An Herbal Luncheon . . . For 22!

Company came today

From Burlington, Kansas

Twenty-two!

We set the dining room table

with all of it's leaves

It comfortable seats 10!

And the breakfast room table

For four!

But we were eight short . . .

So what did we do?

We used the folding table in the living room

With both leaves it sits eight comfortably!

A wonderful table

A wonderful buy

And it's always handy.

I adore anything that doesn't have to be lugged up basement stairs

Or lugged in from the garage!

It was to be an herbal luncheon

I decided it was a luncheon of herbs and birds and blue

Not identical centerpieces

But all containing the same elements

Blue, birds and herbs!

The dining room table and a big blue and white tureen filled with thyme

And my lead pigeons that "flew" in from the porch!

The breakfast room.

A smaller table.

A smaller tureen.

Smaller birds!

Lead birds that were a Christmas gift from The Lunch Bunch

A blue and white Wedgwood tureen in the living room filled with thyme plants

Two of the ceramic birds that spend most of their time in the breakfast room on either side.

And there was a surprise hidden in the dining room centerpiece

(I wonder how many ladies spotted him?)

On each table a bucket of salt and a watering can of pepper

(a Smith and Hawken purchase long ago)

On each table, a bowl of chive butter

for the corn madeleines!

The Menu

One per place.

A remembrance to take home.

Simple salads of mixed greens with Linderhof vinaigrette was the first course.

Garnished with shreds of carrots, tomatoes and a viola from the garden.

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Chicken tetrazzini made herbal with the addition of tarragon, a corn madeleine and fruit salad with a basil/cinnamon dressing

An orange cake garnished with rosemary for dessert.

Alas, no rosemary in the cake!

And they are gone.

These lovely ladies from Burlington.

Friend Sally came and helped serve

I couldn't have done it without her!

The dishwasher is humming, the linens are in the machine

The living room is back to normal

As is the dining room

And like soldiers, the glasses await their turn in the "machine"

As does the sinkful of plates and cups and saucers!

I promised the Ladies of Burlington the recipes.

TARRAGON CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

8 ounces thin spaghetti broken into 3 inch lengths, cooked, rinshed and drained

1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided

2 to 3 cups cooked diced chicken

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (if using canned, just add them; if using fresh, saute them in butter first)

1/4 c. chopped onion

2 T. diced pimientos (I used red pepper -- it was on sale!)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. dry sherry

salt and pepper to taste.

Combine spaghetti and 1 cup Cheddar and half ot he Parmesan.    Add chicken and pimientos and onions.    Add remaining ingredients.    Gently stir to combine ingredients; place in a greased casserole and sprinkle with the reamining cheeses.    Cover with lid or foil and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.     Serves 6 to 8.    (Serves 8 handily, I think)

ORANGE CAKE

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

3 T. orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

For the frosting, I used a regular cream cheese frosting recipe to which I added orange zest and orange extract (about 1 t. extract and the zest of a whole orange)

It's Thursday and I'm joining Susan at Between Naps On the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish