Table of the Month August

August,

"When the corn is as high as an elephant's eye"

Tomatoes are ripe.

Sunflowers are full grown.

Skies are bluer.

Grass is fading.

Daylight is ebbing.

And 

Autumn is knocking at the door.

Fear not, the "Dog Days of Summer" are upon us!

There is still time to wallow in the lazy days of summer

Grab a beach  chair, sit back, and relax.

Feel the warmth of the sun on your sun screened body, as you watch the cumulus clouds drift by.

The arrival of August allows Mother Nature to show the fruits of Her labor.

Road side stands and Farmers' Markets groan with the weight of fruits and vegetables for us to buy for dinners that require little time in ovens .

Now is the best time to overwork your grill.

If you have a pretty bowl, a favorite basket, or a much too large platter that you have a hard time storing, grab it, and fill it with  all that beautiful produce. The basket, the bowl, or the platter can serve as a perfect centerpiece.

Not to mention, a good reminder that we should be eating multiple fruits and veggies every day.

Rest assured, leaves will fall, but slowly, Tuesday, the 31st will be the last day of August. But in the mean time make the most of these lazy days; remember, the markets and stands do not usually close until Thanksgiving, and there is still tile to make gazpacho. There is nothing better than chilled Spanish vegetable soup.

August

ourhousefordinner

Judith Sweeney

August 10, 2021

 

Inspiration

The Public Relations Director of  Keystone College once said this about my daughter, Rachel's photography, "Rachel seems to believe that taking photographs is more than just a way to record history of people or events. Great photography can tell a meaningful story or make a seemingly routine experience of its own." 

Naturally, I was proud that was the way he viewed her photography, but not quite sure where her talent came from. Her father was a salesman and I am a teacher.  Both of us were successful in out professions but would not have considered ourselves creative.

From the time I was a little girl, I loved watching my mother set the table. I loved the dishes, the flowers and seeing what vase she would fill with the flowers. And when I became the caretaker of my own table, I found myself envisioning everything as a potential prop for centerpieces . I wanted the centerpiece  to make that routine experience  have a special meaning. Placing a child's first birthday picture,  a few school pictures, even a good report card, in the middle of a table on the child's tenth birthday can change that birthday dinner into a walk down memory lane. Those props are letting the child relive their story with the best yet to be. And just like Rachel's photographs, the "props" used serve as an opportunity for family and friends to share their stories of the birthday child. So it seems that I might have just discovered the visual DNA that Rachel and I share,

Our House For Dinner, is more than about cooking .It is about dining spaces that change ordinary things you own into extra ordinary experiences. 

Welcome to my Blog, stay awhile and find out why favorite thing about cooking is "setting the table."