June 2022 - Horizon Guest House

Easy to make Ginger Banana Bread

Posted on June 30, 2022July 2, 2022 by Angus

This recipe for ginger banana bread is packed full of amazing ginger flavor. By using three types of ginger, and a dash of cranberries, this banana bread makes a great snack.

Ingredients

Bananas – approximately 1-2 pounds or 6-10 ripe bananas

Dry ingredients

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 TB cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp mace

Wet ingredients

4 large eggs

2 cups Canola oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (or non-crystallized)

1-2 TB chopped fresh ginger

1 cup cranberries (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 6 loaf pans or 4 bread loaf pans.

Peel bananas and place in a bowl or stand mixer.

Mix on low to thoroughly mash.

Add the remaining wet ingredients and combine.

We’ve discovered non-crystallized ginger chunks and we love them! Highly recommended. Without the added sugar but just as flavorful.

Cute kitchen moment!

On duty during the making of the ginger banana bread, the faithful baking assistants – providing helpful and encouraging feedback via adoring looks. More Cleo and Ele

The cranberries are optional but do add a nice extra flavor.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together.

Then add to the wet mixture (after you stop the mixer). Mix together, gently at first, to combine.

Pour into greased loaf pans and bake at 350F for 35 minutes (or up to 1 hour if you are using four bread loaf pans).

Cool loaves on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

How did your ginger banana bread turn out? Let us know in the comments below.

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Horizon’s LEGO Star Wars Collection: Ewok Village 10236

Posted on June 27, 2022July 2, 2022 by Angus

The LEGO Ewok Village is a large set with a huge number of minifigures and some unique design elements. I took the display a step further by modifying it with LED lighting, a forest backdrop, and also added a forest floor using additional LEGO pieces.

The Ewok Village is home to those cute and furry creatures that made their first appearance in Episode VI Return of the Jedi. This LEGO set has lots of great features including a tree-trunk hideout, a secret lightsaber storage space, a spider web, a net trap, a slide (located inside one of the trunks itself), catapults and a throne – where C-3PO sits and which also ‘hovers’.

There are rope walkways, interesting forest elements – like vines, and multiple rooms located on the tops of each tree trunk. The set measures 13″ (35cm) high, 21″ (55cm) wide and 13″ (35cm) deep.

The set includes the following minifigures:

Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, 2 rebel soldiers, 5 ewoks (including Wicket, Teebo, Chief Chirpa and Logray), 2 scout troopers and 2 stormtroopers.

Modifications

The first step to modifying the Ewok Village was to create a realistic forest floor using additional LEGO pieces. Most of these I sourced directly from LEGO via their Pick a Brick service, and from Bricklink. The key was to cover enough of the green base plates as possible with foliage pieces in a way that looked as natural as possible. I used the brown pieces to create the look of natural pathways through the forest.

To encase the entire display I used a set-specific case from idisplayit, a UK company that specializes in LEGO display cases. The case is made of clear acrylic and fits together using a system of clever screw fittings. The top part of the case is screwed together and can be lifted completely off the base plate.

I wanted to create a unique backdrop to the diorama that would give the feeling that the village was actually in a forest and that the pathways matched with the background image. I found some adhesive Endor backgrounds made by Diorama Decals on Ebay.

I ordered two of the Endor backgrounds and then cut them to fit the back of the display case. I aligned the LEGO paths on the forest floor so they would match up with the paths in the background image.

The final step was to create lighting that would bring the entire display to life. I used a set specific kit from Game of Bricks which included green LEDs and then used some additional flickering flame LEDs from Brick Stuff. The key was to hide the thin wiring as much as possible and also to make sure the LEDs weren’t directly visible so that they created a glow effect, rather than a spotlight effect which is too bright and difficult to look at directly.

The Build

I worked on the build over the course of 2 to 3 days, for 2 to 3 hours at a time. It was relatively straightforward, and each tree trunk was unique enough that it didn’t feel repetitive when building one after the other. There are a large amount of really interesting features and clever detail in this build and it was fun to put together.

However, some of the reddish brown LEGO pieces were quite brittle and I did manage to accidentally crack a few of these, forcing me to order replacement parts via Bricklink. This does seem like a common complaint for this set and it is something to take care with as you work on the build.

Installing the light kit was straight forward. The lighting sets from Game of Bricks are not my favorite as the wiring is incredibly thin and the lights are wired in series which means if one light doesn’t work the others next in line also won’t work. Unfortunately, this happened to me and it meant I had to get creative with the overall placement of lights.

My recommendation for lighting kits for other sets is Briksmax – they can purchased directly from them or through a third-party seller like Lighttailing. Briksmax has a better system of wires and connector boards which allow for more customization.

Overall the Ewok Village was a really fun set to build. Creating my own diorama by enhancing the display with a forest floor, background and lights was also enjoyable. Using a display case is a great way to keep the set secure and also dust-free. This set is now retired and the best place to find it is on eBay.

Look out for future blogs on our LEGO collection. We have a number of sets waiting to be built and will feature them as they’re constructed. These include:

USC AT-AT 75313

Tantive IV corridor diorama (custom build)

Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder 75341

Look for these in the coming months!

Angus

Horizon Guest House

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The Big Island from the air: helicopter and fixed-wing tours

Posted on June 16, 2022July 2, 2022 by Angus

What could be better than seeing the Big Island from the air! There are a number of options when it comes to helicopter and fixed-wing tours of the island.

Book a tour and get a better idea of the natural landscapes on the island, see the volcano from a unique perspective, or perhaps create your own custom tour of the island.

1. Paradise Helicopters

Paradise Helicopters is Hawaii’s largest locally owned and operated helicopter company and is committed to caring for the local community – you have the option of offsetting the carbon emissions from your flight via the planting of native and endemic trees. They even hold a sustainable tourism certification!

Choose from a large number of different tour packages depending on the location of the airport (they have offices at Kona, Waimea and Hilo airports).

Selected tours include:

Circle Island Experience Tour – the tour starts at Kona airport and heads south over the Kona Coast coffee district, over the western slopes of Mauna Loa to the southern tip of the island, before heading for Kīlauea Volcano, Hilo and then the Kohala valleys and waterfalls. ($795 per person – 2 hours).
Kohala Coast Waterfalls & Remote Hike – explore the Kohala valleys and hover over huge waterfalls. At the halfway point the helicopter will land at a remote location and you’ll enjoy a short hike in the forest. ($564 per person – 1 hour plus 45-60 mins hike).
Experience Hawaii – explore all five volcanoes, fly over the island’s amazing beaches, valleys and coastlines. Departs from Kona, and heads south to the volcano before skirting the Kohala Coast ($725 per person – flight time varies).

For more information paradisecopters.com

2. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is known as one of the premier aerial tour operators on the island. Super quiet, eco-star helicopters and knowledgeable pilots make for a great experience.

Blue Hawaiian offer three main tours of the island:

Big Island Spectacular – Get a bigger picture of the island with this island tour. You’ll see tropical rain forests, waterfalls, valleys and of course the volcano ($649 per person, 1 hour 45 minutes). There’s also an option to add a waterfall landing. Departs from Waikoloa.
Circle of Fire – Take in the amazing Hawaii Volcano National Park and experience Kīlauea in all its beauty ($369 per person, 50 minutes). Departs from Hilo.
Kohala Coast Adventure – Explore the breathtaking Kohala coast on the island’s northwest. Stunning sea cliffs, Waipi’o Valley, and the dramatic valleys of the Kohala Mountains make this an amazing experience ($359 per person, 50 minutes). Departs from Waikoloa.

Got something else in mind? Why not book a private charter! Create your own itinerary ($3200 per hour).

For more information bluehawaiian.com

3. Safari Helicopters

Top rated by Trip Advisor, Safari Helicopters has been operating since 1987. They fly tours on the Big Island and on Kauai.

They have just one tour on the Big Island and that’s the Volcanoes National Park & Waterfalls Safari. This tour takes in the park and the amazing waterfalls nearby (As low as $264 per person, check the website for the latest rates, 55 minutes).

Book as a private tour for $1450 and get better value per seat.

For more information safarihelicopters.com

4. Big Island Air Tours

Big Island Air has been operating fixed-wing tours of the Big Island for over 35 years. They use a Cessna P337H Spymaster which is air conditioned and pressurized. Every seat is a window seat and the plane holds three passengers, pilot and co-pilot.

There are four tours available to choose from:

Premier Island Tour – this tour takes in the entire island and departs daily from Kona Airport ($598 per person, 1 hour 30 minutes).
Twilight Tour – Timed to take in the amazing Big Island sunset, this is a unique tour. Includes the volcano, valleys and coastline ($688 per person, 1 hour 30 minutes).
Summits & Waterfalls Tour – This tour takes in the Kona Coast and heads first to Mauna Loa and the Volcano, before flying over Mauna Kea and then the Kohala Coast ($599.99 per person, 1 hour flight time).

If you’re in Maui you can also try the VIP Air Adventure tour. This tour takes in Maui and the Big Island before returning to Maui.

For more information bigislandair.com

Aerial tours are a great way to explore the island and for those wanting a close-up view of volcanic activity there is nothing better than a flight over the crater!

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