A Rustic Thanksgiving Tablescape

I love Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for and a whole day devoted to spending time with my family and focusing on being thankful is just my idea of a perfect day.

So, let's set the table.  I am aiming for a rustic look.  Let's see what we get.  I gathered up a few supplies. 

Miss Morgan is not as impressed with Thanksgiving as I am.  She really could care less if I can get to the table or not.  She is not sleeping, she is ignoring me.  She does not want to move. 

I am starting with the place settings. 

I found a great bronze charger.  Then I layered our everyday white dishes with a splash of color.  I love the burnt orange plate in the middle of the stack. 

Tiny little wine glasses are a more rustic look than larger ones. 

Everyday silverware

Now for the napkins.  Aren't these napkin rings sweet?  An acorn and an oak leaf are perfect together.  I made them and I'll show you how on Monday.

Onto the centerpiece layers.  I am starting with a burlap runner. 

Right in the middle I added a glass pumpkin.  The pumpkin is sporting a pile of dry red lentils.  Red lentils are actually orange and they look great in this pumpkin bowl.   

Next on are a few more vases filled up with dry pantry items like flax seeds, popcorn, rice and black lentils in the votive holders. 

Always use unscented candles on your table.  Do you know how hard it is to find unscented candles in colors other than white or cream?  I found these at Wal Mart.  I was so excited.  They had other colors as well.  I snatched up the mocha color for my Thanksgiving table. 

I pushed the votive candles down into the dry goods and I had the perfect candle holders. 

I hate to admit that I lost a few pictures.  I'll just have to tell you what I did to finish setting this table.  I added two tapers to the table in short dark green candle holders.  I also added a few leaves to the burlap runner as well as some pine cones for some texture and a pop of dark brown color.  Then I lit the candles.  Whew!

Did you notice that I am using three colors of plates in fall colors?

Post Schedule for Next Week:

Monday - Acorn and Oak Leaf Napkin Rings

Tuesday - Cranberry and Orange Sauce

Wednesday - Baked (Make Ahead) Mashed Potatoes

I am joining Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is a staple in our home.  It is thick and satisfying, rich in fiber, low fat, big in flavor and it really sticks to your ribs.  That is an important factor when you are feeding four teenagers.  One more little perk for me is that this is a super cheap meal.  The board of ingredients is mostly chopped veggies.     

I am using chopped red pepper, tomato, onion, jalapeno, carrot and celery.  A clove of garlic would be a great addition if you were so inclined. 

I soaked the beans overnight.  I just rinsed the beans and tossed them in a bowl.  {I love this bowl.}  I added enough boiling water to cover the beans, covered the bowl with a plate and let them rest on the counter until the next morning.  You could make this soup with a couple cans of black beans.  I do that on a regular basis, but soaking your own beans saves money as well as a ton of sodium.  Canned beans are salted.  These aren't.  So this is a healthy thing for your body as well as your wallet.   

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a stock pot over medium high heat.  Sorry for the blurry picture, but you get the idea right? 




Add the chopped vegetables to the pot. 

Add a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. 

Stir everything together and give the vegetables time to cook down.  You are essentially concentrating the flavors of the vegetables. 

Stir the vegetables every once in a while.  Cook them til the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent. 

Add the cumin, another pinch of salt and the paprika. 

Add the black beans.  My flash made them look purple! 

Add enough chicken stock to cover the beans.

Stir everything in the pot...

Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil.  When the soup boils, reduce it to a simmer and cook until the beans are very tender, about thirty minutes.

The soup is now done.  You can dish it up and eat away.  Or...

You can blend the soup into a velvety smooth texture.

I am using an immersion blender, but you could use a blender or food processor and blend the soup in batches. 

Blend the soup until you reach a consistency you like.  We like our soup thick with a little bit of texture. 

Time to eat!

To garnish your bowl of soup you can add lots of fun, yummy things to turn the ordinary bowl of soup into an extraordinary bowl of soup.  My kids love it when I garnish their food.  You can add extra black beans, salsa, Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced green onions or a fresh salsa with lots of fresh cilantro. 

I LOVE black beans so I always add a scoop of them to my soup.

Greek yogurt and green onions are my favorite way to eat this.  My husband adds a ton of salsa to his bowl. 

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Diced Onion
2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1 Red Pepper, Diced
2 Carrots, Diced
2 Ribs Celery, Diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, Diced
1 Tablespoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Paprika
1 Pound Soaked Black Beans
6 Cups Chicken Stock

Directions:

1. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a stock pot over medium high heat.  Add diced vegetables, salt and pepper.  Cook vegetables, stirring occasionally, til tender and onions are translucent.

2.  Add cumin, paprika, a pinch of salt, and black beans to vegetables.  Cover with chicken stock and bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook till black beans are tender.

3.  Blend soup if desired.  Add chicken stock to thin soup if desired.  Enjoy.

For a a printer friendly version of this recipe click here.

Winterizing and Roasted Vegetable Soup

This weekend we surprised my husband with getting a jump on winterizing.  All the patio furniture was put away, screens tucked were away for the winter, planters were emptied and store for the winter, hoses tucked away and the flower gardens got a rake and a trim.  Luckily we had a beautiful day to be working outside.

Aren't you impressed with all the help my teenagers are giving me?  I have a secret.  I always feed my workers.  Food speaks to anyone.  When the handy man needs to stop by to fix something for us, I try to make sure I have a pot of coffee going and a few cookies waiting for him.  Our plumber loves pumpkin anything.  A little treat goes a long way.  And when the kids know food is waiting for them after a big job, they are pretty motivated to get the work down quickly so they can get to their reward.

I purposefully planned a hot lunch of flavorful soup to warm the kids up while they are outside getting things ready for winter.  I used an emptied planter as a table since the patio furniture has already been put away.

I decided to make one of the kids' favorite soups.  Roasted vegetable soup is velvety and smooth.  It is comfort food packed with vegetable nutrition and flavor.  The board of ingredients is a bit earthy and simple to find in the grocery store.




Start by putting the diced onions, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs and a sprig of rosemary in a saucepan.




Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the vegetables and add the quart of chicken stock to the saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the stock to a boil over high heat. When the stock comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and let the vegetables simmer for about half an hour.




Next, chop the Roma tomatoes into 8 pieces.




Put the tomatoes into a bowl and season them with a pinch of salt.




Cut the red peppers into medium sized chunks.  




Add them to the bowl of tomatoes.




Chop the onion up and add it to the bowl as well.




Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, two whole garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper.




Stir to coat the veggies with the oil and seasoning.




Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet with sides and scrape all the oil out of the bowl.




Roast the vegetables in a 450° F oven for one hour, stirring once half way through.  These look so amazing. 




Cook the vegetables in stock for about thirty minutes, or until they are tender. Turn the burner off and leave the pan on the burner with the cover on. You can remove the herb stems and discard them.



When the roasted veggies come out of the oven, scrap everything into the saucepan.




You can use a blender, a food processor or an immersion blender to blend the soup.




This soup can be embellished with so many things. A splash of balsamic vinegar, butter, cream, Parmesan or sharp Cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, fresh chives or basil, crackers, and the list goes on and on. The kids really like this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.



But, they will take it just about any way they can get it.  Especially on a chilly day.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 Quart Chicken Stock
1 Cup Diced Onions
1 Cup Diced Carrots
3/4 Diced Celery
Sprig of Rosemary
Sprig of Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Whole Garlic Cloves
1 Large Yellow Onion Cut into Large Chunks
6 - 8 Roma Tomatoes Cut into Large Chunks
3 - 4 Red Peppers Cut into Large Chunks
Garnishes of Choice 

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2.  Add chicken stock, herbs, diced onions, celery and carrots to a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook uncovered until vegetables are tender.  Remove herb stems.  (If you prefer a thinner soup, simmer the vegetables with a cover on the saucepan.)

3.  Toss large chunks of onion, tomatoes, and peppers with garlic, salt and pepper with a big drizzle of olive oil. Spread vegetables out in a single layer on a cookie sheet with raised sides.  Roast vegetables in a 400° oven until vegetables are roasted and caramelized, roughly about an hour, stirring occasionally.

4.  Add the roasted vegetables to the chicken stock.  Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to blend the soup.  (If you are using a blender or food processor, process the soup in batches.)

5.  Enjoy.  Makes 5 cups of soup.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe click here. 

The kids like their soup on the thicker side.  After I buzzed the soup, I simmered it for a while, stirring occasionally, until it was nice and thick.  I also added a few splashes of cream and garnished with chives from the herb garden.  

Some of the kids like caramel dip with their apples, the other two like their apples plain.  So I have two choices of apple slices. 

I think I had some satisfied customers. 

I am linking to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.