Nancy on the Home Front

Cooking with Maple Syrup: Spice Bread

Cooking with Maple Syrup.

Living in Vermont we often have the opportunity to enjoy pure Vermont Maple Syrup. In fact we have neighbors that have a sugarhouse so when we cook with maple syrup we are enjoying syrup from our mountain! Can’t get much more local than that! Pure maple syrup is not just delicious on homemade waffles, we also use it in salad dressing and for making maple butter. This Spice Bread is delicious with maple butter. If you haven’t had a chance to try maple butter you are in for a real treat. Use pure maple syrup for the best results.

Spice Bread with Maple Butter

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp homemade vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
½ cup chopped walnuts

Maple Butter

½ cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the flours, baking powder, spices and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk until moistened. Fold in the walnuts.

Transfer to a greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes of until done. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack.

To make the Maple Butter combine the butter, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small bowl.Store the butter in a tight container and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Tastes wonderful on the spice bread!

Both the Spice Bread and the Maple Butter can be made and then frozen to enjoy at a later time. I often make two loaves, one to enjoy and one to freeze for later.

Voles: Another Garden Pest

As if it weren’t enough that our garden is over run with chipmunks, we also have voles! Voles can be just as destructive as deer and rabbits. My poor garden, I thought it was just a problem with chipmunks but yesterday I was in the garden and saw two voles running around under the zucchini plants. They are mouse size but have shorter tails and are more of a black-brown color. They have small eyes and partially hidden ears. You have to admit they are kind of cute but so destructive!

Here are the signs to tell if you have voles in your yard or garden.

Trails in the lawn.

Voles travel the same paths, and they create 1-2 inch runways or ruts in the lawn. They also create these same runways in a raised bed!

Holes in the soil.

Vole tunnels have openings about 1-2 inches across and are usually hidden beneath mulch, shrubs or spreading plants. They also happily inhabit mole and chipmunk tunnels.

Unlike the chipmunks that love blueberries voles eat mostly plants. They often chew plants at the crown causing the plant top to fall over. This was why when I went to pull my beets the tops looked fine but the beet itself was all eaten away!

Protecting your garden against voles.

Voles need weed cover to survive and avoid open ground. Remove weeds, mulch and any crop litter around the garden. Guess I need to cut back the flowers that are crowding my raised beds!

Repellents

There are certain suggestions of inserting garlic tubes into their tunnels or using hot sauce.

Mowing

Keep your grass mowed. Longer grass provides cover for the these pests.

Fencing

Like the chipmunks you can protect your plants with a fence that is buried 3-6 inches below the soil, above the ground the fence should be from 4-12 inches tall.

Looks like I have some clearing to do around our raised beds. If our house doesn’t sell and we are here for another growing season I may dig up my raised beds and put hardware clothe on the bottom. This will keep them from digging into the beds. We did this on our herb garden raised beds and have not had a problem with the voles there.

Always something to keep you challenged on the home front!

Safe Stripping Update

Several months ago I wrote a post about safe stripping in regards to refinishing your wooden antiques. So called “safe” strippers are a good place to turn for refinishing your wooden antiques. Safe Strippers don’t irritate your skin, their fumes aren’t damaging to your health, and their contents aren’t flammable or explosive – though, of course, rags and residue must be disposed of safely.

At the time we had two projects in the works. One was an antique fireplace mantle that we still plan the turn into a headboard for our queen-size bed and the other was a set of antique wooden twin beds that had been once been painted pink then painted red. The beds were maple and in dire need of refinishing. The twin beds were our first project.

To be safe the entire project was completed in the garage, we had an empty bay where we set up and workstation to complete the project. To read more about the beginning stages of the safe stripping project click here.

It took awhile to get all the paint removed especially on the spindles.When the paint was all removed a final cleanup was done using fine sandpaper. Finally the beds were ready for stain.

My husband used a cloth to rob a stain into the wood. To match the other bedroom furniture we used a dark stain, which would cover up the tiny imperfections, while at the same time reveal the grain of the wood. The finish coat was a satin polyurethane to protect the wood. The end result was perfection! The beds look great in the bedroom. You would never have a clue that they were once painted pink and then red! This top coat of polyurethane should last for many years. Any future projects on these beds will not be done by us, we’re going to enjoy them just as they are!

