a magazine for the artfully domestic

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PHOTO Michael B. VIckers

EDITOR Rebecca E. Parsons, cre8tiva@gmail.com

PUBLISHER REP MEdia

welcomehello

a magazine for the artfully domesticISSUU 1

Up a tree am I. This magazine has been a long time coming. Many names,

many looks and many sleepless nights have come and gone since I first

thought about creating a publication that would encompass all the possibilities

I envision. Here at last...a magazine to honor the flair of all artfully domestic

women I know. This is a demi issue that was inspired by the Moll Anderson

book, Seductive Tables For Two: Tablescapes, Picnics, and Recipes That

Inspire Romance. Inspire it did and I share the resulting casual, beachy and

oh so Southern birthday bash for HIMself. Among the pages you will find lush

decorating ideas, a beautiful tablescape plus some of my favorite southern

breakfast dishes. So I invite you to grab your favorite libation and meander

among the pages for some inspiraion of your own.

rebecca Rebecca E. Parsons Publisher, Editor, ArtDirector (for now)

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TIPS FOR VIEWING FLAIR MAGAZINE ~ HOW ISSUU WORKS

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3-Flair magazine is interactive. When you put your cursor on a page, blu highlights will appear. Those are active links. Just click to find more information about the topic.

4- When you see this button, you can click and it will take you to a place where you can see more information or you can actually purchase the product. So click, but come back to read more.

Three Minute Eggs from Rebecca’s kitchen.. .large eggs - I for each person tap water

Place eggs in tap water. Cover with water. Heat on hign until boiling, then set timer for three minutes. This will make them soft boiled with runny yolks. For medium yolks, boil for 7 minutes. For hard yolks, boil for 15 minutes. Serve in egg cups with butter and salt.

The recipes are all formated for 3” X 5” recipe cards and are easy to cut and keep.

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CONTENTS

The Vision 7

The Setting 9

The Birthday Boy 16

The Spread 18

The Recipes 24

The Libations 30

Decadent Details 32

The Book 34

Socialize with Us 38

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Each weekend, HIMself and I go on an excursion together. We head out, without any goal in mind except to stop for garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets. The weekend before his birthday, I found this beautiful signed print that was the perfect gift and inspiration for the party.

The Vision

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It’s not about the size of the table; It about what you put on it!

We love to have casual meals

around our living room table.

Since moving last year to

simplify and downsize our lives,

we have limited space. The

coffee table is almost as large

as a small dining table, so it

is the perfect place for us to

share a quick lunch, a leisurely

dinner or a sumptous Southern

breakfast. That is just what

we did for A Southern Sunrise

Birthday Breakfast!

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The Setting

Have you tried a meal on your coffee table or even a low bench in your bedroom? You could turn

two to four square baskets upside down and cover with napkins. I know you are creative...what

are the possibilities you see?

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The TablescapeEntertaining at home is one of

the pleasures of life for me.

Planning, creating, cooking...I

enjoy it all. HIMself loves to

eat; so we make a great food

blogging team. I look for any

opportunity to bring out some

of my vast collection of china,

glassware, flatware, table

coverings and serving pieces.

I am thrilled by the concept of

using cherished items to set a

mood or “create a surprise,” as

Moll says, to create a sensory

experience. Ah yes…an

experience for all the senses.

11The circa 1950s set of aqua dishes was a score. We have place settings for eight and all the delightfully odd shaped serving pieces. It works well with our beachy theme.

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These bottles add shine and sparkle to the table. When the morning sun hits them, there is a warm glow. Flowers are always a must in our house.

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Aqua glass bottles of all sizes and shapes are a favorite collection of ours. We enjoy the hunt as much as the find in most cases.

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This antique aqua medicine bottle is filled with tiny pebbles we gathered on a vacation in Virginia. Every time we use it, we remember the fun.

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Don’t be afraid to mix and match dishes. The place settings for the birthday table are a mixed bunch of odds and ends dishes, gathered on our hunts and paired for this beautiful breakfast table.

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HIMself looks at the roasted oyster amuse-bouche (a small bite before the meal begins). Below he takes the first bite of his birthday breakfast.

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A big après meal smile for the chef. Sir Chancelot had a few bites too. Both say the meal was a success.

The Birthday Boy

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The Spread

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Be playful and creative when laying a table. Matchy, matchy is out. I was going for beachy so I chose aquas, yellows and creamy colors to set the mood. Remember, color has energy...so bring the colors in!!!

