Mom's the Word: Glowing Reviews (Glow Stick Lanterns)

Mom's the Word: Glowing Reviews (Glow Stick Lanterns):   I recently bought a bunch of bracelet sized glow sticks for a party at our house, and, of course, I forgot to use them. Tonight, ins...

Do You Know the Muffin Man? (Summer Squash Muffin Recipe)

I have a plethora of locally grown summer squash.  I did not grow it. I did not buy it.  I did not find it.  My mother-in-law offered it to me, and I simply cannot pass up such goodness.  I am the only one in our house of five who will eat it stewed, roasted, in squash dressing, grilled, etc. Sad, but true.

So, what to do?  Muffins.  Hide it in muffins.  "Why muffins?" you ask.  Well, muffins (and baked goods in general) are good vehicles to hide stuff.  And, we are about to begin the busy school year.  Travel to and from our homeschool co-op will require some dashing out the door with a travel ready breakfast.  Enter summer squash muffins.

I spent an inordinate amount of time researching the internet for muffin recipes, washing, and slicing about 18 cups of summer squash. And, there I was really wishing that I knew the muffin man, because I (in my post-kids-bedtime-wisdom) decided to turn it ALL into muffins.  You know, batch baking and freezing at its best, right???  And 9pm is a great time to attempt quadrupling a recipe you haven't tried before... At least the hubs turned Chopped on the television for me before he gave up and went to bed.

Of the limited recipes found on the internet, this recipe from Taste of Home was the winner, winner, chicken dinner:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yellow-squash-muffins

After reading reviewer comments, I modified the recipe to the following:

Take approximately 1 lb yellow summer squash.  Wash it, top and tail it, and slice it into 1" pieces. No need to peel.  Fill a pot with 1" water, place the squash in, bring water to a boil, cover squash, reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes or until tender. (Note: Definitely get it tender.  A few years ago, I made squash muffins using diced, raw summer squash.  It was... well, let's say it was "hearty.") Drain and mash, using an immersion (stick) blender. Take 2 cups of that squash to use for the below recipe.

Rendering the squash tender

The pureed product.  Remember to drain well before pureeing.

2 cups cooked summer squash, prepared as noted above
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted  **(See notes on subbing applesauce.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix squash, melted butter, and egg.*  Place aside.  Mix dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.  Add squash mixture to dry ingredients.  Mix until just moist. Grease or line muffin tins. Fill muffin cups until about 3/4 full.  Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes for regular muffin size, about 15 minutes for mini-muffin size. Cool for five minutes before removing to wire rack.
Yield: Approximately 1 dozen regular muffins or 2 dozen mini muffins.

Things are looking promising so far.

Cooling down

*Since I had enough cooked squash to make four batches, I was able to play with the recipe some.  The first time I made the recipe, I used the immersion blender to mix the wet ingredients.  That technique definitely gave a creaminess to the end result.  It made me think of a corn casserole without the hassle of a water bath.  (See info on what a water bath is here.)  If you don't use the immersion blender to mix the wet ingredients, they still taste great. You can mainly tell the difference by looking at the muffin tops. See the below pictures:

The mini souffles, I mean muffins, that resulted when the immersion
blender was used to blend the wet ingredients after pureeing the squash.

The more "rustic" texture of the muffins where the immersion blender
was not used to mix the wet ingredients, only to puree the squash.

**To increase the health quotient of these, you can substitute in no sugar added applesauce for 1/2 of the butter, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 no sugar added applesauce.  I did this for the second two batches.  Please let me know your results if you substitute 100% of the butter with no sugar added applesauce. The applesauce does make the muffin a little less creamy, in my experience, but it pairs nicely with the cinnamon. You might even be able to pass these off as "Apple Cinnamon Muffins."

Another note: To grease muffin tins and cake pans, I haven't found anything better than Pam for Baking.  I tried Baker's Joy brand, but it smelled like glue to me.  Regular Pam doesn't cut it for detailed pans either; a lot is left stuck to the pan.

I think these summer squash muffins would be great disguised as cupcakes with some chocolate frosting on top, especially if you omit the cinnamon.  Another option would be keep the cinnamon and consider adding chopped walnuts, raisins, and some nutmeg.

What recipes do you use to transform your summer squash?  I'd enjoy hearing your experiences, good and otherwise.

Update:  The kids tried the muffins this morning not knowing the muffins are squash muffins.  Our five year old said "They are like cupcakes!"  Our three year old said "Thank you for making muffins, Momma!"

Hall Monitor (Solar Powered Drive Way Monitor)

When we first moved to the middle of nowhere, we did not expect many visitors.  Imagine our surprise in the first few days and weeks when our doorbell was being worn out, mostly by our sweet UPS delivery person, who, in all fairness, we should have expected.

Since we have no window treatments and children run around in all states of dress, we thought it would be good if we could find a way to know when someone was heading down our driveway.  Locking the gates daily didn't seem reasonable, and we weren't ready to shell out serious cash for electronic gates.  Enter the solar powered driveway monitor:

 

It arrived within two days of ordering, and we were able to install it immediately and effortlessly.  Is it a perfect solution?  No, but for the price and the functionality, we are sold.  19 times out of 20, we know when someone is arriving or leaving, which not only provides us a heads up but additional security.  If you live down a long driveway and would like to know when someone is heading your way, definitely consider this product.

