Home Tour – Part II: The Tables

Chez Lori Lynn is a place for entertaining. For the WHITE POINT HOME TOUR & RECEPTION, the tables in my home were dressed in a seasonal style. And to give an idea for a holiday dish that is super-popular and easy to prepare for a crowd,  I served my Holiday Spiced Sweet Potatoes to the 300 attendees. I know that sounds like a lot of sweet potatoes, but only a sample was served, so it really was manageable…

My home joined six other distinctive San Pedro homes on the WHITE POINT HOME TOUR & RECEPTION hosted by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. All the proceeds from the event supported site improvements and habitat restoration at the White Point Preserve. The White Point Nature Preserve features 102 acres of restored coastal sage scrub habitat, hiking and handicap accessible trails overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island.

The Seasonal Tables

• Natural Thanksgiving
• Casual Elegant Candelabra Dining
• Purple & Green Butterfly Garden
• Rise ‘n Shine Breakfast Counter

Natural Thanksgiving Table

Elements for the Natural Thanksgiving table include shades of green and brown, moss, sticks, turkeys, ornamental globes, white pumpkins, pine cones. What is absent are bright colors, or any shade of orange. The centerpiece is made of cuttings from my Magnolia Tree arranged in a white pumpkin tureen. The place card holders are Turkey ornaments.

Casual Elegant Candelabra Dining Table

The Casual Elegant Candelabra Dining table is done in seasonal colors cranberry, gold & yellow with an unexpected punch from turquoise. An abundance of colorful candles, over-sized Champagne flutes, and feathery Maidenhair ferns add drama. The mahogany wood dining table is set sans cloth to add to the casual feel. The napkin rings are made of metal autumn leaves. Charming covered soup bowls, a gift from my mother-in-law have been in my collection for years, and mismatched candlesticks add to the breezy ambiance.

Purple & Green Butterfly Garden Table

Draped cuttings from Peppertrees and Silver Sheen made a dramatic backdrop for the Purple & Green Butterfly Garden table. Imagine brunch on this patio on a pleasantly warm Fall weekend. Charming butterfly motif dinnerware is set on square purple chargers. In the frame on the table is a list of plants that grow in the garden here.

edible:

• key lime
• yuzu
• mineola tangelo
• late lane navel orange
• honey mandarin
• valencia orange
• persian lime
• rose
• thyme
• mint
• garlic chives
• geranium
• fuscia
• begonia
• dianthus
• lemon verbena
• borage
• lavender
• day lily
• society garlic
• rosemary
• kaffir lime
• santa barbara daisy
• yarrow
• hibiscus

non-edible:

• brugmansia
• silver sheen
• michelia alba (white sandalwood)
• eastern red bud
• bougainvillea
• pine
• yesterday-today-tomorrow
• azelea
• magnolia
• kangaroo paws
• shrimp plant
• dwarf sweet pea
• dymondia
• baby tears
• african iris
• mexican feather grass
• clivia
• agathanpanthus
• camelia
• creeping fig
• liriope
• podocarpas
• papyrus
• weeping bottle brush
• cyclamen

Rise ‘n Shine Breakfast Counter

Bright sunflower napkin rings and orange linen napkins are placed atop Philippine Monkeypod wood cereal bowls. Red polka-dot wine glasses are used for orange juice. Small pots are planted with fresh rosemary, oregano, and thyme. The bright autumn colors on the Rise ‘n Shine Breakfast Counter shout Good Morning!

Holiday Spiced Sweet Potato Recipe

• approx. 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
• brown sugar
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• fresh grated nutmeg
• pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, clove, cardamom)
• whipping cream

Butter a baking dish. Form a layer of overlapping sweet potato medallions. Sprinkle the top of the layer with brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice. Repeat layers to fill the dish, leaving an inch at the top so it doesn’t bubble over while cooking.

Pour cream over the sweet potatoes until the bottom half of the potatoes in the dish are submerged in cream, take care not to add more cream than half-way up the potatoes. Bake covered at 350° until the potatoes are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue cooking slightly longer, about 10 minutes, so the top is lightly browned. Serve with salt & fresh ground pepper.

This dish can be made a day ahead. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat in a 350° oven until the dish is hot, but take care not to over cook.

WHITE POINT HOME TOUR & RECEPTION

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Conservancy for all the work that they do to preserve our beautiful open spaces and to the attendees for your kind words about my home and your support of this event.

Home Tour – Part I: The Yellow Deck
Home Tour – Part III: The Charming Cape Cod