The Cole Homestead

And with Summer comes .... Mosquitoes!

I am so tried of getting eating up!  The mosquitoes seem so much worse this year and I have seem more deer flies this year than in all years past.  Where are they coming from?  And that is just here at home.  My daughter has gone camping with my mother in law and at the campsite the bugs are so much worse.  I hate to let the kids run and play with the fear that they are going to be sucked dry!  Not to mention the fear of the dreaded West Nile Virus that seems to be carried by these little varmints.  I have been trying so hard to keep my children protected.  I really had to choose between a whole lot of chemicals or letting them get eaten or just never letting them out to play.  Anyone with small children can tell you that is not an option.  Well, I think I have finally found an answer and there are no chemicals involved.

A while back some one mentioned on here a internet site called www.bulherbstore.com .  I have been interested in using herbs for awhile.  About six years ago my father died of cancer.  He was a farmer and a repair man for CAT where he fixed big melting furnaces that melted the iron for engine blocks and such.  Both environments were not so good for his health.  While farming he used every chemical known to man.  Many were later outlawed but he always said that was because they were the ones that actually worked.  Now I know that every farmer does not get cancer but I feel that those chemicals helped in that respect. 

Anyway, on this website there was an herb mix called The Vinegar of the Four Thieves.  I found this interesting.  I use vinegar for everything.  Cooking, cleaning, whatever.  I have even used this on sunburns.  This mix included   peppermint, wormwood, Sage, Lavender, garlic, and apple cider vinegar.  Hmm, I have most of these either growing or made here at home.  (I haven't tried growing garlic yet)  After reading about the benefits of each herb and about the mix I decided to give it a try.  So far it has worked great.  It takes about 3 weeks to brew but it was worth the wait.  I have not had a problem with no see'ems, mosquitoes, or even flys.  It also seems to work on the goats.  They have been plagued by horse flies all season.  The best part is that there are no harmful chemicals.  I might smell like a salad for a few minutes but that is a very small price to pay.

Pork N' Beans Cake

Sounds awful don't it?  I hear that it is great, just don't tell folks what is in it.  Plus it adds a bit of fiber to your diet!

Pork N Beans Cake

1- 16 oz can pork and beans (drained)

1- 18 oz can crushed pineapple (drained)

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp Baking soda

1 cup oil

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2  tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

Mash pineapple and beans together than add the rest.  Pour into a greased 13x9 and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

A Day in the Kitchen

My husband spent yesterday in the kitchen.  A friend of my husband brought him a couple deer legs for us.  We have a deal where he supplies the deer meat and we do the work and supply the rest.  It took us a while to take the deer off the bones and grind the meat.  After all of that It was easy to mix in the sausage, spices, tender quick, and honey and let it rest for a while.  Then out came the KitchenAid.  I never seem to use this for mixing but I love the sausage stuffer attachment!  We ended up with 10 very large logs of sausage.  Here's a pic of them in the wood stove.

I also made bread.  Of course I made too much again so I made 8 loaves and 4 pans of cinnamon rolls.  There was still a bit left over.  I decided to make a cinnamon pull apart.  It turned out great.  It was almost too pretty to eat!

The best soft Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!

Over the years I have tried to find a good recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies.  Some were chewy or doughy or just plain hard.  I wanted a soft melt in your mouth cookie.  Well, I was recently given a recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies.  Sure I gave it a try and I am glad I did.  I found the perfect soft cookie.  I guess the key was pudding.  Who would have guessed?  Anyway here it is: