Wrapped Asparagus ~ Two Ways

As we are finalizing the Royal Baby Shower Menu Fit for a Duchess, Ellen and I are testing and tasting some of our ideas this week. Ellen had mentioned wrapped asparagus early in the planning process, and as I have had an asparagus thing going all spring sharing recipes here, here, here and here, I immediately agreed. She had in mind something more traditional, but recently I found a modern version that I was excited to try. We decided that a taste test was in order.

Traditional

Ellen’s recipe for Asparagus Bites comes from her beloved old DeKalb County Junior League cookbook, Puttin’ on the Peachtree.
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Asparagus Bites recipe from Puttin' On The Peachtree

Starting with rolled crustless white bread slices, you smear on a mixture of cream cheese, crumbled blue cheese and egg. Then you roll an asparagus stalk (fresh, not canned, please) up inside the bread, cut off the end of the stalk hanging out, then slice the roll into 3 bite-sized pieces. Dipped in butter and placed on a baking sheet,

Asparagus Bites collage via The Gracious Possethese tasty morsels bake for 15-20 minutes then melt in your mouth. As a bonus, they are also perfect to make ahead and freeze.

Modern

The moment that the recipe for Phyllo-Wrapped Asparagus with Prosciutto serendipitously arrived in my Inbox courtesy of My Recipes.com,  it became a “Gotta Try” recipe even though I have never before attempted to work with phyllo dough. Turns out, the dough sheets are very similar to wonton wrappers, just bigger and a bit drier. After working with a couple of the sheets and a pizza cutter, I got the hang of them and found them to be much easier to use than I had ever imagined. (A whole new world of recipes just opened up.) In fact, slicing the prosciutto proved to be a more difficult procedure than prepping and rolling the phyllo dough.

Phyllo-Wrapped Asparagus collage via The Gracious Posse

My family served as guinea pigs for my first attempt, and we really enjoyed these asparagus rolls with dinner one night. The prosciutto adds the perfect salty bite, but I thought they could stand a bit of tweaking for the Royal Baby Shower. My second attempt before the taste-off with Ellen went better with a few changes, and I think that this simple recipe will please most anyone.

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto and Phyllo

30 stalks of asparagus, trimmed
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 30 long thin strips
8 (14″ x 9″) sheets frozen phyllo dough from a two-roll package, thawed
olive oil in spray container (we used the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer for great results)
 

Preheat oven to 450º. Twist a strip of prosciutto around each stalk of asparagus barber pole style. Set aside.

Carefully remove one sheet from roll of phyllo dough and lay evenly on work surface. Cover phyllo dough roll to keep from drying out. Spray sheet of dough liberally with olive oil. Using sharp knife or pizza cutter, divide sheet into 4 equal 9″ long rectangles. Take one prosciutto-wrapped asparagus stalk and lay it just off parallel on one of the short ends of the first dough rectangle. Roll the stalk slightly on the diagonal until it is completely wrapped but for its head, trim the remainder of the dough and lay the stalk on a baking sheet with the trimmed edge of the dough facing down. Repeat with the remaining three rectangles, then spray all four wrapped asparagus stalks with olive oil to keep moist. Continue with remaining asparagus and phyllo dough sheets until all of the stalks are wrapped in dough and coated in olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature. These can be prepared up to four hours in advance of baking. After spraying olive oil on the wrapped asparagus, cover and refrigerate until ready to put in the oven.

Decision

Taste test of Asparagus Two Ways via The Gracious Posse

The taste test was tough. We enjoyed them both. Ellen’s bites were definitely richer with the cheese mixture and butter. Mine were more savory with the salty bite from the prosciutto. After receiving requests to add cucumber sandwiches to our Royal Baby Shower Menu, we decided that there will be enough bread on the table, so we will serve the Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto and Phyllo. We think that Kate would approve this modern version of wrapped asparagus.

salutationa&eMay 21, 2013

Royal Baby Shower Menu Fit for a Duchess

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As Ellen and I continue to plan for the Royal Baby Shower that we are hosting on June 2, 2013, for the benefit of The Pregnancy Resource Center of Metro Richmond, one of the main items of debate is the menu. In honor of the royal birth and our own princess fantasies, we really want the Shower to be something that we would imagine Duchess Kate enjoying.

Alison-Jackson-imagines-Kate-Middletons-baby-shower-1859458

The look-a-like queen is too funny. Love the “Born to Rule” onesie, and we obviously must have some cupcakes.

The menu needs to be elegant yet fun, as well as fitting for the 3:30 – 5:30 time frame on a warm June day. Tea and Champagne, anyone?

Here are some of our ideas that we will be testing over the next week.

Proposed Royal Baby Shower

Wrapped Asparagus
Crab Puffs
Assorted Scones
Spinach Pinwheels
Tea Sandwiches (open-faced salmon on pumpernickel)
 
Baby Cupcakes and Petit Fours
Chocolate-dipped Strawberries
Crown Shortbread Cookies
Grape Caramels
Fruited Champagne Salad
 
Delta Mint Tea
Iced Tea
Assorted Juices
Champagne
Sparkling water

Petit Four Collage

Question of the Week

What Would You Serve if You Were Hosting Kate’s Baby Shower?

Please share your ideas in the Comments below. We would love to incorporate your ideas if we can or at least suggest them to others. We will also add them to our Royal Baby Shower Benefit Pinterest board where we have been collecting menu and other baby shower ideas.

Finally, please let us know if you will be joining us on June 2nd at Ellen’s. You can r.s.v.p. HERE.

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May 20, 2013

Weekly Roundup

May 19, 2013

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For Ellen, the graduation season continues and culminates at the end of this week with the high school graduation of her youngest. May is the transition month in so many ways. As a mom, the end of a school year always feels so bittersweet as I watch my children move “up” to the next grade. While my baby will be excited to don the mantel of “senior” this week, I will be yearning for his kindergarten days.

Thankfully, The Gracious Posse keeps us from dwelling too long on the changes that we cannot halt. Did you catch everything that we had going on here this week?

Monday|Posse Pearls - As we continue the planning for our June 2nd event, we offered Royal Baby Shower Benefit Gift Suggestions for the clients of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Metro Richmond. If you are in Richmond, please let us know that you will be attending our event HERE or tell us if you about a similar one that you are planning for your posse.

Tuesday|Posse Exchange - Ellen’s posse just loves this River Favorite: Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce. It is an easy way to impress your guests, whether you make the crab cakes from scratch or pick them up from your favorite spot.

Wednesday|Posse Passions - If you haven’t figured it out by now, The Gracious Posse loves nothing more than the chance to be surrounded by flowers, and we are happiest learning more about them whenever we can. Thanks to the Latham Ladies, we now have 10 {New} Floral Design Tips from Latham Flower Camp 2013 to share with our girlfriends.

Thursday|The Gracious Home - How often have you felt that your car is your second home? Many times over the years, it has felt like I spend more time in my vehicle than our house. If that is the case with you, don’t you think your car should at least feel homey? Check out Ellen’s 3 Ways to Be More at Home in the Car.

Friday|About Town - Our weekend recommendation, A Traditional English Flower Festival Makes Its Third Appearance in Richmond, took place yesterday. If you couldn’t make it, here is a bit of the beauty that you missed.

Flower Festival Garden Boots via The Gracious Posse

Flower Festival Entrance Rail via The Gracious Posse

Flower Festival Floral Arch via The Gracious Posse

In memory of Hilda Winn Vadnais via The Gracious Posse

Flower Festival's Memorial Cross by Anne Latham Martin via The Gracious Posse

Saturday|Serendipity & Grace - Can you believe that Memorial Day is a week from tomorrow? To reflect on the meaning of this holiday, plan to attend the Memorial Day Weekend Choral Concert at St. James Church. Ellen will be participating and would be thrilled to see you there.

Thank you for taking time from your busy May to stop by The Gracious Posse. Your visits always make our day. Make it easy to find out what is happening at The Gracious Posse by signing up for email deliveries of our updates. Just insert your email address in the top box in the next column, and you will be on your way.

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Memorial Day Weekend Choral Concert

Are you looking for an inspirational way to honor and remember our war veterans, especially if you couldn’t participate in the Carry the Load National Relay? I encourage you to attend the Memorial Concert at St. James’s Episcopal Church on Sunday evening, May 26 at 7:00 p.m. The St. James’s Festival Chorus (I am a member) and Orchestra will perform music for double choir and brass, a Palestrina mass (Missa Christi Aeterna munera) and spirituals by Moses Hogan. An offering will be collected to benefit the Virginia War Memorial Foundation and other agencies that serve our veterans.

St. James's Choirs via St. James's Episcopal Church

Afterward, all attending are invited to celebrate at a champagne gala reception in the Parkinson Room underneath our Sanctuary.  The concert is free, and we hope you will encourage all veterans and military service men and women you know to attend.

If you know of a veteran or someone serving now and want them added to the Honorees Roster, please contact our director Mark Whitmire at 804-355-1779, extension 323.

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May 18, 2013

 

A Traditional English Flower Festival Makes Its Third Appearance in Richmond

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 18th, 2013), St. Stephen Episcopal Church in Richmond’s West End will host its third Flower Festival in recent years.

2013 Flower Festival Flyer

Members of the church’s Flower Guild, now in its second year, and others will have this beautiful stone church bedecked in a variety of floral designs. Following an old tradition of churches throughout England, all visitors are welcome to enter and enjoy this event, which will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. In England, such festivals serve as church fundraisers, and while St. Stephen’s will not charge admission, donations are welcome to help defray costs.

Altar decked out in wedding white via The Gracious Posse

Take a glimpse at some of recent the floral works in the church.

Calla lilies and giant white roses enhanced with Solomon's seal via The Gracious Posse

The Flower Guild has been a resounding success since it was organized about a year and a half ago. Inspired by the instructive and picture-filled book,

churchflowersbook

Church Flowers by Judith Blacklock (available in The Gracious Posse Shoppe),

the Guild now has over 80 members.

Pink parrot tulips and azaleas with more wonderful Solomon's seal via The Gracious Posse

Some of them happen to be talented floral designers and award-winning garden club members, but others have joined the ranks with no experience at all.

Easter column enhancer via The Gracious Posse

The more proficient guide the novices in making weekly arrangements for the main altar and two side chapels.

Pink flowers bring out the pinks in the stained glass window via The Gracious Posse

Members find joy in the opportunity to play with some of God’s most beautiful creations while sharing in in a bit of fellowship.

The first peonies of spring with other cuttings from a beautiful garden via The Gracious Posse

The Guild provides a unique opportunity to meet others in this congregation, which is among the largest Episcopal churches in the country.

High white drama via The Gracious Posse

If you are in RVA on Saturday, plan to stop by St. Stephen’s and take a look at all that will be adorning every ledge, sill, railing and platform of the sanctuary. Arrive before noon and take advantage of the church’s popular Farmer’s Market, as well.

A Ruth Cunningham original created for Flower Guild training via The Gracious Posse

Whether by flowers or food, I guarantee that one way or the other you will leave the grounds inspired.

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p.s. After the Flower Festival and Farmers Market, why not head down to the official Grand Opening of Natty Beau? While we marked the store’s soft opening in Natty Beau: the New Guy’s Store in Town last month, our friends have a big party going on Saturday. It is bound to be a Southern Proper celebration of the first Heritage store.

3 Ways to Be More at Home in the Car

Whether driving multiple car pools a day, commuting to work or simply out and about running errands and such, we all spend oodles of time in our vehicles subjecting them to the same treatment, or worse, as our homes. However, if you are like me, you don’t “keep car” like you keep house. For instance, I laser-focus on home-keeping (organizing, cleaning, decorating, safety preparedness) but cast nary a glance at my sedan save to keep the pollen and mud at bay. Since we spend so much time in our cars, why do we treat them no better than our college dorm rooms?

The Toolkit

Now that my carpool days are a distant memory, I don’t have an excuse for a grungy car interior. Although not toting chattering school children and athletes to and fro, I still spend a fair amount of time in my car. No longer captain of the big Suburban, I don’t have loads of cup holders and other cubbies in which to stash my traveling essentials. When I spilled yet another beverage in my console because the cup teetered on detrius in the cup holder, I finally realized that it was time to make a change.

Cluttered car console via The Gracious Posse

A few years back, posse pal bFt had given me an adorable pink metal tool kit that had been storing supplies in my basement craft laboratory. I decided to give it more face time and now use it to hold the travel essentials that previously cluttered my console

Cluttered car door pocket via The Gracious Posse

and the side pocket of my door. Now I have a cute companion in my front seat containing all of the necessities that make my car as homey as possible.

Pink Toolbox Collage for Cars via The Gracious Posse

The Trunk Corral

I love how Alison corrals items in her trunk or “way back” of her SUV. Check out her adorable Scout bin that scores high marks for form and function

Scout bin for corralling trunk items via The Gracious Posse

holding small or fragile objects as she travels.

On a green note, it also stores all of her reusable shopping bags, so they are always ready for trips to the grocery or farmers market.

The First Aid Kit

The last tip for making yourself at home in your car is to add a First Aid kit. I repurposed this former lunch box to hold bandages, Bactine, sterile gloves, a thermometer, cotton balls, Swiss Army knife, a sewing kit, mosquito repellent wipes, and a few pharmaceuticals like Sudafed, Tylenol and Benadryl. This handy kit lives in the trunk of my car and has patched up many a boo-boo over the years.

First Aid Kit collage using repurposed lunch box via The Gracious Posse

I gave my children a First Aid kit for their car when they started driving.

While stopping short of advising you to remodel your dashboard or reupholster your back seat, we do hope that you are inspired to upgrade your internal combustion servant’s quarters to be (almost) as well-appointed as your home.

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May 16, 2013

10 Floral Design Tips from Latham Flower Camp 2013

It is all about the mechanics, dahling.

~ Peggy Latham

(as quoted from Flower Camp 2011)

The 2013 edition of my favorite Flower Camp once again took place the day after Mother’s Day. While the star of the 2011 Flower Camp was unable to attend due to airline issues, I was delighted that my own mother had the chance to see the Latham Ladies in action. As in prior years, our floral designer friend, Anne Latham Martin of Fleurs de Vie, had her kitchen filled with garden delights and some fabulous finds from Sieck’s wholesale.

Flower Camp fills the kitchen with beautiful things via The Gracious Posse

Her sister, Madeleine Latham Elmer of Fleur de Vie Houston, was this year’s guest instructor who generously shared her design knowledge, which continues to broaden as the demand for her creative services rises all over Houston.

To begin our morning, Anne gave a brief recap about the pointers we shared on Prepare Your Home for Garden Week with Supermarket Bouquets and then addressed the first issue that must be considered for every floral design: MECHANICS. After recommending the book that her mother always has on hand,

Ann's mechanics mirror those in Decorating with Flowers via The Gracious PosseDecorating With Flowers by Denise Otis,

Anne revealed one of her favorite tricks:

Stick support via The Gracious Possecut a stick to fit tightly across a square or rectangular container to use as support.

Continuing the mechanics theme on which Anne and Madeleine’s mother, Peggy, raised them, Madeleine got down to demonstration business. Her concept was how to build a design using natural materials as the mechanics.

1. Use foliage as the foundation of your mechanics.

Oakleaf hydrangrea stems used as floral mechanics via The Gracious Posse

Madeleine started with three cuttings of oakleaf hydrangea that had leafed and set their budding stalks. After removing the lower leaves, she layered the branches on top of each other. By going on top and not from underneath, you are pushing the mechanics down into the vessel and not pushing the greenery up and out.

2.  Save those 32-ounce food containers from the grocery store and reuse them inside your design containers.

Plastic food containers have many uses via The Gracious Posse

Madeleine set one of these containers down into her demonstration urn. It proves the perfect size for lots of different vessels and can simply be cut down if needed.

3. Always keep a pair of clippers in your car

Joyce Chen scissors

(like our favorite Joyce Chen Scissors that are great for food and flowers and are available on The Gracious Posse Shoppe.)

You never know what you might find on the side of the road. While none of the cuttings at Flower Camp was road-kill, this was a great reminder that your flowers and greens don’t always need to be precious.

4. Experiment with new and immature foliage before using in an arrangement.

If it is too soft, it will likely wilt within a couple of hours, but sturdy immature foliage will stay fresh in the fridge for a long time.

Flower Camp foliage via The Gracious Posse

Prime examples on display at Flower Camp: the small green viburnum balls (top left) went limp quickly and wanted to shrivel up, while the oakleaf hydrangeas’ budding stalks (front right) were sturdy and should survive longer than the flowers in the demonstration arrangement.

5. Go green with your greens.

Consider your carbon footprint and look for greens in your own backyard (or on the roadside). Like we said above, don’t worry about finding the perfect greens. You want to use what is in season and readily available to you.

More Flower Camp foliage via The Gracious Posse

And if like our friend, aFh, you have a yard full of Solomon’s Seal and Poet’s Laurel, please don’t hesitate to share the wealth.

6. If the wholesale florist tells you that an item is “off-crop”, avoid it.

This term means that the plant is in transition, and even if you can get it, the plant likely won’t last because its infrastructure is not yet strong enough.

