Everyone probably already does this, but I am just recently discovering the flexibility one has with combining both real and artificial flowers in floral arrangements.
When I think of all those years of being a purist on fresh flower arrangements, combining fresh and artificial really makes sense. Faux flower quality is significantly better than ever. Artificial flowers last forever and over time, can be the more affordable choice. Access to a wide variety of faux flowers is now available on the internet. When real flowers are pricey, filing in with artificial ones gives you an abundant arrangement at less cost.
Faux hyacinths
For our Easter table centerpiece this year, can you tell which flowers are real and which aren’t? The blue hyacinths and the white peonies are the artificial flowers. The pops of blue and white help complement the blue Indian block tablecloth and china. Faux blue hyacinths here and beautiful faux peonies in many colors can be found here.
Fresh and faux centerpiece
These faux peonies are found in many of my photos as I always have a good looking arrangement available to enhance my shots.
Faux Peonies
Here is another arrangement in a pedestal bowl. Can you tell which flowers are real? Actually in this one, only the creamy white roses are fresh.
Even the sprigs of greens and the alstroemeria are faux.
Once the white roses are past their prime, it was easy to fill in with new fresh pink ones.
Using the same base of faux flowers, it is fun to branch out using more vibrant and vivid colors. Isn’t it interesting how different this brightly colored one looks compared to the previous two?
The red geraniums and tulips are not real. If you don’t have an attractive pedestal bowl, there is a wide assortment here.
Even for my recent Valentine dinner party where I tend to go all out with fresh flowers, in the areas that need beefing up, you can spot a faux peony or two. To see more about this Valentine dinner party, click here.
Mostly fresh Valentine dinner party flowers
Recently I did spend a bit much on box of 26″ long faux lilacs from The Enchanted Home. I LOVE real lilacs but they do not grow here.
The quality of these branches is very good and I actually did spray the faux flowers with a French Lilac micro-batch perfume by Pacifica.
My friend, Karen says this is the closest fragrance to the real lilac scent so I bought some here. Since these lilacs are a close replica, it is fun to watch our guests walk over and sniff them.
Real lilacs
My first choice is to create beautiful arrangements with real flowers, if for nothing else, the scent. But if you are like me, my home looks better with multiple flower arrangements. Like the pedestal bowl ideas above, faux flowers can be the framework and each week you can add a variety of fresh ones.
Have you tried combining and artificial flowers? If so, share your experience.
Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.” – Luther Burbank
Happy arranging!
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Top of the morning to you! Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and time to make a special meal. Typically, corned beef and cabbage is served on St. Patrick’s Day, but a few years ago I discovered two recipes that are winners. Thanks for joining me today to get some St. Patrick’s Day dinner ideas.
Guinness Pie
If you love pot pies, you will definitely find this recipe from the New York Times exceptional. Beef with tender vegetables is cooked and reduced in stout beer for hours. Then it is laden into a flaky crust and baked. It is truly incredibly delicious.
Cutting Shamrocks
This year I am making 3 pies~one for my daughter in college, one for my neighbor who is having hip surgery and one for us. Using a cookie cutter, I will add decorative pastry shamrocks to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Using green food color on pastry shamrocks
Last year, I did use green food coloring on the pastry dough. Surprisingly, it worked out well ! May branch out and do a pot of gold design this year!
Pie before baking
Every year I make this recipe, I ask myself, “Why am I not making this all the time?” So good and hearty especially on a cold night or rainy afternoon.
For the complete tutorial and recipe, click here to see last year’s post.
Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake
Boozy, sinful and decadent, this Bailey’s Irish cream Cheesecake is topped with a thick layer of chocolate ganache. This is a great St. Patrick’s Day dessert and your friends and family will love it! Recipe from Oh My Goodness Chocolate Desserts.
Most of the ingredients I have on hand, with the exception of the Oreo cookies. Since I am also making 3 cheesecakes, I did need to buy more Bailey’s and cream cheese.
Crumb the Oreos and mix with melted butter. Push this mixture into a 9″ springform pan, partially up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Perhaps the most challenging part of this recipe is wrapping the pan with two layers of aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is tight and secure so no water gets in during the baking process.
Foil wrap
Pour in the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan. Bake, rotating once halfway through.
You will need to refrigerate the cheesecake at least 5 hours or overnight, before adding the ganache.
Pouring the ganache
Look how beautiful this cheesecake is!
Bailey’s Irish cream Cheesecake
I suppose a good glass of red wine or an Irish stout will be perfect with the main course. And you won’t need a drink during dessert because there is plenty already in the cheesecake.
Hope you have a fun and festive St. Patrick’s Day. If you did not see my St. Patrick’s Day table, click here.
Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake
Boozy, sinful and decadent this cheesecake is loaded with Bailey's Irish Cream, and topped with a thick layer of chocolate ganache and Oreo crust.
For the crust
5 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
2 cups Oreo Cookie crumbs ((use whole cookies with filling))
For the Cheesecake filling
3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
For the Chocolate Ganache
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
12 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate-chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together Oreo crumbs and melted butter, press the mixture into 9" springform pan and bake for 8-10 minutes; set aside to cool.
Once the crust is cooked, wrap pan with two layers of aluminum foil and bring the foil up the sides of the pan and make sure it is tight and secure so no water gets in during the baking process!!
With electric mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth.
Add cornstarch and continue to mix until fully incorporated, decrease the speed to low and add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract and Bailey's.
Pour batter into prepared pan and place in a roasting pan. Fill rosting pan about a quarter of the way with hot water and bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes, rotating once halfway through (until the cheesecake is set around the edges and slightly loose in the center).
Remove springform pan from the water bath and set on a cooling rack to cool, then remove aluminum foil and refrigerate (for at least 5 hours or overnight). When it's completely cooled run a thin knife around the edge and take off the ring of the springform pan.
Over a double boiler melt chopped chocolate until completely smooth and has no lumps, then stir in heavy whipping cream (from the fridge). It should be very thick and creamy so you could spread it on top tof the cake but also on sides without dripping. Use just 2/3 of the ganache and set the cake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden the ganache. Take the cake from the freezer and reheat the rest of the ganache but this time it should be smooth (but not too thin) so you can pour it over the cake to make the smooth and shiny surface.
To keep the shine of the ganache, let it cool at room temperature and then store the cake in the fridge.
St. Patrick’s Day Table
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Even though we are not of Irish decent, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, because it is the birthday of my daughter, Julianna and my mother, Julia. That, in itself, is a good reason to set a St. Patrick’s Day Table. However, who is St. Patrick and why is this holiday celebrated around the world?
A Little History
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish observe this day as a religious holiday and have so for over 1,000 years.
St. Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.
Mixing Old and New
For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day table, I am using this fun piece of contemporary fabric from my friend, Anne. I couple it with my antique English china, Fondeville Ambassador Ware 6762. The rich shades of green, gold, pink, blue and yellow make these gold-rim plates one of my favorites.
To me, this is the essence of collected chic~mixing bold patterns with elegant tableware.
Stacking the antique china on the simple brushed gold chargers enhances the gold in the pattern. Adding the crackled gold rim clear salad plate from Leslie Roy does not diminish the platter floral design. Similar chargers can be found here. These chargers are so affordable and I use them frequently.
Of course, I love my Wallace silver/gold bee patterned flatware (see link here) which seems to go with just about any place setting I create.
Made in Waterford, Ireland, the Waterford crystal Marquis water goblets and Lismore wine glasses are in keeping with the Irish theme. Gold trim napkins softly fold and find a home inside the wine glass. See similar napkins here.
Making it Festive
With a fun and festive holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy for the table decor to become kitschy or juvenile. Trying to keep the table elegant, but fun, I add gold shamrocks to the tablecloth. Since I bought these several years ago, you could use gold coins instead.
Each place settings get a light up shamrock necklace for a little whimsy. See similar necklace here.
The Centerpiece
Brass candlesticks from West Elm brighten up the table. Set up in our family and surrounded by windows, the table changes color as the day progresses.
The centerpiece is a vintage Westmoreland oval footed milk glass bowl with hydrangeas, peonies and green glitter shamrocks. It is the perfect size for this round table.
Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? My daughter will be 24 years old and my mother, if alive, would be celebrating her 91st. Time marches on, doesn’t it?
Wishing you all a happy Tuesday. We are having unusually warm weather (in the high 80s), but the temperatures are to drop back down into the low 60s this week. My poor garden is so confused.
Just a reminder that any words that are italicized bring you to the source. If it is a product on Amazon, please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you purchase something through my website, I receive a small (very small!) stipend, which doesn’t affect the price you pay at all. My goal is to make sourcing the items easy for you. Thank you for your continued support.
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Whether you are Irish or not, I believe we all need the luck of the Irish right now! St. Patrick’s Day is special in our home as it is the birthday of both my daughter and my mother. To learn more about the history of this holiday, please click here . Today, I have two recipes for you: Guinness Pie and Baileys Irish cream cheesecake.
Last year, I made both of these recipes and since they were so delicious, I made them again! The original recipe for Guinness Pie was published in the New York Times but if you try and get it online, they make you pay for a weekly subscription. Not sure how I scored a paper copy of it, but the printable recipe is below. I will provide a link to the cheesecake recipe.
If you need a pie crust shortcut, I strongly recommend Trader Joe’s pie crust. It’s in the freezer section and I always have a couple on hand. It is the best 2nd choice to homemade.
Before I start any recipe, I gather all my ingredients.
Since this recipe requires a bit of chopping, having sharp knives is important. The sharper the knife the safer the chop.
With all the vegetables chopped and ready to go, cooking commences.
Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms are cooked in a oven-safe pot. I used my one and only La Creuset pot~~which I love (and wish I had a few more!). While this cooks, your kitchen will smell so good!
The recipe calls for 3 pounds of brisket. Though it does not instruct to trim the fat from the brisket, I did~~about 7 oz. of it. The fresh rosemary was clipped from the garden. If you don’t have an herb garden, I really encourage you to have fresh herbs in a pot. Simple pleasures.
The recipe also calls for 4 cups of stout beer. I had two bottles of Guinness but when I measured it, the volume was only 3 cups. However, the beer did cover the beef in the pot, so I didn’t add more.
What makes this stew so delicious, is that, after sautéing all the vegetables and beef, it is slow-baked in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. After the appropriate baking time, freshly shredded cheddar cheese is added (or trotter gear, if you have it).
The dough can be placed in either a 8-inch square Pyrex dish or a pie pan. I used a 9″ deep dish glass pie dish. After I added the beef stew, I put the remaining cheddar cheese on top and then added a basketweave top crust using different widths of dough. With the leftover dough, I used shamrock cookie cutters for a decorative touch.
Using green food coloring, I painted the shamrocks with a pastry brush. This was the first time I had done this and was rather pleased with the results.
This is such a flavorful, hearty pie, which is perfect for this time of year. Though the recipe yields 6 servings, I could easily get 8 out of the pie.
The next recipe is very decadent but such a festive dessert for St. Patrick’s Day. Just a note: The recipe recommends a 5 hour refrigeration time so plan accordingly. Here is the direct link to the cheesecake recipe~~click here.
For the crust, put whole Oreo cookies in the Cuisinart to get 2 cups of crumbs~~approximately 18 to 20 cookies. Mix in melted butter.
The recipe tells you to put the crumbs in a spring form pan, yet isn’t clear on if they only go on the bottom or up the sides. Keep the crust on the bottom (per the pictures on the link). Bake for 8-10 minutes.
The directions were a little vague about wrapping the springform pan. I wrapped the bottom and the sides with double foil to make sure no water would enter during the hot bath.
Once the cheesecake is finished baking and has cooled, it needs to be refrigerated for at least 5 hours or overnight. I let mine cool overnight and made the chocolate ganache the next day.
This picture below is of the cheesecake from last year. My ganache is much shinier this year but since I haven’t cut into it yet, I wanted to show you what a slice looked like! I hope you try both recipes~~guarantee you will love them!
As always, I hope you are faring well with all the uncertainty. But we all know, that this too will pass. Please take care of your health and well-being as the roses will continue to bloom and the sun will rise. Being stressed certainly doesn’t help. It actually reduces your immune system. Kindness, laughter and hope haven’t been cancelled and I’m determined to stay focused and positive. Sending happy thoughts your way.
3 lbs brisket (preferably second-cut) or stew meat (chopped into bite-size pieces)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp flour
1 sprig rosemary
4 cups (2 cans) Guinness or other stout
1 cup trotter gear or 8 ounces Cheddar (freshly grated)
For the Pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter (diced)
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk (lightly beaten)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
In a large, ovenproof pan fitted with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are dark in color and the moisture released by them has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
Season the beef pieces all over with salt and pepper. Add the beef, flour and rosemary to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
Add enough Guinness to just cover the beef. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and stir. If using trotter gear (http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012399-fergus-hendersons-trotter-gear), stir it in now. If using Cheddar, fold in about half. Return to the oven and cook for 1 hour more. If it remains thin, set the pan over medium-low heat, remove the lid and reduce the liquid.
