Tablescape Tuesday - Asian Elegance

Welcome to another TABLESCAPE TUESDAY! Today's table is called Asian Elegance and I will also share my recipe for Warm Chinese Chicken Salad at the end of this post. I've been away for a long weekend visiting my parents in West Virginia. My parents are preparing to retire this year and move here to North Carolina. This is an exciting time for them. A new chapter in their lives and I'm excited to be able to share it with them. So that is why you haven't seen a post for the last four days. Now, let's take a look at the table. I've set the table in my sunroom today. The table is a double-drop leaf table I inherited from my dear Aunt Velma when she passed away in 2005. The table is maple but today I am using an ivory damask tablecloth. I then used a yellow hem stitched linen placemat under a teak wood placemat to add depth and texture.
I was inspired to do an Asian themed table today because of these lovely green square plates. I found these at my local HomeGoods store last fall. They were on markdown and only had two left. I've been using them as display plates. Next I layered on a decorative salad plate. I love the way the colors work together.


In order to continue the Asian theme I pulled out some decorative pagodas as centerpiece accessories. The largest one holds a candle. I also used an Orchid as my floral accent.

So many Asian inspired scenes incorporate birds so I pulled out a set of sparrow figurines I purchased at Kirkland's a few years ago and placed them along my tablerunner. I also have a set of Sparrow napkin rings. They are made of iron and painted a soft white and have been heavily distressed. The picture below shows a close up of both.

The napkin I chose to use today is a linen fruit and floral print. The background is a very soft yellow with cherry blossoms, grapes, pomegranates and roses. Anybody ready for Spring? I'm getting excited! When I cam home yesterday I noticed that some of my bulbs have already shot through the earth and are showing the first signs of green.

Here is just a clean shot of the dinner plate. I would love to find at least four more of these. I found the same pattern in red a few weeks ago.

Now for a SIMPLE SUPPER my Warm Chinese Chicken Salad is just the thing. Serve with an assortment of whole grain crackers or toasted sesame breadsticks and you've got a very satisfying meal.

WARM CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons walnut oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried whole tarragon

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups torn Chinese cabbage

2 cups torn romaine lettuce

2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

3 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups halved seedless red grapes

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Toss cabbage and lettuce with half of dressing mixture in a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle walnuts over cabbage and lettuce mixture.

Next, combine chicken and 3 tablespoons remaining dressing mixture in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is thoroughly heated. Toss hot chicken mixture and grape halves with cabbage mixture. Serve salad warm with remaining salad dressing. Makes 4 servings. The tangy dressing gives the warm chicken a delicious Oriental flavor. You can also substitute the grapes with Mandarin Orange slices. I've done this when I didn't have any grapes on hand. It works equally well with the flavors of the dressing. Enjoy!

For more tablescape inspiration visit Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

The Powder Room project is almost ready for the reveal. I should be posting pictures on Thursday or Saturday. It really is turning out beautifully. See you tomorrow with a special Cook's Corner featuring "DEATH BY CHOCOLATE". Friday night I am hosting a group of ladies for a "Choctails" party so I thought I would get a jump on my desserts. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa