Halloween Pinwheel Cookies

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Deborah

Halloween is only a month away. Which means Christmas is 86 days away, which means New Year’s Day is 93 days away. Which means the first day of Spring is only 171 days away.

Now that you are all freaked out about how soon all these special dates are coming, lets get to some fun Halloween stuff.

I have a recipe for Christmas Pinwheel cookies that is extremely versatile. I usually just make them at Christmas time, mainly because they can be a tad time consuming to make due to making the dough one day, then baking the next. So … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Deborah

Boy, has this week ever flown by. It is already Friday and we have had such a gorgeous week full of sunshine and warm weather it almost feels like August again. For the third week in a row, I have tried to make Lemon Thyme Chicken, each time, it was subbed out at the last minute by something else. This week was no different. We had a great excuse this time though.

After we launched the boat on Monday afternoon, we woke up Tuesday to a perfect day for fishing. We eagerly headed out to our favourite fishing hole and … Read more...

Soup For The Soul

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Deborah

As the sun lightens the sky this morning, it reveals a low fog that has settled over the lake during the night. The tree tops of the offshore islands are just barely visible, with nothing to see below but fog. It blends with the calm waters of the lake making for an eerie and ethereal landscape. A Blue Jay screams good morning as he lands on the bird feeder, breaking the silence. Good morning to you too I reply.

With the temperature hovering around 46F and my hands firmly wrapped around my mug of hot tea. My thoughts wander to … Read more...

Signs Of Fall

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Deborah

The Autumnal Equinox officially happened yesterday at 4:44 p.m. Prior to Sunday though, it had already felt like Fall the past couple weeks. The sun has been much lower in the sky with the days noticeably shorter, and cooler.

The cheery summer warblers, thrushes and sparrows have all vacated the north, departing at least 2 weeks ago for a warmer climate. The last hummingbirds were seen at the feeder a week ago Sunday. The feeder has since been taken down and washed, replaced by a suet feeder for the chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers who live here year round.

The leaves … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Deborah

The first full day of Fall is Sunday. I am sad. Very sad. After Sunday, you will find me buried under my duvet with my cherished pillow refusing to come out until next Spring. It seemed like just a few weeks ago I was planting my tomato and pepper seedlings. Now I am harvesting the last of the fruit and composting the remains. I even put my canning pot away the other day, although I will probably haul it back out next week or so if the Green Monster offloads more tomatillos before a frost hits.

This weekend will hopefully … Read more...

Having a Stocked Pantry is….

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Deborah

like having your very own grocery store in your home. Minus the outrageous prices and hard to pronounce ingredients that belong in scientific experiments.

I am winding down on canning season, my big ‘ol canning pot will soon be put away for another year. It is time to enjoy a well stocked pantry and take pride in knowing the food we will be eating is actually that – food. Not genetically modified, disease resistant and/or hormone filled products that the government deems safe. What is safe about ingredients that have more than 12 letters in its name?

Me, I prefer … Read more...

Random Weekend Stuff

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Deborah

Busy. Busy. Busy.

That just about sums up our weekend. Saturday’s weather was gorgeous, so hubby took advantage of the sun and warm temps to continue on with fixing the dock that was damaged during last April’s freak ice show put on by Mother Nature.

First was making a 33′ long side section that will sit on top of the frame timber on the left side of the dock. Fashioned from a double set of 2′ x 10’s screwed together, the beast weighed a TON. It sure looked purdy sitting up on the blocks….but then we had to haul it … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Deborah

First off ~ Happy Friday the 13th!!!

I didn’t realize it until yesterday that today was going to be another Friday the 13th. Port Dover, Ontario will be swarming with bikers as well as the curious to see what the hubbub is all about. If you are not from Ontario and are wondering what the fuss is about, more on the spectacle that started in 1981 and continues on every Friday the 13th here. Google images has some really great photos of the event.

Now on to this week’s menu board….last weeks wasn’t bad for just getting back to … Read more...

DIY Plastic Bag Dryer

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Deborah

Necessity is the Mother of Invention they say. Lots of everyday items have been ‘created’ simply due to someone thinking outside the box to solve a problem.

The pacemaker, penicillin, the colour mauve, plastic and even Coke (as in the drink, not the drug!) were all accidents as a result of something being mixed incorrectly, forgotten or grabbing the wrong part.

Our DIY plastic bag holder was a result of necessity, with a sprinkling of problem solving skills utilized. We reuse and recycle as much as possible, especially plastic bags. There is far too much plastic in our society, we … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu….

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Deborah

Has returned. Just in time for Fall. Which is apparently around the next bend in the road, you know the one, the one with the dead birch tree that split into 5 pieces when it fell and hit the rock outcropping.

I have to stop here and mention something before I continue….Today is the Northern Homestead’s 300th Blog Post!! 2 1/2 years has gone by since I started this blog and I have reached a new milestone. Hope you all are enjoying it as much today as when I started and I thank all my readers for faithfully tuning in … Read more...