Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

I can't believe it is after nine o'clock pm, and I haven't posted my Tuesday recipe yet.  My days are getting the best of me.  I don't know where the time goes.  I mentioned last week that I want to learn how to make gluten free food because some family members can not eat gluten.  I saw this recipe and it sounded very good and easy to make.  I make strawberry pie often in the summer, but this one is wheat free.

Strawberry Pie

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups unsalted almonds
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 T softened butter
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

In a food processor, add the almonds and oats and pulse until ground.  Add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is combined.  You should have a soft dough.  Butter a pie dish.   Put the dough into the pie dish and, using your wet fingers, press the dough into the pan, up the sides, etc., until it is evenly distributed in the dish.  Take a fork and prick the bottom and sides and make a decorative edge if you like.  Don’t press the edge too thin with the fork or it will be easier to scorch.

Bake the pastry in a 325 degree F oven for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.   Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the filling:

2  cups of sliced strawberries
1/3 cup honey
3 T cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 T butter

In a blender or food processor, puree the berries.  Remove about a half a cup to a small dish and add the cornstarch.  Pour the puree into a medium saucepan, blend in the cornstarch mixture and honey and place over med-low heat. Stir the mixture until it has thickened and begun to boil.  Add in the pinch of salt, vanilla, and butter.  Stir to melt the butter and combine and remove from heat.

Once the filling is cool, mix 2 more cups of sliced strawberries into the filling and spread the filling into the cooled crust.

In an earlier blog I showed how to easily take the caps off of the strawberries.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/strawberry-season-in-wisconsin.html

I also have a little trick for slicing the berries.  After the caps are off the strawberries, I place them one at a time onto an egg slicer.  It slices the berry either lengthwise or widthwise into perfect slices.

One of my favorite strawberry deserts is one I blogged about last year.  This recipe could easily substitute the crust from this recipe.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/07/danish-junket-dessert.html

The Little White Tail Deer We Call "Limpy"

Although not as dangerous as hunting season, this is a very dangerous time of year for the white tail deer in our area.  It is the time of year when the female deer sends their yearlings off into the world to take care of themselves.  The females have to prepare to give birth and raise the new fawn or in some cases fawns.  We see a lot of twin deer in the summer, sometimes we even see triplets.  The deer aren't paying attention and so it is a bad time of year for deer/car crashes.  It was almost a year ago that I hit a deer.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/the-time-of-year-for-deercar-crashes.html

I have written about our resident deer we call Limpy.  She was either injured at some point in her life, or she was born with a defect to her right hind leg.  All winter she would show up.  We put out just enough corn to help but not enough to have the deer totally depend on us.  Limpy would either tag along with other deer or just show up alone.  We worried about her all winter because she wasn't as agile as the rest.  Somehow she made it through the brutal cold temperatures.  This is a short video of her from last winter.
http://youtu.be/Zm22ZV5Wpiw

On the last few trail camera pictures she appears to be pregnant.  We will be watching carefully for a baby.

This is Limpy about 4 days ago.

This view you can see the belly but most of all you can see her malformed leg.

Last night she appeared quite a bit thinner.  If the baby survived it is probably tucked back in the trees.

Our Load Of Wood Pellets Have Been Delivered

I try to post positive things showing the beauty of nature and all the happy times we have as a family.  However, it isn't always peachy out here in the country.  Sometimes the personalities don't align.  That's what happened yesterday.

This is not a happy face.

I should start my story from the beginning.  For those who don't know, we burn wood pellets for our heat source.  We have a gas furnace but it very rarely runs.  Every year at this time, we purchase a years supply of pellets.  Last year we got them in July, but they came ahead of schedule this year.  This is the link from last year explaining the delivery.

July Pellet Delivery

On Wednesday we received eight tons of pellets.  They came on eight pallets of fifty bags each.  Each bag weighs forty pounds.  Last winter was brutal, and we burned almost all the pellets we had purchased.  We usually have a ton left over, but not this year.  Because we have a pellet stove in our lower level, we need to have some available for use downstairs.  Usually my husband carries each bag down the stairs and stores them in our furnace room.  This year he decided to store two ton in a small area under our deck.  The problem was getting down a steep hill or walking all around the house with each bag.  Being a clever man, he devised a system for getting them down the hill.  Initially he thought he could just slide the bags down using these rollers he borrowed from our son in law.

I think these are from a grocery store roller system.

That didn't work because the bags molded themselves around the roller and wouldn't budge.

The first attempt didn't work.

Next he went in the shed and hauled out an old wheelbarrow.  He had taken the wheel off for another purpose.  He attached a rope and proceeded to lower the bags down to the bottom.

The old rusty wheelbarrow.

It held 4 bags and was gently lowered down with a rope.

It looks like we have a plan.  The only problem with this is that my dad wanted to help.  He couldn't understand why just putting it on the rollers wouldn't work.  He thought he could catch the bags and stack them.  He is almost ninety years old.  We weren't prepared for him to hurt himself.  He wouldn't take no for an answer.  Finally I explained to dad that Mike thinks things through very carefully and analyzes the situation.  Just like my dad, I tend to jump in with both feet.  Generally my husband shakes his head no before I even finish presenting my idea.  Dad finally agreed to help wrap the plastic around the bags after they were lowered but he didn't like it that we wouldn't let him risk his life.

Dad looking over the situation.

Then he thought he could help from the top.

Making me very nervous.  He thinks he is forty.

He managed to get up the hill.

Discussing the options, even though Mike had already decided.

I know dad wants to help.  He feels that he should be helpful, but geez sometimes he is like a dog with a bone.  Sometimes his ideas are just not feasible, and he gets his feelings hurt very easily.  We have to walk a fine line sometimes.  On the other hand, how many almost ninety year old people can climb a steep hill in sand without a cane.  Not very many. 

This storage place is pretty ugly but fortunately it is hidden from view, and it will be much more convenient for us this winter.

Today is Amish Ascension Day

 
It is already the end of May, and we still hadn't purchased our flowers to plant outside.  Somehow the month just got away from us.  There is always something to do or the weather doesn't cooperate.  My husband had some things to do this morning but around noon we decided it was time to go to the Amish greenhouses.  We thought they might be picked over, but we wanted we would try them anyway.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/05/amish-greenhouses.html

As we pulled into the first place, everything was quiet.  There were no customers and there was a sign in the window that said they were closed.  That seemed strange on a Thursday afternoon.  It crossed my mind that they were sold out.  Luckily there are several other greenhouses in the area, so off we went to our next stop.  Hmmm, they were closed too.  Then the next also had a closed sign on the door.  We thought there may be a funeral in the Amish community or something else was going on.  The fourth place we stopped at answered the question.  The sign said it was closed for Ascension Day.  I admit, I'm not a very good student of religion.  I thought Christ ascended into heaven on the third day.  I had to look it up.  I found that "The Amish Ascension Day is celebrated each year in June. It is celebrated to signify the day that Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, and is observed forty days after Easter Sunday."  Now I know and that it is a very special day for them.  In this area, all of their businesses are closed.

I really didn't have time to take a leisurely drive in the country, but we had no choice.  I asked my phone to take us to a greenhouse.  Siri directed us to a very large greenhouse about 10 miles away.  I didn't know where to start.  The Amish greenhouses are small and easy to maneuver.  This one was huge and a little pricey.  I settled on a flat of wax begonias, and we decided to go home.  On the way home, I saw a hand written sign saying "hanging baskets for sale".  We decided to check it out. As we pulled up to the house,  an old couple were hoeing their garden.  They had some hanging baskets and individual plants for sale.  They were quite nice.  I felt I should buy something.  I bought a small basket, and some perennials. 

Shasta Daisy

Pink Dianthus

Hen and Chicks

This day was a little confusing and the day didn't go the way I thought it would, but it ended well.  The plants are planted and it isn't June yet.  I need a few more, but it is a good start.

Chicken Apple Grape Wraps

Recently we discovered that our oldest daughter tested positive for celiac disease.  Our other daughter has had a wheat sensitivity for a long time.  This means that all the food I am used to making for our family meals has to change.  It is a slow process but I am finding some good gluten free recipes.  This is a perfect a summer meal.  To make it more healthy you can use plain Greek yogurt and sweeten to your taste with honey.  Sometimes flavored yogurts are loaded with sugar.

Chicken Apple Grape Wraps

1 cup cooked chopped skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup grapes cut in half
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt-use enough to make the ingredients stick together
Romaine lettuce

Mix all the chopped ingredients in a bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Spoon into a lettuce leaf and roll or eat it right out of the bowl.
We use pita pockets or flatbread as wraps, but those are not gluten free.

Summer 2014 Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been really busy the past couple weeks.  They returned to our part of Wisconsin on May 3rd.  Some of the birds stop by for a while and then move on.  Several stay to build a nest and raise their families.  I believe we have at least three pair who are now nesting.  One pair has built a nest in a white poplar tree off our deck.  Other years they like the pin cherry trees.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/baltimore-oriole-summer-update.html

It is fun to see them work on the nest.  It is amazing how they wrap and weave these fine grasses into a very strong bag-like nest.

They are very clever birds.  They position the nest so they will be hidden when the leaves fill in.  Last year we had a nest in a tree near the deck, and we didn't know it until the leaves fell in the fall.  This nest will be well covered as soon as the leaves are completely out.  They think they are hidden, but I can get a very good side view from our deck.  The little worm-like fruit appears first on the poplar trees.  When the fruit bursts open, it sends white cottony plumes all over.  If it's windy, it almost looks like snow flurries.  I don't care for that stage, but otherwise it is a pretty tree with fluttery leaves.

This is the cotton that flies all over the deck and gets stuck in the porch screens.

It will be a while before the eggs hatch and the birds fledge.  It usually takes two weeks to hatch and two more weeks before we see them. Then we will have to put out a jar of jelly a day to feed the families of young ones.  I love seeing them and look forward to their return every year.

Carp Spawning Video

As the years roll by and the seasons change, we look forward to seeing certain things repeat every year.  Nature knows when, where and how no matter how man tries to change things.  One of those things, as strange as it seems, is the carp spawning.  I wrote about it last year.  Last year it was very late.  It was the first week of June.

 http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/the-carp-are-spawning.html

This year when the water temperatures got warmer earlier,  the carp would start and then it would get cold again.  The last few days the activity has picked up.  I am sure that the carp spearing boat will show up again tomorrow night. We don't know who they are.  For some reason they only come on Friday nights.  If this carp action continues, they should be very successful.  They will probably stay all night.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/05/night-bowhunters-return-to-our-marsh.html

In order to see and hear what the experience is like, I made a video.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is even better.

http://youtu.be/qyjRhZKdepU

Transition Into Summer

The month of May in Wisconsin is a time of change.  We can go from winter to summer in a short amount of time.  The photos tell my story for today.  We went from a brown landscape on May 4th to the lushness of Spring green on May 21.  I love the change of seasons.

View from our deck on May 4, 2014

This is May 10, 2014.  The leaves are just starting to come out.

May 15, 2014 shows even more green emerging.

This is taken today May 21, 2014.  The trees are filling out.

Cherry Topped Cheesecake From Cake Mix

My Tuesday recipe this week is one I saw posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.  The recipe looked familiar, and I think I made this cheesecake many many years ago.  The picture on Facebook looked so good, I thought I would make it.  I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. Although the cherry pie filling I had was disappointing, it was mostly gel and very few cherries.  It was a lighter textured cheesecake than what we are used to, but it tasted good.  I will probably make it again and freeze it for when I need a quick desert.  I think I will freeze it without the fruit, and put the topping on when serving it.  It is almost strawberry season.  Wouldn't some sweetened strawberries be good on top?

Cherry Topped Cheesecake

1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix
2 Tablespoons oil
2 packages softened cream cheese (8 oz. pkg.)
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ cups of milk
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 can of Cherry Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Reserve 1 cup of dry cake mix.

In a mixing bowl combine remaining cake mix, 1 egg and oil.
This will be crumbly.  Press it into the bottom and ¾ way up the side of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

In the same bowl blend the cream cheese and sugar.
Add 3 eggs and the reserved cake mix.  Beat 1 minute at medium speed.
At low speed slowly add the milk and flavorings.  Mix until smooth.

Pour into crust.
Bake at 300 degrees for 45-55 minutes until the center is firm.

When cool, top with the Cherry Pie Filling.

Chill before serving and store in the refrigerator. 
This cheesecake can be frozen.

Revised Nylon Netting Scrubbie

With all my projects and crafts I try to improve the design, and try to make things easier and faster to do.  I posted my pattern for making crocheted scrubbies last year.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/10/nylon-net-scrubbies.html

In this previous blog I included instructions for cutting the nylon netting into strips suitable for crocheting.  Recently I discovered nylon netting on a spool.  It is another way to make scrubbies.  I also changed the pattern slightly.  The old pattern works fine but the scrubbie gets a little loose and floppy when it gets wet.  This pattern makes for a tighter scrubbie.

A spool of nylon netting.

The spools of netting are 3 inches by 40 yards.  For my pattern I cut this spool in half.  Then I have two 1 1/2 inch strips that are 40 yards long.  You can crochet right off the spool with no knots to tie.  Some of the companies that sell spooled netting will also cut the spools to your desired width and you don't have to cut them yourself.

The first thing I do is mark the center of the spool.

Leaving the cellophane on, wrap a piece of tape to the side of the markings.

I wrap a couple rubber bands over the tape to hold it tight.

Next I cut on the tape edge with an electric knife.  Cut to the cardboard tube.

You might have to turn the spool to make sure it is cut all around.  I take a scissors to make sure.

Then I put it on a paper towel holder
and set it on the floor.  Crochet off one section and
unwrap the other when finished with the first.

Revised Scrubbie Pattern

Chain 3  with an "I" crochet hook and join with a slip stitch to form a circle. (magic circle with 6 sc works great also) 

Chain 1 and put 6 single crochets in the circle.  Join with slip st. and chain 1.

2 single crochets in each stitch around plus 1 stitch in last stitch.  Join with slip st. and chain 1  -  13 stitches

2 single crochets in each stitch around, join with slip stitch and chain 1 - 26 stitches

Work around without increasing for  9 rounds total.

Decrease by single crocheting in first stitch and leave the two stitches on the hook, single crochet in next stitch and pull through all three stitches - 13 stitches

Join with slip stitch and chain 1.

Decrease around in same manner until hole is closed.

Pull ending thread through to front, and tie to beginning thread.

My Free $100.73 Porch Swing

Several weeks ago my husband went to play cards at the local senior center.  He plays Sheepshead every Wednesday afternoon.  One of the ladies he plays cards with asked if he wanted an old porch swing.  She purchased a new one.  Of course we took it.  We hadn't had a porch swing for many years.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/07/playing-cards-at-senior-center.htm

So here it is.  Not too bad and pretty sturdy.

The first thing we had to figure out is where to put it.  My front porch really didn't have enough room.  Next we thought that our deck would be a good place for it.  It has a view in many directions, and the swing wouldn't be in the way.  Now where to hang it?  The only place to hang it from was from the overhang.  We weren't sure if we would have enough clearance.  I asked if we (meaning my husband) could build a frame to hang the swing on.  It would be moveable, and it wouldn't compromise the overhang with the weight of the swing and anyone sitting on it.  I even went online and found a pattern for a swing and stand.  It was a "buy it now" on ebay, so I bought it.  Next my husband spent some time planning and making notes for himself. 

Before you know it we were in the truck and on our way to the lumber yard.  Yes, we needed the truck.  We purchased long pieces of lumber, chains, nuts and bolts.

We got home and he started cutting pieces.

He laid out all the new hardware.

When he got the frame all cut and assembled, we thought the swing itself was a little tacky.  At first he was going to strip the boards but there were several coats of paint on them, and we didn't know the condition of the wood underneath.

Nearly finished assembling the frame.

So off to the lumberyard we went again.  This time we bought boards for replacing the slats on the swing.  We bought stain, varnish and paint for the metal parts.

This is all that is left of the original swing.

Staining and varnishing the new slats.

So after two round trips to Oshkosh in the gas guzzling truck and who knows exactly how much money, we have a swing that we didn't even know we wanted in the first place.

Dad trying it out.  We think it needs a cushion to support his skinny rear end.

All and all it turned out pretty well.  We have more seating on the deck, and a perfect position to watch the Baltimore Orioles build their nest.

Baltimore Oriole nest nearly finished.