Thinking Outside the Bowl: Party Pumpkin

Fall is the season where I really want to get in the kitchen.  I like to cook but what I really love is coming up with new presentation ideas of recipes. That’s where creative juices really get flowing.  Fall recipes lend themselves especially well to thinking outside conventional serving methods.  Take the popular butternut squash soup.  It’s delicious in a plain bowl.  But think of the wows you’ll get if you kick up the visual pleasure like this:

These acorn squash mini “tureens” will get conversation going at your table!  

French-Themed Fall Luncheon in the Garden

On a recent glorious fall day I hosted a group of Francophile friends for lunch in my garden. To set the mood, I jazzed up an existing window box with some French flair!  The Eiffel tower replica is a garden ornament which fit perfectly in my window box.

I had purchased the bottle brush animals in Paris some years ago and thought they fit the theme perfectly, nestled among the greenery, the sedum flowers and dried lotus pods.