Nancy on the Home Front

Edamame Peanut Noodle Salad

This week we’ve been enjoying cooler nights and warm sunny days, just the perfect fall weather. I’m also trying to use up various items from our freezer. I had a half of a package of edamame beans in the freezer and decided to make this cold Edamame Peanut Noodle Salad. It was a perfect dish to enjoy during our “Indian Summer”. The recipe makes enough for six so we had leftovers, which make for a delicious lunch the next day.

The recipe only takes about 20 minutes of preparation time and maybe 15 minutes to heat the water for the pasta and cook the pasta. I love a recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes!

Edamame Peanut Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

6 ounces of whole wheat linguine
1 cup thawed frozen shelled edamame
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 ½ tsp. sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 scallions, sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 red pepper, very thinly sliced
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the edamame during the last five minutes of cooking time. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place in a large bowl.

Whisk the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, honey, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and pepper flakes in a bowl until well blended. Mix Combine the pasta, scallions, carrot, bell pepper and cucumber in your large bowl. Add the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate up to one day.

This edamame peanut noodle salad would be delicious anytime of the year but is especially good during the warm weather when you just want a quick meal and don’t want to spend much time at the stove!

Have you used edamame in your recipes before?

4 Reasons to Give Blood

I try to give blood whenever I can. Since I am A negative I can also give double blood. There are many good reasons why you should be a blood donor, every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood and more than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day, according to the American Red Cross.

Here are 4 reasons to give blood.

People Need Blood Donations

Blood is essential for life; it carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, fights infections and helps heal wounds. When people are in accidents they often need blood. Blood transfusions save the lives of cardiac patients during surgery and premature babies come into the world often needing blood to survive. Your blood donation could save up to three lives.

It’s a Simple Process

Donating blood is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments (cookies!) The whole process takes no more than one hour and 15 minutes with the actual blood collection taking about 12 minutes.

You Get a Mini Check Up.

Before you are allowed to give blood you’ll have to complete a quick physical that measures your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and hemoglobin levels. After the blood is collected it’s sent off to a lab where it will undergo 13 different tests for infectious diseases, like HIV and West Nile virus. If anything comes back positive, you’ll be notified immediately. The physical and blood tests are no reason to skip your annual doctor visits but it gives you peace of mind.

You’ll Meet Some Amazing People.

Every time I give blood I am amazed at how nice everyone is, from the people that take down your vital information to those actually drawing the blood. They are all friendly and want to make the blood donation process as easy as possible. There are also volunteers who will serve you sandwiches afterwards and make sure that you feel well enough to drive home. It’s actually medically necessary to replenish your blood supply after a blood donation. You get to enjoy sandwiches, cookies and a drink before they let you go home.

If you’ve never given blood before there’s a first time for everything. As you sit in the donation chair, you realize how lucky you are to be healthy. Your heath is a gift you are bestowing on someone who needs some of your wonderful blood to survive.

If you don’t know how to find your local blood donation center don’t worry the American Red Cross can help you with that. There are usually blood donations going on all the time.

Autumn Apple Cake

As we head into autumn one of my favorite recipes to make is my Aunt Cathleen’s Autumn Apple Cake. My aunt shared this recipe years ago with my mom and it has been a family favorite ever since! It is delicious anytime of the year but especially good in the fall when the apples are fresh.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do! It is best to make this recipe in the late afternoon just before you plan serving dinner. There is nothing better than warm apple cake with some vanilla ice cream. My aunt has since passed away but every time I make this apple cake it brings back wonderful memories of her.

Autumn Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour
½cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup walnuts, chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped unpeeled apples

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar.

Stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. It is often easier to use your hands to mix everything together as the mixture is quite stiff. Lightly grease a tube pan. Scrap mixture into the tube pan and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool for a few minutes before inverting onto a plate or cake stand.

There is nothing that reminds me of autumn than this delicious apple cake. It is good with fresh apples that you have just picked or apples that you want to use up from your refrigerator. Do you have a favorite recipe that has been passed down in your family? Any favorite apple recipes?

Bon Appetit!

Why Do I Need An Estate Plan?

If you’re like many people, you’ve thought about making an estate plan, but you just never get around to doing it. Perhaps you’re too busy, or maybe you’d rather avoid considering what will happen in the even of your incapacity or death. Although these concerns are understandable, estate planning is a vital component of your financial well being, and one that’s bet tackled sooner rather than later.

Why you need an estate plan.

An estate plan is designed to provide financial security for your family, ensuring that your property will be preserved and passed on to beneficiaries. IN addition it can minimize estate taxes and other administrative costs, ensure competent management of your property iin the case of incapacity, enable you to provide for a favorite charity and help mitigate or avoid disputes among family members.

Having lost both of my parents in the last four years I can’t tell you how true this is. My mother always had all of her affairs in order. When she passed away it was an easy estate to settle and there was minimal costs involved.

My father was another story. He was still working on getting his affairs in order when he went into the hospital. As a result we had to hire an attorney and it took three years to settle the estate with the attorneys getting the bulk of his estate.

Now contrary to popular belief you don’t need to have significant wealth to have an estate plan. Basic estate planning is for everyone. Putting a plan in place will help you protect assets during your life and control how you wish your estate to be distributed on your death, as well as ease the administrative burden on you family.

There are three basic components of your estate plan: a durable power of attorney for financial matters, a health care power of attorney and a last will and testament. What are each of these components?

Durable Power of Attorney

This document allows you to appoint someone to handle your financial matters in the event that you become incapacitated.

Health care documents

A health care POA allows you to name an individual to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event you are unable to do so. It may be used in conjunction with a living will, which authorizes your health care provider to take specific actions in the event that life-sustaining decisions need to be made.

Last will and testament

A will dictates who will receive your property upon your death and under what circumstances. It also enables you to direct the payment of estate administration expenses and taxes and to nominate an executor to handle these matters. It also allows you to designate a guardian for your minor children.

Revocable Trust

A revocable trust allows you to maintain control and ownership of the trust assets during your life and direct how and when your beneficiaries will receive trust distributions upon your death. By funding a revocable trust during your life, your assets will avoid probate administration.

Remember a will governs only probate property; a trust governs only assets owned by the trust. It is also important to review the ownership and beneficiary designations of such assets as jointly held property, life insurance proceeds, retirement benefits, employee death benefits and retirement plan proceeds.

This may all seem a bit overwhelming but working with an experienced professional will help you to plan. The time to start your estate plan is now!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

We finally had our first touch of frost in the garden and I’m seeing an end to our abundant harvest of zucchini! I had a few larger zucchini that somehow slipped by me and I decided to use them to make some double chocolate zucchini bread. This bread is more like a dessert. It is moist, dense and super choclatey! No one would ever guess that there is zucchini in it plus it’s a great way to use up zucchini!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. homemade vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. espresso powder (optional)
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly grease a 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, cocoa and flour mixing until well combined. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the bread for 65-75 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing. Store at room temperature or wrap to freeze. Makes one loaf.

This recipe is a slight variation of one I found on the King Arthur Flour site. This Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread has got to be the tasty way to use up excess zucchini! I made a batch over Labor Day weekend and our company enjoyed it immensely. I think I’ll make a few more loaves to put in the freezer.

Whipped Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberries

Last weekend we had friends over for dinner and I was looking for a simple dessert that was somewhat healthy. We still have an abundance of blueberries so this light refreshing Whipped Lemon Cheesecake was a perfect choice.

I was able to mix up the lemon cheesecake a day in advance and let it chill overnight. This gave the filling a chance to set and it also enhanced the lemon flavor. It was such an easy dessert I’m sure we will be enjoying it again!

Whipped Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces of cream cheese, I used the lighter Neufchatel cheese
7 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ tsp. homemade vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Lemon zest
Blueberries for topping

Directions:

Using your stand mixer add the cream cheese to the bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk and continue beating until thoroughly combined. Add the powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy and then place in the refrigerator while you whip the cream.

Add the whipping cream to a cold bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Remove the cheesecake filling from the refrigerator and gently add the whipped cream. Gently fold in just until combined.

Pour the cheesecake filling into your dessert glasses. I was able to generously fill six dessert glasses. Place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. I made the filling the day before and let sit overnight.

Before serving sprinkle a generous handful of blueberries on top and garnish with a mint leaf. It was a big hit!

The original recipe was found on 5minutesformom.com.

The Wonderful World of Giant Vegetables

For many people growing giant vegetables is an obsession. Perhaps you’ve gone to an agricultural fair and seen the giant pumpkins that people have grown. I’ve done a lot of gardening in my life but I’ve never intentionally tried to grown giant vegetables.

This is not to say that I haven’t ended up with some pretty giant vegetables in my garden, mostly giant zucchinis. No matter how carefully you check under the leaves and try to pick all the zucchinis while they are small they have a tendency to stay hidden. All of a sudden you check the garden and find a very large zucchini sitting there.

Some of the large zucchinis I will chop up and make relish, zucchini cake or muffins. Occasionally they will end up in the compost pile. When we used to have chickens they would always enjoy it when I cut open a large zucchini for them to enjoy.

If you plan on saving seeds you may find yourself growing much larger than normal vegetables. For example cucumbers must be grown past maturity if you plan to save the seeds. You actually want the cucumbers to turn almost yellow before you can harvest the seeds.

