Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and staying healthy and safe.

I can’t believe I am saying this but today marks the 7th year that I am posting DishingwithDiane and it has been a wonderful part of my life. I consider all of my members my extended family and I wish I could meet you all in person.

I hope in some way over the years, I have entertained you with my family stories and inspired you to celebrate life with a tablescape idea or a new recipe.

The last anniversary tablescape that I posted was the blog’s 4th Anniversary in 2019 and that was just before I received the call from the hospital to receive the greatest gift of all, a second chance at life and that was my heart transplant. Who knew when I was cutting that slice of anniversary cake that 6 days later my life would change forever.

As you know, I was too weak to post the 5th anniversary in 2020 a year later after a few complications and setbacks but I did take pictures and set a partial table and I will get that together and post it for you to see.

And last year for the 6th anniversary in 2021, Bob and I were recuperating from having Covid and I did not prepare a tablescape and only posted a cake recipe that I hope you all enjoyed.

But this year is different. This year with your love and support over the past three years and the fabulous transplant team that looks after me I am ready to prepare a tablescape.

I have the strength back and I am allowed to lift and carry a little more as approved by my transplant team. But I will admit I am a bit rusty remembering to take all the photos I usually take. I get so excited to prepare the tablescape that some little details might have slipped by. I will do my best.

Bob and Michael bought me these Kate Spade dishes by Lenox (pattern Deco Dot) for Mother’s Day last May, and as soon as I received them I knew this would be my anniversary tablescape. Each 12 piece set comes with 4 dinner plates, 4 salad plates, and 4 mugs. Kate Spade seems to add monthly to the accessories to this pattern and my inventory is growing from her collection. It seems as soon as I add a piece she comes up with more great additions.

I hope you enjoy the tablescape and continue to enjoy the postings from Dishing with Diane. It would be a personal favor if you could spread the word and ask your family and friends to join DishingwithDiane either on Facebook or via email.

My goal is to welcome at least 10 new members this anniversary. So please, make a few calls and have some of your friends join the family. Thank you.

So let’s get started.

I have absolutely LOVED polka dots since I was a young teen and it has just carried over into my adult life. Here is some proof….

And I have loved the black and white combination since I saw “My Fair Lady” with Audrey Hepburn and the black & white ball that was a famous scene in that movie so this tablescape was a little bit of heaven for me.

Since I only had two colors to work with, this was supposed to be an easy tablescape right? No!…. not every black and white shade matches exactly and at times can get a little frustrating but it all works out in the end.

I started with one of my many white tablecloths but I chose this particular tablecloth because the scalloped edges reminded me of the round edge of a dot and the pattern could pass for dots as well.

(Sorry it is not coming out a true white due to the lighting but it is a very bright white).

Of course, my tried and true black placemat was an easy choice. I love how the combination with the tablecloth matches the dish pattern with the large black dots against the white background.

Now for the chargers– I have two glass chargers. I highly recommend owning a glass charger if you only want to keep one charger on hand. They are so versatile, you will use them constantly.

I usually favor a completely clear glass charger with the bubble pattern edge, but for this tablescape, I chose a glass charger with a slight ribbed pattern and a steel gray edge that I thought would accent the black and white much better.

Next, the star of our tablescape, the dishes. As I said earlier they are the Deco Dot pattern from Kate Spade. I am also using the mugs from the set along with glassware.

The glassware is part of the Kate Spade collection (Deco Dot pattern)… I have to say that I was very surprised and very disappointed in the quality of these glasses. They are listed as glass but when I opened the box, they are very light and feel like plastic. They hand wash beautifully and don’t get cloudy like plastic does, but I thought Kate Spade would have a better product, but visually they work.

For the cutlery, I chose casual flatware with a matte-finished black handle.

The napkins are NOT from the Kate Spade collection and they are 18 X 18 polyester napkins that I purchased from Amazon a few years ago. The white is slightly off from the shade of white in the dishes but there was no chance of me finding an exact match and I think they work well with the dinnerware.

The napkin ring is from my personal collection I purchased over the years and they are black and white beaded in an abstract pattern. I love them paired with the napkins.

Now for the complete place setting… Casual and a little fun.

For the centerpiece, I used black and white silk flowers and pearl sprays in a 9″ Waterford crystal vase.

I didn’t want too many accents on the table because I wanted to add a few snacks in addition to the cake so I just used a few votive candles not to crowd the table and two serving containers that match the Deco Dot pattern from the Kate Spade collection to hold some black junior mints and white buttermints.

The votives I chose came from my safari collection of animal prints and they were the only two in black and white and I think they were just enough for the table.

Now some snacks…. Bob and I were celebrating late afternoon with coffee and the anniversary cake and then I got the idea in my head that I wanted some black and white desserts and the first snack that came to mind was black and white cookies – a childhood favorite and together with the ultimate black and white cookie -Oreos, this theme could work.

I ordered the mini black & whites cookies from Costco and I have to say -big mistake! They were tasteless. The Oreo’s are an old standby that I still enjoy and I placed a few in black and white polka dot cupcake liners to continue the theme.

Since I was on my black and white dessert idea I thought about mini donuts, so I ordered the Hostess donut variety, and once again- big mistake.

I have come to the conclusion that I have outgrown these desserts. I can no longer tolerate the fake ingredients and they are not worth the added calories to me or the clogged artery that will eventually come along with them.

Now the big challenge, the anniversary cake. Normally I would call up my local bakery and order a cake to go along with whatever my theme was for the occasion. But this year because of the pandemic and the numbers being out of control with Omicron, neither Bob nor I were running off to a bakery, so I decided to bake.

Yes, that’s right me, the one who doesn’t bake cakes was about to bake a cake from scratch. I have baked cookies and muffins and a few holiday recipes for traditional cakes but this is not my comfort zone.

Thank God I had the help of the King Arthur website and I made a basic vanilla cake and vanilla frosting (not bad, I survived) and then I decided to work with black fondant and cut out circles – should I say it again- big mistake. This project confirmed why I order cakes.

After many ovals and not perfect circles, I declared my project complete once I thought I had enough circles and made enough of a mess. I topped it with a few polka dot black and white candles, a number 7 candle, and an anniversary sign, and I was done.

Remind me to hug the girls in the bakery the next time I see them- they are miracle workers to me. Although I was happy with how the cake matched the dishes, cake decorating is something I have to work on.

Here is my finished project and I have to say it was delicious even though it took longer to decorate than expected….. I used a basic black and white enamel cake stand (from Pottery Barn) to continue with the black and white theme.

All in all, we had a lovely celebration and I reviewed some of the pics from previous anniversaries and counted my blessings that I am still here to have these milestone anniversaries, continue to share my family stories and recipes on a blog that I love producing and blessed to receive lovely comments and the opportunity to speak to so many members over the years.

Thank you is not enough to say but you have all brought such joy to my life by being so supportive.

Thank you for sharing in this anniversary post and DishingwithDiane is on our way to more recipes, tablescapes, and stories going into our 8th year.

I hope the next year brings us all many blessings- good health, lots of love, laughs, good times, happiness, and a peaceful world!

Don’t forget to ask your friends and family to join the fun and sign up now via Facebook or email (the right-hand column on the main page).

That would mean the world to me.

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

 

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Hi everyone,

Well it’s that time of year again, time to celebrate another anniversary for DishingwithDiane.com

Hard to believe that DishingwithDiane is

Four Years Old !

 Four years have flown by so quickly. I absolutely love sharing my recipes, tablescapes, family events and stories.

The more members we have just makes the DishingwithDiane family bigger and better. I deeply appreciate every member.

I wish I could thank each and every one of you in person for signing up to become a member and showing so much love and support for this blog. 

I hope that over the course of four years I have helped you in some way. Perhaps a new recipe that has become a family favorite or new ideas for your tablescapes for parties and holidays. Whatever it is, it has been a labor of love for me.

Please continue to ask your family and friends to like, share, comment and join DishingwithDiane, as we head into year number Five.

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So let the celebration begin and lets start an anniversary tablescape for our

Fourth Anniversary. 

I knew from the day I bought these dishes that I wanted to use them for my 4th anniversary tablescape. They are pretty versatile. They can be used for any winter celebration and even for a Christmas luncheon.

I think what attracted me to these dishes was the black & white harlequin pattern, absolutely one of my favorite patterns. And they are designed by one of my favorite artists, Susan Winget.

I have been obsessed with black and white in fashion and home decor for many years. I think I fell in love with the bold look of black & white once I saw My Fair Lady and they had the Black and White Ball.

Does anyone remember seeing the movie and how stunning Audrey Hepburn looked in this ensemble?

Photo courtesy of Arktimes.com

 She has always been a favorite actress of mine.

