The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Irish Tea Party

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Two years ago, I gifted my oldest daughter a subscription to Tea Time magazine and the first issue she received included recipes for an Irish tea. This magazine along with some newly thrifted green and gold teacups inspired her to host a St. Patrick's Day tea for our family and her then boyfriend, now husband (nothing like some good cooking to seal the deal, right!) As you'll see from the photos, she put on the loveliest tea time complete with a delightful menu served at a beautiful table! She cooked all afternoon and then set the table, pulling anything green from around the house. Each teacup held an Irish Breakfast teabag (except for my son's since he ... Read more

Easy Irish Supper

St. Patty's Day is tomorrow! We don't go all out around here but I do try and cook a meal with an Irish theme. Here's a quick meal idea for St. Patrick's Day that I prepared last year and will do again this year. Since my daughter has an out-of-town game tomorrow night, I'm going to go ahead and serve this meal tonight. Irish sausage, cabbage steaks, and potato stacks! I didn't take any fancy plating photos last year, but boy this meal was so tasty, and I can't wait to eat it tonight! I roast the sausage and cabbage steaks on one pan. For the cabbage, I slice 1 or 2 cabbage heads (depending on how many I'm serving) into 1" slices and lay flat on a sheet pan that's either greased ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday (on Monday)

I didn't get my Saturday post done on time this weekend and here it is Sunday night now with me trying to decide if it's ok to post my "Snapshot Saturday" on a Monday, haha. Kind of reminds me of a cute I Love Lucy episode called "The Club Election" about Lucy and Ethel's Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League and it starts with this little conversation between Ricky and Ethel. Ricky: "Anything special on your mind?" Ethel: “Yeah. I came up to tell Lucy that the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is meeting on Friday this week.” Ricky: “The Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is meeting on Friday.” Ethel: “Yeah.” Ricky: “I thought you always met on Thursday.” Ethel: “Oh, ... Read more

Cook by the Book: Chocolate Chip Cookies from Magnolia Table

I know just about everyone has their own favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. There are a million versions out there, right? So, when I saw the chocolate chip cookie recipe in Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Table cookbook, I have to admit I passed it by, assuming it wouldn't be anything new or special and focused on her other recipes that were new to me. But then my friend Missy mentioned that another friend had brought her some amazing chocolate chip cookies after a surgery, and they were the very best she'd ever tasted! So, she asked her friend for the recipe and her friend told her they came from this very cookbook! When Missy shared this with me, I knew I needed to revisit the recipe ... Read more

All You “Knead” is Love! A Kitchen Shower for the Bride-to-Be

I have another nephew getting married this year to a wonderful girl! My sisters, my sister-in-law, and I all pitched in to throw her a bridal shower with a kitchen theme. Our bride enjoys cooking and trying different foods and is quite capable in the kitchen, so this type of shower was well-suited for her. We were thankful for this occasion which allowed us to honor the bride and meet more of her family and friends. Y'all, this girl has some really sweet bridesmaids! I like to look on Etsy for invitations that I can download, customize, and print. They have so many great designs for all occasions! I found the cutest template for a kitchen shower invitation from Pumpkin Pi Design which ... Read more

Snapshot Saturday: So Much to Celebrate!

Hi there! Today I have some snapshots to share from a week that included a birthday, a bridal shower, and Valentine's Day! Birthday Girl Our firstborn had a birthday last weekend and it's so hard to believe the little girl in this photo is now twenty-three! This photo was taken the Easter she was just three years old and I had made her dress and hairbow to match her doll's. Too bad her doll isn't in the photo. Such memories! Look at that sweet face. We didn't get to see her on her birthday this year since she and her husband are living in Texas, but we had a fun FaceTime call with them. ***** Kitchen Shower My sisters and sister-in-law and I threw a kitchen bridal ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: A Front Porch Ready for Company!

HAPPY FRIYAY, friends! (Are we still saying "Friyay" or is that out? I'll ask my girls.) Anywho, I'm taking our fluff post outside today to show you a couple of ways I've cleaned up my front porch. Late winter is when my porch really starts to look dingy and in need of some freshening up. It's tricky because it's not quite time to deck it all out with spring flowers and bunnies, but I need something to hold me over until then. I hosted a bridal shower at my house last Sunday for my nephew's fiancé (more to come soon!) and wanted the entrance to look a little more presentable. I couldn't do everything on my wish list, so I chose a few things that were the most manageable and affordable ... Read more

Cook by the Book: Vichyssoise

Hello! I know my purpose with these "Cook by the Book" posts is to try new recipes from my cookbooks but today I'm sharing an old recipe from a cookbook we've had many years. I served this back at our Winter Wonderland Tea as a warm start to our meal. It's a soup recipe pronounced /vi~shee~swaaz/ but sounds way more complicated and fancy-schmancy than it really is. Not convinced? Ok, here's my secret. This recipe comes from a children's cookbook! When our girls were little, we took them to see the Ratatouille movie and we all enjoyed it so much we purchased the Ratatouille What's Cooking? cookbook, and this was one of our favorite recipes. So, if a kid can make it, anyone can make it no ... Read more