On one of our family hikes we found this hive attached to the limb of a tree.  It’s huge,  approximately the size of a dinner plate.  Now it decorates some branches in our living room.  I’ve been dreaming of papercutting a hive for a long time, and I have now begun work on it…

This hive is going to be huge too.  It will be mounted to paper about 19″ x 25″ in size.  I’m thinking about entering a juried art competition as well,  if I can get this done by the deadline…  fingers crossed.

My little town would never have won an award for quaint villages, but since the economic downturn it has become rife with abandoned and neglected properties.  I’m not sure why, but I felt compelled to photograph some of these places.  They exude a sense of despair, and create in me a sense of discomfort and irritation.  These are just the tip of the iceberg, I could have taken 100 such photos.

“The contemplation of things as they are without error or confusion without substitution or imposture is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention” ~Frances Bacon

I don’t know if it is noble or not, especially when it makes me hate the mean, dirtiness of this town.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!  Everyone here gets new socks and underwear!  What’s your sweetheart day tradition?

I’ve finished these two papercuts and plan to post them in the shop.  I think I’m all done, but then I start messing with colored papers, and then I’m confused.  But I think I’ll stick with the black house on white paper, and the white house on gray paper.

Oh, and last week I did sit on my couch until I had finished all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy.  Now I’m digging out from my sheer decadence…

This recipe is something that a tribute would eat during the pre-Hunger Games training.  There would not be food this fine in the Districts they came from.  These book are in the young adult category, but it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that makes me want to sit on the couch for hours and burn my way through the entire trilogy.  The strong, brainy female protaganist is such a great antidote to the doe-eyed, kittenish, superficial & dreamy female figures that I’m seeing paraded around everywhere.  Once again female images that very, very, few “real” girls can live up to.  Mr. Smoothpebble sometimes accuses me of being a man-hater, but in this case it’s not the men posting and re-posting these images, it’s women doing it.  Come on ladies!!  Enough.  I digress, I have an extremely delicious recipe to share.  The kitten girls couldn’t possibly eat this as it might cause some excess flesh to hang out of their shortie shorts.

Melt, Add:

• 4 T. unsalted butter
• 1/2 C. dark brown sugar
• 2 T. fresh lime juice
• 4 T. dark rum
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Add, and Saute:

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1″ chunks
• 1 & 1/2 C. fresh pineapple, diced

Serve over; Garnish with:

• Vanilla ice cream
• Toasted sweetened coconut (toast coconut in nonstick skillet over med. heat about 5 minutes or until golden brown.)

Melt butter, brown sugar, lime juice, rum, and seasonings in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add bananas and pineapple; saute until tender, but not soft, about 2 minutes.

Serve over scoops of vanilla ice cream, garnished with toasted coconut.

*A lot of my damn good recipes come from this magazine, Cuisine at Home.  8 out of 10 dishes that I make from their recipes get an A+ rating.  They are not paying me for this endorsement but my entire family gives it a thumbs up.

I’m feeling another brain dump coming on, stay tuned.  That sounds mildly offensive – brain dump…  Also tomorrow the recipe for Island Bananas Foster.