Next project for this winter will be to turn the antique fireplace mantle into a queen size headboard!

When Negative Emotions are Constructive

There is a strange conception that exists in modern society (and probably a lot earlier than that) that certain emotions are inherently negative, such as anger or sadness. This has led many people to believe that suppressing these emotions will lead to an overall happier life. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, and will have the adverse effect of leading an individual to be emotionally numb. Instead of engaging in this sort of self-destructive behavior, here are some tips on how to use these emotions to constructively better your life…

All emotions are important
As has been explored in the wonderfully sublime Pixar film, Inside Out, each emotion has an important place in human experience. The assumption that human beings function best when they live in constant happiness is one that is inherently destructive. To live a balanced and complete life, one has to recognize that each emotion works as a way for your brain to communicate about your current situation. To eliminate any of these emotions from your experience would wreck your mental equilibrium. Instead, focus on finding ways that these emotions can be used to improve yourself and make a better situation. Half length of young beautiful caucasian woman with headphones

Pessimism gives you perspective
While everyone loves an optimist, the world continues to run because of the pessimists amongst us. Although there are certainly times that a pessimist will make a situation out to be worse than it is, there is a constructive way to use pessimism to your advantage. Pessimism allows you to look at possibilities that might arise from present conditions, and gives you the perspective needed to adjust your course. The greatest strategists in the world have always been successful by expecting the worst. Also, some the worst rarely does happen, they tend to not be disappointed, as much.

Anger inspires action (link)
Anger is often seen the most negatively, amongst the emotional spectrum. There is an understandable reason for this, as anger is often the emotion that leads to violence and destruction. Those who are suffering in anger can cause immense pain to those around them, and be completely oblivious to the mayhem that they have caused. This is because anger is a vibrant and passionate emotion that tends to wash away logic and reason. However, despite it being one of the greatest emotional challenges, there is indeed a way to use anger, constructively. One of the most powerful aspects of anger is that it leads us to act, which can be an incredible force for good in the world. Look around you! There is so much in the world to be angry at, just as there always has been. Whenever the world faces these issues and makes progress, it is because somebody got angry and stood up against injustice. However, to do this, one must learn to control their anger and take it with balance. For more tips on this complex process, take a look at this helpful article here. anger

Sadness is important for empathy
The times that we most need the support of our fellow human beings isn’t when we are at our happiest, but when we are at our most sad. Life is a complicated thing, and there will always be many times when we will be hurt by our present situation, whether it is because of pain, loss, or mere depression. For the happiest-go-luckiest among us, it can be difficult to empathize with those who are struggling. However, being able to recognize sadness as a positive way to work through something difficult is easier to do when you have known such woe, yourself. This makes sadness a tool to build empathetic connections between people, which gives sadness a power that cannot be understated. Young woman feeling depressed sitting on a stone table and bench

Jealousy and admiration are closely related
Although it is often seen as petty to be jealous, it is important to note that there are two very distinct forms of jealousy. One of these forms is a destructive feeling of wanting to see somebody else fail, because you envy what they have, whether this be in the form of personal accomplishments, career progress, or healthy relationships. This is an amoral approach to life, but it’s also important to note that jealousy doesn’t have to be inherently destructive. You can feel envy for the life that another person is enjoying and feel great respect for them. Begrudging someone else for the good things that they have is a bad way to go about jealousy. However, it can often be a form of motivation to aspire to be like somebody. The heroes and idols in our lives is an example of how envy can positively affect our development.

Most Delicious Buttermilk Pancakes

Do you have a favorite breakfast in your house? Something that you don’t make very often but when you do everyone is happy? In our house we enjoy pancakes and waffles. We’ve tried wild rice pancakes and oatmeal pancakes. As my husband says it’s an excuse to enjoy real Maple Syrup! These Buttermilk Pancakes are an all time favorite in our family; I don’t think you can beat these. I don’t make them as often as I did when we had children under our roof but occasionally I will surprise my husband with his favorite breakfast.These pancakes are slightly sourish and light, easy to make and the batter holds well for several days in the refrigerator. It is very easy to double or triple this recipe if you are feeding a crowd! If you don’t double the recipe it is perfect for a Saturday breakfast for two.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, room temperature
3 Tbsp butter, melted
¾ cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Put the buttermilk, egg and melted butter in a large bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl so that they are well blended. Add the dry mixture to the buttermilk mixture. Stir together only until the dry ingredients are moistened, don’t worry about the lumps.

