But first, I have this recipe that you must try.  I thought up the combination, but you have probably eaten the ingredients separately before.

PESTO BACON QUICHE

 - 1/2 cup of your favorite pesto (homemade or purchased)

 - 1/2 pound bacon

- 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

- 5 eggs

- 1 cup milk

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

 - 1/4 teaspoon pepper

- 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS

 - Spread pesto over unbaked pie shell

 - Cook bacon till crisp.  Break into pieces and sprinkle over pesto.

 - Mix cheese, flour, eggs, milk, salt and pepper till well-blended.  Gently pour into pie crust on top of pesto and bacon.

 - Bake in a 375 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.  It is done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

It is great served with a salad.  This will satisfy a man’s appetite and the ladies who lunch.

*****

Take care.

Linking to 

I’m talking about Old FriendsEquine.  It is a non-profit farm that has been set up to house old horses that no longer have a home.

Some of them are like this one named Gulch who is a former race horse. He won over a million dollars and also sired some impressive offspring.

And some of them are like this big boy who didn’t do so great on the race track or on the stud farm, but he still needed a home.  The masks the horses are wearing work like sun glasses to protect their eyes from the sun and flies.  They can see just fine with them.

They love to ham it up for their visitors because they will get to eat these carrots.

This rock star is named Silver Charm.  He has his own Facebook page (Little Silver Charm at Old Friends) and is a miniature horse.

He also plays soccer.

Silver Charm has a big crush on Zenyatta.  She is a very successful fillie who raced.  Her photo hangs in his run-in shed.

Meet Popcorn Deelites.  He is an actor and has his own Screen Actor’s Guild card.  Can’t you tell he loves a camera???

He earned $10,000 playing in “Seabiscuit”.  They used eight horses, and Popcorn Deelites was one.  His role was to play Seabiscuit when he was in the starting gate waiting to start a race.  Popcorn has a calm temperament and didn’t mind staying in the gate for the long filming process.  He gladly donated his paycheck to the farm.

They also have a large horse cemetery, and every Memorial Day the farm has its own ceremony to recognize and honor the horses that have passed away.  The Keeneland bugler plays a “call to the post” in honor of the horses, and every adult in attendance has the opportunity to toast the horses with a shot of the best Kentucky bourbon.

Old Friends operates completely on private donations.  They give tours daily.  There is no charge, but they will accept financial contributions.  If you are ever near Georgetown, KY, located about 15 miles north of Lexington, plan to visit the farm.  Be sure to make a reservation.  You will learn lots of interesting facts about the horses’ pasts, and you will make some new friends.

*****

Take care.

You can turn a plain ole US Postal Service rural mail box into an ………..

…..adorable bread box.

My mother tole painted this one.  But, hey, if you don’t want to paint it, you can decoupage anything on it you want.

It takes several easy steps.  First, you clean the mail box with soap and water.  After it dries, sand it to roughen up the factory finish.  Then apply your favorite paint.  After the paint dries, you can add the decoration and lettering.  If you want it to look aged, this is when you add some glaze.  The final step is applying at least two coats of sealer.

If you want to use the box for something other than bread, then only label one side.  For instance, I store coffee k-cups in ours.  Then you aren’t locked in to using it for just one thing.

Be sure to add little rubberized pads to the bottom of all four corners so that the lid doesn’t scrape against your countertop when you open it (the lid – not the countertop).

So, there.  Wasn’t that clever and easy???

*****

Take care.

Linking to   

This porch is located on the second floor off of the hallway.  Since the house was built in 1885, this was probably a sleeping porch in the hot and humid Kentucky summers.

Not many porches have floors that look like this.

There are lots of inviting places to sit.  Aren’t the pillows great?

This equestrian themed toile is perfect here in horse country.  I have never seen this print before and love it!!!

The coffee table is really unusual, too.  It’s too pretty to cover with knick-knacks.

The top is made of individual tiles that look hand-painted.  I love the handles.

This makes me want to sit back and read a good book.

I love the pop of color.

This dapper piece of art is perfect in the space.

Here is another great place to sit.

The candles are ready in case you want to linger after the sun goes down.

Just like the porch downstairs, this one has a bar area.  After all, it’s five o’clock somewhere.

An old ladder that is mounted to the wall holds horsey items.

Check out the patina on the horseshoe.

