October 9, 2013 | The Kinnard Homestead

Lemon-filled Olive Oil Lanterns

After a recent conversation with Tim regarding our winter preparations, I started doing some research on inexpensive types of homemade candles or lamps. Last year we had a horrible snow and ice storm dumping over a foot of snow on the roads and power lines. Our property is at the end of the line, so any power outages means that we will be the last ones to have our power restored. This all boils down to us needing to be more prepared for a long power outage. Using what I already had inside the house along with some lemons given to me at church this past Sunday, I was able to spend just a few dollars on some very economical (and pretty) oil lanterns.

The great thing about these little lamps is that they can burn smoke-free for many, many hours. If the oil starts to get low, just refill. Also, you can continue to reuse the container and just add a new wick.

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What You Will Need

Olive or vegetable oil
Lantern wicks
Floral wire (or paper clip)
Container
Lid (optional)
Fruit or herb filler

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1Wire the Wick

Loosely twist your wire around the wick leaving a small portion at the top in order to light on fire.

Step 2Center the Wick in Jar

Center your wick inside your container then bend the wire over the side to anchor it into place.

Step 3Arrange Lemon Slices in Jar

Next, slice your lemons to your desired thickness and place them inside your container arranging them in a way to cover the sides without taking up the bulk of room inside the container. You will need to leave room to fill with as much oil as possible.

Step 4Fill Jar with Oil

After you’ve arranged your lemon slices the way you want, carefully fill the container with your oil. Let your wick soak up the oil for at least 15 minutes before you attempt to light it. Not only are the lemons pretty but they also help scent the oil so it will give off a soft lemon fragrance the longer they soak in the oil. L

October 9, 2013

By Amy KinnardFeatured, Homesteading29 Comments

Turkey & Cheese Stromboli

While trying to figure out something different to prepare for the boys' lunch since we are quickly exhausting the peanut butter and jelly sandwich venue, I came up with a quick twist on the plain turkey, cheese sandwich.

Using a batch of homemade pizza dough and the filling from the Easy Stromboli recipe, I used eight slices of Oscar Meyer turkey and a liberal helping of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese to create a truly yummy lunch for the family. It only took minutes to put together and was served warm with a tangy mustard/mayo sauce for dipping. I even used this idea again for a picnic! As soon as the Stromboli is finished baking, pull out of the oven and slice, place in a sealed container and head out to the park for some family fun. :-) Very easy for little hands to pick up and eat without a mess.

Click on the link above for both my homemade pizza dough and Stromboli recipes.

For the mustard/mayo dip mix together:

3 T. mayo
3 T. sour cream (or plain yogurt)
3 T. mustard
Dash of parsley

This Stromboli would also taste amazing with a Velveeta cheese dip for dipping. Yumm-O!! Have fun with the idea and use your imagination to create countless varieties of Stromboli with different kinds of fillings.

September 19, 2013

By Amy KinnardCulinary Creations1 Comment

Blueberry Banana Bread

I guess the two little ones are over their banana kick since I actually had three of them leftover inside the fruit bowl turning more brown by the day. On top of the fact that I just can't make myself waste perfectly usable food and we needed something for breakfast the next morning, I now had the motivation necessary to start searching for a new banana recipe.

We've done chocolate banana bread, banana muffins and regular banana bread in the past. This time I wanted to find something with a different flare all its own. Lucky me I found a recipe on www.food.com for "Kelly's Blueberry Banana Bread." This recipe had all great reviews with delicious ingredients. The best part was in the mixing. I believe it took me a whole five minutes to complete the batter in a single bowl. You only stir for about 30 seconds! Yeah! Totally my kind of recipe. :-)

Literally all the ingredients, minus the frozen berries, are thrown into a large bowl and mixed for 30 seconds.

Now usually when adding blueberries or any type of heavy fruit it will sink to the bottom of the bread. Most recipes I've read through have said to thaw the fruit first; however, this recipe made a point in ensuring that the berries used were FROZEN. Low and behold the frozen berries did NOT sink or leave these empty blue holes inside the bread after baking. Plus it was so easy just pulling them out of the freezer and folding right into the mixed batter. Less mess!

Only used spray and flour on the bottoms of each pan. My bread didn't turn out as thick as I'm sure the original creator intended simply because I only had 9x5 bread pans to use instead of the 8x4x1/2 pans called for in the recipe.

Just love seeing all the yummy bits of goodness in the batter. You can see the dash of cinnamon, coconut, blueberries and chunks of banana. Yummy!!!

This had to be one of the most flavorful breads I've ever tasted/made before! Plus the blueberries didn't sink! :-) Haha! They were evenly dispersed throughout each bite adding a tangy sweetness to the flavor of the banana and coconut. Again... YUMMY!!!

Kelly’s Blueberry Banana Bread – by food.com
INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ C. flour                                          3 T. vegetable oil

½ C. sugar                                          1/3 C. milk

½ C. brown sugar                                 1 egg

1 T. + ½ tsp. baking powder                  2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt                                            3 medium mashed bananas

1/8 tsp. cinnamon                                1 C. chopped pecans

¼ C. coconut                                       2 C. frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except blueberries for about 30 seconds. Fold in frozen berries. Pour into 2 greased 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 ½ loaf pans that have been greased on the bottoms only. Bake in 350 oven for 55-60 minutes, ‘til toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly, loosen sides with knife from sides of pan, turn out onto rack to cool. When cool, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, keep refrigerated.

May 7, 2013

By Amy KinnardCulinary Creations0 Comments

Yearly Archives - 2013

Lemon-filled Olive Oil Lanterns

What You Will Need

Step-By-Step Instructions

Turkey & Cheese Stromboli

Blueberry Banana Bread