Back to the dishes…

The dinner plate is very festive and it has the black and white harlequin pattern as the border with an accent of amber and burgundy at the edge of the plate. The center of the dinner plate is white framed in an array of fruits in tones of burgundy, amber and green finished with a red bow. Almost looks like a wreath of fruit.

The salad plate also has the harlequin border with an amber and burgundy edge and each plate features one of the fruits displayed on the dinner plate in the center.

Unfortunately for me this set does not come with soup bowls, only small ice cream bowls which I chose not to buy. I did purchase the mugs along with a small harlequin rectangular tray (12 X 6) with handles and the creamer and sugar bowl. 

I am starting my tablescape with a solid black tablecloth with a woven square pattern. Very basic but I needed the pattern to add something to the table. I think a plain solid tablecloth would be too dull.

Along with the black tablecloth, I had to add my black and white harlequin table runner.  I originally bought this table runner to decorate a table at Halloween for bowls of candy for trick or treaters. 

Now for the placemats and chargers. This tablescape needed an accent color from the plates, so I am using a red woven placemat. This will add a pop of color and match the bow on the dinner plate.

I didn’t want to add any additional color to the tablescape so I am using clear glass chargers. They dress up the table without taking away from the table linens.

When I purchased the table runner I also purchased the matching napkins and I am so glad that I did. They work perfectly on the table and I decided to use a pearl napkin ring. I love the combination and I am using pearls in my centerpiece.

My flatware is absolutely fantastic! I was gifted this set of black and white harlequin cutlery and I love it. My son’s girlfriend gave me this set because she knows how much I love black and white and the harlequin pattern. There couldn’t be better flatware for this tablescape.

Now the glassware. Since there is always a dessert and prosecco celebration for the anniversary, I am using my Waterford crystal flute glasses.

My centerpiece is the crystal vase that matches the stemware and I filled the vase with black and white silk flowers and a few pearl sprays to accent the flowers and coordinate with the napkin rings.

For the first time I am using water jewels as a vase filler. These are water absorbing polymer that grows larger the more you hydrate them. When the water evaporates the beads shrink and can be saved in an airtight container for another project.

Normally, I would use these beads for fresh flowers, but I wanted to try them on silk to help the flower stems stay exactly where I wanted them.

Here is the picture of the water jewels I purchased…

(Found at Michael’s Art’s & Crafts).

My table accents are candles of course and I am using mercury glass votive holders to complete the table along with black, gray and white glass gem table scatter.

My cake stand is clear glass at the base with a crackled pattern for the cake stand top. It actually reminded me of the water jewels in the vase.

Now, what is a celebration without a cake? This year I asked for a harlequin print on the cake and I had to go to two bakeries before anyone would accept the challenge. It seems that black frosting is a color that isn’t asked for very much. 

I finally found a bakery willing to try and I think they did a great job. I even kept the filling simple to make it easier for them- just yellow cake and chocolate pudding (can’t go wrong with basic).

And now the finished cake served by candlelight…

I wanted to add a second accent to the table and decided on some fresh fruit that was featured on the salad plate. I used a white ceramic fruit bowl with pears, apples and grapes. 

(Bob said this looks like a painting).

Table Setting

And now, Bob and I will have our traditional toast to another great year along with a toast to all the members of DishingwithDiane that make my dream of having this blog come true.

Thank you

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Ask your family and friends to join DishingwithDiane.com and become part of the family!

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post.

Also, continue to send me your comments and emails, I Love hearing from you.

 

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Hi Everyone,

I can’t believe that another year has flown by and DishingwithDiane is now,

THREE YEARS OLD TODAY!

I absolutely LOVE sharing my tablescapes, stories and recipes with all of you. It has been a wonderful experience for me and I have made so many new friends over the three years. You have all become a second family to me.

I want to thank each and every one of you for becoming members and showing the love and support for this blog.

Please continue to ask your family and friends to follow, like, share and join DishingwithDiane.com, as we continue to grow.

And continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

I hope along our journey together, I have inspired you to try a new recipe or given you an idea for you to create a tablescape at home.

So now let’s start a celebration tablescape to bring us into year number FOUR together…

For this anniversary tablescape I wanted to feature my Italian Deruta dishes. Both my husband and my son bought me new pieces for Christmas to add to my collection and I can’t wait to use them.

Let’s start with the tablecloth. I am using a sunflower gold tablecloth to blend with the rim of the dish.

I am adding something that I don’t normally use on my tables and that is a table runner. For this particular pattern, I thought the table runner pulled everything together nicely.

The dishes are one of my favorites, Nova Deruta.

