Cool Summer Ceviche for Two

On hot summer days I love serving cold shrimp ceviche as an appetizer or a light meal.    A few restaurants make a really great ceviche here in OKC, but I enjoy making it fresh and adding lots of shrimp.  I change the recipe a tad here and there depending on what I crave or have on hand.    Last evening I added fresh pineapple for a sweet compliment to the

tomatoes and lime.  You can also add mango instead, my market was out so I substituted the pineapple.

 I thawed some frozen precooked shrimp and chopped up my favorite fresh veggies for a homemade salsa.   The colors are as pretty as the taste.

I layered half of an avocado in the bottom of the glass and then a generous portion of the ceviche~a cool and refreshing dinner after working in the hot summer sun.  

I love serving ceviche in a pretty glass and then placed on plates...  

onto a woven tray and out to the patio for

an easy dinner.     

Recipe:

Summer Shrimp Ceviche

1 lb of cooked and  cleaned shrimp

4 small tomotoes diced or a small container of cherry tomotes quartered

1/2-1 c fresh pineapple diced (optional)

garlic salt to taste

ground pepper to taste

1/2 orange sweet pepper diced

1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped

1 small vidalia onion finely chopped

1 bunch green onions chopped

1/4 c olive oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. lime juice

1 small seeded jalepeno if desired for heat

Combine, chill and let marinate 

for a least 30 minutes.

Serve over a bed of lettuce as a first course salad  or

in a large margarita glass over diced avocado as an appetizer  or even a light summer meal.  Serve with tortilla chips.

I'm linking with Foodie Friday this week.

Enjoy!

 

The Flowers of Santa Fe

I love traveling and no matter where I go I enjoy the flowers and plants of the region.  We went on our first trip to Santa Fe and I fell in love with the entire area and the flowers growing everywhere!  

This geranium was a focal point at the front door of a little shoppe.  The color of the bench highlighted the splash of red.

My favorite flowers  had to be the hollyhocks growing in front of adobe walls, houses and shoppes.   I've always loved hollyhocks in English gardens and was surprised to see them in so many Santa Fe gardens.  The combination is so pretty and the blossoms are perfect vertical

spots of color.  

There is such a variety of colors.

This sidewalk garden included an old ladder.

Sun-loving yarrow and a red rose bush.

Cactus and hollyhocks...what a combination.  

A beautiful rose  bush along the street.   

Santa Fe is a rich combination of culture, land, art, food and plants..a perfect place to visit! 

I'm linking with Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday
Flaunt Your Flowers
and Susan's Outdoor Wednesdays and
Beverly's Pink Saturday...
go by and enjoy all the pretty posts.  

Farmhouse Breakfast Table

I remember going to our family farm as a child and cooking with my great aunt.  She was such a sweet southern "belle" and a wonderful cook!  I loved watching her make homemade biscuits and cornbread  with only the freshest ingredients.  The hen house with freshly laid eggs, homegrown vegetables from the garden and lots of  great family time together at the table are wonderful childhood memories.   

I found this cute red gingham tablecloth with  matching hen and chick napkins at the farmer's market in Santa Fe last week while on vacation. 
  I was reminded of  those summer days  in my great aunt's kitchen helping her prepare meals. 

 I love visiting farmer's markets wherever I go to find fresh produce, eggs, jams, herbs and flowers.        

Red and yellow are such happy colors and are my favorites for a breakfast table.  I layered my Portugal red chargers with  plain white dinner plates.  The sunflower plates gave the table just the touch of  yellow it needed.  

My hubbie loves fruit cocktail and I used the yellow ramekins as small fruit cups. 

My table always needs a teapot and I love this Independence Ironstone I found for $5 at GW. 

I found the red metal buckets at  Goodwill for $1 and thought it would be fun to put the flatware inside with a napkin.  I also had some fun little garden tools in red and yellow I found in the $1 bin at Target last summer.     

The Borden/ Elsie  milk bottle I purchased years ago in an antique store.  I love the red lettering and Elsie's picture!    

While in Santa Fe I found these red rooster glasses and thought they would be perfect with the tablecloth and napkins.  They also reminded me of the milk bottle I already had.     

The white egg cups were 25 cents each at GW!  I have started a collection of egg cups as I think they are adorable. 

