Mardis Gras Decorations and Menu

This past Sunday myself and three other friends hosted a luncheon for two senior girls that are near and dear to our hearts. It is hard to believe they are ready to graduate.

We decided on a Mardi Gras theme and everything fell into place from there.

Here is the menu

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Mini Muffalettas
Shrimp Remoulade
Bread Pudding with whiskey sauce
Pralines
King Cake

Where and when I grew up we did not really have Mardi Gras parades. When my friends and I chose the Mardi Gras theme, I felt lost. Not liking this feeling I got on the web and looked for anything Mardi Gras. It is not as easy as you think. At any rate I found some nice decorations and lots of food ideas. I made the wreath out of items I found from Mardi Gras outlet.

One of my friends had a wonderful recipe for gumbo. She actually invited me to her house to watch her make the "roux". Thank goodness I watched her because I would have never believed it would take over an hour of stirring to get it just right. All of that stirring really paid off. I had not been a big fan of gumbo until tasting her recipe. It was fantastic.

The muffalettas were a mini version of those found at Central Grocery in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, my friend that made these ordered mini muffaletta bread and olive salad from Central Grocery. This place is said the be the originator of the sandwich. They were delicious. The same friend ordered King Cakes from Randazzi's in New Orleans. Wow, so pretty and good!

The shrimp remoulade was so fresh and delicious. My friend that made these was much like me in terms of preparing Mardi Gras food. She had a great time learning how to make this delicious salad. She also made pralines that were out of this world. I might add she left me too many and I have indulged on a few.

We also had bread pudding with a whiskey sauce. The sauce was "lick the spoon" delicious. The recipe for this came from a cookbook called Grand Traditions from the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama.

I worked on the flowers that you see in the photos. I found the other decorations from the Mardi Gras Outlet out of Baton Rouge. I made the wreath on my front door.

Over the next few days (or maybe weeks as my posting has been slow lately) I will share the recipes with you.

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

About 20 days ago I decided to break the diet coke habit once and for all. When I began thinking about my love for diet cokes, my thoughts took me back to my high school years. I have been drinking and loving diet cokes for over 30 years. Yikes! That makes me sound so old. At any rate, other than "DAY 3" I have done fine. Mr. Sparkling popped one open right in front of my face last night and I will admit that was hard for me. But I am staying strong.

You may ask why the urge to give up diet coke. For me, it really is an all or nothing kind of deal. If I allowed myself one then somehow I would think that two would not be that bad and so on. At any rate, I have a big birthday coming up. I began to think about this monumental date and my life. While I am pretty much a healthy eater, I have some vices that I feel need to go. So beyond diet coke, I have begun to analyze my diet a little closer. In an effort to eat healthier, I found a recipe for this delicious smoked salmon sandwich. If you like smoked salmon then you will love this sandwich. Enjoy!!

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 bread
2 slices smoked salmon
3 slices avocado

Greek Yogurt Spread
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Notes from me: I have read on numerous occasions how great Ezekiel 4:9 bread is for you. I am not sure of the science behind this but enjoy the bread. You find it and store it in the freezer. As for the spread, I really like the sandwich with just the Dijon mustard, but the yogurt makes it really creamy.

Things That Make Me Smile

Do you have things that just make you smile every time you pass by them? These are a few of the items in my home that make me smile.

The lamp had been hiding out in my attic but I never forgot about its beauty. I dusted it off and found this totally contrary burlap shade for it. Every time I turn it on, I smile.

I love changing the wreaths on my front door as the seasons change. This Valentine's Wreath makes my house look happy.

Oh, the fern. I love this type of fern but can never seem to keep it alive. The color and texture are so pretty to me. It has found a home on my kitchen counter so we spend a lot of time together. If you have any tips for me keeping this beauty alive, please send them on.

The monogrammed chair. This chair is in my family room and without fail, it makes me smile every time I pass by or better yet can actually sit in it.

What makes you smile?

Tabletops and Flowers

Over the holidays you did not see many posts from me. That is because I was very busy. First, we are continuing with our room re-do's and much of the work was done right before the holidays. It seemed some type of worker was in my house everyday. Second, the holidays just always seem to be overwhelming for me. In the middle of all of the chaos, I was able to do these flower arrangements and tabletops. Most of them are mine and a few are of some I did for a friend.

All of the flowers came from the grocery store as time was in short supply and going to the wholesaler was out of the question. I used lots of things from my yard such as the berries, herbs and greenery.

For the tabletops several of them are in my home and a few in my friend's home. We used things that we already owned but just put them together differently. It is amazing what you can come up with in your own home.

I hope these pictures inspire you to create your own beautiful tabletops and floral arrangements. I would love to know which ones are your favorites! Give me a shout in the comment section. Happy entertaining!

How Do You Like The New Look?

The Sparkling Like A Diamond blog is under a bit of construction at this time. Our IT department has been working long hours trying to accommodate my changes.
Stay tuned for some fun stuff if IT does not take me out!

Raspberry Thumbprints

Every year at Christmas time I make Raspberry thumbprints. They look so festive and are so delicious. I like to use raspberry preserves that contain seeds. Add these to your Christmas menu!

Raspberry Thumbprints

3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup orange juice
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup red raspberry preserves

mix all ingredients except preserves in a large bowl with a mixer on medium. beat well, occasionally scraping the bowl. cover and refrigerate about an hour.

preheat oven to 350 degrees
shape rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. press thumb into centers of cookies, making deep indentations. bake 10 minutes.

remove from oven and fill the indentations with the preserves. bake 5 additional minutes. immediately remove and cool cookies on racks.

Smoked Salmon Canapes

Last week at my Christmas party we had some very delicious food. One of my favorites was this one below. Give this one a try. The lady who made them said they were very easy and would be pretty using green tortillas if you could find them. You will love it!

Smoked Salmon Canapés

8 oz. cream cheese softened
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated onion
Several grinds of Black Pepper
4(7-inch) flour tortillas
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon capers (nonpareil size)
½ pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced
Garnish with fresh dill

Combine cream cheese with lemon juice, onion, and pepper. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over tortillas. Sprinkle evenly with capers. Add a layer of smoked salmon to each. Roll each tortilla jellyroll fashion. Slice each roll into 6 pinwheels and serve immediately, or chill and slice into pinwheels at serving time. Top each with a sprig of dill.