TableScape

09/04/2026

Our friend Jeremiah’s favorite ball team is the Toledo Mud Hens. He was just telling us about his experiences at the minor league ballpark when we came across this recipe. Little buddy, this one is for you. What’s a mud hen bar you may ask?

It's hard to pin down the origins of the original recipe for mud hen bars, but they're widely believed to have been created in the South or Midwest in the 1940s or 1950s. Variations of the recipe are often found in church and potluck cookbooks. Mud hen bars are made up of three layers: a blondie-style base layer, a middle layer made with chocolate chips, and a meringue topping. The finished bars are sweet and buttery with just the right amount of crunch from the toasted top crust.🥄

09/03/2026

Remember flipping through early print editions of Tablescape Magazine and dreaming up your next dinner party?

From those glossy pages of classic pulp to our digital home today, the journey has been all about celebrating the art of gathering and cooking.

How did you first discover us—wordof mouth or in your social feed? Let us know below!

09/02/2026

Great recipe included!

This recipe gives corn chowder a new twist with coconut milk, which brings deeper, more complex flavor and keeps the meal dairy-free. Fresh summer corn comes with a big bonus: flavorful cobs. Save them for use in any soup that features corn, like this chowder. A quick simmer extracts all of their naturally sweet juices to create a corn-forward broth.

The inclusion of cod and shrimp makes this chowder more luxurious (feel free to pick just one or the other, using 1½ pounds of cod or 1 pound of shrimp, if preferred). A final addition of freshly grated ginger brightens the chowder and highlights the delicate seafood.🥄



INGREDIENTS
Yield:
4 servings
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium leek, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
* 2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off, cobs scraped and cobs reserved (about 1½ cups kernels and scrapings)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 8 ounces Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
* 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
* Salt and pepper
* 1 pound skinless cod fillets, cut into 1- to 1½-inch pieces
* ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
* 2 cups/2 ounces baby spinach
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus more for garnish
* 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
* Crusty bread, for serving

PREPARATION
1. Step In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add leeks, corn kernels and corn scrapings, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened but not browned, 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Step Add potatoes, clam juice, corn cobs and 2 cups of water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and broth tastes like corn, about 15 minutes. (Mash up some of the potatoes if a thicker chowder is desired.) Discard corn cobs.

3. Step Season cod and shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Stir in coconut milk, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until seafood is just opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add spinach, lemon juice, chives and ginger, and cook just until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Step Divide chowder among bowls and garnish with chives and more pepper. Serve warm, with bread on the side.

09/01/2026

This recipe gives corn chowder a new twist with coconut milk, which brings deeper, more complex flavor and keeps the meal dairy-free. Fresh summer corn comes with a big bonus: flavorful cobs. Save them for use in any soup that features corn, like this chowder. A quick simmer extracts all of their naturally sweet juices to create a corn-forward broth.

The inclusion of cod and shrimp makes this chowder more luxurious (feel free to pick just one or the other, using 1½ pounds of cod or 1 pound of shrimp, if preferred). A final addition of freshly grated ginger brightens the chowder and highlights the delicate seafood.🥄



INGREDIENTS
Yield:
4 servings
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium leek, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
* 2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off, cobs scraped and cobs reserved (about 1½ cups kernels and scrapings)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 8 ounces Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
* 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
* Salt and pepper
* 1 pound skinless cod fillets, cut into 1- to 1½-inch pieces
* ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
* 2 cups/2 ounces baby spinach
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus more for garnish
* 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
* Crusty bread, for serving

PREPARATION
1. Step In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add leeks, corn kernels and corn scrapings, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened but not browned, 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Step Add potatoes, clam juice, corn cobs and 2 cups of water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and broth tastes like corn, about 15 minutes. (Mash up some of the potatoes if a thicker chowder is desired.) Discard corn cobs.

3. Step Season cod and shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Stir in coconut milk, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until seafood is just opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add spinach, lemon juice, chives and ginger, and cook just until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Step Divide chowder among bowls and garnish with chives and more pepper. Serve warm, with bread on the side.

09/01/2026

When we talk about pumpkin spice, it's important to distinguish between two eras: before the PSL and after the PSL. PSL, of course, stands for Pumpkin Spice Latte, the seasonal, cream-topped Starbucks beverage that originally launched in 2003.

