Beautiful Paper Wasp Nests

Every year we find a paper wasp nest somewhere on our property.  Not the wasps I wrote about in August.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/08/wasps-in-house.html

These paper wasps like to build a nest under something.  Sometimes they are called umbrella wasps.  One of the first years we were here, they built a nest under a metal squirrel guard  It was a beautiful sight to watch it develop, as long as we kept our distance.

This is in the middle of the summer.

A few weeks later they had covered the whole top and were working down the pole.

Sometime they try to build under the deck or the house overhang.  We take them down before they get too big.  We don't want something like this forming any place close to where we sit outside.

Then a couple years ago in the fall, we needed to cut firewood and trim branches.  Our son in law spotted a large paper wasp nest up in a pine tree.  We had frost by that time so it was safe to take down the nest.  Paper wasp males and unmated females die when weather gets cold.  The queen hibernates somewhere until spring and then starts a new nest.  It is so interesting to see how they secure the nest around the tree branches.

Thinking about these past nests brings me to today.  I was walking out to the edge of our property where we have our compost pile.  My grandson told me there was a bee nest out there, but I really didn't pay much attention.  I just told him to stay away.  I should have listened to my own advice.  I had to check it out.  It was so amazing and perfect.  We had removed the birdfeeder from this spot but left the squirrel guard.  It was a great spot for the paper wasps to build a nest.

I was admiring how this nest was constructed and how beautiful it was.  I guess I got too close.  These wasps aren't aggressive unless they are bothered.  They defend each other and their nest with a vengeance.  Boom!  They got me on my camera trigger finger.  I dropped the camera but got a shot.  It's out of focus but you can see how many wasps came out of the hole in seconds.

I'm just lucky I didn't get stung more.  I will be leaving them alone, that's for sure.

Chicken Scratch Vintage Antiques

I like to write about local points of interest.  We don't have a lot of commercial type big box stores out here in the less populated areas of south central Wisconsin.  What we do have is wonderful little stores and shops carrying very unique items.  I wrote about Saving Grace in Berlin, Wisconsin about a year ago http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/08/saving-grace-salvage-co.html 

Last Saturday my daughter and I discovered another similar place on a smaller scale.  It is called Chicken Scratch.  It is named this because it has beautiful unusual looking chickens running around.  It is a newly opened business and is only open every other weekend.  It sells items that are old and vintage.  Some of the merchandise are items that all of us have thrown out.   People were flocking to this sale and walking out with all kinds of old unique items. 

Most of you know that I knit a lot of socks.  I love to block them with wooden sock blockers.  I have a few, but I found another one at Chicken Scratch.  It is for a very large foot (maybe Big Foot), but I love to imagine how many socks were dried on these items.  I usually use the smaller ones for my socks.

Second from the left is my new sock blocker. 

I also bought this pottery plate.

If you are interested in more pictures and information, they have a Facebook page.  You can see some of the unique items they have to decorate your home, porch and yards.  You can also stay updated on dates and times of the many fall and holiday sale events they have planned.

https://www.facebook.com/chickenscratchvintage

In fact, their next sale is Friday Oct 3rd and Sat Oct 4th 10 - 5.  The City of Berlin, Wisconsin is hosting a Pumpkins on the Petunias event downtown so there will be a lot to do.  

Chicken Scratch is located at:

N217 Hwy 49
Berlin, WI
(920) 361- 3887

Scented Pine Cones

 
Fall is officially here.  It's time to think of all the fun decorations we can make.   I love all the fall scents from pumpkin pie to apples and cinnamon.  This is the time of year when there are pine cones all over the ground.  I like to use them for decorations.  I make wreaths, I hang them on the Christmas tree and anything else I can think of.  I usually fill a bowl of scented cones to put on the table.

