Linderhof


Gardening, Cooking and Decorating on the Prairie of Kansas


Welcome to Linderhof, our 1920's home on the prairie, where there's usually something in the oven, flowers in the garden for tabletops and herbs in the garden for cooking. Where, when company comes, the teapot is always on and there are cookies and cakes to share in the larder.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Breakfast Table

It's called the breakfast room
The small room we added on to the back of the house
The room that looks as if it was a porch
That we enclosed with sliding doors.

And it is where we have breakfast
when we're home


It's always the blue and white Spode Blue Italian dishes
(because they're handiest)
Always a French press of coffee for Husband Jim
And a teapot of P G Tips for me


A mug for Jim's coffee
A cup and saucer for my tea
A blue and white "orphan" creamer that we usually use for everyday milk


And a white linen napkin in a silver ring
(although they did not come from Italy -- the white linen reminds me of Italy
and our time in Positano)

Breakfast this particular morning


A baked apple pancake
Served family style

If it's eggs or pancakes, I'll plate in the kitchen

If it's a frittata, a baked pancake or Featherbed eggs, I serve at the table


A slice of pancake
A cup of tea
My beloved blue and white

But . . . 
if I find myself alone . . . 


I'll often use the set of
Mason's Manchu blue and white
A breakfast set
for one
coffee pot, sugar, creamer, bowl and plate, 
cup and saucer, toast rack (or cooler as Jim calls it)
and a muffin dish

Used not to have a solitary breakfast at a table
but rather to be put on a tray
And a loyal servant would deliver it to the
mistress of the house
So that she could have breakfast in bed

Alas, I'm the cook as well as the mistress
And so when I use the Manchu,
it's not in bed but in the breakfast room
But it is just me --

I like setting a pretty table
For just me
For us
For a crowd

Not just for dinner
But for breakfast as well
And lunch, too, for that matter.

It's just being nice to yourself.
And making yourself (and your husband)
feel important.

Oh, and there's always flowers
or a blooming plant on the table as well
(or perhaps in midwinter, a bowl of fruit)

Flowers are a luxury I can't pass up
And a meal without flowers
Would be like a day without sunshine!



It's Thursday and my breakfast table will be joining Susan at Between Naps On the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

9 comments:

LauraC said...

While I love your whole house, your breakfast room is my favorite and here it looks lovely, as usual.

Sarah said...

I like your attitude! You always set a lovely table be it for breakfast, lunch, tea, or dinner. Always a treat to join you at your beautiful, cozy home.

Diane said...

What a wonderful room and the stories about your meals there are heartwarming. That pancake looks heavenly and blue and white is always a winner!!

Scribbler said...

Beautiful. I too believe you should treat yourself and family well at every meal. I did that for the many years I was single, too. I think some people thought I was a bit daft, but who cares? I remember when I used to "brown bag" my lunch at the huge law firm where I worked sometimes, I always laid everything out properly and arranged the food nicely on my plate. There would literally be co-workers standing around shaking their heads, but I always said, "First we eat with our eyes."

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Your dining room is so nice and generous in size. I would want to use it a lot too. Your dinnerware is classic and looks perfect at any setting. I had something served to me once that she called an apple pancake but it looked a lot like your apple cake. It was so good. She made it in a huge iron skillet and if I lived closer I'd beg her to show me the steps. I love the comment from the Scribbler!

Deborah Montgomery said...

This is beautiful. PG Tips is my morning tea of choice too. I do so believe in making the every day an "occasion." And flowers, too, even if I have to go without something else. They're indispensable!

Lulu said...

I'm with you when it comes to having flowers on the table. In fact, I like having them everywhere, but that doesn't always happen at my house. Your table is a delight.

GardenOfDaisies said...

Martha, I love how you set a pretty table even for the most humble meal, breakfast. Your apple pancake really looks amazing. Are you going to share the recipe with us? Or publish a cookbook ?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful table and beautiful breakfast!