KTgreen – Page 359

Tray DIY

February 10, 2013December 7, 2012 by KTgreen

I drop off donations at the back door of the Hospice Thrift Shop in Homosassa Springs and then go in the front door and look for things I don’t need. Such a silly cycle. But I’m always on the hunt for trays. They are so useful, can be updated easily, and are really expensive at retail. This treasure was marked $12.50 but the store was having a 20% discount. I was especially thrilled with the really cool lucite handles.

Tray DIY

So thrilled that I let it sit on my workbench for about six weeks. Finally yesterday I had some inspiration to get it DONE! (Nothing like having a party looming to get me inspired!) First the handles had to be removed. Some sanding, a coat of primer on the inside of the tray since I wasn’t sure what the material was, then a couple coats of Krylon Metallic paint. When I put the handles back on I realized that they were brass. Really tarnished but I could see the brass color inside the lucite part. Cool. Got the Brasso out. Shined those babies up. Perfect!

Tray DIY

I love it sitting on the liquor cabinet. I picked up that little pretty while shopping with Michelle at Renninger’s Antique Extravaganza in Mt. Dora. I wanted to just clean up the cabinet and restore the original finish but it was too damaged. Some wood putty, sanding, a couple coats of Kilz Primer followed by Pewter Gray spray paint. Voila! Bar!

I posted about the magnetic chalkboard back in August. I’ve been browsing Pinterest and the blogosphere looking for something Christmasy to put on the chalkboard–clever but not gushy sentimental. I found this idea on one of the many blogs I follow, Our Fifth House. Basically, just draw a tree and use clipon earrings as ornaments. I took old broken jewelry and stuck magnets on the back and onto the tree. So much easier than the real thing–but doesn’t smell as good!

Went to a “wine” tasting at ABC Liquor in Crystal River with a bunch of neighbors this week. Fun! Along with wine, there was plenty of beer and liquors to taste. Picked up these yummy liquid delights for the holidays!

And these are my drunk reindeer. Thought it was appropriate that they be included on the bar!

Tray DIY

So happy I was finally inspired to finish the tray. I love how it looks and will love using it for all my festive gatherings over the next month. Cheers!

Birds in the Back

December 11, 2012December 6, 2012 by KTgreen

My yard was a crazy hub of bird activity yesterday. We always have many more birds hanging out in our backyard in the winter than in the warmer months.

This robin is on lookout. He doesn’t actually eat from the bird feeder. He’s here because of the bird bath and our cedar trees. There are dozens of robins hopping around the yard and perched in the trees. I call these guys the “scouts”. They’re checking out the water and food supplies for the masses of robins migrating through in a few weeks.

Cardinals like the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder. I’ve tried different mixes of bird seed but the birds usually just push it out–to the greedy fat squirrels waiting below.

When we put up our first bird feeder the squirrels were getting quite chunky. They not only climbed the pole, they jumped out of trees and launched off of a light fixture to get to the seeds. Our neighbor, Ernie, suggested that we use a large diameter PVC pipe painted with glossy paint because the squirrels can’t climb it. Ernie, who passed away this past summer, also made the bird feeder and liked to bring me plants–along with all kinds of advice.

Birds in the Back

These black vultures were checking out something in the sawgrass. While I was trying to see what they were watching, I didn’t notice the bald eagle flying overhead until it was almost too late.

Birds in the Back

Birds in the Back The vultures moved to the dead palm trees to get a better view.

Birds in the Back

My last bird sighting yesterday was a pileated woodpecker.

It was a good day in Maggie’s Big Back Yard.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

December 11, 2012December 5, 2012 by KTgreen

I’m sooo happy it’s Christmas ! I’m a Christmas Kid, like my Auntie. There’s part of me that hates the holiday season,…no, not my wallet,…my thighs! Ugh – everything is either covered in chocolate, laced with heavy cream or filled with some decadent use for cream cheese. My list for that last one’s really pretty long!

The other day I was out shopping, (shocking, I know) and once again found myself in front of the dairy case dreaming, or drooling over the 50 varieties of Eggnog now available. BTW, none of which can even come close to MY Eggnog. If you’ve been to a Beal Christmas Party (well, except the last one) you’ve had my eggnog – and probably needed a cab too! It’s Martha’s version. Who know she was such a party-girl. There’s like a dozen eggs, cream, milk, and almost 6 cups of booze! I pulled that recipe out and ran it thru the analyzer and nearly fainted – 395 calories (I’ll call it a solid 400!), and 23.7 g of FAT. OMG. I had to laugh when I looked at the booze included, the program gives a grading on the healthiness level of each ingredient. Apparently, bourbon is slightly more healthy than cognac and much better than rum – hmm, is that why Capt. Jack Sparrow’s so svelte? BTW – they all scored an F. Ha ha ha ! Or, Ho, Ho, Ho….Yo,ho,ho…

Wait a minute, at the store they had a lo-fat one by Bolthouse Farms (I’m sure there are others, but this one caught my eye) – and for a mere $6.00 you could have a small bottle of it. Not even in the 1/2 gal size. OMG. I looked at the label and thought,.no, no, I can do this. And not for $6.00! This is what I came up with…

Step 1: The ingredients (no, I didn’t use the heavy cream. But everything was so clean for a photo)

Adventure's in the Kitchen with Michelle — Step 1

2 Cups Almond Milk

1 can Evaporated Fat-Free Milk (12oz)

3/4 Cup Fat-Free Half&Half

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Whey-Low reg.

1 tsp Vanilla

Nutmeg to taste

Optional booze:

1 shot Bourbon

1 shot Cognac

2 Shots Dark Rum (cause I like rum!)

Step 2: Get the milks in a sauce pan on low and begin to warm.

Step 3: Whisk the egg and sugar, and vanilla together and whisk into the milks before they get too hot. (or you’ll have sweet scrambled eggs!) S L O W L Y bring it up to a steam (about 160-165 deg). It’ll thicken a bit, but not the ‘drinkable custard’ that store-bought is. You’ll need more eggs for that, and my thighs said “NO!”

Step 4: The Optional booze – yeah, right! Nobody but me drinks it here – so, load the cannons my friends! It’s Christmas!!

Step 5: The pricey supermarket bottle listed ‘whey concentrate’, which I took as a thickener. I’ve got that, sort of (we use it for smoothies). So I took a 1/2 cup of the finished product and whirled it up in the magic bullet. It was ok, a little thicker. If you have some you can do that. Not worth the added calories to me though.

Finale: Makes 6 cups of an awesome substitute! The analyzer came up with more fat than I thought at 10g, but still only 155 calories. It still is eggnog, with an actual whole egg (I guess I could try it with EggBeaters too,…but I was out) and everything is a kitchen staple here. So, it probably made the equivalent of $12.00 worth of the supermarket stuff,…and that’s with MakersMark and Friends! (yes, those are kitchen staples here too….you know me, right?) Yo, ho, ho and Merry Christmas!!!