Lavender Sachets

My mother loves to pick up lavender sachets for our dresser drawers at the local farmer's market. She loves to smell of fresh, clean clothing and in order to prevent a stale smell in our clothing and linens she scatters lavender sachets throughout the house. If you have access to lavender plants, you should consider making your own sachets. Dried lavender is quite easy to make or buy as well.

LAVENDER SACHETS

Mix 1/2 oz. of dried powdered lavender flowers with 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cloves. Sew them up tightly in a little cloth pillow and leave the pillow in a bureau drawer to perfume the clothes. Carla Emery calls this project, "an old-time elegance." 

Kidney Bean Chili

This post for kidney bean chili will go well with my earlier post about homemade cornbread. I love vegetarian chili, especially topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. This is an easy meal that can be thrown together with very little prep time and left on the stove all day to cook.

KIDNEY BEAN CHILI

Soak 2 cups dried kidney beans overnight (or use canned kidney beans). The next day, pour off water. Simmer beans with 2 onions and 2 peppers (both chopped), 6 crushed garlic cloves, 1 pound skinned, chopped tomatoes, 2 cups tomato sauce, and 2-4 cups water, depending on how soupy you like it. Seasonings could be 1 tablespoon each of chili powder and soy sauce (tamari). Optional ingredients are 1/2 pound slices mushrooms or 1-cup corn kernels (add those just a few minutes before serving). Simmer all for about 2 hours before serving. 

Hummus Dip

When I get home from work, my favorite go-to snack is a generous helping of hummus and pretzel twists. Hummus is a protein-rich food that tastes great on a multitude of dishes, including sandwiches, salads, and as a dip for vegetables and crackers. While store bought hummus tastes great, you just can't beat this homemade version!

HUMMUS

Puree 2 cups precooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas) together with 1 garlic clove. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice. If it seems too thick, thin by adding a little water. Chill before serving. Stir in or sprinkle on top chopped parsley for extra flavor. 

Cracker Jack Popcorn!

Popcorn is a delicious treat whether it is plain or seasoned. When I am in the mood for a sweet snack I usually head straight for chocolate chip cookies or a brownie. However, this recipe for cracker jacks would be the perfect combination of sweet and salty to satisfy my craving!

CRACKER JACKS

Start with 8 or 9 cups of popcorn. Put into a dishpan with enough room to move it around easily. In a separate pan, combine 2 cups of packed brown sugar, 1 stick of butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup white syrup (like corn syrup) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Cook together at a full rolling boil for 5 minutes. If it spins a thread, it is ready. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. (Hold pan over dishpan of corn before adding soda so that if it runs over, it will fall on the corn.) Stir a moment. Pour over popped corn. Stir until all is coated well. Put in a roaster in 200-degree oven for 1 hour. Stir occasionally so it will not become one mass. Store in a covered container.  

Homemade Food Coloring

Food coloring has always been a bit of a mystery to me. What ingredients really go into making food coloring? Surely Yellow No. 5 cannot be found growing in nature. To avoid the unknowns of store bought food coloring, The Encyclopedia of Country Living lists herbs and food products you can use to make your own colorings.

Black: barberry leaves

Blue: blueberries

Brown: nut hulls (walnuts are best), tea, coffee, rose hips, tobacco, hickory chips

Green: beet tops, sunflower seeds, birch leaves, Spanish onion skins (outer leaves only), elderberry leaves, spinach, cabbage, rhubarb leaves

Orange: orange juice

Pink: cherries, beat and sassafras roots

Purple: blackberries, cherries, huckleberries, cranberries, raspberries, grapes, purple cabbage

Red: red onion skins, bloodroot, fresh beet juice, madder root, and logwood

Yellow: the stem, leaves, and flowers of apple bark, barberry stems and roots, cinnamon, curry, ginger, the stems, leaves, and flowers of goldenrod, hickory bark, mustard, paprika, pear leaves, saffron, tangle wood stems, turmeric

If you lack the time, ingredients, or patience to create your own homemade food coloring and have a small selection of store bought food colorings at home, use this chart to create new colors with what you have on hand.

