Table Talk | June 21, 2024 - Art From My Table

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Hello Friend!

Here in the mitten it’s strawberry season! I always say there is nothing like fresh locally grown berries. We eat them like they are going out of style, then freeze what we can’t eat to enjoy later. Read on for some great berry recipes, reader favorites, what’s happening in real life, favorite things, and my most recent book club discussion.

Bowl for fresh strawberries with a few small flowers on top on a rustic wood table, some antique flatware next to it tied up in twine.

Favorite Strawberry Recipes

Fresh berries taste so… well, fresh! They are juicy and naturally sweet.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

These cheesecake pancakes are delicate and flavorful, the homemade strawberry sauce is extra delicious.

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Starbucks Strawberry Lemonade

It’s been in the 90’s all week here… this is the perfect refresher!

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Glass of homemade strawberry lemonade with a red and white striped straw, and garnished with a strawberry slice and a lemon wedge. Behind the glass is another glass and a pitcher of the remaining lemonade.

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

The whole family can enjoy these!

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The Best Way To Freeze Strawberries

So you can enjoy that fresh flavor all year long!

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Check out these posts on

Freezer Preserving

June Reader Favorites

Here’s what’s trending this month…

#1 Egg Roll In A Bowl– ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “So easy and delicious, made a great and quick mid-week meal!” (blog reader)
#2 Grape Salad Recipe-Juicy grapes wrapped in a rich cream cheese and sour cream dressing and topped with brown sugar and pecans– YES PLEASE!
#3 Breakfast Banana Split– ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “It’s totally amazing and very satisfying!” (blog reader). I’ve been serving this up for years now, my kids loved it when they were little, and this is one they haven’t outgrown! Ha! It’s super easy to put together, even the littles can make it themselves.

In Real Life

My husband and I had a quick getaway to Cincinnatti to meet up with his brother and uncle. While we were there, I got to meet a photography friend in person (we’ve only met online). We spent the day with her and her husband and they showed us sights all around the town!

Karl and I in the car heading out for our road trip. — Heading out.

Family time at the Reds game. — Heading out.

We never would’ve captured the city if it weren’t for our local friends. We received a very unofficial and exclusive tour of Music Hall where we saw back stage, the basement, the attic and everything in between! But the best part was connecting with family and friends.

I’ve also had a chance to float in my pool a few times, and connect with another friend while she was camping up north. Summer in Michigan– it’s the best!

Favorite Things

Here’s some fun finds and things I find useful in and out of the kitchen.

Do you love nugget ice? Those countertop dispensers are an awesome splurge, but for a much more reasonable cost (and a little time and effort) You can make your own small ice spheres. These are fun, and you can even add some fruit or herbs make them fancy.
How cool is this watermelon cutting tool?
I love this corn on the cob slicer for taking the kernels off the cob. This was a life saver for the years of braces we endured! LOL! But it’s also great if you like to freeze fresh corn. Makes the process so much faster. I like to place the ear of corn in the center of a bundt pan (where the hole is) and then slice the kernels off, they fall right into the cake pan for easy collecting.
And while we’re on the topic of prepping fresh fruit and veggies, you definitely need to look into my favorite cherry pitter.
Do you dehydrate anything? My favorite thing to do is apple slices in the fall. I also like to grow herbs and then dehydrate those myself as well. I have the Nesco Dehydrator, it’s an old one, works fine, and is pretty affordable, but if I were to upgrade, I’d go with this Magic Mill Commercial Food Dehydrator.

Book Club

This month we discussed The Women by Kristin Hannah. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read!! We all loved it. I learned a lot about the Vietnam war, so much I was unaware of. I loved the characters and we had a fabulous discussion. Our hostess put together a great themed table scape and spoiled us with swag bags.

camouflage table scape with "The Women" book. — the photos in front of of the wall in DC.

Proud to be and American wooden sign with photos in front. — the photos in front of of the wall in DC.

I finished The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Another fabulous read! I would easily give that one 5 starts as well. It’s set in the 1700’s in Maine about a Midwife and healer. A body is found in the frozen river, and she is called to examine it to determine the death. The local doctor differs in opinion and because he is a man, he is reverenced. There are layers and layers of stuff here, a trial, a love story, and so much more.

I started The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian, this is our next book club read. I’ve never read anything by him before, but this book is a wild adventure so far! It’s set in the 60’s. A Hollywood actress takes her closest friends on a Safari and there’s a kidnapping and all kinds of wild things that happen. I’ll keep you posted on my rating next month.

I’d love to hear what’s on your read, listen and watch lists. Leave a comment or send me an email!

Thanks again for stopping by, I’m honored that you spent some time having a conversation at my table.
Have a blessed weekend!

Chellie

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