A dinner for old friends.

So another post about a dinner…sorry. NOT much going on here.

Every summer there are about ten families that travel to Cape Cod for a week in Provincetown. We stay right on the beach in the harbor. Every family makes one dinner so the burden isn’t on just a few.

We’ve missed a few summers and for the past two summers I haven’t made a main meal. So I had a dinner at my house to say thank you to all my Cape Cod friends for their delicious dinners.

This past Sunday was the evening and there were fourteen of us. At first I was going to have a large table for ten then a smaller table for four. Well, that didn’t feel right so I went for three tables. It looked like a little restaurant. We have a large dining room with an alcove with windows where we keep a daybed…for the dogs to lay on all day so they can view the world go by and bark, bark, bark!

I brought two tables inside that are usually under the pergola. One I trash picked, an iron table that still had the glass top and four chairs. (what a find) I had to scrape off all the flaking paint and clean it up.

Then I brought in seating I bought in France last April that is soooo way cool and I LOVE! They are all cane, backs and seats. I had to vacuum the pieces, spray with alcohol and clean with Murphy’s oil. Much work. So now we’re into day two, 5:30pm. Sigh…I still had to make the food.

You can see the cane settee, arm and side chairs…Fab aren’t they? I bought them to sell but I’m not sure I am or can!!

All the tables are covered with French linen sheets and I use French monogrammed napkins I found at flea markets in France. Some have white embroidery and others have red. They all have a beautiful red border.

After dinner a few of us were in the kitchen when the smoke detector went off. I thought it was from all the candles…it was a napkin on FIRE!! Karen had put it down on the table right over a tea light. Yikes!!

Luckily someone noticed! When I got in there my friend Joan had covered it with another napkin and then I grabbed them and threw them in the sink… This is what was left of that napkin. I only had five of this style, so now I have an even four!

I have more up close pictures I’ll post later.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Paris just around the corner…

A week from today, I head to Paris to meet up with my sister Amy. I was checking out my photos…you know, the ones I uploaded constantly from my blackberry. I was reliving our whole trip, and these are some of the highlights … I was reading  ‘THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE’           ….stayed in an apartment instead of a hotel in the Le Marias, our favorite area of Paris now. The apartment is on the fourth floor with no elevators and fabulous.    …I ate foire grois 5 times because I knew what it was on the menu, and it was prepared differently each time, and every one was delicious!…went to the Paris Maison et Objet where we found THE most fantastic lamp shades and Italian linens…hooked up with our favorite Parisian Cherub Jean-Pierre, he makes me laugh and laugh, and is so full of knowledge of all things French    …ate crepes, well I did, Amy didn’t  …giggled like little kids over sexy venetian goblets we found in a Paris warehouse … I bought a FABULOUS watch that I love, a great addition to my wrist don’t you think? Well, Luanne doesn’t agree 😉 but what does she know??? ;)…   …went to the Porte des Vanves flea market for the first time and found these fabulous blue enamel house numbers...happened upon the big protest march, which affected the metro, not as many were running this day, so were so full we couldn’t get on…so on we walked…  …headed South on the train to hit some flea markets and brocantes, and we found some beautiful earthenware bowls … hung out in Uzes, our fave medieval city, definitely our comfort zone  and of course, the cowboy boots as always…I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE driving around France…laughed stupidly with Amala…and drank so much coffee….I think at LEAST 5 a day  at sidewalk cafes all over, another fave pastime, except going to the flea markets and eating …sooooooo, I’m not at all ready, but I now have a NOOK COLOR, the better to fix the uploaded pics from my blackberry onto this blog. (and I’ll have a bigger screen for facebook!!!) ….AND my book for the plane is the third book to ‘The Girl…’ series, that I’ve been waiting to come out in paperback, but hasn’t…..so it’s on my new NOOK…’The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest’…..I can’t wait to read it……better get movin, groovin, schmoozin…

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Fabulous French Oilcloth Bags

When we were in the South of France last September, in the medieval city of Uzes, we found these great shopping bags. Their design inspirations come from old painted advertisements. Beautiful and we LOVE them and they are now for sale at Two Cherubs. There are assorted bag styles, shopping trolleys and umbrellas.

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Charming signed painting from Montpellier, France with a broken frame…still fab

I finally brought this painting into the shop even though the frame is damaged. ….this is a test post from my black berry…let’s see how it works out…

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first ever….”Best of Gay Philly” Antiques Store…..inaugural issue of GPHILLY

I’m soooooo pumped! Two Cherubs Antiques has been named a winner in the first-ever ‘Best of Gay Philly’ feature in the inaugural issue of GPHILLY–Philadelphia Magazine’s new brand focused on the lives and lifestyles of Philadelphia’s LGBT community….for Antiques Shop. We’re located in Collingswood, NJ, which is just 10 minutes from Center City Philadelphia. Collingswood is on the Gaydar in this issue also….We are listed in this section also…way coooool!…..Thanks GPHILLY…………..I had to take pics of the pics in the mag…sorry for the lack of clarity.

