OK, I’ll admit it, I am a clearance and thrift store hound. Who doesn’t love a great bargain? Especially a bargain on something you have never known you might want before! Such was the case as I found these really interesting little dishes on the clearance rack at one of my favorite haunts. They were 98 cents each. I bought all eight.
So, what are they? They are dipping sauce dishes, mostly used in Asian cooking, but I had another idea. I will probably use them in the future for something like egg rolls, but right now I am in cookout mode. Summer is winding down, and my favorite time of year is right around the corner. So, time for a cookout for two.
I set the outdoor veranda table with the fruit and leaf placemats with matching napkins. The wooden napkin rings were perfect for this setting. Basic white plates, with the cherry salad plates on top.
The colors went well with the placemats. Adding glasses, flatware and salt/pepper completed the settings.
The centerpiece was also a fruit themed planter, with the end of season Johnny Jump-Ups showing their last blooms of the season. I used my little ceramic board to announce the menu.
Boneless pork ribs were seasoned with garlic salt and lemon pepper.
DH grilled them, and later said that not having barbeque sauce dripping on the grill was nice. I filled the dipping sauce dishes and set them back on the table.
I planned to use barbeque sauce in one of the wells in the sauce dish, but discovered that I had run out. So our sauces were teriyaki, horseradish and worchestershire steak sauce.
It was fun to dip the individual bites of grilled pork into the different sauces while enjoying the meal and the view. I served the meat with sea-salt baked potatoes and a lovely salad with the last of my garden lettuce. We found that the little sauce dishes worked better sitting on the plate as the salad was set to the side.
It was a nicely cool evening, and we enjoyed a lovely sunset after our meal. The rain cleared off, so the clouds were beautifully lit by the waning light.
Have you ever used a dipping sauce for a meal at home? Do you have any little specialty dishes like these?
Sharing…
. 
From My Carolina Home 
Those are the cutest little dishes. The first thing I thought of was watercolor painting LOL! But I would probably use them in the kitchen too… I have had to force myself to stay out of thrift stores this summer as I am trying to purge and I would be defeated that process if I went in one 🙂
I’m totally hooked on thrift stores, too — I go to at least 6 different stores each week (I sell online, so some items to keep, some to resell). Always like seeing fun little dishes like you have, too. I have some interesting dishes as well, a little collection of ‘bone dishes’ that look like little crescent moons. When placed next to the dinner plate, their curves match the curve of a round dinner plate, looks really pretty. Well, until you fill them with bones from fish or ribs or something! Your idea makes me think they could be used for something else besides bones, perhaps a crescent roll.
I love your table setting. I have the same placemats and napkins, so I might just be a bit of a copycat for dinner tonight. Love your new little dishes and your great use of them!
Hello Carole, I just love your table settings and arrangements. DH and I very seldom ever eat at the table but when we do, I try and set a nice table also. It just feels more inviting and intimate that way. I do have a couple of special sauces that we use for dipping. The main one is my homemade BBQ sauce that everyone who has tried it just loves it. I have been so busy with so many projects that I still have not gotten to the Scrap Dance sewing. LOL. I am hoping that within the next couple of days, I will have two of the other projects done and then can work on the Scrap Dance by machine and my Double Wedding Ring doing hand applique. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful creative day!
What a lovely place setting! Thanks for sharing at My Flagstaff Home!
Jennifer