Lulu’s Musings….

A couple of weeks ago this table, inspired by a beautiful arrangement from a wedding reception, was posted.  What I liked about it is that it uses some of my favorite things, a vintage French cloth and cranberry dishes from the 1940s, so why not use them again?

Today, the flowers are all but gone, however, being one who recycles as much as possible, I plucked the ones with life left and arranged them in individual vases surrounded again by the pears. 

Making a few changes is a quick and easy way to prepare a table for guests, and I confess to doing that often, especially when I like a particular look.  Here, the napkin is off to the side and the cup and saucer is on the plate for a first course soup.

Wine glasses are added,

and voila, a new table is created with minimal effort.  I don’t know about for you, but that works for me every time!

The same is true for food.  I don’t want to spend all day(s) in the kitchen, but I do enjoy preparing tasty food like for this dinner which included butternut squash soup and a pork roast.  Both were simple to prepare and delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

butternut squash, 1-2 pounds

2 carrots, thickly sliced

1 large sweet onion, quartered

olive oil

3-4 c. vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 t. cardamom

1/2 c. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the squash into quarters lengthwise and place on a rimmed baking sheet with the carrots and onion.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast at 400 until vegetables are soft.

In a food processor or blender, puree the veggies, half at a time.  Pour puree in a saucepan with broth, add seasonings and heat through.  Right before serving, add half and half.

To serve, add a dollop of yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche and a sprig of parsley.  What is wonderful about this variation of butternut squash soup is roasting the veggies.  That was a last minute idea that really added flavor.

For the pork roast, I slathered it with dijon mustard and coated it with a mixture of toasted walnuts and sesame seeds, 1/2 c. each.  Roast at 325 about 20 minutes per pound.  

Let the roast sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.

There you have it, a simple table with an easy to fix meal which leaves time for a walk on the dirt road!

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