This is what ours looks like installed.  Notice the ever so clever weed camouflage. 

From Ho Hum to Hummingbird Fun

Looking for some cheap, relaxing, and wholesome family fun? We recently put out a hummingbird feeder, and it has been tremendous fun to watch our little visitors buzz around, take a rest, and dive bomb one another.  Here are some pictures of this morning's visitors:

Resting, and warily watching for others

Fighting over the feeder

We love watching the little birds outside our living room window, and several of our recent weekend guests spent time in the recliner doing nothing other than watching the little acrobats.

So how can you bring this fun to your home?  Add a hummingbird feeder to your home.  Hummingbird feeders are readily available in the garden departments of stores during the summer, and the feeders are fairly inexpensive - basic models are about $10.  Ours was especially so, since we borrowed it from my parents who were not using it this year.  

Some hummingbird feeders are artwork in their own right. Below are some examples of the "beyond the basic" hummingbird feeders.

See more options even more options here:  Perry's hummingbird feeders

Things to Consider When Selecting a Hummingbird Feeder:

1. How much nectar/sugar water will the feeder hold?  Some of the decorative feeders are downright beautiful in their own right, but their small reserves for nectar will require frequent refills.  The nectar/sugar water should be changed frequently, but consider your availability for refilling.
2. Do you want perches for the hummingbirds to rest?  Some hummingbird feeders feature perches for the ever busy birds to rest while refueling.  The perches allow the little guys and gals to save some energy.  However, some prefer feeders without perches so pictures can be taken of the birds in flight. 
3. Where will you place the feeder?  Plan to place the feeder where you can see these beautiful creatures in action. 3' or less from a window is advised. 6' or more from a window can be dangerous as it allows them to fly full speed into a window.  Suction cup options allow you to see the birds up close. Another option is an inexpensive garden hook from which to hang your feeder.  See garden hook examples here: garden hooks   

After you purchase your feeder, you will need to fill it.  Nectar mixes are available in stores and online (hummingbird nectar), or you can make your own sugar water for your winged friends.

Basic Sugar Water Recipe for Hummingbirds:
4 parts water to 1 part white sugar.  Red dye is not necessary, especially if you have a bright colored feeder.
Filtered water is preferred.  The kiddos like to help making the sugar water by taking turns stirring.

Go out and enjoy these little acrobats before they migrate this year!

UPDATE: I originally posted incorrect information about feeder placement.  After seeing a little hummingbird deceased on our porch, I researched hummingbird feeder placement more in depth.  Apparently, placing the feeders closer to windows is better.  Feeders placed 6' or farther from a window allow the hummingbirds to increase their speed enough to cause death upon collision with a window.  Please keep distance in mind as you place your feeder.  Inexpensive window decals may also alert the birds to the presence of window.

Redneck Prize Pull

This weekend, we were blessed to have a reunion of several of our friends from Dallas.  While most of us have moved away, it was like no time had passed at all... well, other than the nine children, ages five to 18 months running around.  They did indicate an air of change in our lives since our mostly childless days in Dallas.

Knowing that our competitive group would have plenty of opportunity to go head-to-head over the weekend - pirogue (think Louisiana-style kayak) races, games of pool, board games, fishing, etc. - it seemed prizes were in order.  I originally thought I would create some trophies out of duct tape and toilet paper tubes, but then a better idea hit, one that took less of my time - The Redneck Prize Pull.  Why, yes, I did think of that name as I was about to fall asleep one night.  How could you tell?

The general idea of The Redneck Prize Pull is wrapping several kitschy items purchased from the local thrift store and placing the items in a box to be pulled every time someone "won" a competition.  For $1.10 at our local thrift store, I purchased the following items:

• A Yellowstone Coffee Mug
• A Louisiana Downs (racetrack) Bobble Head Race Horse
• A Minnesota Coffee Mug made in West Germany (that had to be old, right?!)
• An M&M Candy Jar Commemorating the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
• An Aluminum John Deere Hat (holder??)
• An Aqua Acrylic Chalice (Which our youngest dropped and I duct taped back together)
• A Souvenir Cheese Crockery
• A Lime Green Koozie with the Logo "When Pigs Fly" (and a flying pig, of course)

That's right, I spent a big $1.10 on all that fabulous-ness.  I brought the treasures back home; wrapped them in a conglomeration of boxes, fast food bags, and Wal-Mart sacks; secured the wrapping with our second best roll of duct tape (I truly spared no expense.); and placed the prizes in a large cardboard box.

Prizes were given out for:

• Male Pirogue Race Winner
• Female Pirogue Race Winner
• Best Marksperson
• Weekend Photographer
• Baby Whisperer
• Natural Born Killer (the guy looking to kill some poisonous snakes)
• Best Second Placer
• Winner at Headbandz

This was an incredibly cheap way to add some fun to our weekend, and some people even plan to use their prizes (!).  The best part about a "Redneck Prize Pull" is that the items don't really have to be of value. In fact, if something is broken and you have to duct tape it, it just goes with the charm.

Is this something you could do at a future event?  Is this similar to something you have done in the past?  Share your experiences in the comments.