A Little Blue Romance...

...to start my day! This pattern is "Blue Romance" by Delton. Not really heard of Delton, before. One thing to know about me, I don't care about "brands" or "labels" when it comes to my dishes. I like it, I buy it. Whether expensive or not. This was definitely not expensive, but it was so pretty I HAD to have it. ;-)

I just wish there was a sugar and creamer set to round it out!

It does look nice on a table. The floral and stripes and colors really are striking. I'd include a link to Delton but they are wholesalers, and you can't buy individual pieces. Oh well. You can find tons of pretty Delton patterns on Amazon. 

Definitely a great way to start the day! :-)

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

I am in love with these Blueberry Cheesecake muffins. They are so delicious, I just...can't. And at two net carbs each, they are a Keto dream. They go well with whatever you're having for breakfast, and they are SO good.

My advice? Make them the day before and eat them cold, out of the fridge. It's like eating legit Blueberry Cheesecake. I'm in heaven! 

Recipe is here.

Enjoy!

Sometimes Basic is Good.

Times have been a little crazy, lately, no joke. With a worldwide pandemic, we've all been home and my kids are doing school online and my hubby is working from home in the front office (usually my office, but he's temporarily taken it hostage), and our world has changed. We are, essentially, Back to Basics. I've been finding that using basic white for breakfast in the mornings seems apropos, and it's calming and soothing. 

In today's climate, routine is a good thing. I still have my quiet breakfast in the sunny corner of the breakfast room, and it is rejuvenating. My whiteware of choice is Fiesta White. I love Fiesta. I have lots of colors, but white is my fave. It's a classic look. Simple. Clean. Not fussy or over the top, like a lot of my china patterns. And it's solid crockery. I love it. Sometimes, simplicity is a good thing.

Be safe, everyone.

Happy National Pancake Day!

Spring may not be "officially" here yet, but I certainly have decorated for Easter and I'm having my pancakes on some springy dishes! I actually found these at Kroger last year. They are just too cute!

 I'm sure on National Pancake Day there are ALL sorts of pancakes out there, with fruit and cream or chocolate and nuts and whipped cream, but since I'm a minimalist (only with my pancakes) AND I happen to be on the Keto diet, I prefer the plain ol' pancakes and syrup. Only these are low carb pancakes and Choc Zero syrup, which is thick and delicious and you wouldn't know it's sugar free. My will is usually pretty weak when it comes to pancakes, so I'm glad I can have these!

Now if only I could **will** Spring to be here, quicker!! 

 

Springtime and Royal Albert Polka Rose

I love Springtime. Yeah, I know, it's only February (that's why I have Valentine cookies!) but in the southern state I reside in, Spring is right around the corner. And I've fallen in love with "Polka Rose" by Royal Albert. 

The whole line is Suuuper cute:

But I prefer the mint green and roses. I got the whole set, including egg tots and cereal bowls I had to special order in the U.K. But what a fun pattern for those wanting to drink their cuppa on some posh dishes! And so pretty. Aren't they? :-)

DIY Sugarcubes: Yes Please!

Look at these beauties. And they were made by moi. Since I am on the Keto diet and I can't have REAL sugar cubes, I took to Pinterest to find a solution. And I stumbled on this fix by Desserts With Benefits. You actually take Erythritol and water, and voila--24 hours later you have bona fide sugar cubes for your tea! I take three in mine. It's so easy to make them, and all my sugar bowls are filled! The best part? only .5 grams of carb for FIVE of them. Hooray! *Note: she says to leave them overnight, but I have found that they are still crumbly. I wait 24 hours for ultimate hardening.

Churchill Queen's Penzance Brunch

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Churchill's Queen's Penzance/The Caravan Trail. Hands down my favorite breakfast dishes. For some reason they look weird with dinner food on them. But for breakfast they are perfect. I pretty much have everything:

 

I use it almost every day. How can I not? Look how cute it is! These photos are from Lavender and Lovage, and she takes beautiful pictures of dishes and food, among other things. Her pictures of Penzance first made me fall in love with it.

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

Photo from Lavender and Lovage

I hope to have these for a long, long time. 

Spode Blue Italian Love

I LOVE Spode Blue Italian. It's so bright and fun and quite frankly, makes a gorgeous table. I keep mine in a little side cupboard off the breakfast area. My favorite part about it? It's an old pattern, but the china is NEW and you can microwave and put it in the dishwasher. Of course I never do that, I hand wash all my china after use. But I don't have to worry about it being too vintage or "fragile" to use. I like to USE my stuff!

Breakfast this morning:

I'm all about pattern on pattern. So of course I have the placemats too. And this whole breakfast, by the way, is completely Keto. All of it, eggs, bacon, toast, jam, tea and custard are a whopping SIX NET GRAMS of carb. I tend to eat most of my 20 carbs a day at breakfast. Breakfast is the best. My favorite meal. Especially when you have a cute toast rack:

 This is why I love Ebay. The toast rack isn't mainstream. A lot of my favorite pieces aren't. (Yes, I took the teapot from my "tea for one" set and I'm using it, it's perfect for breakfast.) I have a jam jar as well, and I have this lovely 200th Anniversary set:

(Image Borrowed from Ebay)

It's my "berries and cream" set. But it's very versatile. I also have a soup tureen. Not sure why, but if I ever serve Minestrone it's my go-to. 

 I made the sugar cubes myself with Erythritol. Which is Keto as well. Three lumps for me!

What a beautiful pattern. So bright and cheerful. I can't imagine you'd ever go wrong with it.

Breakfast with Royal Doulton Canton...

...because I can. I spent money on these dishes and I'm going to enjoy them!

 

 Can you tell I LOVE soft-boiled eggs in egg cups? And to make it all even better, this entire breakfast of eggs, bacon, tea, toast (with butter and jam) and coconut custard was SIX grams of net carbs. Since tea and toast with jam are like, my favorite things ever, and they are NOT keto friendly, you have to find ways to get around it. Sami's Bakery, is just that. Their bread is TWO carbs per slice. 

And when you toast it, you cannot tell it's not really "bread." Color me one happy Keto mama! 

And yes, I bust these dishes out once in a while. Why not? 

Life is short. 

Everyone Needs a Nook

Most homes these days are designed with a "breakfast room." Mine is not an exception. I love having breakfast here in the mornings. The light is always ideal, and it's the brightest spot in the house. 

I call it the "Breakfast Nook." I think everyone would benefit from a room like this. Lots of windows, and lots of light. I chose to decorate mine simply, with neutral colors like the rest of my home. This room is warmer than my gray tones, with brown and cream. The pedestal table is Canadel; one I've wanted for a while. I just can't get into square tables lately. Round is more pleasing for me. 

I've been through a lot of decorating phases. Red and dark brown leather, blue and cream and brown, and now, it's gray and white and cream. But simple. Everything is about simplicity for me, lately. Except for my china, of course. Transferware is NEVER simple or clean. It's farmhouse-ey and stuffy and I LOVE it. That part of me will never change. ;-)

Breakfast with Burleigh

I've loved Burleigh Pottery for a long time. But it's hard to get in the States, and shipping to the US is hideously expensive. And let's be honest, Burleigh isn't exactly cheap, either. I found a wonderful site, Ann Marie's, which is based out of my former home state of Wisconsin, and they are AMAZING. They pack everything so well and their customer service is prompt and pleasant. And if you spend over a certain amount, shipping is free. So, I went a little nuts. I got a breakfast set in Mulberry Felicity:

And you have to admit, it's super cute. (The egg cup is my own; the calico mulberry egg tot was not available.)

Not one to stop there, I fell instantly in love with Calico and Felicity in "Dove Grey." 

The lighting in these pics isn't that great, but you get the idea. What I love about Burleigh's Dove Grey lines is that you can mix and match them and they go perfectly together!

I can't believe its already August. This year is flying CRAZY fast! And of course all the Halloween and Christmas are up in the craft stores. Is it bad I'm already planning my Halloween setup? ;-)

Bring On Spring!

It's mid-February. And it's kind of cold. I am ready for warm weather! 

One thing I haven't done much of, is eat/play with my beautiful dishes since the move. This is a pic from my old house, where I had such great light. My new house has light in only the breakfast room, but the rest of the house doesn't have a lot of direct sunlight. Not optimal, but it is what it is. I love my green ironstone. Green transferware in general is just...fun.

And here is a CRAZY pic I took of just my transferware right before the movers boxed it up for the move. Like seriously...I have a disease.

Look at all that transferware. Too much going on at once. I had to laugh when I saw it all in one place, because I had it "hidden" all over the house in secret places to hide the sheer volume of it from my hubby. Don't worry, I still have most of it hidden. ;-) Luckily I have lots of really up-high storage cabinets in my kitchen. Unless I suddenly die, he will never know. Here is another angle:

Yep. Total disease.