decor. So, as we journeyed on the Studio Art Tour he admired a lot of art that frankly I didn’t. But that all changed when we got to my friend Maureen’s Studio where Brad had his eye on one of her paintings of birds flying over a lake in South Africa. Without consulting me he told Mo (as we affectionately call her) that he wanted to buy it. But, the good news is that for the first time in our marriage Brad bought a painting that I like, and it also really compliments our decor.
After purchasing it we left the painting in Mo’s studio for the duration of the tour. Mo said she’d deliver it to us later in the week so I decided to have her and her husband over for a casual dinner and unveiling of the painting in its new home. Since we planned to hang the painting in our home bar, I decided we’d dine in the bar that evening, something we enjoy doing both at home and in restaurants as well. Somehow dining at the bar is intimate and cosy and fun.
See that painting in the background? My mother gave it to me and I love it but Brad doesn’t. He planned to replace it with Mo’s painting.
So when Mo arrived we were quick to hang it on the wall and take a photo of her with her painting. She was happy that it would have a new home with us. And it looks really good in its new home too. The frame matches the wood in the room and the colors compliment the decor. Score!
I served the simple yet delicious appetizer I told you about last week; crackers with goat cheese topped off with Stonewall Kitchen’s Maple Bacon Onion Jam. It’s the best darn stuff, so good you can hardly stop eating it! If you haven’t yet taken my advice and gotten yourself a jar, here’s a link to this deliciousness. You can thank me later;)
When I asked Brad what he’d like me to prepare for dinner he requested something that I haven’t made since one of our sons was home last. It’s my Meatloaf with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, my children’s alltime favorite mom dish. It’s my most requested recipe and one that shockingly, I haven’t yet shared on the blog. It’s a delicious meatloaf that’s smothered in creamy mashed potatoes and then doused in cheddar cheese. Are you hungry yet? Well just wait because I’ll be publishing this long-overdue-recipe tutorial next week so stay tuned!
For dessert I prepared a new favorite, Easy Almond Cake. I tasted it on the Lake Arrowhead Kitchen Tour and after obtaining the recipe from our hostess, have since made it several times to much acclaim. Stay tuned and I’ll publish that recipe next week as well.
BECOMING FAMOUS ON SUNDAY
In last week’s addition of Sundays With Celia I told you about one of my son’s firms, FamousDC and their fabulous pre-debate fete in Las Vegas. Well, the proud mama that I am is anxious to share with you FamousDC’s latest accolade, a writeup in The Washingtonian!! Check it out!
SPEAKING OF WASHINGTON…
Ina Garten’s television special, BAREFOOT IN WASHINGTON will be airing on the Food Network next Saturday, November 5 at 1 p.m./12 Central time. The show follows the popular Food Network star and cookbook author as she visits Washington, D.C. While she makes a few stops at D.C. restaurants, the journey culminates in a trip to the White House where she visits the White House Kitchen Garden and cooks with Executive Chef, Cristeta Comerford. I’m looking forward to watching it.
CHECKING OUT THE BAKERY AT MAGNOLIA MARKET ON SUNDAY
So, speaking of TV stars, I have been amazed by the meteoric rise of HGTV’s Chip & Joanna Gaines since the launch of their hit show, Fixer Upper. And to think it all started with Joanna’s blog! I fancy myself a Fixer Upper type and have really enjoyed their show and admire their success. They built not only a TV following but a business empire that includes their retail mecca, The Silos. It’s here that they have opened the amazing signature bakery – The Silos Baking Co, that’s filled with sweet treats for visitors to enjoy. Checkout this sweet video all about it:
HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS ON SUNDAY
OK, so tomorrow is Halloween! What will you be doing? Does your family have any Halloween traditions? Our family’s Halloween tradition is to eat a big warming bowl of my Delicious Potato Cheese Soup…
and a healthy slice of my Sweet Cornbread before going out trick-or-treating.
After trick-or-treating we then regroup back home for a slice of Pumpkin Pie.
Pretty delicious traditions if I do say so myself. You should try it! Even though all my kids have flown the coop I’m keeping up the food traditions and will be serving these yummy dishes despite the fact that we no longer make the trick-or-treat circuit. And I’m delighted to report that my son has carried on the tradition with his kids, who will be eating Grandma CeCe’s Potato Cheese Soup and Sweet Cornbread before they trick-or-treat in Washington, DC.
The Final Rose
As I pulled into my driveway yesterday I noticed a very surprising sight; one single rose had decided to make a final appearance in my garden. Au revoir until next spring my pretty rose bush.
Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone
Thomas Moore (1779–1852)
So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 19
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.
