Foodie Friday: Labor Day Recipes and Ideas

Welcome to Foodie Friday.

The end of summer always catches me by surprise. I know it's coming, but a secret, girlish part of my soul wants the slow, light-filled days to continue. When I was a child, I wasn't ready to face school and homework; 

I clung to summer like a sloth, begging it to stay.

Don't leave, I'd think. Stick around. I don't want to wear knee socks and sweaters.

Summer is a season and a concept. A time to play and stay cool and piddle.

This past summer, and the summers before it, have been hectic. Lots of writing and revising. Like my husband says, maybe it's time to think about retiring.

Summer can stick around a bit longer, even if it's only in my mind's eye.

For this Foodie Friday, I'm leaving you with one of my favorite posts from the spring of 2012, from Tartan Day. Plaid and picnics seem to go together like pumpkins and Fall--and that season is on the way. I can't see it, not yet, but it's almost here, creeping around the edges, eating up the daylight, sending a nippy, warning breeze.

Hope you have a happy, food-filled Labor Day.

  



A Tartan Picnic

“Ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road,

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;

But me and my true love

Will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.”

                                                                    --Old Scottish song, "Loch Lomand"
...

My love for all things plaid began when I was a small girl, and my Mississippi grandmother told stories about our Scottish roots. “We’re members of Clan Kennedy,” my Mimi said. “Not to be confused with the Irish Kennedys, though we’ve got the luck of the Irish in our family tree.”

She was right about being lucky, because I married a plaid-loving fellow from Clan Maitland. My sweetheart, Will, needed special permission to wear the Maitland tartan.  Every April 1^st, we celebrate Tartan Day with a picnic, and

 the clipped lawn serves as a backdrop for our beloved wool blankets
that we bought many years ago in Edinburgh.

I’ve said enough about plaid. The picnic is ready. Won’t you join us?

The Menu

Farmhouse Salad

Roasted Chicken

Rustic Flatbread Pizza

Fruit and Cheese

Scottish Scones and Highland Shortbread (recipe below)

Harder-Than-Hard, Incredibly Light Lemonade

A tartan picnic calls for savory and sweet dishes, such as tea sandwiches, Scottish pancakes, smoked salmon, scones and double cream; but our menu is lighter this year (because we're heavier!)

At our house, a picnic can be casual, formal, or smack in between. I think of my yard as an outdoor dining room, and I love to use crystal, porcelain, and cloth napkins.

  I always remember what my Mimi used to say:

"Don’t let a table or picnic be too uppity. 

Mix your china patterns. If things clash, it's a lucky sign."

I inherited Mimi's vintage tomato salt and pepper shakers. 

My semi-Scottish sweetheart contributed a knock-out rose.

Faux ants are always welcome to a picnic,

whether they're on the food screens or the tartan dinner plates.

Even the tulips are doing their best to be tartan-like.

Tartan (tärtn): Noun.

1. Wool fabric with a plaid pattern against a solid background;

2. a garment worn by Scottish clansmen;

3. a sure-fire, smile maker.

A tartan picnic wouldn't be the same without our much-loved picnic basket.

I'm not kidding. We are tartan crazy.

If I find a dish or bowl with plaid,
chances are it's going home with me.

Highland Shortbread

Printable Recipe

What You Need:

•         1 cup butter, softened

•         ½ cup white granulated sugar

•         2 cups cake flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Pat dough into a baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until brown. Cool.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons cream

Organic pansies

Beat ingredients until smooth. Ice cooled shortbread squares. Garnish each square with an edible pansy.

Tips for Outdoor Dining

*Use a plastic tub or basket to organize tableware.

*Transport baskets/tubs in a child’s wagon.

*Make your picnic a special event--don’t be afraid to use china and crystal.

*Dish towels make inexpensive napkins.

*Serve easily transportable food. To prevent spoilage and melty-messes, avoid frozen concoctions.

Happy Labor Day

from Mlee and Will at...

Thanks for stopping by!

To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog (below). Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button--look for a picture of white cupcakes) is located on the right sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

Foodie Friday

I spend my days writing, dog tending, cooking, gardening, and puttering.

Homemaking is a joy, something that feeds my soul.  I am a not a fancy cook,

but that doesn't mean that I'm not food obsessed.

I am.

  I come from a family of homebodies and self-taught cooks. Some of us are full time homemakers and others have full-time jobs, but in our souls, we're always in the kitchen. We have a tradition of photographing desserts, side dishes, and entrees.

We love everything about cooking: the soothing rituals of measuring,

stirring, and kneading. Even dishwashing is fun.

Like most cooks, the women in my clan are into nurturing.

Today, when my husband asked for a low-carb/low-cal side dish, I sprang into action (cooks love special requests) and made a tomato-cucumber salad.

   
                 I love this salad.
            Not only is it delicious (and low calorie), it's versatile--perfect for a picnic or a  formal meal.

 Best of all, it takes five minutes to make.

Time-saving Tip:

When you're cooking for a crowd, the recipes can run together in your mind. To reduce the stress of preparing several side-dishes and desserts, print or write down each recipe. Assemble ingredients for each recipe and place in a box or plastic tub.  

 

 

Farmhouse Tomato-Cucumber Salad

 Print This Recipe

Simple and festive, this salad can be assembled in minutes. What You Need: 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 4- 6 ripe tomatoes 1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced cherry tomatoes 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons fresh oregano 1 tablespoon fresh basil rice vinegar extra virgin olive oil First, make a vinaigrette. Add two parts olive oil to one part vinegar. Whisk. Add garlic. Salt and pepper to taste and whisk. Place onions in the bowl and stir. Peel and slice the cucumber. Slice tomatoes. Arrange cucumbers and tomatoes on a serving platter. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Remove onions from oil/vinegar mixture and arrange over tomatoes and cucumbers. Pour vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add basil and oregano. Salt and pepper again (to taste). Serves: 6

Thanks for stopping by!

To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog (below). Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button--look for a picture of white cupcakes) is located on the right sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

Foodie Friday

Welcome to Foodie Friday.

This week's feature includes two easy desserts,

basil shortbread and peanut butter chocolate bars.

Basil shortbread is fresh and sublime, not too sweet, perfect with afternoon tea.

Tea time at Rattlebridge with Spode's "Queen's Bird."

Sometimes the soul needs more than chocolate;

it needs Reeses peanut butter bars.

This brownie requires its own food group, mega-dessert!

Recipes and more photos are available.

Thanks for stopping by!

To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog (below). Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button--look for a picture of white cupcakes) is located on the right sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

Foodie Friday

Today is Foodie Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!

 To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog (below). Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button--look for a picture of white cupcakes) is located on the right sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

   

Foodie Friday

Welcome to Foodie Friday.
This week, we've enjoyed strawberries.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

 To add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, look below for the blue Inlinkz frog (below). Add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. A red X on your photo allows you to delete your entry if you make an error. The Foodie Friday badge (or button--look for a picture of white cupcakes) is located on the right sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.

 

   
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