Blog - Parsley and Pom Poms

Sliced and dried citrus fruits provide a beautiful accent to serving plates for meals, mixed potpourris, or simply a garnish to a cocktail, drink, or place setting. They take a little time, but not much work. Heat your oven to the lowest setting, usually somewhere between 75 degrees F - 200 degrees F. Cook sliced pieces of fruit for 2-4 hours. It will vary depending on your oven and how thin you cut your citrus slices. Flip fruits over on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil every hour. Once the slices are not juicy any longer, remove from oven and let sit for a day or two. That's it! The fruit pictured above took me about 3 1/2 hours at 200 degrees and then sat open air for 2 days. I cut up 1/4" - 1/2" wide slices of red grapefruits and lemons. You could also do this with naval oranges, blood oranges, limes, tangerines, etc.

FYI: First image above reflects the fruit pre-baking, second image shows post baking (the same afternoon), and the third image is the final result three days later.

I love the idea of attaching the fruit along with a name tag onto glasses for a cocktail party. So, that is exactly what I did. The cups can double as a place card at a formal seating arrangement or bar and also be gifted as a parting favor to guests. The glass mugs were $2.99 from Michael's, not bad! To get the look, simply thread about a yard of baker's string though a small cut out circle from oak tag and two fruit pieces, then tie all items around the tops of glass mason jar mugs. I used a sewing needle to help poke the string through the paper and the fruit. Refer to images below for the how to.

Enjoy your festive garnish and glass. xo RCN

Step 1. Purchase large to medium artichokes and 2.75" diameter pillar candles from grocery store.

Step 2. Cut the stems off artichokes so bottom of artichoke is flat and stands upright on own.

Step 3. Open up artichoke and spread out leaves. Artichoke leaves are relatively flexible and you can pull open by starting from the outside leaves and working your way in. Once you get to the very center you may want to wear gloves because the core is sharp and can cut your fingers.

Step 4. Once you have separated the leaves and opened up the artichoke to fit the size pillar candles you are using, pull out the very center leaves to create space for the candle to sit. Leaves should rip out by pulling pretty easily. Be sure to keep tearing the center leaves out until the center is as flat as possible.

I am always up for different ideas to make a table or vignette look natural and new for an occasion. As Thanksgiving is just around the corner I thought I would pull out some easy ideas for dressing up the table. Pumpkins and gourds are always nice, of course, but it's cool to throw in another element that is not as expected. I am going with artichokes. I love the way they look and how their leaves appear like petals. The cone shape and frosty green color pairs well with a mixture of assorted gourds and pumpkins. Having seen ceramic candle holders that were designed to be artichokes in the past, I thought what better way to incorporate real artichokes into the table decor. I purchased a few of the larger artichokes I could find at Whole Foods Market and turned them into medium size pillar candle holders. The best part about this DIY, is that it requires minimal prep that can be done the day before Thanksgiving.

Note: You will not want to prep much farther in advance than that, as the artichokes will wilt and not appear as fresh. However, if you would like the artichokes to last longer you can always use clear shellac. In that instance, you will need to paint, with a paintbrush, at least two coats of clear shellac all over surfaces of the plant. The shellac step will add on a day to the DIY project.

xo RCN