I recently saw a bag of scented pine cones in a store for $6.99.  You can make your own for pennies.  The first thing you do is gather as many pine cones as you wish.  If you don't have any in your neighborhood, go to a park or walking trail if possible.  There will be more than you will need.  Worse case, you can buy them.  Plain cones cost less than the scented ones.  Shake off the pine straw, and place the cones in a tub of water.  You can use a pail, a tub or even the kitchen sink.  Let them soak for an hour or two.  I forgot and soaked mine overnight.  This process cleans the dirt off and they close up.  Next you set the oven for 200 degrees.  It can be a little higher but not high enough to burn the cones.  Place the wet cones on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  The foil is important because as the cones dry some sticky sap is released, and that could mess up your baking sheet. 

 
Stick the cones in the oven.  Bake them until the cones open up again.  It could take an hour or even three hours depending how much drying needs to be done.  Keep an eye on them and when they have completely opened up, take them out of the oven.

Let them cool.  Now put them in a plastic ziplock bag.  At this stage you can use any scent you like.  I sprinkled them with cinnamon and cloves, and then I put several drops of an apple cider fragrance oil in the bag.  Any essential oil would work.  The last thing to do is shake the bag a few times, and seal up the bag.  Wait at least two weeks.  The scents will have permeated the cones by this time.  When the time is right, open up the bag and use the cones for any decoration.  They smell so good.

Banana Bread Bars

This is a recipe making the rounds on Facebook.  It is a good way to use up over ripe bananas.  If I see a bag of over ripe bananas at the grocery store, they are usually marked way down.  I buy them and put them in the freezer.  I use them in smoothies and recipes.  It adds great sweetness without as much additional sugar.  You can either freeze them with the peel on or peel them and freeze in a freezer bag.  They need to thaw for a bit to get the peel off if you choose that method.  Banana bars usually have cream cheese frosting, but this brown butter frosting is delicious.

Banana Bread Bars

1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.  For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend inbananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

4.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

Yield: 2 dozen large bars

P.S.  Did you know that if you peel a banana upside down away from the stem, you won't get the strings?

Crickets In The Basement

This is going to be a quick little blog.  Last weekend we were at my daughters old farmhouse that they recently bought.  They are still busy getting it ready to move in, but everything takes longer than it should.  They are close to finishing up and have done a ton of work.  She asked me if I had a home remedy for getting rid of crickets.  She said she can hear crickets in the basement, and the sound is annoying.  I had no idea.  We have had country critters, but crickets haven't been an issue.  I kind of like their sound, but probably not in the house.  She decided to search for a remedy and found a good solution.  Just take a strip of duct tape, lay it next to the foundation upside down so the sticky side is up, stick a couple pieces of dog food to the tape and wait.  This was what she found in the morning.  I think it works and doesn't use harsh insect sprays.  Sometimes the easiest method is the best.

Two pieces of dog food and sticky tape does the trick.

Light Alfredo Sauce

I had every intention of blogging about our dinner tonight.  However, life happens and we ended up with leftovers.  I was going to make a skinny version of Chicken Alfredo that I found on http://diethood.com/skinny-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-sauce/   Instead I made the major component, the sauce.  It is made with kefir instead of heavy cream or cream cheese.  There is no butter either so the calories are cut dramatically.  The calories in most Alfredo sauces are over 500 calories per serving.  This recipe has 170 calories.

The sauce is tasty and very creamy.

In this recipe you can use kefir from the grocery store.  I make my own, so I was able to use that.  I wrote a few days ago about the homemade kefir I make, and I have a lot of it on hand right now.  My grains are very prolific.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/09/update-of-my-kefir-miracle.html

Light Chicken Alfredo Sauce

3 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain, nonfat kefir
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add the garlic and cook briefly.  Garlic burns easily so watch carefully.  Stir in the flour and stir until combined, then whisk in the chicken broth.  Stir until the mixture thickens and then remove from the heat.  Whisk in the kefir and the parmesan cheese.  Season with the salt and pepper.

I also grilled some chicken breast strips, so I will have them ready for tomorrow.  I will cook some noodles, and toss the sauce with the noodles.  Then top with the cooked chicken.  This sauce could be used in alfredo lasagna. chicken alfredo pizza or any recipe calling for alfredo sauce.  It is low calorie and basically lactose free.