Other vegetables like the Gete okosomin grown quite large on their own. I was amazed at how large my friend Dave grew his squash!

Growing giant vegetables involves having good seed, plenty of water and fertilizer and good soil in your garden. You also have to keep an eye on the various buys and animals that can attack your plants. If you pay close attention to those details you should be able to grow some giant vegetables of your own!

If you are interested in growing extremely giant vegetables during your next growing season there are a few things to consider. Hare a few tips for you.

Please include attribution to Sun Leisure with this graphic.

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Out & About: Groton, Vermont

Once a summer my husband and I drive to Groton, Vermont to visit a dear friend of the family. He has a wonderful farmhouse there that sits up on a hillside. Sitting on his porch enjoying the view has got to one of the highlights of our summer. Even on a misty morning the view is impressive.

This year the weather was a little chilly for swimming but there is a perfect swimming pond to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Groton is a small Vermont town with a population just over 1000, located in the southwest corner of Caledonia County. It’s about an hour and a half drive from where we live, or just into the Northeast Kingdom.

There are five state parks located in the Groton State Forest: big Deer State Park, Boulder Beach State Park, Ricker Pond State Park, Seyon Lodge State Park and Stillwater State Park. The various parks offer hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking and in the winter snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

While our visit was short we were able to explore the beach although it was too chilly to go swimming. We also took a nice hike in the Ricker Pond State Park.

It’s always nice to be able to visit an area close to home and enjoy a change of scenery. Groton is a beautiful part of Vermont. It’s the perfect place to relax for the weekend.

On the drive home we always make a detour and stop at King Arthur in Norwich, Vermont. It you are ever in the area King Arthur is a wonderful place to stop. Not only do they have a fantastic store but they have a wonderful restaurant where you can find all sorts of goodies, from delicious salads and sandwiches to tasty desserts. Well worth the stop!

Visiting Groton, Vermont each summer has become a tradition and we will miss visiting when we no longer live in Vermont.

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Better Than Good Zucchini Muffins

Yes, I am still harvesting zucchini from the garden and trying to find ways to use it up! Soup will be next, but today I’m making zucchini muffins. This recipe makes about two dozen delicious zucchini muffins. These muffins freeze well and if you don’t want to bake them all at once the batter will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. So if you still have an abundance of zucchini in your garden use it to bake up a batch of these delicious muffins.

Better Than Good Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 large eggs
½ tsp. homemade vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour (can also use whole wheat flour)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup of currants (or raisins)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375. Prepare your muffin tins by either lining them with papers or grease each cup.

Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until the batter is smooth, about one minute. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, beating to combine. Add the flour, beating just until smooth. Add the zucchini, nuts and currants.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling about ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Remove from the oven and after about a minute remove from the muffin tins. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Enjoy these muffins with your next cup of tea or pop them in the freezer to enjoy this winter. They travel well so if you’re going somewhere for the weekend put a few in a sealed container and bring them along. I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do!

Power of Produce Encourages Healthy Eating

Recently I read a wonderful article in our local paper called the Power of Produce or POP. What is POP? It’s a local club that sets out to provide a fun way to have children learn about the local food system in their neighborhoods, talk to local farmers and try new fruits and vegetables.

The club started in Hartland, Vermont three years ago after Carol Stedman attended a workshop at the Vermont Farmers Market Association conference. It’s the third year the club has been in existence and they now have over 70 children participating. Power of Produce originally started in May 2011 at the Oregon city Farmers Market in Oregon City, Oregon. The programs mission was three fold: to empower children to make healthy food choices, to strengthen and sustain healthy communities through supporting farmers and cultivating future farmers market supporters and to expand farmers markets from a retail location into a place where children can try new foods, and earn about healthy eating.

How does it work? In Hartland, Vermont Power of Produce encourages children ages 5-12 to make healthy food choices by offering educational activities, cooking demonstrations and food sampling. In addition each child is provided with “three POP bucks” in market currency to spend on fresh produce. This encourages the children to engage in the local food system though conversations with farmers, buying local, and understanding the importance of making healthy food choices.

Children fill out a POP passport, collect the week’s scavenger hunt list, visit the various farmers to answer the questions from the list, taste fruits and vegetables and fill out their passport to earn POP bucks. With bucks in hand they can shop at the market for fresh fruits and vegetables. Each week they also learn how to make a recipe of the day, which they can take home, and share with their families.

Power of Produce is catching on around the country. Surveys have found that children who participate influence their parents’ food purchasing choices. In addition, farmers markets that have set up POP clubs found an overall increase in sales for their vendors.

Have you ever heard of Power of Produce? I think it is a wonderful idea and one that should be a part of every farmers market. The more people that start making healthy food choices the healthier we’ll be as a country!

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