Southwest Quinoa Salad in Small Polish Pottery Bowl

Lately, I like to go "shopping" for recipes at www.findingvegan.com

It is an awesome website that lets users submit recipes (with gorgeous photos)...and I can basically just look through all of the photos for an idea of what to make for dinner! Take a look...you'll be drooling, too!

Southwest Quinoa Salad
I found this recipe, and made it yesterday. It is supposedly a "salad"...but I personally thing most dishes like this deserve to be a dip, too. So, out came the tortilla chips...yummy!! It uses avocados, fresh lime juice, and quinoa, which is literally one of the healthiest foods on the planet (and a staple in many South American countries). It's a shame I only discovered quinoa last summer...and that most people have still never heard of it, or tried it. I would compare it to rice (cooks the same way), but it is lighter, fluffier, and has a light crunch when you eat it. I often mix it with rice in my rice cooker, because I love its high fiber and iron content! You can find it in the health food section of stores, and it looks like a little tiny seed (which it is).

These little 5.5" Polish Pottery bowls are to die for (okay, they're not THAT little...but they're still not your standard cereal bowl size)! I prefer to use them, instead of big bowls...because I tend to take smaller servings (and we all know that is a smart idea)! Then again...perhaps it just means that I'll get 2nds, and I feel justified...? Either way...I guess I just like small things!

Curried Cashew Couscous in Polish Pottery Heart Bowl

I apologize that it has been so long since I've posted. We had baby #3, and he takes up a lot of time from my day!

I love to cook new recipes, particularly ones that are meat and cheeseless. A lot of friends and family have asked me what in the world I eat, if I don't eat meat and cheese. So, in an effort to share with the world that there really are PLENTY of foods out there that don't include the aforementioned...I will now be posting links to recipes that I enjoy (and of course--they're displayed in Polish Pottery)!
Double the pleasure...double the fun!!

Curried Cashew Couscous
I have to admit that I've had a bag of couscous hanging around for about a year...and I haven't figured out what to do with it, until now. I picked it up in the bulk section of the grocery store in Whitehorse, Yukon (because Canadians are healthy like that, eh?)...but I put it in a recipe for the first time this week.I pulled out a recipe I found online, originally from the "Vegan Express" cookbook. The Curried Cashew Couscous was delicious, in my opinion...I had it for yesterday's lunch, dinner, and even breakfast this morning. My dad also ate it up! He supposedly hates curry...but he's never turned away from any of the dishes I make with curry (which is quite a few). My Mom didn't feel like eating...but had one bite and said she liked it. My husband took a 1/4 cup of it (you could tell he had great faith that he would like it), and then told me he wasn't a big fan. Oh well...you can't win them all!

If you dare to try this recipe (I really did love it!), then I would recommend Craisins instead of raisins (I have no use for raisins in my life...ugh)...it was the key ingredient, and gave the dish JUST the right amount of sweetness!

Couscous was a completely new venture for me--I would compare it to a rice texture, but smaller...similar in flavor to white rice (but healthier)...and it cooked a LOT faster. I might have to try it as a replacement for rice, some time!

And of course, I can't fail to mention the beautiful Polish Pottery Heart Bowl. We have many of different shapes and patterns. They're cute...they're nicely sized...and they make such a cute addition to the dinner table! Plus, they're a fantastic gift for a "LOVED" one! ;)

Cafe Rio BBQ Pork

Okay, so a vegan must make exceptions on occassion. One of these exceptions is enjoying homemade "Cafe Rio" BBQ Pork with my family at big family get-togethers! I'm still trying to figure out if I can make a vegan version that is fairly comparable...but I haven't succeeded, yet! If you want to know how to make this scrumptious meal...check out this website.

Until then...enjoy photos of our collection of bowls from Zaklady and other factories.
The Heart Polish Pottery Bowl, the large GU986 Polish Pottery Party Bowl (with a vinegar bean dip inside), and others!

And of course, EVERYTHING tastes better in Polish Pottery!

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Polish Pottery and Mother's Day Flower Jewelry Sale!

Mother's Day is around the corner!

Have you found her the perfect gift?

We have 4 unique gift ideas!

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Act now, this sale ends on Sunday, May 2nd!

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The fine print:

10% off Polish Pottery Coupon, and Free $150+ Polish Pottery Shipping Expires 5/2/10. *Free Shipping special is only available in Continental US. However, applicable Alaska, Hawaii & Canadian orders will be refunded $15 for shipping (comparable offer). To redeem coupon, place items in shopping cart, and enter the Coupon Code in the box at the bottom of the Shopping Cart screen (at bottom of the screen before clicking “checkout"). To use the coupon, you must be logged in as a registered customer on our website, or call us at 1-877-816-1505.