The yellow sunflowers I brought home from Santa Fe -such a pretty flower and they just make me happy!   

This little honeypot beehive is from a thrift store and was only $1.98.   

The little chicks were purchased at a

craft fair last spring.  

My farmhouse breakfast table brings back such wonderful childhood memories and makes me grateful for those special times with my
Aunt Angie.       

I'm linking this week with

Marty's  Tabletop Tuesdays
Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday
Linda's Costal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Southern Fried Dream's Practice Hospitality
Heidi's Wednesday Gratitude and
Susan at BNOTP's Tablescape Thursday
and Chari's Sunday Favorites

Join in all the parties..hope to see you there! 

Flag Day

I was born on Flag Day so not only do I celebrate my birthday, but my patriotism as well.    We proudly fly the flag outside our home.  While on vacation in Santa Fe last week I snapped a few photos of our American flag along the way.  

This flag was one of many displayed along fence posts as we drove through
Angel Fire, New Mexico.   How beautiful to see Old Glory flying in the foreground of wildflowers and the majesty of  the mountains in the background.   

We are so blessed to live in America and I hope I never take that for granted...so fly those flags!

Happy Flag Day!

Lavender Tea in the Garden

After nine hours  working in the garden yesterday I needed to enjoy the fruits of my labor and take a much needed break.    I thought  a cup of lavender tea would be the perfect way to relax..but I needed just the right ambiance..so after moving the patio table near my hydrangeas, I ran inside to get a few of my favorite things.   

There is nothing more lovely or calming  than the scent of fresh lavender blooming in the garden in June.  A bouquet or pot of lavender is always welcome on my garden table.    

This teapot was the inspiration for my lavender tea table.  I love lavender and although I 've lost a few of plants this year to ice storms and hail,    I am replanting so I can continue enjoying their beauty and scent.   

I purchased this teapot at Wildseed Farm outside Fredericksburg, Texas...if you ever have the opportunity to visit, it's a real treat.  The nursery and gift shop are wonderful for garden fanactics like me!  They are known for growing native flowers and producing seeds. They also have nursery plants and a beautiful selection of 
 gifts and teapots.

I also purchased the coordinating mugs and they are pretty from both sides.  

My table started with a beautiful cutwork lace tablecloth my mother gave me.  I then used the purple polka dotted placemats I found on clearance at Target along with purple dinner plates.  The Target plates are melamine and I layered my desert plates from another teaset on top.

The teapot spoons were only $ 1 at an antique mall and were too cute to pass up!   I added the  sachet beaded bags of  lavender seeds  that I made.  These make lovely favors for your tea party guests and are easy to make.  Most of the supplies came be found at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

The napkins and napkin rings are also from my Mom.

( Another view of the back of the teapot)

The conservatory (Hobby Lobby) just seemed the perfect piece for the back of the table...I placed an antique dish with purple violet flowers inside along with my favorite nest and glass bird.  

The sugar and creamer set give a touch of shine and elegance along with a pretty silver spoon. 

The flowers in the vase are the blooms from my butterfly bush...I love the big purple spikes and they are great cut flowers.  The bush blooms all summer and attracts Monarchs and Swallotails to my yard.

I found a straw purse at GW for 50 cents and placed some silk lavender inside for a touch of Provence. 

The Herbes de Provence include lavender and I purchased a tin at garden club event   The aroma is wonderful!  There are several lavender farms nearby that I plan on visiting this summer. 

Several garden views beside my hydrangeas (still recovering from the hail storm!)

Lavender is a calming and relaxing herb  and makes lovely teas and sachets...

this laundry sachet I keep in my linen drawer and it can also be tossed in the dryer with bed linens for a lovely scented bed.   Such a simple little luxury!

Lavender is easy to grow ..it doesn't like a lot of water or rich soil and isn't botherd by pests.  Hope you try it if you have never grown it before.

I' m off to Santa Fe this week for some relaxation time with my hubbie.  I'll be checking out the Goodwill's and thrift stores there as well as the market square and galleries.  I hear there is a lavender farm in the area and I can't wait to visit!    

Garden view from one of my back windows.


I'm linking with Chari's Sunday Favorites go by and visit her beautiful table as well as
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays and
Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday
Susan's BNOTP Tablescape Thursday
Cindy's Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday