Tuesday Tales

Q - How many Toledoans does it take to change a light bulb?

A - Just 2, one to reach it and one to quote Martha Stewart!

Yeah, Martha does have her usefulness. I remembered a Martha Stewart email and confirmed that it was actually possible at Associated Content.

So, here’s the story:

David was changing a light bulb in the bedroom ceiling fixture Sunday night. I was scrapbooking in the next room. I heard the dull thudding sound of a light bulb breaking on the mattress followed by the appropriate growls and curses. What I didn’t realize immediately was that the sound was of a breaking bulb THEN a thud on the mattress. the working part of the bulb was screwed into the ceiling fixture already!

David growled rhetorically, “What the...do we...do NOW? How can we...get the...thing out of the...socket?”

As I stood in the doorway to confirm what had actually happened, I said, “We need a potato.”

David hadn’t heard of the potato idea for replacing a broken in the fixture light bulb before and honesty, I’d never actually done it, but after looking up the how-to I was pretty confident it would work. So, we decided to keep the light switch turned off and get a potato for our project Monday morning after breakfast.

It was a pretty simple procedure. I gave David my rubber kitchen gloves to use and we turned off the power to the bedroom at the fuse box. That was at my insistence. David didn’t think it was so necessary and the directions even only suggest it as a precaution. Yeesh! We’re talking electricity and while turning off the switch closes the circuit it doesn’t stop the power flow to that closed door! So, I won on that one or David placated me, depends who you ask. I cut the end of he potato and he, taking advantage of his height, removed the broken bulb, pretty easily!

So, if you ever have to remove a broken bulb from a light socket, the potato trick mentioned in the many forwarded emails of Martha Stewart household tips works!

See the Associated Content directions here.

Light Bulb Fries

The AC directions list a recipe in the supplies needed! We made homemade fries to go with our burgers for lunch.


Now we’re cooking....

Black Forest Cupcakes

I made these to bring as a treat for my Saturday night evening in Michigan. They’re not just chocolate cupcakes with a cherry on top! They are real black forest cupcakes, with cherry filling and fudge frosting with cherry butter cream topping. They turned out fabulous!

Also on the cooking front, I had a vegan delight dinner last night. Tabouleh with pita, leftover zucchini and onions from Sunday night and Mustard Tomatoes. I promised a picture and a recipe for those today!


When my parents were on their honeymoon some 43 years ago, they had tomatoes done this way at a restaurant in France and got the recipe. All my life it was a summer staple when the tomatoes were ripe, so a top French restaurant side dish is comfort food to me! It’s also refreshing, lo-cal and perfect for a sultry summer night patio dinner!

Mustard Tomatoes

One large tomato, sliced
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS vinegar
1-2 TBS regular yellow or dijon mustard
salt and pepper to take
3 TBS fresh snipped parsley

Arrange tomato slices on a serving plate.

Mix olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper im a small bowl. Pour over tomato slices. Generously sprinkle fresh parsley on top.


The Simply Davine Group

I finished the tweaks on my renovation of Simply Davine this morning before David left and I got to work. The old website, which had been about a year out of date, is now the main portal for the Simply Davine Group. You can connect to The Chronicles of Nani, Kaline’s blog - Behind Orange Eyes, my blog of rants - Simply Davine’s Soap Box, Digitalegacies, Photo Zoo and all of my blog archives. The past recipes from Simply Davine are still up and linked as “Davlicious.” The recipe page will be updated with pictures and an alphabetical index, but for now, it’s simply the archives from the old site.

As I get into new projects on the web, I’ll add them there. I’ll be putting up a links page with some of my favorite places on it too. And if you’re curious about what my voice sounds like, the old greeting is still there. I'll be recording a new one eventually too.

The Simply Davine Group