Table Talk | September 12, 2024

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Hi there foodie friend!

Welcome to “Table Talk” September edition! Table Talk is my on site newsletter where we talk and catch up on real life. People often ask me what goes on BTS (Behind The Scenes if you’re like me and need to look up homemade acronyms 😆) and what my real life is like. We talk books, recipes, favorite finds and really anything random we might chat about if you were sitting across the table from me enjoying a coffee. I post this about once a month or so.

Tablescape for a baseball themed table that ties in with The All American book.

What’s Cooking?

Pumpkin Muffin with Streusel topping on a. baking rack with more muffins blurred out behind it.

Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel

Is it too early for Pumpkin? You be the judge. With a tender, moist muffin base and a crumbly, cinnamon-infused streusel topping, this recipe brings comfort in every bite.

GRAB THE RECIPE!

Elote Dip

The ultimate blend of smoky, creamy, and tangy flavors, bringing the best of Mexican street corn straight to your table in dip form! Serve it hot or cold!

GRAB THE RECIPE!

Elote dip in a round serving dish, garnished with crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. A spoon lies towards the side of the dish scooped with the corn dip.

In Season & Trending

Here’s what’s trending this month…

White Chicken Chili– Fun fact, I won a contest with this one and I was floored because it’s the easiest recipe ever! Super versatile, dump and go. This is one of my most popular recipes on the blog!
Pizza Casserole– A better for you option but All. The. Flavor.
Grape Salad– Juicy grapes are wrapped in a rich cream cheese and sour cream dressing and topped with brown sugar and pecans.
Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers– A great skillet recipe and so much easier to eat.
But speaking of Stuffed Peppers, we love this chicken and artichoke version.
Start drinking Kombucha now to stay healthy through the winter. I break it down for you so you can see just how easy it is to make, just takes a little patience!
If you haven’t tried making spaghetti squash in the instant pot yet, now’s the time. It is a game changer!

In Real Life

Wow! The last month is a blur! My girls are back in school (they started August 19- too early for Michigan!) and we are getting settled in the new routine. I had a girls weekend with a friend of mine in northern Michigan- Oh I love my state! We camped (a little less than glamping in my opinion), kayaked and hiked. Spent time at the beach just relaxing. I am a beach girl through and through!!

My girls are back in school, but my son is finished with film school! We will celebrate his graduation next month. It’s also the beginning of birthday season at our house where we have 5 birthdays in 6 weeks. For a few weeks I’ll have 4 teenagers and then my son will enter the next decade. I’m in awe that I will have a 20 year old. In my mind, I’m still 30!

Favorite Finds

I love my food chopper for nice evenly diced veggies and quick chopping. I put mine in the dishwasher for easy clean up. This one has many attachments.
Dutch ovens are great for soups, stews, and sourdough bread! Mine get used all the time. I like a 5 or 6 quart, and I always check to make sure they can go in a 450-500 degree oven. These enameled ones are super easy to clean up.
Check out this 2 in 1 oil sprayer! I stay away from ‘cooking’ spray when I can, I much prefer to use olive oil in a mister, but I love that you can mist or pour with this dispenser.
I came across this chicken shredder the other day. I’ve always used my kitchenAid Mixer to shred chicken, but this has me curious. Let me know if you try this.
If you still have a box grater for cheese, it’s time to move on! These rotary cheese graters are the best! No shredding your skin or tired muscles, this thing makes shredding cheese a cinch.
I’m a fan of Mrs. Meyer’s products. I noticed that amazon has them for a great price right now (at least today). The hand soaps are a staple in my house, such great scents too.

Book Club

It was my turn to host book club in August. I chose “The All American” by Susie Finkbeiner. This was the perfect book to wrap up the summer. It was a fun easy read that takes place in the 50’s about women’s baseball leagues and the red scare. I love when I learn something new in a book and I wasn’t that familiar with the red scare.

The book is set in my state, which made it even more fun, and the author is local. Our library hosted her for an author talk and I went just for fun. I chatted with her after the presentation and shared with her that this was my book club pick. SHE OFFERED TO COME TO MY BOOK CLUB! WHAT?!

This made for a very memorable evening. I actually kept her a surprise for my book club. She came a little later after our discussion and I wish I could’ve captured my friends’ response when I introduced Susie. It was priceless!

Book Club friends pictured with the author of The All American. — My book club friends and the author of our book Susie Finkbeiner (holding the book).

Baseball themed table scape. The book "The All American, baseball bat, glove and baseballs make a centerpiece. There is also chocolate candy wrapped to look like baseballs scattered about. An American Flag Burlap runner is the base. There is also a boquet of daisies, which ties into the book, some classic novels, baseball plates and napkins. — Here’s my table, daisies, Shakespeare and some classic books are part of the theme.

Picture of homemade cookie decorated to look like the cover of the book The All American — Here’s my table, daisies, Shakespeare and some classic books are part of the theme.

I served popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks with coke (in bottles) to drink. We finished the night with the All American dessert- Apple Pie! The table was decorated with baseball items and some classic books as one of the characters was an avid reader. For the swag bags I did a red theme to represent the red scare. Red lipstick (which they always had to wear), red nail polish, some red licorice, candy coated cherries, and big red gum. I also included some sweet pea scented items from bath and body works. The fictional team was the “Workington Sweet Peas”

What I’m reading

Here’s all the books I’ve read recently or currently reading:

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell– I just started this one and it’s pulled me in. Kind of a combination of Clue and The Great British Baking show.

The Housemaid’s Secret (book 2) by Frieda McFadden–I had to because it’s a series!

The Bakers Secret– Found this at one of those Little Libraries on the way to get my hair done. World War II and I really liked it.

The Rose Code– I absolutely loved this book! It was long, but I got through it pretty quickly and never got bored. Also historical fiction and loved all the characters and their stories. Highly recommend!

The Fury– Lots of twists and turns in this one, I was always guessing and never right. I wanted to read this because I read The Silent Patient a couple years ago and it’s the same author.

Love Unscripted– Just a light chick lit beach read and I enjoyed it. Great if you just want to escape for a bit.

Next up is The Lost Bookshop which is for September’s book club. I’ll tell you all about it after we meet.

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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