7. Your flowers will tell you what they want to do.

When we got down to the business of creating our own arrangements, I was excited to be able to use some yellow parrot tulips that I had received on Mother’s Day.

Unique parrot tulip via The Gracious Posse

This baby demanded a starring role, and I was happy to oblige.

 8. Keep working the arrangement until you get the balance and scale right and take digital pictures to help you tell when that is.

During the demonstration, our leaders suggested that you generally want the height of the flowers to be at least as tall as the container.

Building a flower arrangement via The Gracious Posse

This 12″ tall urn demanded the flowers reach at least 24″ above the counter. Anne even set her measure tape to use as a guide. (See it on the left side?)

As I was making my arrangement in this shallow blue and white planter featuring the yellow parrot tulips, I was trying to counterbalance the weight up high on the left where my favorite flowers and foliage really wanted to be. The right side proved difficult to take low because I was using a frog for my mechanics rather than oasis, so we went through a few re-arrangements taking pictures as we went

Check your floral design with pictures via The Gracious Posse

until it all felt right.

Blue and white with yellow via The Gracious Posse

9. Peonies are tough.

If you need to get them to open earlier than Mother Nature wants, you can force them. First, swish them around in hot water to get rid of the outside sticky sap that the ants clean off. Pull off the outer green bracts. Then start banging the base of the flower where the bracts had been.

opening a peony collage via The Gracious Posse

Use your fingers to spread out the petals and blow on the inner petals.  Keep working the flower until it has opened.

Fleur de Vie garden bouquet via The Gracious Posse(see manually opened peonies on right)

10.Classic garden design is all the rage.

Everyone wants the look of Carolyne Roehm, the inspiring designer whom Ellen described in Starting Seeds ~ Gardening from Scratch. Fortunately getting her look means using garden flowers appropriate for the season and the location. While exotics can be fun to feature for really special events, local seasonal flowers will always feels right, just like these made by my fellow campers:

peony design via The Gracious Posse

teapot design via The Gracious Posse

spring floral in green vase via The Gracious Posse

With lots of flower events coming my way, these words were good to hear, both for my soul and the budget. Once again Flower Camp provided a great reminder of the joy that being surrounded by flowers brings. While there may be some guidelines for arranging the flowers, if you follow your heart and the Latham Ladies’ tips, you really can’t go wrong.

salutationa&eMay 15, 2013

A River Favorite: Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

When I need a taste of the Chesapeake, I look no further than Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce. If I’m lucky to be at my home on the Rappahannock River, I stop at The River Market in White Stone

The River Market via Facebook

to pick up the BEST ever ready-to-cook cakes. In these parts, folks are picky about their crab cakes (do they have too much “filler” or not enough lump crab meat?). Like my on-going quest for the best Key Lime Pie, I have looked far and wide, and these cakes are my personal favorite, so far that is.

My favorite complement to these delicacies is Remoulade Sauce. Credit for this goes to lDd for sharing this family (an aunt who goes by “B”) recipe with me.

B’s Remoulade Sauce

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup horseradish
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons ketchup
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup each finely chopped green onion and celery
3/4 cup vegetable oil
 

Mix all ingredients except oil. Add oil, whisking slowly to incorporate. Refrigerate. Best made a few hours ahead of time to allow for flavors to meld.

crab cakes with remoulade sauce via The Gracious Posse

Easy and delish: crab cakes, remoulade sauce, steamed asparagus with rice.

For those who want to make crab cakes from scratch, you’ll find our tried and true recipe here and in our Roundup of our Favorite Recipes.

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May 14, 2013

Royal Baby Shower Benefit Gift Suggestions

Now that we have gotten our invitation for the Royal Baby Shower benefit together to send to a few folks who have not yet joined The Gracious Posse,

Royal Baby Shower Invitation via The Gracious Posse

it is time to focus on the needs of the beneficiaries. As we mentioned last week, the clients of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Metro Richmond will be the beneficiary of our baby shower. The PRC has a fundraising/volunteer arm called Friends of PRC Richmond. This group sponsors and supports fundraisers and awareness throughout the year and keeps a list of Hot Items on its website. Fortunately, baby items are easy to find, so please keep these in mind as you are out and about.