Polish Pottery Ice Cream Bowls

I've just updated our website with over 2 dozen more patterns in our 5.5" Polish Pottery Ice Cream Bowl size!
This is my favorite size bowl to eat out of!

Polish Pottery Wins!

Over the past 5 years that I have been collecting Polish Pottery...I am happy to say that I have had many more Polish Pottery "triumphs" than "disasters!" I am a terrible klutz, and therefore...only one fact holds true....Polish Pottery is ridiculously strong. Otherwise...how would it be possible that I have only broken 1 piece in my personal collection in the past 5 years?

First, the only breakage:

If you've met me, you may know that I am very vertically challenged. That means that my cupboards' LOWEST shelf is BARELY within my reach. Dumb me...I knocked this bowl out of the cabinet as I was reaching for a nearby plate. The bowl fell onto a hard metal pan underneath it (in the dryer rack), and split it in two! So sad! Unfortunately, this is my FAVORITE size bowl, and it is veeerry unlikely that I'll ever be able to find a matching shape again (this pattern was limited edition from Manufactura. I don't like many patterns from the Manufactura pattern, but this special pattern hit the spot!). Now I am down to just 2 others this same size (it's a good thing I like their pattern better, anyhow!).

Now...for a story of triumph...

A few years ago I went to a dinner party, and I brought some appetizers on a Polish Pottery Dinner Plate. When leaving the party, I put the plate on my car roof as I strapped my child into her car seat. Without thinking twice, I got in the car, and my husband and I pulled away. We were headed down the curved mountain road, came to a stop sign, and turned left to head home.

All of a sudden, we heard a loud "Ding-ding-ding!" My husband said "What was that?!" I screamed "Pull Over!" as I realized that when we made the turn...our plate had gone FLYING off our car, rolled vertically on the cement, and ended up landing on the rocky roadside.

I jumped out of the car, and found our plate in ONE PIECE, laying there among the roadside shrubbery. We could not believe it!!

To this day, I can't remember which plate it was...because no physical evidence was left behind, showing that our plate had jumped off the top of our car, rolled on the road, and landed on the roadside. Now, THAT is a test of endurance.

But alas, I must include a disclaimer...DO NOT try this at home. Polish Pottery is not invincible, and chances are, you will not be as lucky as us! But it sure has solidified my love of Polish Pottery!

Polish Pottery Soup or Cereal Bowl

We finally have a great selection of GU1152 Polish Pottery Soup/Cereal Bowls back in stock! They come either painted in the inside (my favorite), or painted only on the outside (a bit cheaper). Of course, I have expensive taste. Not only do I like the bowls painted on the inside, I also prefer the Unikat pieces:

This is an ART116 Polish Pottery Soup Bowl, and I love the royal blue flowers!

While I love the bright blues (and florals in particular), I'm actually VERY attracted the non-traditional Polish Pottery patterns. Well, in truth...rusty red WAS a traditional Polish Pottery color (in the earliest pieces), but today, Polish Stoneware is most notable for its kobalt blue theme. I have an obsession with rusty red patterns, however.

Here is an ART113 Polish Pottery Soup Bowl that I love:

And last, but not least, I REALLY love this Ballina pattern. My love of this pattern surprised me when I first saw it 2 years ago, but it has stayed in my top favorites ever since!

ART165 Ballina Polish Pottery Soup Bowl:

Daisy Polish Pottery Dinner Plate

We're currently at my sister's house in Georgia, and my sister's Polish Pottery Stoneware pattern of choice is Daisy!

When she was getting married, she made a Wedding Registry on our website, and therefore collected a beautiful assortment of Polish dinnerware, as well as some great bowls and bakers. All of her dinnerware is in the Daisy pattern, but she has other great Unikat patterns, as well (she has good taste)!

I have to admit...Daisy is a beautiful pattern, and ranks up there in my top favorites!

Unfortunately/Fortunately...my list is always growing! So it's getting a bit complicated to determine what my absolute favorite patterns are, nowadays! But once upon a time, I remember thinking Daisy was #1!

I made some fantastic Black Bean burgers with homemade buns tonight.
The buns and burgers were both soooo tiny, that our traditional Polish dinner plate dwarfed these palm-sized burgers!

But this way, we didn't feel guilty going back for seconds!