COLOR BLENDING CHART:

2 drops yellow, 1 drop green, and 1 drop red= blue

1 drop red, 2 drops green, and 1 drop blue= gray

2 drops blue, 1 drop green= dark green

3 drops yellow, 1 drop blue= light green

12 drops yellow, 1 drop green= olive

2 drops red, 1 drop blue= orchid

3 drops red, 1 drop yellow= orange

3 drops red, 4 drops yellow, and 1 drop green= tangerine 

Homemade Corn Bread

It may be June, but it feels like fall. This weather is perfect for a dinner of vegetarian (or meat) chili and homemade cornbread. This classic meal is warm, filling, and quite tasty. One reader of The Encyclopedia of Country Living states that she "didn't add the melted butter [to the batter] and they were really good anyway." If you are looking to cut calories, feel free to skip on the butter, but not on taste!

CORN/WHEAT BREAD:

Combine 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup home-ground (or whole) wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl, stir together 1 egg, 1/2 cup honey, and 1-cup milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and stir together. Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter (or lard). Stir a moment more, but don't over stir, because you don't want to stir your bubble out. Pour into a greased 8-inch square-baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. 

Basil

Basil is one of my favorite herbs to use while cooking. My family is originally from Sicily, and we love to make a variety of Italian dishes and desserts. I recently adopted a basil plant for my kitchen. It has settled nicely into its pot on my counter and the aroma makes me crave Italian food on a daily basis.

This past weekend I made gnocchi from scratch for the first time. It was a laborious process because of the multiple steps, but it was worth the effort! I combined it with a spicy tomato sauce, however next time I set out to make my own pasta I would love to use this pesto recipe instead.

PESTO:
In your blender, mix 4 cloves of garlic, 2 cups freshly picked basil, 1/4 cup nuts (pine nuts or walnuts), 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/4 cup olive oil. As you blend, gradually add another 1/4 cup of olive oil. Pour into a bowl. Stir in 3 oz. just-grated Parmesan or other firm cheese.

Use pesto right away. If you must keep it, store in an airtight container (air exposure makes pesto turn brown). To freeze pesto, omit cheese, adding only when thawed and ready to serve.

Caramel Candy Recipe

I have not had much luck in making candy, most likely because I do not own a candy thermometer. I have tried to make caramel multiple times with only a few successes. Caramel needs to be made with a watchful eye and an overwhelming amount of patience. If you blink, it could turn from the perfect caramel sauce to an overcooked, burnt mess. Carla Emery states that you should melt the sugar but "don't scorch [it]!" This recipe is much more simple than any other recipe I have used because it includes only two ingredients and the entire process involves only 2 steps. The next time I make caramel I should be aware that I do not need to own a candy thermometer to know when the caramel is done cooking. I need to train my eyes to recognize when the color of the sauce transitions from light to dark brown. This sauce will last indefinitely and can be used to color or flavor a recipe.

CARAMEL RECIPE:

1. Put sugar into a pan and melt it slowly. (The amount of sugar depends on how much caramel sauce you would like to make. I would suggest starting with 1-2 cups.)

2. Cook until the color is dark brown.

3. Add as much boiling water as the amount of sugar you started out with. (This would be either 1-2 cups if you follow the directions above.)

4. Slowly continue cooking until you have thick syrup.

5. Pour into a jar and put a lid on it.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Recently, I have been interested in making my own ingredients instead of buying processed ingredients at the store. When I came across this recipe for homemade vanilla extract in The Encyclopedia of Country Living I was very excited. Carla Emery lists three different recipes for vanilla extract- two that include alcohol and one that does not include alcohol. I am not sure which one would taste better, especially since you would not be able to taste the alcohol flavor in the final product, however it seems that the non-alcoholic recipe can be used immediately, while the alcoholic versions need to sit between 1-2 months before they can be used.

OLD-TIME VANILLA EXTRACT:

Use 4 oz. vanilla beans, 16 oz. edible alcohol, and 16 oz. water. Slice the beans and cut into fine pieces with a sharp knife. Thoroughly powder them in a mortar with 1-2 oz. granulated sugar. Put the powder into the alcohol and water mixture. If you don't have pure alcohol and are substituting a strong whisky blend or brandy, use correspondingly less water. Let the vanilla soak in the liquid for 4 weeks. Strain. The liquid is your extract.

EASY VANILLA EXTRACT:

 Use 1 quart of any good 80-proof brandy and two split vanilla beans. Soak them in a corked jar for two months before using.

NON-ALCOHOLIC VANILLA EXTRACT:

Cut up one vanilla bean into small pieces, place in a bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over them; cover bowl and allow mixture to steep overnight. Blend mixture. Strain and return juice to the blender. Add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid lecithin, 1-tablespoon honey, and 1-tablespoon vegetable oil. Blend; pour into a bottle, cap and refrigerate. Before using, shake well. 

Baking with Honey

As a baker, I am always looking for ways to keep cakes, cupcakes and cookies moist. Not many people are fond of hard or dry pastries. Carla Emery received this tip from Marilyn Gordon and her husband, who raise and sell honey:

"To substitute honey for sugar in a baking recipes use 3/4 cup honey for 1 cup sugar and reduce liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup - like in cakes. If liquid isn't called for in your recipe, add 4 tablespoons of additional flour for each 3/4 cup of honey used in cookies. Bake at a temperature of 25 degrees lower than called for, as baked goods with honey will brown faster. Cakes, cookies, and breads will be moist and stay fresh longer because of the honey's moistness."

Carla also states: "Honey is acidic. If there is as much as 1 cup of honey in the recipe, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (per 1 cup honey) and get a leavening action as well as neutralize the acidic quality."

With this tip it will be fun to try new recipes, such as these honey fudge brownies.

HONEY FUDGE BROWNIES

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together 1/2 cup butter, 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix well. Remove from heat. Blend in 1 cup of honey, 1/2 cup un-sifted flour, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Add 2 well-beaten eggs. Beat the mixture well. Pour into a thoroughly greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes (or until done in the center). Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before marking into 16 squares.  

No-Fry Doughnuts

Rainy, dreary Seattle days always have me craving a warm breakfast of coffee and doughnuts. I would prefer not to venture out into the horrible weather on these days, so an easy, at-home recipe for doughnuts is the perfect remedy. Carla Emery received a fantastic recipe from a fan for no fry doughnuts. This recipe may be slightly healthier than regular doughnuts because of the lack of frying oil. However, depending on the amount of butter, sugar, and cinnamon you garnish the doughnut with, maybe not. If you do not have a doughnut cutter laying around your kitchen, you can use a large round cookie cutter and a small round cookie cutter to create the doughnut shape and hole in the middle.

NO-FRY DOUGHNUTS

Just as if you were making bread, combine 2 packages of yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, 1/2 cup scalded lukewarm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup shortening, 1 tablespoon nutmeg, 4.5 cups of flour, and 1.2 teaspoon cinnamon. Knead, cover, and let rise for 50-60 minutes. Turn onto a floured board and roll with a rolling pin until dough is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a doughnut cutter and carefully life with a spatula onto a greased cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with more butter. Dust with cinnamon and sugar. 

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes were always my favorite part of big holiday breakfasts. We usually used frozen, store-bought pancakes but I still thought they tasted amazing. This homemade version is much more fresh and flavorful than the freezer burnt kind I loved as a kid. These can be eaten for any meal of the day but they taste best with a generous helping of applesauce (especially cinnamon applesauce) and sour cream.

POTATO PANCAKES

Grate 4 medium-sized peeled potatoes and 1 large onion on your smallest-sized grater. (Do not blend in blender.) Add 4 egg yolks and a pinch of salt. Whip whites of the 4 eggs and add them. In a skillet with a lid, fry till brown on each side, turning only once.

For a vegan version of this recipe,

VEGAN POTATO PANCAKES

Grate 1.5 pounds of potatoes and 2 small onions. Combine with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, some parsley, and 2 tablespoons of tamari. Form mixture into patties and bake on a griddle or in a medium oven until crisp.   

Apple Fruit Leather

Fruit leather is a fantastic snack for when you are on the go. I am a fan of store bought fruit leather, but depending on the brand, sugar seems to be the main ingredient. In this recipe, Carla Emery uses cinnamon or coconut to sweeten the apple puree if it tastes too bland, instead of sugar. I love to make my own snacks (as you can tell from earlier posts) and I think that this recipe is easy if you have the time and patience.

APPLE LEATHER:

Start by peeling, coring, sectioning, and grinding the apples in your grinder. Be sure to catch the juice that runs out. Add 2.5 cups of cider or apple juice per gallon of ground apple, and then cook the whole mixture over low heat. When it is boiling and has cleared some, sweeten it if needed. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or 1/2 cup of coconut per 2 cups of apple puree. Then spread the mixture out on baking sheets to dry.

You can dry fruit leather in the sun or in your oven. Carla Emery finds that drying in the sun is the best for taste, but it can be time consuming. If you don't have an infinite amount of time, set your oven between 130 - 140 degrees. It could take up to 6 hours to completely dry the leather. When the topside of the fruit is dry, pull the fruit off the sheet. Flip the pieces of leather over and dry on the bottom side for an equal amount of time.  Drying in the sun can take up to 8 hours. 