Requested Shower Gifts

Summer maternity collage via The Gracious Posse

Summer Maternity – Large, X-Large & Plus Sizes

Baby wash and shampoos collage via The Gracious Posse

Baby Wash and Shampoos

Crib sheets collage via The Gracious Posse

Crib Sheets

Diapers collage via The Gracious Posse

Diapers – Sizes 3-6

Baby gowns collage via The Gracious Posse

Baby Gowns

Onesies collage via The Gracious Posse

Onesies – Boys, Girls & Neutral colors

pullups

Pull Ups****

Sleeper collage via The Gracious Posse

Sleepers

wipes collage

Wipes-(Individually Wrapped) Refill size

Baby towel collage via The Gracious Posse

Baby Towels and Wash Cloths

Baby cream collage via The Gracious Posse

Vaseline/Diaper Rash Cream

You can print the shopping list here. We will have laundry baskets to collect the gifts at our shower and hope that we can fill them up. If you can’t make the shower but are interested in helping some of our local mothers and their soon-to-be newborns, you can make a donation to the Pregnancy Resource Center here.

You, our dear reader, are invited to attend our Benefit on June 2nd at Ellen’s. Please let us know that you will be attending by clicking here. We hope that you will join us for this royal afternoon.

salutationa&eMay 3, 2013

Weekly Roundup ~ A Mother’s Day Special Edition

May 12, 2013

What a week and weekend! Ellen has been down in Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend watching her oldest graduate from Tarheel U. As her daughter now steps into her future along with her fellow Class of 2013 mates, this seems a good time to remind them all of Mum’s Guide to Being Prepared that Ellen put together for our young posse friends in March.

Mum's Guide to Being Prepared via The Gracious Posse

Congratulations, eBh! We know that you are prepared to take on the world.

This past Wednesday, I had the privilege to participate in the Carry the Load National Relay that raises money to support our nation’s military families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Turns out that there was a significant Bulldawg presence on our leg of the relay, and it was serendipitous that I had worn my Georgia Bulldogs t-shirt while walking with the family of the man whom I described here.

Leg 105 of Carry the Load National Relay: Team Bulldawg via The Gracious Posse

Team Bulldawg

Congratulations are also in order for Jared, on the left, who graduated from UGA yesterday and was commissioned in the Army at the same time: Godspeed, my new friend.

The individuals whom we met spearheading this grass-roots effort are tremendous. They keep the relay going 24/7 with someone out and walking, American flag in hand, at all times. A logistical undertaking that only military folks could implement, the relay left me with such a sense of pride and excitement over the potential that this organization is creating. Those of us who walked this Richmond leg are already looking forward to the relay’s return to RVA and the East Coast next year. There is still time to donate and follow the relay’s course through May 26th.

Also on Wednesday, did you happen to catch this article in the Food section of The Richmond Times-Dispatch?

Pineapple au Gratin article via The Gracious Posse

It’s the same recipe that we brought you with our suggested Easter menu. While many of you scoffed at Ellen’s suggested Party Pineapple Surprise that reminds me of a pineapple upside-down cake, local food writer Cindy Creasy calls it “so retro and quirky that it’s cool again” and shared her own mother’s recipe in honor of Mother’s Day.

Speaking of Mother’s Day, our best wishes go out to all mothers reading The Gracious Posse. We know how difficult the job of “Mother” can be, but can you imagine life any other way? As our children grow older, we realize that a mother’s worry, concern and love never end and better understand our own mothers everyday. Thanks, Beth and Joan, for always being there for us.

Late-blooming lilies of the valley sweeten Mother's Day via The Gracious Posse

My personal favorite Mother’s Day gift comes from Mother Nature.

We know that we have been blessed to have mothers who were able to welcome us joyfully into the world and to have been able to do the same for our own babies. What about other mothers who are struggling through unplanned pregnancies? Why not consider helping them out as we, along with the rest of the world, watch one beautiful woman prepare to become a first-time Mum to a royal wee-one. Please join our Royal Baby Shower Benefit or host your own.

Royal Baby Shower Benefit invitations via The Gracious Posse

Our invitations are almost ready to be mailed.

The details are here, and we will be bringing you more ideas in the coming weeks. All moms and babies deserve the royal treatment, so let’s help some out who are not as fortunate as Kate and the prince(ss)-to-be.

Enough preaching for now. You can use the next column’s listing of recent posts to help you check out anything that you might have missed on The Gracious Posse this week. We are always so excited to have you stop by and share some of your precious time with us. We also love it when you spread the word about what is happening on our site.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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