No Place Like Home # 13

I'm so thankful for friendship. It beautifies life so much. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea 

Yay, it's February! Hello and welcome to No Place Like Home a blog party where you are invited to share all your home and garden posts. 

Over the weekend I shared a simple tea with some pretty tulips.

I also shared my recipe for my Seafood Chowder.

If you would like to see this post you may click here.

I also did a post explaining why we bloggers are losing our Followers. You may click here to read about that.

Last week you all shared so many wonderful posts; wonderful recipes, DIYs, and crafts. What a talented bunch you are!

These are the posts that caught my eye.

Housekeeping Tips
Martha @ Lines from Linderhof shared a really cool tip for cleaning silver. I have been using this method myself for a while but I would imagine some of you didn't know about it.

DIY/Home Decor
Lynn @ Quaker Hill Farm shared her adorable side table that she updated for her decor. Love the aqua and glass knobs! The teapot is sweet too.

Thrifting
Cathy @ My 1929 Charmer Cottage  shared her wonderful thrift finds. One of them was this lovely damask chair for only $9.99. I think I'm living in the wrong location!

Gardening
Judith @ Lavender Cottage is dreaming of her garden this summer. These beautiful David Austen roses were some of the roses she shared with us. Gorgeous!

And for a little fun, check out Penny's fairy garden with fairy lights at Penny's Vintage Home.

Teatime/Tablescapes
Karen @ Karen's Cottage and Castle shared her serendipitous finds; two Sadler teapots which are a perfect match to her lovely teacups.

And Jann @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen shared her attractive Valentine picnic tablescape in red, white and black. The folding plaid picnic table was a great find!

Recipes
Marilyn @ Mountain Top Spice shared her recipe for home made taco salad bowls. Looks delicious!

And for dessert, Thelma @ Thel's Kitchen shared her recipe for these mini loaves of Maple Banana bread. Yum!

Congratulations, ladies, and thank you dear friends for sharing all your fabulous posts last week!

As a courtesy, and if you would like to be one of my features, please be sure to include a link back to my party.

Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place to come home to for your family, your friends, and yourself. Have a beautiful day, dear friends!


Lord, this humble house we'd keep
Sweet with play and calm with sleep. 
Help us so that we may give 
Beauty to the lives we live. 
Let Thy love and let Thy grace 
Shine upon our dwelling place. - Edgar A. Guest 

An InLinkz Link-up

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Seafood Chowder and A Cup of Tea for the End of January

Hello my sweet friends! Hope you all had a good week.

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. ~ Bernard-Paul Heroux

We are expecting a snow storm today so I made a quick dessert to enjoy for the weekend. Thank you BJ at Sweet Nothings for the inspiration!

Here it is the end of January and I must tell you I am elated that February is almost here. I am counting down the days till springtime because I do not like the cold weather.

However, the cold weather does have its advantages. When Jack Frost etches designs on the window panes, nothing beats a warm cup of tea or coffee, hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Or a big bowl of seafood chowder!

The other day I had a hankering for some seafood chowder. So I made some and it was delicious! I have made this for Christmas a few times for a special treat. 

This is my own recipe which I adapted from a simple clam chowder.

Seafood Chowder

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan 
Add 2-3 TBSP minced onion
1/4 cup chopped celery

Cook over medium heat until onion is limp.

Cut up 2 cups of potatoes into cubes
Add one small carrot sliced, for colour more than anything
1/2 tsp salt or more depending on taste
pinch of pepper
Add 1 cup boiling water to onion mixture with the potatoes and carrots.

Cover and cook for about fifteen minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring often.

Add 1-10 oz. can baby clams with the juice and reheat. 

Add 1 cup chopped crab meat 
Add I cup thawed scallops. I used the small ones.

Heat altogether until hot.

Add 2-1/2 to 2-2/3 cups hot milk 
Heat until hot but do not boil. 

Season to taste and serve immediately. Makes about five large or eight small servings.

I have served the chowder in my buffalo check bowls accompanied by warm biscuits. Just the thing on a cold winter's day.

The tulips are in the grocery store now and I picked some up for my tea table. I love how they bring a touch of springtime into one's home. Don't you love it when the tulips dance?

I decided to use my winter white tea ware today. Underneath it all is my crocheted tablecloth which I think resembles snowflakes.

Soft and pretty, the tea ware looks wonderful with just about any decor you surround yourself with. I am using my new snowflake teapot again today as well as Skye McGhie teacups and a few pieces of JB Rose Chintz. Do you see the vintage crocheted pot holder? 

It was a gift from a blogger friend. Isn't it sweet! Thank you, my dear friend, you know who you are!

For dessert, I made this quick and easy chocolate pie from a Jello cooked pudding and pie mix and poured it into a ready made Oreo crumb crust.

When my children were growing up, it was usually my habit to make two pies every weekend. Every kind of pie you can think of, and they were all made from scratch. Although this one is from a mix, Hubby will be happy to enjoy a slice of it with his tea.

When there is a storm brewing I try to make something quick and this filled the bill today. Sorry about the shadows and poor lighting. The snow is really coming down and it is a very dreary day out there.

Enjoy your cuppa tea and your weekend. See you on Monday for No Place Like Home. Take care everyone! If you wish to go to that post simply click here.

Life is like a teacup
       to be filled to the brim
and enjoyed with friends. ~ unknown




I am joining the following parties as well~

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
Tea Cup Tuesday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home


 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi