Chicken salad on grandmother's Minton

April 13, 2015

I can't believe I forgot to show you the beautiful doily Shane from Roses Lace and Brocante sent me. It was tucked in among the magazines she mailed all the way from New Zealand for our magazine swap, sponsored by Lorrie of Fabric Paper Thread.


Isn't it lovely? Merci, Shane!

Today I'm sharing a beautiful set of Minton dishes which belonged to my husband's grandmother. They have been passed down to my daughter.




Mr. Beautiful's grandmother came over on the boat from Scotland in the early 20s, when she was also in her 20s. She met her future husband on the boat. Isn't that romantic? She was headed for Montana to stay with relatives, but soon left that "one-horse town (!)" to join him in Detroit. She was a bit older than he was, by several years, but she didn't let on to that until after they were married!


Her beautiful set of china is a complete serving for eight, with dinner, salad, and dessert plates, berry and soup bowls, teacups and saucers, and various serving pieces. It's gorgeous.

I'm having chicken salad on a bed of spinach for lunch today.


The recipe is simple: just roast some chicken in a little olive oil with sea salt and black pepper. Cut up into bite-sized pieces and add chopped celery, carrot, and onion and some slivered almonds. Mix together plain yogurt and lemon juice {about a tablespoon each for a single serving (4 ounces of chicken)}, and mix well. The yogurt and lemon juice is a light, refreshing change from the traditional mayonnaise.

detail of hundred-year old napkins, passed down to me, in pristine condition

For dessert, a cup of darjeeling tea, some blackberries, and a square of chocolate.


Darjeeling tea, steeping in the teapot I got at Bernideen's tea shop in Colorado Springs




When one is trying to lose lots of weight, like I am, it's better to do so slowly and reasonably. And I think a square of dark chocolate is reasonable, don't you?

We'll draw the line at adding sugar to our tea, though.


*****

In movie news, treat your inner girl-at-heart to Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh's gorgeous re-telling of the lovely fairy tale. The settings are sumptuous, the costumes beautiful, and the story faithful to the original, with no annoying politically correct changes.

I saw it this weekend, and I already want to see it again on DVD, so I can hit pause again and again, just to gaze at all the beautiful details. And the scene where the coach turns back into a pumpkin is just too laugh-out-loud funny. Do yourself a favor and go see it.

Linking to the party at A Well-Styled Life. Please pop over!

31 comments

  1. I love your china! Such a pretty pattern, and your napkins are lovely. Family treasures are the best! The chicken salad looks lovely! My favorite lunch!
    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the teapot that you found at Bernideen's. SO pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deborah, I LOVE history of acquired pieces, and your back story with the china (and the napkins, oh my goodness, so gorgeous) is just wonderful. Your meal looks not only tasty, but smart and satisfying. You go, girl!
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ooh...beautiful! The doily, that lovely china and that sweet story about your grandmother! How blessed is your daughter to be inheriting such loveliness. The chicken slad looks amazing and I have some blackberries just like those in my fridge...LOVE them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooh Deborah, I can hardly contain myself at the beauty of those dishes!!! What a gorgeous pattern and how lucky that your daughter was gifted them. I had a salad for lunch today, too, and some berries and chocolate. I was reading on the health benefits of chocolate...makes it even more enjoyable!
    Your dolly from Shane is gorgeous and I do love your teapot from Bernideen's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The dishes are so very pretty and feminine! I love the scallops on all of the dishes. It's nice to treat yourself to a nice lunch on fine china :) Such a romantic tale of your husband's grandmother! She sounds like she was quite daring for the time. I want to see Cinderella too, but will most likely wait till it comes out on DVD ... unless I can get my daughter to go with me (I can't see my husband and teenage son sitting through that, no matter how good!). Wendy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello Deborah,
    I love the dishes so pretty and the teapot! The chicken salad looks really good too and thank you for sharing how to make it. Hope you have a nice week. Julie xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh I have wanted to go see it!

    What a fun story about your husband's grandmother. She was a lovely girl and a spunky one, too. The china is lovely and your daughter is blessed to have it.

    Your lunch looks delicious and I like that you created a table setting for yourself and had a proper lunch on pretty dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Everything is so pretty, Deborah, just a feast for the eyes with the beautiful china passed down from your lovely Grandmother! The doily sent by Shane is also very pretty. I love the idea of using the lemon juice and yogurt for the dressing on the chicken salad. Berries and dark chocolate are the perfect dessert, too. Wishing you a wonderful week. xo Karen

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love these pretty dishes and the napkins are exquisite. How special to use your tea pot from Bernideen's! The blackberries and chocolate square look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is all so beautiful! This blog is a real treat - like the best of all my favorite lovely magazines. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've wanted to see the movie, too. It sounds so good.
    Beautiful china set with a great story behind it. Chocolate squares are the treats I'm allowing myself these days, too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful heirloom china, gorgeous lady who passed them down, wonderful lunch, just a perfect tea time post! I have seen the new Cinderella 3 times already, haha. I keep taking loved ones - it is THAT good to be sure! It's for ALL ages, too, not for children only!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just swooned, my friend! Those dishes are incredibly beautiful! What a blessing for you to have them in your family - the history behind them is simply precious.