Before the PSL, pumpkin spice referred to a blend of spices that was used to flavor pumpkin pie, often combining cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. The spice blend has long been a part of the American baking tradition. In fact, there are two recipes for spice-filled "pompkin" pie in Amelia Simmons' 1798 reprint of her cookbook American Cookery.

Centuries later, in the 1930s, spice manufacturing companies like Thompson & Taylor Spice Co and McCormick & Company came out with a revolutionary product: Pumpkin Pie Spice, a pre-blended mix that meant bakers could buy one spice instead of several. Thompson & Taylor's version, released in 1933, included nine spices. Today, McCormick's blend, which was originally launched in 1934, includes four spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, plus sulfiting agents.

While it's unclear who the first person was to add pumpkin spice into a latte (the idea to combine the two likely wasn't a Starbucks invention), the Starbucks employee credited with bringing the idea to the company is Peter Dukes, then the director of espresso, whose team created other seasonal drinks like the eggnog latte and peppermint mocha. From 2003 to 2021, Starbucks sold more than 424 million PSLs in the U.S. alone.

Love it or hate it, the PSL crowd is overjoyed with the return of its cream topped seasonal favorite and it looks like it’s here to stay. 🥄



Fun fact: In the course of developing the PSL, the Starbucks research and development team poured espresso shots on top of pumpkin pies, tasting different combinations to determine the best ratio of cinnamon and nutmeg to coffee and steamed milk. But it wasn't until 2015 that Starbucks started including real pumpkin in the drink.

08/31/2026

In ancient Rome, most people didn’t have their own ovens. This included some bakers, which put them in a tricky spot since bread was strictly regulated. Government officials would carefully inspect the weight, size, and cost of the loaves, and nobody wanted to get punished for someone else’s substandard bread. So to distinguish their goods, bakers put their dough in the oven with a bronze brand on top, which would leave an indent on the finished product — not unlike a maker’s mark on ceramics.🥄

08/30/2026

Chili crisp is an infused oil condiment that usually contains crunchy, flavorful bits of peppers, onions or scallions, garlic and other aromatics. “Chili crisp,” “chili oil and “chili sauce” can often be used interchangeably, but generally what differentiates chili crisp is the ratio of crispy bits to oil.

Anyone who has had Chinese chili crisp or chili oil will almost undoubtedly become a fan. This condiment has a cult-like following — and for good reason: It’s a flavor bomb, incredibly nuanced, usually spicy, full of umami and goes with almost anything (yes, even dessert!). Plus, it’s a spicy condiment that typically isn’t vinegar-based. If you like heat and texture this firey gem is for you. 🥄

08/29/2026

Come for the dip, and stay for the bread. The bread you tear off at the end is as crave-able as the dip itself. The crackly French bread will absorb and embrace the “sinfulness” of the dip so nothing is wasted on this recipe.

Mississippi Sin Dip originated in Mississippi, likely in the mid-20th century, and is a staple at Mississippi State University tailgates, particularly in "The Junction". Known for being "rich as sin"—due to its mix of cream cheese, sour cream, ham, and cheddar—it is traditionally served inside a hollowed-out loaf of French bread. 🥄

Hit us up for the recipe…

08/27/2026

A BLT for any season, our version doesn't depend on the perfect tomato, nor bacon with pedigree, for that matter. Instead, it leans on a few details that can elevate the lowliest ingredients. Slathering one side of bread with mayo and griddling it gives supermarket white a crackling veneer, while leaving the rest suitably soft and squishy. Sprinkling the tomato with salt and letting it sit a while helps the seasoning pe*****te. Baking the bacon leaves it stick-straight (so the sandwich is less likely to topple, while pulling it from the oven before it's fully crisp keeps it a little fatty.
A slab of iceberg — cut crosswise from the whole head (preferably from the center) — is a game-changer, ensuring the sandwich's structural integrity and delivering exceptional crunch.🥄

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐾

Because let’s be honest, they gotta eat too.
Whether it's gourmet dog food or a well-deserved pup cup piled high with whipped cream, treat your furry best friend to something special today.🥄