Heat a griddle to medium hot. Grease lightly and spoon about ¼ cup batter for each pancake. Cook until a few bubbles break on the top. Turn the pancake over and cook briefly. Keep pancakes warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve with real maple syrup!Looks like a perfect Saturday breakfast to me! Buttermilk Pancakes and Canadian Bacon. What’s your favorite breakfast? Try these Buttermilk Pancakes I’m sure you will enjoy them!

Chipmunk Control: In your Garden

Do I see a chipmunk?

This summer we have been overrun with chipmunks in the garden! Everywhere I look I see a chipmunk! They are eating the blueberries, enjoying my tomatoes and eating my beans! Not only are they doing damage but when I am in the garden they sit there and watch me as if to say, “what are you doing in my garden!” I really didn’t want to resort to harmful chemicals to get rid of them but what were we to do?

Chipmunks look so cute but they can be so destructive. They’re small and nimble and can get into tight places that larger pests can’t. Here are a few options to get rid of them.

Fence them out.

Chipmunks are small and they are good diggers. If you want to fence them out you will need to have a fence with small holes and it will have to be buried at least six inches under ground. Since our garden was already planted this year before we realized the chipmunks were going to be a problem this was not an option for us.

Trap Them

We have numerous have-a-heart traps so we decided to give this method a try. In the past we have been very successful trapping chipmunks, one year we caught more than 30! This year I think we are dealing with smarter chipmunks. My husband actually saw the chipmunks rolling the small have-a-heart trap over so the seeds would come out, they would eat the sunflower seeds and not go into the trap. Next time we’ll mix peanut butter with the seeds so they stick in the trap!

Spices

It has been said that you can sprinkle cayenne, chili powder or other hot, intense spices around your garden. Many gardeners report success using this method. I may still try this method although I am now at the end of my garden season and the chipmunks are not so much of a problem. They’ve done their damage and have moved on!

Predators

You can also use a decoy predator like a motion activated owl. You can also purchase a product make for the urine of predator animals like red foxes and cats. The smell will convince the chipmunks that they are in danger and they will stay away. May have to try this next year. Wonder how bad the smell is?

Have you had trouble with chipmunks this year? What did you do to solve the problem of eliminating chipmunks?

Yard Sales: How To Be Successful

The house is on the market or perhaps you are downsizing and you’re wondering about yard sales and how to be successful?Pricing:

The first thing to do to is to label everything you are selling with a price. Most people aren’t comfortable with haggling and would like to see what the price of an item is. They still might try to make a deal, but at least they know what you are hoping to sell an item for. Many people shopping at yard sales expect you to know what your items are worth.

You can also have tables where everything is one price, for example rather than labeling each book you could say, “all hard cover books are $2.00”. The items you are selling should be displayed nicely so people can see clearly what you have to offer.

If you have collectables the best place to sell them is on eBay not in a yard sale. If you live in a rural area and don’t expect to have a lot of people show up at your yard sale them you might want to try selling the higher priced items in the local paper or on Craig’s List.

There are many useful sites that will help you to price your items. Here are a few I found:

Salvation Army Value Guide

Garage Sale Pricing Guide

Garage Sale Price Searches

eBay Listings

Check these sites to make sure your items are priced correctly. Price your items 50-75 cents higher than you would like, this will give you a little room in case people want to bargain with you. Be reasonable when you mark prices, shoppers are expecting bargains and you don’t want to have anything left at the end of the day.

If you don’t think you have enough “stuff” for a successful yard sale team up with another family or two. You can then advertise as a “multi family” yard sale and expect more traffic.

Advertising:

A week or two before your sale advertise in the local paper, in any online town forums or even on Facebook if your town has a Facebook page. The evening before the sale or early that morning put signs out, you want to make sure people can find you sale!