    Thank you so much for sharing, Deborah. And yes, the doily from Shane is stunning! Hugs to you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful dishes! The berries look like I could reach through the monitor and grab some. Don't know if you knew this, but you were one of my features on my Six On Saturday post last Saturday.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a wonderful post. Those heirloom dishes are exquisite. Your daughter is so fortunate to be part of a family that recognizes the importance of passing down family treasures. These dishes will always be a thread of family history to connect the different generations together. What a treasure. Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Minton china is so pretty and you've created a nutritious lunch to have on it. My dark chocolate squares are smaller so I can have 3 which takes care of my chocolate craving each day.
    The doily from Shane is nice, I've just been to her post to see the magazines you sent her.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The china is so beautiful! I think it's terribly romantic that she met her husband on the boat. Would love to hear the stories about that! Bravo on your conviction to stick with your slimming routine. Tp deny yuourself one peice of chocolate would be inhuman...in my humble opinion.xo

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Deborah, Love your Minton china. It is just gorgeous in the details. Lovely story of your grandmother. Your lunch looks so good and healthy too along with the tea and dark chocolate. Love the doily from Shane. What a special treasure that is. The teapot is so pretty!!!
    Thanks for sharing the movie review. I was thinking what might be a good one to see currently.
    Have a nice evening.
    Hugs, CM

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yes, going to see Cinderella is on my list for sure. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

    The china is beautiful and I enjoyed all the photos you shared. It's a lovely set indeed. That 100-year-old napkin... wow... what a keepsake!

    And I do enjoy lovely battenburg lace, not to mention chicken salad, and dark chocolate.

    A delightful visit, Deborah! Thank you!
    Brenda
    xox

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dearest Deborah,
    What a fabulous post with some romance and beauty interlaced; literally! That Battenburg lace doily is a treasure. What a journey by boat from Scotland about an age ago... Hard for us to imagine how all that worked out! Glad she found the love of her life while on the boat and leaving you her beautiful china.
    Have to look next time at Trader Joe's in Atlanta for that dark with almond chocolate. You sure can indulge on that one; very smart and delicious choice!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Deborah,
    Your daughter's Minton china is absolutely gorgeous! The teapot that you got from Bernideen's shop will match all of your china perfectly. I wish I could go visit her too! That chicken salad looks delish! Oh yes, I love the doily too! Happy Tea Day! Karen

    ReplyDelete
  23. You favor your grandmother. Both of you were/are beautiful.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  24. The china is AMAZING! I love it! How sweet that you have passed it on to your daughter. It is a family treasure, Deborah. Your chicken salad looks good too. I have a square of dark chocolate most days, and I combine it with a bit of coconut oil; it tastes like a mounds bar! :)
    If you try this, be sure to get virgin (unrefined) coconut oil. I had the refined first and it tasted like bacon grease - yuk. The virgin organic I get from Tropical Traditions has a mild coconutty taste. And no, they aren't paying me to say that. Have a good wknd!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love this sweet story Deborah. How wonderful to be able to enjoy your mother-in-law's china. It is so delicate and beautiful and a lovely family heirloom which I am sure your daughter will treasure forever. She was a beautiful woman.

    You have done so well on your weight loss. I am sure it feels amazing. Keep up the good work.

    Happy Sunday.

    Janet

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello dear Deborah
    What an incredible story, I'm not surprised Mr B's grandfather was captivated by such elegant beauty!
    Minton is lovely - what a beautiful heirloom. We are so lucky to have these reminders of the past.
    I'm on track since reading your weight loss posts - love the idea of yoghurt & lemon dressing! Chocolate is good for you in moderation, that's the perfect size!
    I wasn't aware of Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella. It's on my list now!!
    Shane x

    ReplyDelete
  27. SHE is so beautiful in her photo...and what lovely china to have as a remembrance.

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a romantic story..and she is a true beauty! Love your china and that recipe is making my mouth water right now. I'm new to your blog, cohosting the #stylefocus linkup today with Jennifer. Wonderful to meet you and thanks for joining us today!
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a beautiful table you've set. I'm sure your grandmother would approve. What a beauty she was! I'm also a new visitor here, inspired by Heather and Jennifer's link-up

    ReplyDelete
  30. The GIRLS have sent me to peek into your WORLD!Looks like TEA TIME!
    Lovely ladies HEATHER & JENNIFER............

    ReplyDelete
  31. We heard good things about "Cinderella" too, and boy did we love it -- no broken, fractured, cynical fairy/scary tale, thankfully! It was clean and wholesome. And wasn't it elegant and richly presented? I do agree that good dark chocolate is a great weight-loss treat. You MUST MUST treat yourself to something not-too-naughty, or the diet regime is difficult to bear long-term. Well ... permanently :) Oh, and the dishes are fabulous.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! I'm truly delighted to hear from you.