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Category Archives: Gardening

Gardening for Wildlife - Biological Warfare for at Home and in the Gardens

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

It’s that time of year for the biting flies, skeeters and other insects. I discovered last year that a mixture of rubbing alcohol and pure mint oil keeps these pests at bay. I mixed 2 ounces of pure mint (from a health food store) with 14 ounces of rubbing alcohol. I was using this to spray for wasps, but discovered when I rubbed it on me, that all other biting insects stayed away too. It works well for me. I smell good and no harsh chemicals found in other sprays. The alcohol evaporates to nothing and the mint stays. Increase the formula to 25% mint and this kills off wasps in the (Read more)


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Bundt Cakes to the Rescue

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

While sitting at the bowling alley, a voice came over the intercom saying, “Tonight we are hosting a raffle on a yummy yellow sheet cake for $1.00 a ticket. The proceeds will go to our youth bowling association.” A yellow sheet cake, I thought? How often are you asked to bake a cake for a school auction, cake walks, parties or get-togethers? Bundt cakes makes excellent cakes for these events. They are pretty cakes, make for a great presentation and could bring in more money than a yellow sheet cake. Another benefit of bundt cakes is that they are easy to transport to your event. (Read more)


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A Fireside Winter Dinner Tradition

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Winter time is the time for comfort food. Classic Beef Stew is perfect for the causal meal around the fire place. Surprise your family with this change in your dinner routine. Build a fire in your fire place. Put a washable blanket down like you are spreading a blanket for a picnic. Add comfortable pillows to sit or lean up against while you are eating. Put your pot of stew in the middle of the blanket with bowls and spoons around the pot of stew. Put your drinks in glasses with a lid. Make a pan of cornbread, cut into squares and place on a plate. Invite your family in for dinner. (Read more)


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The Days Of The Stale Dry Coffee Cake Are Long Gone

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The Coffee cake originated from the basic honey cake and Danish combined. It was made with coffee and the cakes came from Central and Northern Europe. Depending on the nationality that you associate with coffee cake, it can also be called Kuchen or Gugelhupf. It is believed to be as old as 300 years. Coffee cake started out just as sweet bread, but over time has developed into something that is more like bunt cake. It is believed that recipes arrived in America when the Dutch, German and Scandinavians immigrated. The cakes recipe started out quite basic, being made from yeast, nuts, spices, (Read more)


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Lowdown on Barbeque Pit Smokers

Sunday, September 23, 2007

If you are looking for a barbeque pit smoker there are many to choose from. First you should decide on the size of the pit you are looking for. Barbeque pits smokers come in many sizes. You can buy one small enough to be efficient for a single individual, or big enough to cook for one hundred people and then any number in between. Many stores sell barbeque pit smokers. Discount stores like Wal-Mart and even Dollar Stores sell smokers. Wal-Mart’s prices can range from under $100.00 to over a few hundred, but if you are looking for something a little more elite, something that will feed (Read more)


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Coffee: How It Reaches Your Table

Friday, September 14, 2007

Its morning and you automatically reach out for your first cup of coffee! Coffee has become an integral part of daily diet in some societies, especially in the US and one hardly ever gives a thought to how bland coffee beans are transformed into an aromatic beverage with strong flavors that are so familiar. Before acquiring the state in which coffee reaches the table, the coffee berry and its seeds undergo a series of processes that require a fair amount of human labor that make a coffee what it is. Coffee processing requires a series of agricultural and industrial procedures that are (Read more)


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World’s Hottest Hot Sauce is a Pepper Extract That Can Kill

Saturday, September 8, 2007

This Hot Sauce is so hot, you’d have to gulp 250,000 gallons of water just to put out the fire. “We live in an extreme world,” describes Blair Lazar, a hot sauce inventor. “And I make extreme foods. ‘ In his palm of his hand is the most blistering pepper extract in the world, an over-the-top version of pepper concentrate so blistering that customers must sign a waiver clearing him of any liability if they are crazy enough to try it. Locked in a crystal bottle sealed with wax and a tiny skull, Mr Lazar’s lip-scorching concoction is pure capsaicin - the (Read more)


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10 Sugar Cookie Recipes

Saturday, September 8, 2007

After School Sugar Cookies 7 tbsp butter 1/3 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Blend well. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill a minimum of one hour. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 F. for 6 to 8 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with icing after cookies halved cooled.. Yield: about 4 dozen cookies Fruity Sugar (Read more)


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Malt-O-Meal Apple Meringue Pie

Friday, September 7, 2007

I like to include nutritious ingredients in my desserts so I use cooked cereal quite a bit. Cereal tends to add a delicious flavor as well nutrition not found in a lot of desserts. I made this pie for dessert today and there is not one crumb left for a snack. Nobody even got a second piece. So I know it was good. My mother made this a lot when I was a child just as my grandmother made it for my mother when she was a child. I like to hang on to good things. To make this pie I put into a double boiler 2/3-cup water, a pinch of salt, and 1-cup of whole milk or light cream. When that comes to a (Read more)


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Top Ten Breakfast Places in Orange County, California

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

My husband and I love to go out to breakfast. We even call it our weekly date. Orange County California has an abundance of different types to fun places to try. There are some that, quite honestly, I would have loved to have tried and included, but didn’t quite get the chance. Hopefully I will be able to have another chance to write another article about one of my favorite meals out and include them. For now, here are some of our favorite restaurants to start our day: Plum’s Cafe: Costa Mesa. Located in a strip mall, this place is so popular that even during the weekdays (Read more)


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