Tag: recipes

Wildlife Flock to Homemade Seed Cakes

Wildlife Flock to Homemade Seed Cakes

Posted on by Mama

homemade seed cake

Winter finally arrived a couple of weeks ago and with it came freezing temps and a light layer of snow. Unfortunately for our local wildlife, we’ve been so busy traveling, celebrating and reclaiming our home after the holidays that we haven’t been supplementing their food as quickly as we normally do.

So yesterday morning I pulled out one of my homemade seed cakes I made and stored last year and hung it outside the house. After a couple of hours about town, we came home to oodles of squirrels and a variety of birds already partaking of this tasty treat. My little guy and I sat for quite some time just watching them scramble for the food (and I felt terrible that I hadn’t hung it out sooner).

If you are interested in making your own homemade seed cakes, you can read and print the recipe at Seed Cake Recipe for the Birds. They are super simple and fun to make, and they apparently store for quite some time in a plastic baggy. Just make sure they are nice and dry before sealing.

My Saltine Packin’ Sister’s Spicy Ranch Crackers

My Saltine Packin’ Sister’s Spicy Ranch Crackers

Posted on by Mama

 

crackers

My sister came bearing these utterly yummy and completely addictive seasoned crackers when she arrived at our doorstep last week; and after consuming her two bags (okay, I had some help) and making three additional batches, I just had to share this super-easy recipe with all of you.

Spicy Ranch Crackers
A spicy flavored snack made with ordinary saltine crackers.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 hr
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 hr
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 sleeves of saltine crackers
  2. 3/4 cup canola oil
  3. 1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix (not dip mix)
  4. 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. In a gallon zip bag, combine all the ingredients and blend well using your hands.
  3. Put one sleeve of crackers in the bag and carefully coat the crackers. Then add the second sleeve and also coat.
  4. Let the full bag of crackers sit flat for five minutes. Then flip the bag over and let it sit for another five minutes.
  5. Pour the bag of crackers out on a large cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven. Shuffle and flip crackers with a spatula.
  8. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  9. Place crackers on a cooling rack for several minutes.
  10. Store in an air-tight container.
Notes
  1. If this recipe is too spicy, simply cut back on the red pepper flakes to your taste.
Adapted from Shari Willis
Adapted from Shari Willis
https://www.smalltalkmama.com/
Tastes Like (Hamburger Dill) Pickles!

Tastes Like (Hamburger Dill) Pickles!

Posted on by Mama

pickles2

This one is for all you Wednesday night Bible study ladies, because my homemade hamburger dills actually taste like pickles and I promised to post the recipe here at Small Talk Mama. Yes, my husband and I actually got the first taste of our maiden pickling project and we both gave it a thumbs up. I don’t know why we’re always so surprised, when we try a new recipe or grow a new vegetable, to find that it tastes exactly as it should. I remember our first harvest of broccoli years ago — it actually tasted exactly like broccoli. Imagine that! That being said, we haven’t yet opened the dill spears, but I’ll keep you posted — the suspense is just killing you, I know.

So here’s the recipe we used for hamburger dills, which were a great addition to our grilled burgers. Unlike most recipes of its kind, this one does not require a several-day soaking before the canning process. So if you’re “in a pickle” and can’t wait days to can, you might want to try this quick and easy recipe.

Recipe adapted from Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

Hamburger Dill Pickles
Yields 7
Canning recipe for hamburger dill pickles that doesn't require a lengthy ice water bath.
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Ingredients
  1. 4 lbs cucumbers
  2. 6 tbsp canning salt
  3. 4 1/2 c water
  4. 4 c vinegar
  5. 14 heads fresh dill
  6. 3 1/2 tsp mustard seed
  7. 14 peppercorns
Instructions
  1. Wash cucumbers and drain. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch crosswise slices, discarding blossom ends.
  2. Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
  3. Add 2 heads of dill, 1/2 tsp mustard seed and 2 peppercorns to each jar.
  4. Combine salt, water and vinegar in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil.
  5. Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
  6. Lightly tap jars to remove air bubbles, and screw on two-piece caps.
  7. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
Notes
  1. This recipe makes delicious husband-pleasing hamburger dill pickles!
Adapted from Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Adapted from Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
https://www.smalltalkmama.com/

 

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