Banana Bread

There are very few things that can improve the taste of Banana Bread (already glorious, in and of itself!)...but this Polish Pottery loaf baker did it for us! Call me biased for thinking that Polish Pottery bakers make everything taste better...but seriously...when your eyes are fed TOO...I think it is double the pleasure!

I've always worried over the years that this loaf baker is too large for typical loafs, but I was proved wrong when I used my sister's Blue Horizon Loaf Baker (Zaklady Unikat pattern ART108) to make this yummy loaf:

For those who prefer longer, more slender loafs, we have some 12.25" Polish Stoneware Loaf Bakers. I think these slender bakers would be great for cooking up some fancy loafs to slice for appetizers at a party!

Polish Pottery for the Holidays

I admit...I'm still posting photos from Thanksgiving...because the food looked amazing!

We used the Zaklady Polish Pottery Deep Baker with Handles (GU1345) to hold all of our turkey carvings:

A medium-sized Polish Pottery pitcher held our homemade gravy:

A small Polish Stoneware baker held our steamed fresh green beans (yummy)!:

And what Thanksgiving would be complete without crab? Oh wait--MINE would!

However, years ago my sister and her husband decided to start their own Thanksgiving traditions. Not being the biggest Turkey fans, they decided that they would have crab and steak for their "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner.

So, with my sister's family, my family, and our parents together for Thanksgiving this year, we had quite the assortment of "traditional" food. We cooked up a turkey for my Dad (half of us are vegans--and I must admit I cheated a TAD to have some!), and my sister and her husband brought crab (skipping the steak, due to an overwhelming amount of food, as it was).

They used a GU879 Polish Pottery Pie Plate to hold their clippings (is that what you call them? I don't eat seafood!), and small Polish Pottery bowls to hold their butter dip.

Valentine's Day Polish Pottery Sale!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner...and we have many great gifts on our retail website:

POLISH POTTERY IS 10% OFF with Coupon Code: VAL10

Also, get FREE SHIPPING on Polish Pottery orders of $99 or more!

Our pottery has grown extensively, with over 600 pieces added just since Christmas! In fact, we now carry over 200 patterns in just Dinner Plates, including those from Zaklady Factory, our favorite Polish pottery supplier, and the upscale Ceramika Factory. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

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10% off Polish Pottery Coupon, and Free $99+ Polish Pottery Shipping Expires 2/5/10. To redeem coupon, place items in shopping cart, and enter the Coupon Code in the box at the bottom of the Shopping Cart screen (at bottom of the screen before clicking “checkout"). To use the coupon, you must log in as a registered customer on our website, or call us at 1-877-816-1505.

More Yummy Food... in Yummy Polish Pottery

If Polish Pottery was a food, I would definitely eat it.

Here is a wonderfully sized bowl by the Zaklady Cermicazne in Boleslawiec Poland. I find myself using it often for mixing, rolls, salads, desserts, etc. We have a billion bowls on our website (seriously--it's a bit overwhelming, don't you think?) in many shapes and sizes. You can find your favorite size by clicking HERE.

The kids all love Olives, so we put some in an apple baker dish so they could eat them to their heart's content. What olive-eating is complete without olive fingers?

My sister made a terribly-tempting cheese spread (particularly tempting for a vegan, such as me), which I broke down and enjoyed. We served the cheeseball on a Bread Plate by Zaklady, with the crackers in heart bowls. We currently have this bread plate in 52 different patterns! We also have similarly sized bread plates from the Ceramica Artystyczna Factory. I've had some customers tell me they put 3 heart-bowls together, with points inwards-which makes a cute display for serving at parties.

Holidays with Polish Pottery

For Thanksgiving, I was at my Mom's house! She is the one who started our family's adiction for Polish Pottery, and her collection is always growing.

She made a fantastic fresh cranberry/apple/orange fruit salad with jello. It was amazinglygood! She used her GU350 Baker from Zaklady Ceramiczne. I am adding this awesome baker size today, so check it out! Also, I'll be adding the GU349 Polish Pottery Stoneware Baker (slightly smaller), as well!

I love her GU1014 Polish Pottery Stoneware Dinner Plates, also from Zaklady Ceramiczne (and the same size plates I use in my home). Although this photo is of her matching Peacock plates, she actually has quite an assortment of patterns!

My Mom's Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing is always made fresh. It's the same recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook, but my mom never measures her spices (hmm...this sounds familiar...like Mother, like Daughter!)...and it is superb! She served it in the GU1347 Zaklady Cermicazne Polish Pottery Deep Bowl with Handles.

All in all, it was a fantastic Thanksgiving, and I will be posting more and more photos of our yummy dishes over these last few Holidays!