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Springtime in Paris…theme of the Philadelphia Flower Show

  The Fabulous vignettes from Award Winning Florist Michael Bruce at the ‘Springtime in Paris’ flower show in Philadelphia. Michael won ‘Best Achievement’ and no wonder. His SHADOW ART is awesome and crazy. It captures the feeling completely. The shadows show movement ….and the bath girl….Brigitte Bardot yes???

Michael used a few pieces from the shop…a 200 yr old, First Empire (French Napoleon I) zinc tub for ‘the Salon’ scene from Paris, the 7′ birdcage c1920, we found in Montpellier, sweet gilt table with marble top is French ‘Napoleon III’ from a Paris warehouse, and the oil cloth bags are new from a French company just in this month.

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Three of my favorites from the Paris Flea Market left the shop this month!

We found all three of these great French antiques at Saint Ouen in Paris…the famous flea market. One piece shipped out to California, and the other two went to a home right here in Collingswood. I know they will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed having them in the shop.

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Le Marias in Paris

I’ve been doing a little more research on Le Marias district in Paris. Amy and I stayed there on our last trip and will be staying there again in April. There are so many shops and cafes and I just found a little Antique Village…Village Saint Paul near Rue de Rivoli, where there are many Antique Dealers that I didn’t know about. (well, there is much I don’t know about!) One of my goals is to find Antique shops in Paris while we’re there. We usually don’t have much time, but we will this trip.

MOre to come….I’ve gotta end my day!!!!

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My two days at the New York Gift Show

Well, I made it to the gift show this past weekend. Even though I was by myself, I had a great time. I headed over to the Javits on Saturday, thinking I’d spend most of my day there, but there were only two sections open….what the heck??

This forced me to head down to the Piers. I never go, so I was going into the unknown. Well, Pier 92 was nothing but JUNK!!! So I headed on over to Pier 94 to look for treasures. I found more than I wanted….pillows, bamboo floor mats, and stuff…just what I need right. Here’s a few of the pillows. I forgot to take pics of everything, shoot!

So, Saturday night I met up with Mr. Bill, Paul’s uncle, for dinner. We ate at the neighborhood Turkish restaurant. It was delicious and I ate almost everything and was feeling WAY full. Good thing I was walking to the hotel.

Well, it was quite a walk. I started at 45th and 9th, headed up to 50th, then all the way over to the East Side of Madison. Woah! The backpack was gettin’ heavy. ….I started to look up as I was heading down 50th and realized I was just down from Times Square.

Then I look up, I’m looking down alot because of the snow, and see Radio City…cool, then Rockefeller Plaza and the ice skating at night….I NEVER get over this way. Too bad I was by myself and had been walking ALL DAY…I was ready for the hotel…that is a whole other story!!

On Sunday, I headed back over to the Javits and hit the booths. There is a whole lot of yuk out there. But I did find some gems for the shop, but forgot the pics AGAIN! I did get one of this F A B U L O U S  bag…check it out. I won’t get it in til May…bummer.

After all that shopping and walking, I walked to Penn Station to try and catch an early train. It was in ‘final boarding’ as I walked in, I kid you not! I missed it….dang…So, I got some Pizza and waited 2-1/2 hrs.

THEN, on the train ride home, the train stops in the middle of two stops…the brake tube has a hole and we can’t go anywhere. We had to wait for another train to bring the mechanic to replace the tube. We almost had to get on another train..that would have been fun ya???

The lady sitting next to me was funny and witty and nutty. So it wasn’t so bad…soo odd…I was standing next to her in Penn Station…she was singing to her friend, while waiting for the track to be called…then noticed me…noticed that she had liked my necklaces on the bus to the Piers the day before…I was wearing the same ones…well, right then they called the track and off I went. Then I noticed she sat next to me on the train. What are the odds, mmm??

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Savory Cake…which is really like a bread, like a banana bread, but savory!!

Bacon or Ham, cheese, and olive loaf

2 dozen pitted olives (green, black, or both), chopped
6 slices bacon (or ham), sliced into matchstick shapes….I used pork roast
¼ lb. Swiss cheese, grated finely…….I forgot to add the cheese!!!!
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
½ cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pinch cayenne pepper
ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Butter a loaf pan.

Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. With a spatula, mix in eggs one at a time, and then yogurt, milk, and melted butter. Incorporate the grated cheese and spices into the batter.

Fold in the chopped olives and the bacon. Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes.

Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

Recipe found from Ken Broadhurst

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