It is an earthenware dish with scalloped edges with a cream background and a sunflower gold & rust rim. The intricate pattern on the dish feature vibrant colors of navy, turquoise, sunflower and rust.

While doing some research about the dishes from Italy, I discovered that this design also originates from a fresco made by a Renaissance master, “Il Perugino” created the frescoes containing the dominant motif of this pattern. If you travel to Italy you will be able to see them in the “Logge del Cambio” in Perugia. 

Deruta majolica artists later adapted the motif to the ceramic art.

The dinner plate has a scalloped edge and a border in sunflower and rust with the fresco design around the rim and a cream center.

The salad plate also has the scalloped edge with the same design as the dinner plate but the center has the design of the fresco.

The complete set…

I chose two colors from the plate for the placemats and chargers. Rust woven placemats and navy beaded chargers.

(With the lighting the placemat looks orange but it is a deep rust).

These dishes always give me a rustic feel of Tuscany, so I am using wooden flatware to keep the rustic theme going.

Instead of a solid color napkin from a color on the plate, I chose the Deruta napkins to match the set and wooden napkin rings.

The glasses will be simple. My clear stemless wine glasses. I didn’t want colored glassware to interfere with the intricate pattern on both the dishes and table runner.

The new piece that Bob bought me is the soup tureen. I absolutely LOVE it. Not many people can fall in love with a soup tureen, but I can. I didn’t want to make soup for the occasion, so I am going to use this piece as my centerpiece.

My son bought me the demitasse cups for Christmas and we will use those later with dessert.

Speaking of which, what is a celebration without a cake?

This year I gave the bakery a challenge when I gave them a photo of the plate and told them I wanted to have all the colors of the plate on the cake. I think they did a great job.

The cake is a marble cake with a layer of cannoli and a layer of chocolate pudding.

I had to buy some additional mini cannolis when I picked up the cake. I couldn’t resist; the smell of the bakery got to me.

I will serve these on one of my Deruta serving trays.

Since I am going rustic, I am using my Acacia wood pedestal cake stand (this comes with a very large dome).  I ordered it from Crate and Barrel. I wish you could see the detail of the wood in person.

Of course there must be candles and I am using glass votives in shades of emerald, gold and navy.

A few pieces of golden glass table scatter on the runner and we are almost done except for the centerpiece.

I told you it would be the soup tureen, but it had to have something added.

 At first, I thought I would fill the tureen with hydrangea but that didn’t do it for me once I saw the hydrangea in the tureen. Still searching, I came across these little heather floral picks in Michael’s Arts and Crafts.

I dug through the basket to search for colors that would coordinate with my tureen; came home made the arrangement and now I am a happy girl.

Place Setting

 We couldn’t forget a bottle of prosecco for a celebratory toast,

and some demitasse with anisette and our 3rd Blogiversary occasion cake.

We are ready to celebrate. 

Just a note, I always use a fresh lemon peel for the rim of the cup and anisette sugar in demitasse coffee just like grandma did.

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I have to share one other thing about my day of celebration. 

This afternoon, I surprised Bob with cupcakes for an early lunch, but this time the cupcakes were turkey meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting, chive sprinkles and a grape tomato as the cherry on top.

Served in a cupcake holder with broccoli slaw as a side dish.

I have been celebrating all day.

I just had to show you. I found the recipe on Skinnytaste.com and for those interested, it is Weight Watcher friendly made with turkey and grated zucchini- delicious. (recipe below)

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

It has truly been a pleasure for me to share three years together with all of you. Spread the word about DishingwithDiane and continue to help me get new members. We have a lot more fun ahead.

Stay well, 

Diane

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Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 2 cupcakes • 

Ingredients:

For the Meatloaf Cupcakes:

• 1.3 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 cup grated zucchini, all moisture squeezed dry with paper towel
• 2 tbsps. onion, minced
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Skinny Mashed Potato “Frosting”:

• 1 lb. (about 2 medium) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 tbsps. fat free sour cream
• 2 tbsps. fat free chicken broth
• 1 tbsps. skim milk
• 1/2 tbsp. light butter
• kosher salt to taste
• dash of fresh ground pepper
• 2 tbsps. fresh thyme

Directions:

Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Using a masher or blender, mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with foil liners.

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, ketchup, egg, and salt. Place meatloaf mixture into muffin tins filling them to the top, making sure they are flat at the top.

Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from tins and place onto a baking dish.

Pipe the “frosting” onto the meatloaf cupcakes and serve.

Makes 12.