At the end of the day put up a sign that says everything must go and mark things down ½ price. Have these signs made in advance to you can put them out before the yard sale is over. Hopefully these tips will help you to have a successful yard sale.

We held our first yard sale over Labor Day weekend. Due to the holiday there was increased traffic and we had more people stop by than we might have on any other weekend. It was a fun day and we meet many nice people! We’re planning a second yard sale over Columbus Day weekend, any tips you’d like to pass along for holding successful yard sales?

Morning Glory Muffins

I was first given the recipe for Morning Glory Muffins from my husband’s grandmother. They were rich and delicious. Morning Glory Muffins are full of all kinds of fruits and vegetables and resulted in a wonderful muffin. This recipe, from King Arthur Flour, is a little healthier using coconut oil and whole wheat but the end result is as equally delicious as I remember!

Morning Glory Muffins

½ cup raisins
2 Cups Whole Wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tap baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
2 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 large tart apple, cored and grated (I leave the peel on)
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (or wheat germ)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla
¼ cup orange juice

Preheat your oven to 375. Lightly grease your muffin tin or line it with muffin papers and spray the insides of the paper with oil.

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, set them aside to soak.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and salt.

Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts and sunflower seeds or wheat germ. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the muffin tin. Bake 25-30 minutes or until they’re nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These muffins freeze wonderfully.

The Gardenless Herb Garden

You don’t need a home in the country with lots of land to grown your own herbs. Herbs will grow quite happily in a container. If you have a sunny window that gets at least 5-6 hours of sun a day you can even grow herbs inside! In fact if the only outdoor space you have is shaded you are better off growing the herbs inside! It’s actually possible to have a gardenless herb garden!

Herbs grown indoors will need plenty of water and an occasional feeding. A little extra humidity not only helps their growth but keeps the foliage succulent and tasty. If the air in your home is dry, place the pots in a tray filled with stones and keep the tray filled with water just up to the bottom of the pots; this keeps moisture in the air. With the exception of rosemary don’t mist your herbs, as it will encourage fungus. Occasionally rinse your herbs off in the kitchen sink.

Any herb is worth trying indoors, although there are some that do better than others. Rosemary is a clear winner; it will often even bloom indoors in the winter! I like to keep my rosemary plant outside during the summer and then bring it inside during the winter. It not only smells good but I have fresh rosemary to use all winter! Sage may not do so well inside but even a few fresh leaves for your soup or pasta will make it worth your while! Herbs like basil are less successful; just keep the plants as long as they’re healthy. Once they succumbs to whiteflies or the indoor blues, just toss them out. When I purchase basil from the store I store it in a glass of water, often the stems will start to root and I can then plant them.

During the summer I prefer having an outdoor herb garden to pick my fresh herbs but in the winter it is so nice to have a few fresh herbs growing inside.Do you have a garden less herb garden? what herbs do you grow inside?

Make Your Own Homemade Crackers

I love making Homemade Crackers. I’ve tried several recipes before but this recipe is a real winner. My daughter shared this recipe for homemade goldfish crackers over a year ago. She is very good about cooking from scratch and making sure she knows exactly what her children are eating. These crackers are perfect for snacking or enjoying with a glass of wine. No matter how you enjoy them I can guarantee they won’t last long! They also are easy to make and you can whip up a batch in no time. Now I don’t have a little fish cookie cutter so instead used a little heart cookie cutter to make my crackers. The heart cookie cutter worked out perfectly. They are delicious and store well if they don’t get eaten quickly! You could also use a small round cookie cutter or any other small shape would work.

Homemade Cheese Crackers

2 cups finely grated sharp cheddar cheese.
¾ cups whole wheat pasty flour (worked fine with just whole wheat flour)
¼ tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp light flavored oil

In a food processor blend everything but the oil together. When the ingredients are well blended add the oil and blend until the mixture becomes crumbly. Place the dough in a large bowl and knead into a ball. If it is too dry you can add an extra Tbsp of oil

Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut with your cookie cutter. I found it worked really well to just roll out a small portion of dough at a time.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.Let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. I imagine these would freeze well but they were consumed so quickly I didn’t have a chance to find out! Enjoy!