Ship Ahoy! Shrimp Boats Are A Comin’

 

My dear readers…I do love to play with my dishes as those who know me can attest.

AND I absolutely love fresh shrimp and anything nautical so I put them all together and they spell….another nautical tablescape and a wonderful Seafood dinner!.

Some of my readers ask where I purchased many of my sets of dishes and I will always tell you…. if I can remember.  

You see, some of these sets of dishes I have had in my Dish Pantry a long, long time.  I just can’t part with them.  Although just before we moved to Florida, I did sell off and give away quite a few sets of my dishes and yes, I do confess…some I regret.  

But we always need to make room for more and weed out the least used dinnerware.  Right?  Maybe if I say that often enough, I will begin to believe it!  🙂

I really love these Shell dishes and I purchased them about 6 years ago at Kohl’s.  They were having a sale and I just couldn’t resist this cream colored sand dollar plate etched in turquoise.  And so, I just had to purchase a few more pieces and when I serve a meal on them, my guests ooh and aah when they see them.  I do believe they are still around if you would like to look into purchasing a few pieces. 

I really liked the turquoise glasses when I saw them at Pier 1 about 10 years ago.  They just reminded me of the Ocean.

The napkin rings are made up of sea shells and I purchased them at Bed Bath & Beyond a couple years ago.  

The napkins are a purchase from Target, also several years ago.

The little pelican was a Hobby Lobby purchase in Kansas City…about 10 years ago.  He sits on a peg that can be raised and lowered.

The above pic is a better pic of the sea shell salad plate.  I have it sitting on a white dinner plate and rattan charger.

The lantern in the center of the table is a Home Goods find.  I have been thinking of painting it with white chalk paint.  

The Captain tells me that I slap chalk paint on anything that sits still for five minutes and he is right.  

I recently painted all the legs of my more formal dining room chairs and my kitchen nook pedestal that sits below the glass table in these pictures.

There were so many pieces to the Shell Dishware, that I couldn’t decide on just one or two pieces.  

I have several large and small shell serving dishes…one in particular will hold cocktail sauce and the other will hold veggies….celery, cauliflower and broccoli. One huge shell bowl will be filled with a bag of crushed ice for the pink, fresh shrimp I plan to fill it with. (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the bowl)

The turquoise flatware was a purchase from a Kansas City K-Mart….several years ago.  I really like how the handles resemble sea glass.

This tablescape is simple. And the seafood dinner will be simple too.  

It will be like one very large shrimp cocktail, a garden salad with home made Bleu Cheese Dressing, Warm, crusty bread, and a pitcher of a favorite tropical cocktail….perhaps a Mango Strawberry Colada and of course, every Southerner’s favorite…. plenty of Sweet Tea!  Personally, I don’t use sugar in my iced tea, but many of our friends do.

There are just a few little things to do to get prepared for this Fresh Shrimp dinner.  

• Make up a herb butter spread, and the Bleu Cheese Dressing….then mix up the home made cocktail sauce and place all in the fridge.
• Pick up garden salad ingredients at the local Farmer’s Market! Vine ripe tomatoes, lettuces, sweet onions, cucumbers, bell peppers and radishes. Yum!
• Stop off at the bakery for a loaf of freshly baked Italian bread.
• Drive down to the Seafood Market where the fresh shrimp has just come off the shrimp boats and load my cooler with lots of shrimp..
• Place a candle in the lantern….

And the Captain and I will be ready to entertain our guests.

Have a great day….and enjoy your Summer!