While the stew is cooking, prepare the pastry: sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the dough until it is the texture of coarse meal. Add ice water, a splash at a time, until a firm dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Place the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, roll to the thickness of a computer mouse pad. Pour the stew into an 8-inch-square, 2-inch-high Pyrex dish or a deep 9-inch pie pan. If using Cheddar, scatter the remaining cheese across the top. Place the dough on the top of the pie and pinch it closed around the edges using the tines of a fork, then slash the center lightly with a knife. Brush with the egg yolk, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden
I use a Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust and did both a bottom and a top crust. This is optional as the recipe only uses a top crust.
You’re Invited: A Tea Party at Bella Terra
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On Saturday, March 17th we are hosting a charitable tea party at Bella Terra and have a few seats left! Our guest of honor will be Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author. The event is from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Bella Terra, which gives you plenty of time later to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!!
Please email me asap (hopefully today or tomorrow, as we need to plan for food/beverage) if you are interested in attending at mary@bella-terra.moseke.com. The cost is $60.00 and goes to a wonderful charitable organization, Family to Family. Once I receive your email, I will provide further details. For more information about Family to Family, click here.
We had this tea 2 years ago and it was wonderful! Here are some photos of the event. Having tea and discussing books? What could be better!
So don your prettiest hat and come for tea!
For more information about our author, Rhys Bowen, please click here.
I hope you are able to join us!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
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May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
St. Patrick’s Day is a significant day for our family. March 17 is my Mother’s birthday. Mom passed away in 2014 at the age of 89. My second child, Julianna, was also born on March 17 and as a result was named after my mother, Julia and my great grandmother, Anna. Though we are not Irish, Julianna feels like she is Irish by having this very special birthday date.
Tonight we will take her out to dinner to celebrate and then come home and have dessert. Julianna wanted me to make a Brooklyn Blackout Cake from my FAVORITE cake cookbook, Layered by Tessa Huff. My son, Benjamin and I made this cake last summer and it was a big hit. I will be assembling this cake later today so these photos were from the last time we made this cake. Please forgive the clarity of the photography, but I wanted you to see this cake.
This decadent chocolate cake, was named after blackout drills during WW II. It was developed by Ebinger’s Bakery and was a staple for Brooklyn for many decades. Unfortunately the bakery went bankrupt in 1972 and though many have tried to replicate it, apparently nothing can compare to the original.
This devil’s food cake is layered with chocolate custard and then the cake is covered in more cake crumbs. It is DELICIOUS and will be the perfect birthday cake for my sweet daughter.
As you know, I am always so curious as to why we celebrate and recognize certain holidays.
So who is Saint Patrick and why do we celebrate March 17th?
Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with saints Brigit of Kildare and Columba. However, St. Patrick was born in Scotland but devoted his life to missionary work in Ireland.
First, a few misconceptions about Patrick:
Patrick isn’t really a Saint with a capital S, having never been officially canonized by Rome. And Patrick couldn’t have driven the snakes out of Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with.
The modest observance of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland dates back to the 17th century, as a religious feast day that commemorates the death of St. Patrick which was on March 17, 461 AD. Patrick is credited with having brought Christianity to Ireland, and as such became a figure of national devotion and, in due course, the nation’s patron saint. The day’s importance was confirmed in 1631 when it was recognized by the Vatican.
The first recorded celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was in 1737 in Boston, held by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston to assist Irish immigrants in finding jobs and homes.
The day grew in significance following the end of the Civil War and the arrival, across the 19th century, of ever increasing numbers of Irish immigrants. In essence, St. Patrick’s Day was a public declaration of a hybrid identity—a belief in the future of Ireland as a nation free from British rule, and a strict adherence to the values and liberties that the U.S. offered.
The tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day grew across the U.S. and became a day that was also celebrated by people with no Irish heritage. Corned beef and cabbage—rarely eaten in Ireland but commonplace in American cities as a springtime dish—became the meal for March 17.
The power of St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S. was its ability to survive and then spread. It survived over the decades because generations of Irish immigrants were eager to celebrate their origins.
So, wherever you may be on this day, raise a glass to toast not only good old Ireland, but America’s interpretation of it as well.