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Homemade cheese crackers taste a million times better than anything you can buy at the supermarket. Trust me. This recipe for cheese crackers is very simple and can easily be made with ingredients you already have in your pantry. I used a pastry cutter to create the scalloped edge of the cracker, however you can also use a cookie cutter or free hand the crackers with a knife. I prefer extra sharp cheddar cheese because of its strong taste and salty flavor.

Cheese Crackers

From Carla: This is a flaky (like piecrust), tasty cracker. Use any yellow cheese. You can grate a soft cheese on the big holes of the grater and then use your fingers to work it into the flour and margarine, as you would make a piecrust.

1. Grate a hard cheese as fine as possible.

2. Rub 3 tablespoons of margarine into 3/4 cup of flour.

3. Work in 1/2 cup of grated cheese (measured after grating) and a dash of salt.

4. Blend 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of cold water and add.

5. Work it into soft dough.

6. Roll out very thing and cut into rounds or whatever shapes you prefer.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cracker dough).

Chocolate Frosting Recipe

A few years ago I began to teach myself how to bake. I was inspired by the rising popularity of cupcakes and boutique bakeries in Seattle, such as Trophy Cupcakes and Cupcake Royale. I prefer to bake from scratch using an array of cookbooks and recipes from the web. I have found that I no longer like to use boxed cake mixes or store bought frostings. They tend to be very sugary, which can overpower the taste of a great cake.

When I make frosting, the texture needs to form peaks on its own yet remain soft enough to flow smoothly through a pastry bag. I am always looking for a frosting recipe that does not use an excessive amount of confectioner's sugar or butter. I tend to make butter-cream frosting more than any other type of frosting. However, this recipe for "Quick, Creamy Chocolate Frosting" from Carla Emery's The Encyclopedia of Country Livinglooks too tempting not to try.

Whipping cream is a very flexible ingredient. The longer you whip or whisk the whipping cream, the thicker and denser it becomes. This recipe includes only two ingredients: fresh whipping cream and cocoa powder. If you can avoid butter in your frosting, I suggest you do so. In my experience, frostings with a butter base do not have as long a shelf life as other frostings. They typically have a lifespan of 2-3 days depending on the room temperature before the butter begins to separate from the rest of the ingredients. They may continue to taste amazing, but the overall aesthetic of the cupcake is ruined.

Quick, Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

1. Whip 1 cup of cream.

2. Gently stir in 1/4 cup of cocoa powder or chocolate milk drink power. 

Banana Bread Recipe

With summer just around the corner, I am more interested in baking with fruit than with chocolate. Bananas are not technically a summer season fruit, but they do work well in cakes and breads. One of my favorite breakfast treats is banana bread with walnuts. In The Encyclopedia of Country Living, Carla explains that bananas are best used when ripe. Bananas are usually picked when they are green, giving them ample time to transition to a bright yellow color once they reach the market. I have found that using over-ripe bananas with brown skin when baking creates a softer cake and a stronger banana flavor.

Banana Bread Recipe:
1. Cream 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup honey in a bowl.
2. Stir in 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1-teaspoon vanilla.
3. Sift 1-teaspoon baking soda with 2 cups flour.
4. Add to creamed mix.
5. Add 3 mashed bananas and 1/2 cup chopped nuts (preferably walnuts or pecans)
6. Pour into greased loaf pan.
7. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, or until done.

If you simply cannot bear to part with chocolate in your pastries, add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini or regular size) to the batter. This will add a hint of chocolate but not overpower the banana.

The Magical Fruit

Fact: The peanut is a bean, not a nut.

Fact: The chickpea is also a bean, not a true pea.

Fact: The soynut is the seed from a bean plant, not a nut.

Confused? I was too, until I took a little time to get to know the legume family—the large group of healthy and tasty foods to which all of the above belong.

Legumes are part of the family Leguminosae, or the “pea” family. Legumes all have clusters of fruit that matures in pods. Beans are actually just a small subgroup of this huge category. There are about 200 edible species of legumes cultivated worldwide, with about 1,500 different varieties from snap peas to lima and runner to lentil, soy and black-eye. There are so many different types of legumes that it is difficult to tackle them all in one post, but here are some key facts true of all legumes that can help to clarify what they are and why we should eat them!

