KTgreen – Page 292

Sunroom

August 30, 2013 by KTgreen

Coming back from a vacation always puts me in the mood to create something new and I’ve got all kinds of ideas. But I also wanted to clean up some old projects. I don’t have much storage–houses in Florida do not typically have basements and the attics are too hot to actually use. I have numerous baskets and trunks that I use for fabric storage tagged with the appropriate label. But those hiding places are overflowing and after doing a little inventory I decided that some of this stuff must be used before I buy anything new.

I had these matching fabrics which would really make a cute nautical tote bag for the beach. But I’m really not into making tote bags right now. And summer’s almost over.

I used this stuff years ago to make cushions and pillows for my sunroom which is outside of the main guest bedroom. (Sometimes it’s a bedroom, it’s more often Terry’s office and my workout room.)

I’ve had this rocking chair for 36 years! I bought it right before Jes was born. It was a dark pine with an awful orange upholstery which I thought was GREAT back in 1977. When I came to my senses a few decades later, I couldn’t strip the dark stain so just painted it white. My first piece of painted furniture that I did way back in the 90s!

My friends gave me this glider for my 50th birthday. It was rusted but in otherwise good shape, so I had it powder coated and now it’s beautiful!

The navy blue and white is the same color scheme in my laundry room and there are two expedit shelves in there which need some boxes. More storage! I’ve been wanting to try a different method to create the boxes so thought that this would be a perfect DIY.

I planned on giving the instructions for this box today but wanted to make it twice. One time creating the directions, the second time following and fixing my babble . But I ran out of interfacing. Tried to get some at WalMart (which is the only shop that we have here in Homosassa) but no one actually works in the fabric department. It’s just there for decoration. So I’ll be headed to “far away” to pick up some raw materials today and will give you the tutorial next Friday!

Have a great last summer holiday weekend!

In the Garden

August 29, 2013 by KTgreen

I can’t resist posting pictures of the butterflies. Each week it seems I’m getting another variety of Swallowtail and this week two different types arrived! This has definitely been the best year I’ve had for butterflies.

In the Garden, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail — Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Zebra Longwing on Pagoda Plant

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, In the Garden — Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Giant Swallowtail on hummingbird bush.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail — One more pic of the Eastern Swallowtail

The other variety showed up yesterday. This one is a Palamedes Swallowtail and is huge! I didn’t get a very good picture of it but will try for a better one for next week.

Palamedes Swallowtail, the the Garden — Palamedes Swallowtail

I planted this vine to cover up the fence and it does a really good job. It’s an annual and I can never remember its name but always find the seed packet at Home Depot. Might be a cross vine. It has sweet little red trumpets on a delicate fringelike vine.

I have a lot of butterfly and hummingbird plants but I think this patch of sunshine flowers attract most of the butterflies. There are some cosmos, zinnias, black-eyed susan, and purple coneflowers. I mow them down when they get really ugly in November and they all come back the next year. So easy! So rewarding!

Cosmos, in the garden — Cosmos and Zinnias

Eastern Black Swallowtail — I can’t get a picture of a hummingbird but this eastern black swallowtail struck a pose.

And one last picture from the garden, not only butterfly friendly, birds like to hide in the jatropha. This guy is waiting for me to fill the bird feeders.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, Limoncello Scented Watermelon Granita

August 28, 2013 by KTgreen

It’s hot – yes, that stupid Global Warming is hard at work here in Florida! Good thing it’s still watermelon season. Because there’s really nothing quite like watermelon in the summer. It’s not something you can get year round (not that you’d actually want to if you could). I mean, you can’t can it or make it into some kind of jam to open in another 4 months and still smell the sunshine. I know there are people who make watermelon jelly, and people who pickle it….um, no thank you. There’s something about cooking melons that just turns my stomach. It becomes something completely different – and somewhat unpleasant to me. I want it cool and fruity – like I just cut it. So, that leaves, the freezer. I love sorbet, but I don’t have an ice cream maker. What’s next, granita…ooo, yes. I’ve seen cooks do that on tv and it looks so simple. Then I cruised the Net for some ideas. I stumbled upon a few recipes that include vodka…hey, now we’re talkin’! Years ago my husband an I had a friend who spouted that ‘real drinkers keep their vodka in the freezer.‘ You know, there’s something to that. It keeps things from freezing too hard as well. But everybody puts vodka in stuff…I wanted to mix things up a bit. Seeing as granita is honestly an Italian dish, and includes lime juice, why not use an Italian liquor? Italians keep limoncello in their freezer for a super cool summer sip. …and I just happen to have some….let’s go make some Limoncello Scented Watermelon Granita (ooo, sounds sophisticated, hee, hee – it’s not)

Step 1

You’ll need:

1 medium watermelon, or just a bowl full chopped up.

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup limoncello

1 (or 2 if they’re small) juiced limes

1 food processor or blender, a pyrex dish or other flat freezer safe vessel, a mixing bowl. And a freezer – make a space!

Limoncello Scented Watermelon Granita, Step 1

Step 2:

Get the melon chopped. Depending on the melon and how many over heated kids you have running in and out of the house, you may only use about half of it.

Step 3:

Give the melon a whirl. Work in batches. I made mine into a puree, but there were some dime sized chunks, and that’s fine with me.

Step 4:

Mix the other ingredients into the melon puree. The sugar will dissolve, just give it a stir.

Step 5:

Scoop it into the flat dish.

Step 5.5:

I had some extra that wouldn’t fit in the dish. That bit I put into another bowl and decided to add even more rum (about a cup in about 4 cups of melon mix). You’ve seen those ‘buckets-o-booze’ at the store. The one with the sugar water based flavor stuff that you add an entire bottle of tequila or whatever and then freeze it for margaritas or daiquiris’. Oh, yea. So, this is a slightly more healthy version, because there’s no HFCS or artificial colors…..just fruit and booze. Oooo, I’m all a tingle!

Step 6:

Now, cover it with plastic wrap and get it in the freezer. In about an hour or so, check it and scrape it with a fork. Like a grown-up Slurpee! (hurry freezer – I’m soooo hot here!…and not in a good way)

Step 7:

No, this isn’t a shot from NASA of the surface of the red planet…this is cool fruity heaven right here on Earth! And because it’s frozen, you could keep it way longer than any fresh watermelon would survive in the fridge.

Finale:

Finally, and not too soon, it’s done…super cool, incredibly watermelony (is that a word? – it is now!) As I sample it, you can taste the limoncello. It’s very subtle though, and it’s really an after taste. One of those things that make you smile, but you have to ask “What’s in this?” Summer baby – that’s what’s in it!

Michelle @ www.badzoot.com