Rustic Light Redo

I have a mystery light in my backyard. It's been there since we moved in. There is no switch to turn it on or off,  just a light sensor that makes it work.  That means it comes on on at dusk, but also on dark rainy days. The only good thing about it is that it lights the backyard at night, so until I decide to spend a chunk of money on some new outdoor lighting, it's staying right where it is. Did I mention that it's ugly? Parking lot ugly.

See what I mean? I especially like the way the dirt dauber nests show up at night...

One of these days I'll replace it, but until then, it's time to work a little magic. I had a bunch of English ivy that was taking over one of my trees, so I pulled it down and decided it would be perfect for this project. I also had 2 metal rings that have been hanging around, waiting to discover their true purpose. One is from an old wagon wheel that fell apart, the other is from a wine barrel. They were cool looking, so I just never threw them away, knowing I would find a use for them some day. Today is that day. The only thing I needed to buy was some wire.

I started by attaching the small ring to the top of the fixture. I made sure that it didn't interfere with the sensor since that is what makes the light work. 

Next, I attached the larger ring so that it hung just below the base of the light shade. 

Using the wire, I made a form.  Remember this is rustic so perfection is not necessary. This form is going to be covered with vines.

The next step was to strip the leaves off of the vines. 

Now it's time to start weaving in the vines. The hardest part of this for me ws doing it 12 feet in the air. 

Just keep weaving. The light will still be partially visible, but it will look so much better. 

Cute right? It's still plenty bright at night too.  I think it looks like a bird's nest.

WARNING!!! 

Do not attempt this if your light gets hot. A cute light is not worth catching your house on fire. I went out at night and touched the fixture to make sure it wasn't hot. This has a plastic shade so it doesn't get as hot as glass would.  If your fixture does get hot, you could use wire instead of vines, but it would take a lot more wire to cover the shade.

I'll keep you posted... 

Lynn

Bourbon Banana Bread with Bourbon Glazed Pecans

Here I go again with another banana bread recipe, but really, bourbon and pecans? How could I pass that up? I have to give the idea for this one to my son the chef. His idea, my recipe. Just to be clear...

This doesn't have an overwhelming bourbon taste. It's just enough to make you notice. The glazed pecans were an afterthought, but they really add a touch of class to this humble loaf.  Give it a try the next time you have some bananas that have ripened past the stage you want to eat them. Here's what you'll need:

    • 3-4 (400g) very ripe bananas
    • 1/2 stick (57g) butter at room temperature
    • 4 oz (106g) cream cheese at room temperature
    • 1/4 C (72g) unsweetened applesauce
    • 1/2 C (96g) dark brown sugar
    • 1/4 C (51g) granulated sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 1/2 C (210g) flour
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • pinch of allspice
    • pinch of ground gloves
    • 1 C (130g) coarsely chopped pecans
    • 2 oz bourbon

    Topping

  • 1/2 C (65g) coarsely chopped pecans
  • 2 TBL (28g) butter
  • 2 TBL brown sugar
  • 1 TBL bourbon
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. 

Mixi the butter, cream cheese, applesauce, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a mixer until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix.

 

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, mixing until well incorporated. I want to take a minute to tell you about my love of fresh nutmeg. I buy the whole nuts then grate them using my grater that's made for just this purpose. I don't love having a lot of specialized gadgets, but this one is an exception. The taste is so much better that it's worth it.

  

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer until just combined.

Add the bananas and mix again. Stir in the pecans and pour into a loaf pan.

 

For the topping, melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the brown sugar and spices, cooking until the sugar dissolves. Away from the flame, add the bourbon and stir. return to the heat and cook for a couple of minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the pecans and toss to coat and cook another minute. 

 

Pour the pecans over the batter in the loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until center is cooked (or slightly gooey if you're like me!)

 

Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Slice and devour. 

Enjoy! 

Lynn

Quick Quiche

This is an easy breezy recipe that I've been making for 30 years. Can that be right?!? Have I really been cooking for that long?  The answer is yes. 30+ is more accurate. This quiche recipe was given to me by a friend of my mom's and it is one of the first recipes that made me feel like I might actually be able to learn to cook. Before that, it was pretty much Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese from a box, spaghetti sauce from a jar, you get the picture. This is a quick go to meal that I usually pair with a salad. Use the ingredients as a guide, but feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand. It is good with any combination of meat, cheese, and veggies that you have. If you want to make the crust from scratch, be my guest, but the whole point of this meal for me is the fast preparation, so I use store bought pie crust. It's one of those things that I always keep in my freezer. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 unbaked pie shell
  • ½ lb. ground beef, cooked
  • ½ C mayonnaise
  • ½ C milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 TBL cornstarch
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 C grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 C grated swiss cheese
  • ½ C green onion, chopped

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. 

Next, roll out your pie crust slightly. I have found that if I don't roll it out before I use it, it tends to shrink. Place the crust in a pie pan and crimp the edges. Be fancy or simple, it will taste good either way. 

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, corn starch, and mayonnaise. Sprinkle in the chives and stir. You'll notice that I used dried chives because I didn't have any fresh on hand.  

For this quiche, I decided to add a chopped Serrano pepper. 

Now, stir in the shredded cheeses. 

Stir in the cooked hamburger. 

Pour the mixture into your pie crust. This is when I noticed that I was using my extra deep pie dish... Oh well. It will taste just as good. Your pie pan will look a little fuller if you use a standard size. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes until firm in the center and brown around the edges. 

Let it sit about 10 minutes before you slice it. When I serve this for dinner with a salad, it serves 4 hungry people. It's great leftover too! 

Enjoy! 

Lynn