Saturday 25 July 2015

Crepes With Strawberry Sauce


Fresh strawberries are growing all around us and if you love them as much as I do you will truly appreciate this recipe.

Crepes

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
Start by combining milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix with a whisk until well combined. 

Add flour, salt, and sugar and mix until smooth. 

Pour batter onto a heated non stick pan a ladle full at a time. Tilt the frying pan until the batter forms a thin layer all around the bottom of the pan. 

Flip after one minute and continue cooking for another minute. Set crepes aside. 

Strawberry Sauce
  • 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
Add all ingredients to a saucepan and cook on medium with the lid on. Stir occasionally until the strawberries begin to soften. Once the strawberries are soft take them off the heat. 

Mash the berries with a potato masher if u want chunky sauce or with a immersion blender for a smoother sauce. Let cool and enjoy! 

Friday 24 July 2015

Ketchup Recipe


Ketchup has to be one of the most used condiments in our home. We love it on everything, now that summer is here we can use fresh tomatoes from the garden to make fresh, healthy, ketchup. By making your own ketchup u can save quite a bit.

Ketchup

  •  24 large tomatoes peeled, chopped, cored
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • 1 tsp whole allspice
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar 
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp paprika
In a large pot combine tomatoes, onion, and pepper and cook on medium heat until soft. Sieve the vegetables into the pot until you have a puree. 

Cook the puree on high until it is thick and reduced by half. 

Cut a 10 cm square of cheesecloth and place the celery seed, mustard seed, allspice, and cinnamon stick in the center of the bag and tie up all four corners to create a tight bag. 

Add the spice bag, brown sugar, and salt into tomato puree. Cook on low for 25 mins. 

Add the cider vinegar and paprika. Continue cooking stirring frequently until the mixture is thick. 

Now u can begin the canning process by pouring your ketchup into jars. Use a hot water bath and ensure a tight seal. Cool, label and store for up to one year. Ketchup will be ready to eat in one week. 

Enjoy the fruits of your labour and save a ton of money by using up all your tomatoes!

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Fixing Splayed Leg on a Duckling


The past couple weeks I have learned a lot and lost a few small pet duckies along the way. It has been a hard learning experience but now I know of your duck doesn't stick to her food she will lay eggs that are impenetrable to ducklings. My duck was eating nothing but chicken food and the enzymes creating rock hard shells causing the babies to die in their shells. We were able to save two of them but one of them has splayed leg. 

But what is splayed leg or spraddle leg? There is an excellent article here. Basically it is a condition where the baby bird cannot use their legs. It is however a correctable condition in many cases. I found many helpful videos on youtube and used the one I thought would be the best for my duckies condition. 

When I had helped her out of her prison shell she was very weak from fighting her way out. She couldn't move without help, and could barely lift her head.  She has gotten many baths and had been fed using a syringe and wet food. Now she is finally beginning to get the food herself which is a step in the right direction. 

So here is the video I chose to create my leg brace for her. 


Now I am waiting to see if the fix will set and my ducky will survive. Sadly if it doesn't work she will be put down. So cross your fingers, its only been one day and she is showing improvement.

Sunday 5 July 2015

Viva Vantage & Cozy Coupe Makeover



Sun faded toys usually are unavoidable and can look a bit lame and boring in the backyard, or at least that's how we look at things around here. I don't like having boring faded toys in my yard,they just look so sad. So my sons Little Tikes Cozy Coupe was in desperate need of a face lift. 

I got started scrubbing all the dirt and mud off,which was no easy task since my kids enjoy mud bogging in the backyard. But I used my Viva Vantage paper towels to get the job done. I only had to use 2 sheets to remove all that grime! This paper towel is super strong, absorbent, and has great scrubbing power!


Once the car was clean it was time to take this tiny car to the next level with some of my artwork. I used permanent paint markers and went to town. 


I added some fine lines, racing stripes, an awesome skull, an adorable face as well as some cheeky back talk to turn this car into a prized gem. 


Wednesday 1 July 2015

Keep Cool With A Water Relay


It is so hot out where we live, we have been reaching 40 degrees Celsius and just boiling. The kids get a bit grumpy when it's hot and they proclaim that they are bored and don't want to play in the sun because it's too hot. So I thought of a great way to keep the kids entertained, cool, following instructions, and working on their hand eye coordination. 

A water relay is the perfect way to beat the heat. I simply filled small containers with water and set them up on obstacles the children need to tackle while holding their container of water, the object of the game is to get through each obstacle without spilling or with spilling as little water as possible.

 Each obstacle was different, like riding a scooter with one hand while holding the water. They ride the scooter to a designated spot and return to a bucket where they pour in the remaining water. They accumulate as much water from each container and obstacle and I measure who got the most.

Other obstacles included pushing small trucks and strollers with containers of water as well as trying to go down a slide with a small awkward container of water. The kids had a blast filling the bucket and when they were finished and I had marked there line I dumped the collected water on their heads. 

How have you been beating the heat?