Carla Emery says that legumes are incredibly important foods. And when Carla Emery says something is important, I listen. Here’s why:

• Since most of the common legumes are nitrogen fixers, they are great for renewing fertility in a crop rotation following heavy feeders, and they make perfect “green manure.” Till legume roots into your soil along with the leftover coffee grounds from the last post!
• They dry easily and store well under the simplest care, even increasing their protein value in storage.
• Together with a grain, they make a complete protein. So, after grains, beans are the most important food on the planet. So don’t neglect your beans, especially when grains are present in a meal.

A bit about combining beans and grains. All over the world beans are regularly eaten in combination with a grain, creating a complete protein combination essential to all human diets. Both grains and beans are good foods, but no bean or grain by itself contains all the amino acids necessary for human health, unlike meat and dairy (and mushroom) products. For example, corn is low in lysine and tryptophan, 2 essential amino acids. Beans are rich in lysine and tryptophan but lack zein, which corn can provide. So grains and beans together are as good as drinking milk or eating steak (an important detail for vegans or vegetarians to consider). But they must be eaten in the same meal for it to work. You get the same result with corn and bean stew (succotash), baked beans and bread, beans with barley or rice, beans and pasta, or corn chips and bean dip.

Besides providing you with a complete protein in a meal, legumes can have quite long-term health benefits, since consuming legumes regularly can reduce your risk of both heart disease and cancer. In fact, Carla Emery says that eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduces you cancer risk by half.

For a healthy and tasty snack, try dipping corn chips in your own homemade hummus!

Hummus—made from the “garbanzo bean” (as it is known in Spain) or “chickpea” (in England). This legume is actually grown all over the world in warm climates and is prominent in national dishes from India, Italy, the Middle East and Latin America.

2 cups precooked garbanzos

1 garlic clove (or 5, if you boil them ahead for a milder taste)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

Puree garbanzos and garlic. Add olive oil and lemon juice. If it seems too thick or dry, thin by adding a little water. Chill before serving.

Change it up! Try adding sesame oil or tahini for a nuttier flavor. Or add roasted bell peppers or sun-dried tomatoes and spread on crackers or wheat bread for a perfect protein!

Sweet Summer Delights

It looks like the Pacific Northwest is beginning to embrace the concept of summer a little bit (knock on wood), and I say we had all better take advantage of the glorious sunshine while we can! But in what way should we express our appreciation of this generous dose of Vitamin D? Carla Emery suggests homemade popsicles for a refreshing treat on a warm day—a favorite for both the young and old!

Homemade popsicles are great because they are “cheap, easy, and even more fun for the children than going to the store. Children like strong, sweet juices like grape and cranberry for popsicles—but when kids are hot anything will do,” even popsicles made from puddings or soda pop! You can buy do-it-yourself popsicle molds from Tupperware and Back to Basics (I actually have a small one from Target, and I’ve been using it all summer, even on the cooler days) or you can make your own from regular household items. Use small sturdy bowls or cans for containers—or even the ice cube tray in your freezer—and wooden sticks or toothpicks for handles.

Using whatever popsicle-making container you prefer, pour your favorite juice into the molds without filling completely, insert your handle, and freeze. (Extra tip: if your containers and handles are makeshift rather than store-bought, you might have trouble keeping your handles completely upright. If you allow your liquid to freeze partially before you insert your handle, you’ll have a more solid consistency to hold the handle up straight.) Obviously, freezing time will vary quite a bit depending on the size and shape of your molds and the temperature of your freezer, but don’t pull on the handles “until you’re sure the center of the popsicle is solidly frozen and you have loosened the sides by running hot water over the back of the mold. Otherwise they might pull out of the container prematurely, leaving a hole that it won’t freeze back into. You don’t have to unmold all the popsicles at once. Just loosen as many as you need. Refill the emptied units and return to the freezer.”

You can use any kind of fruit juice you like for your homemade popsicles (lemonade works great and is particularly refreshing on a warm day), but of course Carla Emery has a couple of recipes working from scratch.

Basic Fruit Popsicles

Puree 1 c. any kind of fruit or a mixture of fruit, and mix with 1 c. water. Pour into your ice cube tray. When they are starting to freeze, add a wooden stick or toothpick to each section.

Pudding Popsicles

Susan Staley was in Germany when she sent me this recipe. She said, “If your children love the Fudgsicle-type popsicle, you can easily make them. Just make up a batch of pudding and freeze it in your popsicle molds. They’re delicious and you can make different kinds besides chocolate. Butterscotch is very good. In fact, any flavor of pudding your children love hot, they’re bound to like cold in hot summer weather.”

