Last night my parents and brother came over for a very casual dinner with my husband and me. Thank you Trader Joe's for your amazingly quick, easy and delicious prepared foods! Yes, I am lazy after a long week and Trader Joe's totally pulled through for us last night. We started with Pastry Pups that took 20 minutes to bake in the oven. Then it was Pork Gyoza and Edamame for dinner fried and steamed on the stove. And while we ate, I threw a couple of Apple Strudels into the oven to bake. (1 box fed the 5 of us). We topped the strudels with Haagen Daz vanilla bean ice cream- YUM!!
Our Prosperity pattern is one of my favorites! I chose it as my bridal pattern for its versatility. It has no gold on it so it can be used in the microwave. It's durable so for quick meals like this one, even the clean up is fast! All you have to do is throw them into the dishwasher. For an everyday dinner pattern, all these things were important to me. Add that as newly weds we generally don't have a whole lot of room for cabinets and cabinets of china, I felt it was important that my porcelain could be used in both a casual and formal setting.
Choose your favorite colored place mats and pair them with the Prosperity Dinner Plate for a casual meal. OR for a fancier feel, layer a beautiful service plate (presentation plate) below and top the whole scene off with an ornate dessert/salad plate. The subtle white detailing of Prosperity will help frame both.
I like to pair Haviland & Parlon's Arc en Ciel Mint presentation plates with my Mottahedeh Prosperity dinner plates and Haviland & Parlon's Syracuse dessert plates. If I'm having a casual meal I'll use the service plates to serve the meal. If it's more formal I'll use them under the dinner plates. For me more expensive items are justified if I'm able to use them every day in a number of different ways that fit my needs. That's the best part about having fine china in the home; you don't have to use it only for it's original purpose! Get creative! Mix and Match! Use a bread and butter plate as a small dessert plate. Use a coffee cup as a candle votive. Use a service plate as a large dinner plate or as a platter! These things are made to be used. Don't just hide them in a cupboard. (But if you do, here's an earlier post about our Prosperity Hutch Rewind)
Make it your own:
Prosperity Dinner Plate (MV1601) - $60
Haviland & Parlon's Arc en Ciel Mint Presentation Plate (HP530-118) - $175
Maviland & Parlon's Syracuse Dessert Plate (HP610-29) - $210