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A strand of pearls or even beads from the Mardi Gras add texture and move-ment when woven among the dishes.

I borrowed some beads meant for a Christmas tree for this party. I love the color and use them year round.

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Biscuits with Jam or SyrupOf course, I make my own jam and biscuits. Doesn’t everybody? If you buy jam for a special occasion, make sure it is a really good brand.

The Recipes

Biscuits from Rebecca’s kitchen.. .1 C all purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt1 heaping tsp baking powder 2 heaping T shortening1/2 C buttermilkSift flour; add baking powder and salt. Sift again into large bowl. Cut in shortening until it makes a fine meal. Add milk slowly until the right consistency, not too sticky. Knead about 5 times and then roll onto floured surface. Cut. Prick with fork. Bake on ungreased sheet at 500ººººº for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm with jam or maple syrup. Makes 1 dozen.

25Roasted Oyster Amuse-BoucheSay what? An Amuse-Bouche is very chic today. It is a small bite before the meal begins or a greeting of the Chef de cuisine. It is just to amuse the mouth and invigorate the palate. Of course you know what they say about oysters! These are very easy to make. I use fresh oysters, but you can use canned if you don’t have access to fresh seafood. I boil for one minute to make them more solid. Then I roast them, with a small amount of olive oil in a warm (250º) oven for three minutes. I top with fresh herbs from my garden. Parsley, mint, thyme, rosemary are all tasty.

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Three Minute Eggs

Three Minute Eggs from Rebecca’s kitchen.. .large eggs - I for each person tap water

Place eggs in tap water. Cover with water. Heat on hign until boiling, then set timer for three minutes. This will make them soft boiled with runny yolks. For medium yolks, boil for 7 minutes. For hard yolks, boil for 15 minutes. Serve in egg cups with butter and salt.

Soft Boiled EggsHIMself loves soft boiled eggs with runny yolks over biscuits. They are so easy to make, even the most novice cook can master these quickly.

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Three Minute Eggs

Best Grits EverNo Southern lady would serve breakfast without grits. I recently found the best grits when I visited Bob’s Red Mill in Portland, Oregon. Yes...grits from the north. Be still my heart!!! They are awesome.

If you cook them low and slow, stirring often...they won’t be lumpy. Lumpy grits are for the dogs (if they will eat them).

Here’s the thing about grits...don’t put sugar or sweet stuff on them. It’s just ground corn. Would you put sweet stuff on corn on the cob? Of course not...I hope.

Best Grits Ever from Rebecca’s kitchen.. .11 cup Corn Grits Polenta 1/2 tsp Salt 3 cups Water

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add Corn Grits and reduce heat. Cook slowly for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir and cover. Let stand for a couple minutes. Serve with butter and salt. Makes 4 servings.

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Shrimp and Grits....Oh YUMMMMMMEveryone from Bobby Flay to Rachel Ray are making versions of this dish. We first had it on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Oh My Goodness, I fell in love with this dish. I have made many versions over the years since that first bite. Here is my favorite so far. Hope you love it as much as we do.

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Shrimp and Grits from Rebecca’s kitchen.. .1/4 C onions chopped 1/2 C white wine 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp herb de provance

1 lb Shrimp, well cleaned (I use tiny, 100-150 count) Place onions and garlic in saute pan. Cook in olive oil until soft.

Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are just pink. add wine and

herbs. Bring to a slow boil over medium high eat. Cover and

reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. until wine is reduced. Serve

over grits. Makes 2-3 servings.

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The LibationsRebecca’s Famous Mimosas

Champagne Fresh sque

ezed Orange Juice

Cointreau

Chill the champagne flu

tes in the freezer fo

r an hour before

serving. Fill flute 1/2 f

ull with orange juice. A

dd a splash of

Cointreau. Then top wit

h Champagne. Serve immed

istely.

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Coffee, Tea, Mimosa?Don’t just think of drinks as ordinary...make them special.

Add whipped cream and blue sugar to the top of the coffee and tea for a luscious sipping experience.

And no breakfast in my home would be served without my world famous Mimosas. Try them, you will love them...I promise. My secret ingredient - Cointreau is a brand of triple sec (an orange-flavobeccaered liqueur).

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decadent details

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The Bookthat Inspiredit All

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