Prepared chicken strips.

Fruit Flies In My Kitchen

This post is disgusting but I didn't realize how disgusting until today.  For the past few days, I noticed a few fruit flies in my kitchen.  I couldn't imagine where they had come from, and then I found some over ripe tomatoes I had from my daughter's garden.  I tossed the tomatoes and thought that would be the end of it, but I still saw a couple flying around.  I heard that vinegar attracted them, so I set out a dish of vinegar.  In a few hours, I hadn't attracted any.  I had used white vinegar so I thought perhaps I needed cider vinegar instead.  Apple cider is made from fruit and fruit flies like fruit (and vegetables).  Without realizing it, I grabbed rice vinegar instead.  I sprinkled about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in the vinegar and a few drops of dishwashing soap.  I set the dish on the kitchen counter.  In a few seconds the fruit flies started to appear.  They would perch on the side of the dish and then fall into the pool of vinegar.  Obviously there were more than a couple fruit flies in my kitchen,  and I couldn't imagine where they all came from.

A lot of fruit flies in a short amount of time.

After a while we had some errands to run, so we left for a few hours.  When we returned, I checked the dish and it had many more drowned fruit flies.  I told you it was digusting.

Do we all have fruit flies in our homes, and we don't realize it?  I hope not.  I will use this combination in the future because it obviously works.  I hate to see how many will be collected by morning.  Hopefully there aren't many more.

1/2 cup rice vinegar (apple cider or red wine vinegar)
1/2 t. sugar
a few drops of dishwashing soap

*Note: After I posted this blog,  I got several comments about using a dish with the vinegar solution but covered with plastic wrap.  I decided to do a test.  Over 8 hours ago I set out a dish with vinegar, soap and a little sugar.  I covered it with plastic wrap and secured it with a rubber band.  I poked holes in the plastic wrap.  Next to it I put out an open dish of vinegar, soap and sugar.  I caught several fruit flies in the open dish and not one in the covered dish.  They crawled on the plastic but wouldn't go through. It seems that the open method is more effective.

Time To Dry Your Hydrangea Blossoms

The last two days in Princeton, Wisconsin are a sharp contrast to the hot temperatures we had earlier this week.  It is very cold and tonight we have a chance of frost.  In case this happens, I have gathered my inside plants that I have outside.  I don't want to bring them inside yet, so I am going to cover the bunch with a blanket and hope for the best.  I hope it doesn't freeze yet.  It is way too early.  One of the reasons besides the obvious, is that I save some of the hydrangea blooms and dry them.  They have to be cut after the growing season but before a frost.  If it freezes the blossoms freeze, and they don't dry properly.  Today I cut a few just in case.  This is my process for drying them.  Some people tie the stems together and hang upside down until dry.  I don't do that.

This Hydrangea is getting the fall blush.  I hope these are ready to cut, and not too early. 

Fill a vase 3/4 full of water and cut the flowers.

Strip the leaves off the stems and place into the vase of water.

The flowers should be put into water immediately after cutting.  This allows the water to be pulled up into the stem just like any cut flower.  The difference is that the flower doesn't wilt.  Just leave the bouquet in the water until all the water evaporates.  At this time the Hydrangea has begun to dry.  It does turn light brown, but once dry they last for years.  I have never done this, but I have heard that you can color the water, and the dried flowers will have that color in the blossoms.

These dried hydrangea's are several years old.  They still have the slight pink blush.

This is what happens if you pick the blossoms too soon.  They shrivel up and don't dry properly.

If it doesn't freeze tonight, I will cut some more or wait until next year to collect more.  There are a lot of ways to decorate with dried Hydrangea.  Some years I decorate my Christmas tree with some of the dried blossoms.  If you have some or have access to them, give it a try.  It's free, it's pretty and it's fun.

Update Of My Kefir Miracle

Today's blog is going to be an update of a post I wrote when I first started to write my blog in December of 2012.  It was called the Miracle of Kefir.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2012/12/the-miracle-of-kefir.html

If you read the first blog, I mentioned what kefir is, how wonderful it is and how it returned me to health after cancer treatment in 2006/2007.  Well, this spring something happened to the kefir grains I had.  My grains were over 6 years old, and they started to die off.  I tried to keep them going.  They still made kefir but the quality was poor and the grains quit growing.  All summer I tried to revive them.  I finally gave in and ordered new grains from a wonderful source called the kefirlady.  I was familiar with her because I followed her yahoo group for many years.  www.kefirlady.com  I learned from the literature she sent that I was killing my grains in two ways.  First, I was stirring with a silicone spatula.  Silicone kills the kefir.  I had never heard that before.  I also was not using enough milk in ratio to the grains.  I was starving my kefir grains by not giving them enough to eat.  I was thinking the more grains the better.  That was not true.  The kefirlady, Marilyn, raises goats and makes her milk kefir from goat milk, but her grains work perfectly fine in regular store bought milk as long as the milk isn't ultra pasteurized.  Some people were concerned that the grains would be "goaty".  Once a couple batches are made, there is no detectable goat flavor.

Finished batch of fresh kefir.

In case anyone is interested, the kefirlady also sells water kefir and kombucha.  I made water kefir in addition to milk kefir for a long time, but I found they reproduced so fast we couldn't possibly keep up.  They are different from milk kefir grains in that they grow in sugar water.  The grains use up the sugar in the water and make a fizzy drink that is slightly sweet.   It can be flavored with juices.  I often added grape juice but if left to ferment too long, it tasted a little like sweet wine.   It has good beneficial properties with probiotics just as the milk kefir does.  Kombucha is similar but the water kefir contains a greater number of good bacteria.  Good bacteria helps us to digest our food, helps with allergies and boosts our immune system.  I got this explanation of milk kefir benefits from http://www.kefir.net/nutritional-content-of-kefir/

 "In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains minerals and essential amino acids that help the body with healing and maintenance functions. The complete proteins in kefir are partially digested and therefore more easily utilized by the body. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because kefir also offers an abundance of calcium and magnesium, which are also important minerals for a healthy nervous system, kefir in the diet can have a particularly profound calming effect on the nerves.
Kefir’s ample supply of phosphorus, the second most abundant mineral in our bodies, helps utilize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy.
Kefir is rich in Vitamin B12, B1, and Vitamin K. It is an excellent source of biotin, a B Vitamin which aids the body’s assimilation of other B Vitamins, such as folic acid, pantothenic acid, and B12. The numerous benefits of maintaining adequate B vitamin intake range from regulation of the kidneys, liver and nervous system to helping relieve skin disorders, boost energy and promote longevity."

Hopefully I will be able to keep my new grains for a long time, and I will have plenty to share.

Lemon Bars

Recently my sister reminded me of a recipe we used to make.  She got this recipe when she worked and lived in Stoughton, Wisconsin.  That was probably more than twenty five years ago. The recipe has been around for a long time, but I haven't made them in many years.  I don't know why, they are so good and go together very quickly.  It is a very easy recipe that doesn't need a mixer.

Lemon Bars

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Cut the butter into the flour and powdered sugar just like with pie crust.   Pat it into a 8 x 8 inch pan.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix with a fork until blended.  Put filling over the crust while the crust is still hot.  Bake for another 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  When done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut while still warm.

Fall is on the Horizon

 Fall is nearly here in spite of the warm temperatures we had today.  It was a beautiful day, but there are signs everywhere.   Here are just a few of the pictures I took today that proves fall is just around the corner. 

The corn fields are getting ready to harvest.

The corn tassels.

Ears of field corn drying up.

Lots of bees on the sedum.

Pumpkin

Another pumpkin

Lots of tomatoes, too many to eat.

Wooly Caterpillar

Blush on the hydrangea

Jack in the Pulpit berries

My Throw Back Thursday Family Vacation

Since the trend right now is TBT (Throw Back Thursday), I thought I would take a trip down memory lane.  In 1957 I moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin with my family.  My dad was transferred there with his company from Black River Falls, Wisconsin.  Back then the company was called Nelson Muffler Company.  I was in fourth grade at West Side school.  It was a little bit traumatic for me.  We had moved a few times during my young years, and I wasn't looking forward to adjusting again.  First of all, Stoughton 4th graders had already mastered their nines in multiplication.  I hadn't gotten that far.   These days I think they do multiplication in first grade.  The most traumatic experience of all was Syttende Mai.  No one in my family had heard of such a celebration.  Stoughton is a community with a lot of Norwegian descendants.  They celebrate the day Norway declared its independence.  Syttende Mai means 17th of May.  We moved in February so I was thrust into training for the big celebration.  My mom had to come up with a costume, and I had to do a Norwegian dance with my class.  I had to dance with strangers.

I survived and my outfit was acceptable.

The following years in Stoughton were good, and we became used to our new town.  We lived across the street from some wonderful people.  My parents became very good friends with them.  They owned a resort on Lost Lake near St. Germain/Eagle River, Wisconsin.  The wife and children would spend the summer running this resort and the husband would come up every weekend after work.  We began going there for our summer vacation every year.  We made some wonderful memories.  We fished, we played softball, we rode horses and played in the water.

One of the rustic cabins.  I think they had twenty cabins to rent out.

Every morning we would travel to the other side of the lake to play softball with another resort.  All ages and all abilities were welcome.  Across from the ball diamond was a horse stable.  We rode horses a few times.  It was different back then and there were no digital cameras.  Very few pictures were taken.  I found this one of the family holding a pet raccoon they had at the horse stable.

Oh look at the fancy white socks.

We didn't have a lot of money for vacations so during that week (sometimes two weeks) we ate a lot of fish that we caught.  I remember late at night mom would be frying fish and potatoes.

I can still bait a hook, clean a fish and row a boat to this day.  One time I caught a 24 inch Northern Pike on a cane pole.  It broke the pole so I reached in and landed the fish anyway.  I never liked eating those fish because of all the bones.  We don't fish and my daughters have no idea how to catch a fish, but it is one of my wonderful childhood memories.

The last picture I am posting is of me and my sister.  It was taken much earlier than our St. Germain vacations.  I just thought it was so cute, I had to include it.  I guess most of our vacations included lakes and fishing.  Maybe that is why I ended up living in a log cabin and enjoying nature everyday.

Pumpkin Pancakes and Crockpot Pumpkin Bread

Last Tuesday I wrote about our grandchildren camping at our house, and how we made Hobo Steak.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/08/the-hobo-steak-and-camping-experience.html

The next morning when it was time for breakfast, I made Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes.  If you like high gluten, cakey pancakes, these won't be for you.  They weren't really for me either, but my grandchildren really like them.  It is what my daughter makes, and that is what they are used to eating.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

4 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
Optional:  1-2 Tablespoon coconut flour

Whisk the eggs with the canned pumpkin and vanilla.  Stir in the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and baking soda.  Melt the butter or coconut oil and mix into the batter.  Grease the skillet and spoon the batter onto the skillet.  When bubbles form, flip the pancakes and finish cooking.

Pumpkin pancakes with real Maple Syrup

I had some canned pumpkin left over in the refrigerator from this pancake recipe.  I debated if I should throw it away or make something else with it.  I decided to make Crockpot Pumpkin Bread.  I posted a recipe for Crockpot Banana Bread several months ago.
 http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/12/crockpot-banana-bread.html

I used the same procedure for baking in the crockpot for this recipe.  

Crockpot Pumpkin Bread

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin and cream cheese.  Mix in the eggs, butter, and sugar.  Then add the flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray the bottom of the slow cooker or the crockpot baking pan.  Pour the batter into it.

Cover and cook on High for 3 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool and slice.

Pumpkin bread cooling on a plate.

Can be eaten with butter, whipped cream or plain.