I have decided that this space is not a porch.  It is more like a veranda.  Don’t you?  So, let’s call this blog “Another Decorator Showcase Porch Veranda.

Take care.

linking to   

I realize that rhubarb season is nearly over for many of you, but strawberry season is still going strong.  Everyone loves a rhubarb-strawberry pie.  Well, this takes that dessert and makes it easier by using an easy Bisquick topping.

This recipe takes about an hour from start to finish.

RHUBARB STRAWBERRY COBBLER

        – 1 cup sugar, divided

        - 1/2 cup water

        - 4 cups chopped rhubarb

         - 1 cup strawberries, sliced

         - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

        - 2 tablespoons butter

       Mix all ingredients and place them in a greased 8 x 8 square baking dish.

      –  1 cup Bisquick

      –  1/2 cup milk

      –  1 egg

      Mix and pour on top.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes.  If at that time the dough is not completely done, bake a few  minutes longer.

*****

It’s a big bicycling week-end here in Kentucky.  If you see us pedaling down the road, be sure to honk.  Have a safe and wonderful holiday.  Jordan and I will be taking Monday off.

*****

Take care.

Linking to 

*****

We have a table in our foyer, and I like to change things up to keep it interesting – more so for us than for our guests.

I recently added a 12 x 16 inch oil painting to the mix.  It joins some fresh flowers, my rustic pencils souvenir I bought in Argentina, and an old cream can, painted by my mother, that I turned into a lamp.

The colors in the painting work well with the other items, but I’m thinking that the toad stools on the lamp and the bird nest might just be too much.

You are all familiar with the artist.  That signature is mine.

I started taking oil painting classes last fall and was working on a painting of a little hen sitting on some straw.  I took her photo when I visited the honey farm.  However, I had never painted straw before and needed to practice before I messed up my masterpiece work.

My art teacher gave me a canvas that she had used for painting a background.  She told me to practice painting straw on that canvas.  Well, once I started practicing, I decided to make a nest.

A nest wouldn’t be complete without eggs, right?  I added three little robin’s egg blue eggs, but the color isn’t showing up well in this photo.  They aren’t perfect, but nature isn’t perfect either.  (That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it).

I bought the frame at Hobby Lobby.  They do the framing when you buy an open-backed frame and provide the art.  Plus, it takes just minutes, unless there is a line.

This is my third completed painting, but since it only took an hour, I’m not sure if it counts.  The other projects took a loooooooooong time.  However, this is my favorite so far.  I smile every time I walk past it.

*****

Click here to like The 2 Seasons on Facebook.

Take care.

Linking to  

They sent two kinds of beans, Ugandan and Tahitian.  I kept the Ugandan beans which were much smaller and mailed the other packet along with one of the bottles to Jordan so she can make her own concoction.  Making vanilla extract is not a fast process.  Although assembling everything is quick, I must now wait three to six months so that the beans and vodka (yes, you read that right) can get to know each other and then marry.

I did some on-line research about making vanilla extract and was surprised to see all of the information out there.  Some people take this very seriously.  They even age it in oak.  I learned that there are only two ingredients in the extract – vanilla beans and vodka.  The kind and quality of vodka isn’t as important as you would think. Since we already had some in our bar, I just used it.

The ratios of beans to vodka vary depending on how many beans you have.  I used three beans and 12 ounces of vodka.  The first thing I did was sterilize the bottle.  Then I sliced open a pod and scraped out what was inside.  Then I put both the pod and the innards, also called caviar, into the bottle.  I did this for each pod.

Then I added the vodka.

Then I sealed the bottle so that the mixture will not evaporate.  It will go into a dark cabinet away from the light.  For the first week I will shake it everyday.  After that, I will only shake it once a week.

Although it can be used sooner, getting the best flavor will take six months.  That means it will for sure be ready for my Christmas baking.  The beans will flavor the vodka for up to a year so as I remove extract for baking, I can add more vodka.

I am so excited about all of this.  I have decided that I will not bake my favorite chocolate chip cookies again until I can use my own homemade vanilla extract.  Hmmmmmm, that should be sometime in November.  I’ll give you a progress report midway through.

*****

Take care.

Although Beanilla provided the beans and bottle, we were not paid to write this blog entry, and the opinions are ours.

Linking to 

As a reminder, this is what we started with.  This photo was taken before the house was painted gray, before the shutters and window boxes were added, before the front doors were painted red, and before the previous owner’s landscaping was torn out.  He didn’t want to mow, and we do want to mow lush green grass.  First we removed all but one of the big bushes right in front of the house.

Next up was to transplant the three decorative grass plants into our backyard to create some sort of oasis.  You can also see that we made some  progress with the ivy.

Then we removed all this ivy with weeds mixed in.  This was a project we did by hand.

I worked in sun and rain pulling the ivy.  We wanted to make sure we really got the roots.  Some we were able to dig up so that made things a little easier.

While I was busy with the ivy, Mr. Spring was organizing where we were to put our new plants.  He took a water hose to make a curved line so we could determine where the plants stop and the grass starts.

Mr. Spring then placed the plants where they were suggested by Erin from Escapes Garden Consulting who helped us come up with a plan.

After planting, we spread out newspapers before we put the mulch on top.  This is to help with weed control, and I have to say so far it is working pretty well.

While removing the overgrown ivy, we found tons of rocks that were some sort of path leading to the sidewalk.  We have a pretty steep hill and decided to remove all the rocks for now and decide later if we want to do a path.  This was another good workout though Mr. Spring did the majority of the moving.

Here you go.  What a beauty with all the ivy gone.  We decided we need a new retaining wall, but we are putting that off till most likely next year.  We are hoping to get these projects done in the spring so we can go out and spend our time hiking, kayaking and camping during the summer weekends.

Last year when we wanted grass in our backyard, we worked for months removing gravel that the previous owner had poured on the entire area.  After all of the work, we wanted instant gratification and had a professional install sod.  We were happy with it, but after talking to a grass guru in Syracuse, we learned seeding is the way to go.  We thought we would give it a shot and listen to his recommendations.  Here Mr. Spring is seeding away.

I bet the final step had our neighbors cringing.  The grass guru said put sheets over the grass seeds for about a week and water with the sheets on.  This helps the birds not get the seeds and keeps the seeds from not washing away.  (I don’t know why he didn’t suggest that we use straw).  We left the sheets on for about a week.  They are to be removed at the first sight of grass.  As of now we have  a little bit of grass coming up.  We can see it if we stand right by our yard, squat down, and peak.  We are thrilled, but unfortunately, it wasn’t really showing up in pictures.  I will be sure to do another update on the progress when I get home next week from a business trip.

Click here to like The 2 Seasons on Facebook.

Cheers!

Linking to 

I thought it would be perfect with a Boston fern on top and placed in an empty space in our courtyard garden.  The problem was it was too perfect, too white, and too new looking.

I  knew I could correct the problem and age it with paint.  I took it to my craft room and applied some Briwax first.  Applied might be too fancy a word to use.  I smeared it on with on old wash cloth.

Then I added some green acrylic craft paint.  That was a big mistake because it was a Christmas tree green.

No problem.  I pulled out some avocado green spray paint and sprayed it onto the cloth.  Then I rubbed it into the finish.  I was constantly sanding down areas where the paint was too heavy.

I realized it looked as if I was having a camouflage party when I applied more green, some black, brown, and gray, but that was appropriate.  Afterall, my whole point in having this paint party was to camouflage the newness of the column and make it blend into the soil, mulch, trees, and flowers outside.  I want it to look dirty and mossy.

Mission accomplished.  I am giving myself two gold stars for meeting my goal.

Now with Mother Nature’s help, it will age even more and take on the perfect patina.

Since I already had all of the paints on hand, this little bargain redo was really a bargain.

*****

Take care.

Linking to  

BOURBON BALLS

1 stick of butter

1 lb. box powdered sugar

1 cup chopped pecans (I only used 1/2 cup and I thought that was plenty)

Pecan halves for decoration (optional)

4 Tbsp. bourbon

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

 - One day ahead:  Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the chopped pecans, mixing well.  Add the bourbon.

 - Shape into balls using 1 teaspoon of the mixture for each ball.  (You may need to let the batter sit in the fridge for an hour or two before you can easily roll it into balls.)  Refrigerate overnight.

 - Next day: Melt semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate in a large bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler.  Put a toothpick in the balls and dip in chocolate and place on waxed paper.  Remove toothpick and put pecan half on top.  Refrigerate to harden.  Don’t eat too many at one time, if you know what I mean…….

Click here to Like The 2 Seasons on Facebook.

Cheers!

Linking to