On the Menu Monday: Finger Foods

Today I am joining Yvonne at Stone Gable for On the Menu Monday link party.



This weekend we had a small casual gathering with friends at our place. I really wanted to keep it simple, without too much cooking and cleaning afterwards. So I came up with a simple finger foods menu.

Deviled Eggs (common party food, they are so easy to make).

Cheddar Cheese Puffs (you can see the recipe here. Following the suggestion of my mother-in-law, I added a bit of Dijon mustard to the dough. It turned out very nice).

Double Tomato Bruschetta (I will post the recipe later this week).

Spanakopita (store-bought, I already had it in my freezer).

Strawberries and grapes (fresh fruit is always nice).

Lemonade (store-bought, but next time I’ll make it myself).

We had a nice evening outside, under our pergola, listening to classical guitar recordings, chatting and nibbling on these delicious finger foods.

Almost Vintage

This crocheted bedspread is quite old; in fact, it’s almost vintage. I started crocheting it when I was about twelve. But let me tell you the story from the beginning.



My mom started teaching me to crochet when I was about seven. By the age of ten, all my dolls had crocheted outfits. By twelve, I started crocheting doilies. My mom taught me how to “read” crochet-in-rounds patterns because that is how all the patterns in Russian and Ukrainian crocheting magazines are presented.

In one of my mom’s magazines, I found a picture and pattern for a beautiful bedspread. And I knew right away that I wanted to make it. I asked my mom if we could do it together. She replied: “Do you realize how much work and time it will require? No way.”

I was disappointed by her reply, yet I didn’t want to let it go. And I started crocheting it all by myself. I had to crochet more than a hundred small square doilies, which then were to put together.



After I crocheted more than a dozen, my mom realized how determined I was. And that is when she became interested too and joined me crocheting.

Even with my mom’s help, it took us a few years to get it done. At one point, we put our project on hold because we ran out of crocheting thread and couldn’t buy it anywhere (it was the early 90s, only a few years after the Soviet Union fell apart and lots of things were hard to get in Ukraine back then).

But we did finish it eventually. After all the hard work we put into it, it’s not just a bedspread. It’s a real family heirloom!



Perhaps you’ve seen this bedspread pattern before. A few years ago, I saw the same bedspread at my mother-in-law’s place in Norway. And just recently I found the same pattern online. You can see it here accompanied with a detailed description on how to use crochet-in-rounds patterns.

I'm joining these Friday parties:

Home Sweet Home Friday @The Charm of Home,
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home,
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic On a Shoestring Decorating,
Friday Favorites @ Simply Sweet Home,
Feathering Your Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage.

Spanakorizo or Greek Spinach Rice

A few days ago, I was surfing one of my favorite cooking blogs Closet Cooking, and I came across this rice recipe. It’s quite simple to prepare and makes a nice side dish or even a light lunch.



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bunch spinach (roughly chopped)
1 cup long grained rice
2 1/2 cups broth or water
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup dill (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup feta (crumbled, optional)

Heat the oil in a pan.Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts.

Add the rice, broth or water, parsley, dill; season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.

Hit with a splash lemon juice and garnish with feta.

Makes 4 servings.

I am sharing this recipe at:

Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green,
Made from Scratch Tuesday @ From Mess Hall to Bistro,
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff,
and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ At the Well.

Lavender Sachet and Potpourri

A couple weeks ago, I collected and dried lavender from my garden. I asked my blogging friends for advice on what to do with it. After reading the comments, I decided to make a sachet and potpourri.



I cross-stitched a small lavender design earlier this summer, and now I used it for the sachet. I added a ribbon, so I can hang it in my closet.



I used the rest of my lavender to make potpourri. The small rose buds have no smell, but they are pretty to look at, so I added them to my potpourri too.

I have more lavender blooming in the yard, and I am on search for more ideas to use it.

I am joining all these wonderful Friday link parties:


Home Sweet Home Friday @The Charm of Home,
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home,
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic On a Shoestring Decorating,
Friday Favorites @ Simply Sweet Home,
Feathering Your Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage.

A Few Garden Shots

I am back from my trip to Idaho. It was a tiresome but interesting journey. I got to see landscapes and lifestyles quite different from those in California.



One of the first things I did when I returned home was check my garden. It did fine while I was gone.

In addition to purple morning glories, pale pink ones now appeared. The pansies are still blooming. My arched trumpet vine is getting more and more blooms. And the pomegranate flowers are turning into fruits.









I will have to do a lot of watering this week as the forecast predicts a hot one.

I am linking this post to:

Blooming Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jean,
Tuesday Garden Party @ An Oregon Cottage.