Blueberry muffins are ever popular. Other recipes include banana raisin, apple, cranberry and many other variations. Muffins may seem intimidating, but following a few simple techniques will help you create home baked success. Baking them at home can help you save money, eat healthier because you control the ingredients, and provide a chance to experiment […]
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Time to get out your mixing bowls and loaf baking pans. Assemble your ingredients and roll up your sleeves. You are not far away from that wonderful home baking aroma, and the tasty results of your work. Pineapple Raisin Quick Bread A simple recipe with popular ingredients. This bread is flavorful for breakfast, snacks or […]
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Quick breads are an easy introduction to the world of home baking. Homemade breads are delicious and economical. These breads usually include fruit or nuts. They are especially good to pack in lunches, or enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee, or a cold glass of milk for an afternoon snack. By definition, […]
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Earth Day is April 22, and in 2010 celebrates its 40th anniversary. It has expanded to Earth Awareness Week, which we like, because a week gives time to add something new to your “green living” skills and activities at home. In this series, we suggest baking at home as something to do to celebrate Earth […]
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Glass accessories like goblets, cake plates, salt and pepper shakers or jam jars are guaranteed to light up your table setting ideas. The shine and transparent qualities of glass are often complementary to your china dinnerware sets. Glass has been used since Roman times due to its beauty, transparency and color possibilities. In Medieval Venice, […]
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Arabia is made in Finland…go figure. And whether you pronounce it ah-RAY-be-ah – or ah-RAB-e-ah – it is beautiful stoneware, often with a retro look and feel. The first time I saw this china, I’d never heard of it, but liked it. I found the blue striped Uhtua pattern. It was so unfamiliar that I […]
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Time to get out the bowls for another serving of some favorite comfort food. In the winter, bowl food can be chili or casseroles. In the spring and summer, it’s favorite cobblers and strawberry shortcake. This year we had some wild spring weather, and strawberry growers were challenged to protect their crops from freezing. One […]
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Our next guest post is from an online colleague, Wanda Fitzgerald, who has a great passion and knowledge about charms. I’ve admired many of the beautiful sterling silver, enameled and gold charms that I’ve seen in her stores over the years. I can relate…they are so pretty, just like the dishes I love! By Wanda […]
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We were out and about last week, and found this classy glass decanter and matching tray in the Bicentennial Blue color, Sandwich pattern, by Tiara. Tiara was sold at home parties, and made by Indiana Glass in Dunkirk, Indiana. One of its most extensively made patterns was No. 170, called Sandwich or Early American. This […]
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Brigadoon by Royal Albert is a Scotland-inspired pattern with the thistle motif in blue, pink and leaves in tones of green. Gold rims and details just add to the classic, fancy appeal of this fine bone china dinnerware. Beautiful china like this is also the perfect kind of dinnerware for your special Mother’s Day lunch […]
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China serving dishes made specifically to serve relish trays are not as common today as they were in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. If you are looking for the fine china and glass versions of this dinnerware, many times you will be heading for the secondary marketplace. Many relish dishes were made as an oval […]
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Finding special vintage dishes is fun! See what I brought home with me in recent weeks, including some extra special items.
My dishie antennae perk up when I see pieces of Mikasa’s Mediterrania line in my shopping travels. The patterns are so retro. Many of them show the best of modern style from the 1970s. The shapes are simple and sleek. The colors and motifs just work for me. I think Blue Bird is probably my […]