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Menu Monday

Posted on new blog. bellaandgracie.com

Menu Monday

Pine nut and Parmesan breaded Chicken with sauteed vegetables and a strawberry spinach salad.

Ingredients
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese .
2 garlic cloves, minced .
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes .
1 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs .
1/4 c Egg Beaters egg substitute .
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, lbed thin .
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper .
2 tbsps olive oil .
3 tbsps pine nuts

Directions
Step #1 Place first 6 ingredients in food processor/blender, process until nuts are sliced finely.
Step #2 Pour mixture onto a plate.
Step #3 Coat chicken in Egg Beaters & dredge in bread crumb mixture Heat olive oil in a largeish skillet over medium-high.
Step #4 Place chicken breasts in the skillet & cook 3 mins on each side, until browned.
Step #5 Transfer chicken to a baking dish & finish cooking in the oven at 375 degrees
for 15-20 mins.
Step #6 Serve chicken topped with jarred pesto sauce or heated marinara sauce.

Spring setting

First Day of Spring

Menu Monday

Honey mustard salmon topped with breadcrumbs, with a side of corn on the cob and wild rice pilaf. A glass of Chardonnay to compliment the fish and of course candle light to set the mood.

Salmon Honey Mustard Bake: 4 servings

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
3. Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

St. Patrick's Day- Table for 2

Green plates and mugs were a wedding present and the accent plates were recently given to me by my grandmother Libba. I tried to keep a monochromatic theme and St. Patrick's Day is all about the green.

New Name

I have been playing around with different names for my blog and have finally decided to go with Gracie and Bella. Named after my two precious dogs. They both have very different personalities. One is a princess and likes to be treated like a Queen and the other is more simple and is just looking for love. So I have decided I will do two posts for each month in addition to "What's on Katie's Table." These two settings will represent these personalities. Formal settings will be named Bella and casual settings will be named Gracie. I will also add a descriptive word to the name to identify the month. Hope you enjoy this new change. feedback is welcomed!

Classic Bella table

The Classic Bella table will have fine china and stemware. It will be elegant and formal. Red roses always fit a Bella table.

Spring preview

I found this adorable pitcher at Homegoods the other day and am very excited to get started on a spring setting. I love the flowers I chose to put in the vase and think I will also try Daffodils as soon as they bloom in my yard. I sense another yellow setting coming on!

Gracie-Green

These beautiful green napkins and place mats came in a set from TJMAXX. I used some green everyday china I already had and it blended nicely with the other shades of green. I chose a white Hydrangea for the center and two fern pieces to coordinate with the napkins and carry the theme of the table. I chose the heavy cut glass goblets to add texture to the settings and mirrored the design in the center of the table with a matching vase.

Bella-Green

Plates

If you like these plates they are from Target in the dollar section right as you come into the store. They are plastic and come in a 2 pack for $2.50. I used them this weekend as I hosted my mother and father-in-law. Dishwasher safe so they were super easy but made a big impact with the color and design.

What's on Katie's table-March

For March I am working with many shades of green.The second picture is an example of a few napkins I have to choose from.

Spring is in the air so expect to see a table to represent the welcoming of the new season in the weeks to come. I am going to also show a St. Patrick's table for two since that is the anniversary of my first date with my now husband. You can also be looking for two settings in green. One will be casual and one will be more formal.

Gracie-Yellow

Bella-Yellow

Yellow- single setting

February- Birthday Party

Another example of using the mini cakes as a focal point for a party. I chose pink icing for my mom's birthday party and added Cherry Blossoms to the cakes for an extra splash of pink!

What's on Katie's table- February

Baby's breath as a centerpiece is subtle but adds a nice texture and height to this setting. The black chargers are a new addition to my collection of decorating tools thanks to my mother-in-law:) The tablecloth is something I recently rediscovered when I was organizing my linen closet. It was in a box with many wonderful things passed down to me from my grandmother Libba. This particular one was very small but as you can see it has a very unique pattern. By turning the cloth it didn't matter anymore that it didn't fit the table. It then became an accent piece and I love it!! The plates were a Christmas present from my grandmother Evamay and have a beautiful hydrangea in the center. I plan to use these plates again later in the year when my hydrangeas are in bloom. These plates also have a pea green pattern that lines the outer rim. I had some tassels that were the same color and felt they would add continuity with the center and the place settings. I chose the rose colored napkins the bring out the color of the hydrangeas on the plates and I felt the rose color would be a nice contrast to the green.

Cupcakes- By Lindsey Torres

These yummy Chocolate and Vanilla minicakes were made by Lindsey Torres. One cupcake tree holds two dozen mini cakes and the flavors and icing colors can be custom designed. For this party I chose brown and blue to go with the theme of the table. I also chose to put some of the confetti from the table as a cake topper for a unique detail. More info on these wonderful cupcakes will be coming soon! If you would like to order some for your next party we can work with you to create the flavor, color and theme you would like.

Baby Shower

Baby shower's are one of the most special times to decorate a table. It is a time to honor a family on the brink of growth. For this shower I asked the mommy-to-be to give me and idea of how she and her husband were going to decorate the baby room. From the bedding they selected I decided to go with blue and brown as my main colors. The bedding also had a quilt look to it so I decided to go with this quilted white lenin cloth. For the centerpiece I knew I wanted to create a diaper cake. I used a brown ribbon around the layers and used tinny blue ribbon to drape from the top down all the sides. I used leftover invitation paper to create the cake topper which was the babies name. I also used some of the confetti from the table on the brown ribbon to add interest. I found the cutest plates and napkins from Hobby Lobby that matched my colors perfectly and they had mother goose nursery rhymes drawn on them to reflect the baby theme. I like to use baby's breath for baby showers because it is small and has an innocent look to it. I connect the flowers to the theme of the table by tying a dark brown ribbon couples with a sheer blue ribbon that said it's a boy. I put the flowers on both sides of the diaper cake to create balance.

What's on Katie's table- January

I decided to go with White and blue this month. January reminds me of snow days so I wanted to use these elegant snowflake napkins I found at my local grocery store in the home section. You might not always think to take a stroll down the home isle in the grocery store, but I have found some of my favorite treasures there!

January

It is January 2010 and I have many new ideas for my blog this year. I recently changed the title to Katie's table and will feature a post titled "Whats on Katie's table" each month. This post is where you can find seasonal inspirations. I am going to have my summer posts outside and title those posts "Katie's on the porch! I will also add a creative corner where I will have random ideas like; turning an old belt into a napkin ring or a curtain into a centerpiece just to name a few. By doing this I can create a little more structure and variety on my blog. Just want to let you know how much I appreciate you reading my blog! Feel free to leave a comment of you want. Don't forget to keep checking in for the latest and greatest table settings as they are created!!

The thinking behind the design

This year I picked a theme for all of my Christmas Decorations. I chose red, black, and gold to be the color palette for my designs. I found a wonderful ribbon at target with these three colors to bring everything together. Ribbons are wonderful! You can use them so many different ways and they can really add a nice accent or be a focal point. I used this ribbon on my front door wreath and a wreath I had hanging in the dining room where the food was served. I also used it on the center of the table and on my living room Christmas tree. Because the ribbon was plaid and more casual I tried to aim for a more country "Pottery Barn" feel with each decoration. My center piece was my favorite part of the design. Since the room was red, and that was one of my colors from the palette, I kept a monochromatic look to tie everything together. Red roses in a plain vase filled with cranberries. I loved this look so much I may try it for Valentines day too! It was elegant but not over powering. The runner was also from Target. I loved the stitched snowflakes on the ends of the runner. The black runner would blend with my table and the snowflakes on the ends would add a subtle interest but not take away from the center of the table. I also used intricate chunky crystal goblets to hold my tea lights to give dimension to the candle light.

Tasty Treats!

More photos of the food presentation. This was dessert party so I had: (Paula Dean) Chocolate gooey cookies and peanut butter cookies, lemon poppy seed short bread, star sugar-almond cookies, Spinach and artichoke dip, Chocolate caramel trifle (glad to share the recipe!), Harry and David's moose munch, an assortment of chocolate truffles and to-die-for cupcakes by:Lindsey Torres (let me know if you would like to have them at your party!) To drink: zesty punch, hot cider, and hot chocolate. We started the party with some ice breaker games and concluded with an ornament guessing game. It was a very fun party and I can't wait to host another one soon!