Any Fruit Ice

You could juice pomegranates or barberries or red currants, or cook and strain quinces, or grate pineapple, or boil and pulp apples or rhubarb — whatever you have. Sweeten to taste, add lemon juice if the flavor needs it, and freeze.

DIY Granola

Granola is one of those superfoods I don't remember to eat as often as I would like to. It's wonderful for breakfast, providing you lots of protein and fiber to get you through the morning. As a girl, Carla Emery enjoyed this too. She says,

"When I was a little girl, I liked a bowl of raw rolled oats with milk and honey for breakfast in the summertime. Then somebody came along and invented granola, which is even better. You'll have to visit your health food store (or grocery store) for some of these ingredients. It's pretty hard to grow almonds, coconuts, and carob in your yard unless you live in southern California. Granola recipes are fun to make, so good to eat, and so healthy! Store any granola in an airtight container. It will keep several weeks. It's best stored in the freezer or in plastic bags or jars in the refrigerator."

The easiest way to enjoy granola is to buy it at the grocery store, as many of those classic granola ingredients are difficult to grow. But it can be an expensive item. Luckily, it is possible to make granola at home. I think Carla's Basic Baked Granola recipe sounds delicious and could be varied to fit your specific tastes:

Basic Baked Granola Mix together:

1 c. rolled oats,

1 c. rolled whole wheat,

1⁄2 c. grated dried coconut,

1⁄3 c. Wheat germ,

1⁄2 c. chopped nuts (almonds, cashews or peanuts),

1⁄2 c. hulled sunflower seeds

7 t sesame seeds, if you can get them.

Now heat to just under a boil. Add:

5 t. honey,

5 t. vegetable oil,

1 t. vanilla

Mix with dry ingredients.

Spread about 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 of the mixture in a thin layer in a large shallow pan.

Bake in a 325˚F oven for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Repeat with remaining mixture, or use 2 or 3 pans.

Then add:

1⁄4 c. seedless raisins or chopped dried fruit like prunes, dates, currants, or apricots.

Be sure to stir in the fruit while the granola is still warm.

Store.

Granola is delicious all by itself, but here are a few unexpected ways to use it:

Add a cup or two to your bread or cake (you'll have to add more liquid, too), or to poultry stuffing, cabbage roll stuffing, or apple stuffing. Eat it plain as a snack or use it as an ice cream topping. Serve stirred into yogurt instead of with milk. Or use it as a topping on cooked fruit. Or make candy out of it by mixing it with peanut butter, honey, and powdered milk and rolling into little individual balls. Or start with an egg and 2 T. milk, add enough granola to make a batter, and fry in a greased skillet for pancakes (top with yogurt).

The Perks of Having a Chicken Coop

Raising chickens in your own backyard can be a wonderful experience, and even urban dwellers can try this small act of self-sustenance. Imagine eggs in the morning and a fresh chicken on the table for dinner.

If you want eggs to eat, and not to hatch, you should hold off on buying a rooster. You will want to collect the eggs several times a day and refridgerate them immediately. Don't worry about the color of the eggs, they are exactly the same on the inside.

If you come across a nest and are unsure of the freshness, the best way to determine if it is safe to eat is by looking at it. Carla Emery says the egg will be "hard to crack because the membrane inside the shell has become tough. It may smell bad, and if you just start to crack the shell, yucky stuff may come oozing out." Or, try placing it in a pan of water: "Fresh eggs will lay on their sides on the bottom of the pan. If the egg's a few days old, one end will tip upwards. If stale, an egg will stand on end. If plumb rotten, it will float."

Fresh chicken meat is another satisfying and delicious perk of owning chickens, but comes at a price - you will have to kill the chicken. Assuredly, one would want to do this in the most humane way possible, with the least amount of distress for the chicken. Much more information on this matter can be found in the Encyclopedia of Country Living. Here are a two of the simplest ways it can be done:

Buy a killing cone: "You can mail-order a commercially produced killing cone from a poultry supplier or from a local farmsupply store or make your own."

To make a homemade killing cone

* Cut off the bottom of a 1-gal. plastic bottle.

* Cut about 2 inches from the top and handle.

Or, opt to hire out: Lots of communities have backyard chicken butchering entrepreneurs. You bring them live birds in the evening and pick up dressed, bagged, chilled chicken the next morning.