Getting Rid of Gnats in 2 Days - A Top Tip

Nobody likes to talk about pests.  Most of us prefer to believe that they just don't exist, but sometimes - through no fault of your own - you end up with an infestation.

A couple of weeks ago, I ended up having to deal with a swarm of gnats.  I didn't like the idea of spraying my kitchen with dangerous chemicals to get rid of them, so I started to think a bit outside of the box for an organic solution.

I racked my brain for a few hours when I remembered that gnats are naturally drawn to rotting fruit.  This lead to the following safe and easy solution.

Here's all you need: 
1 bottle with a plastic lid
A drill
A 1/8 inch drill bit
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or wine vinegar)
A few drops of dish detergent

Drill 3 holes in the plastic lid.  The holes don't have to be exactly 1/8 inch, but you want them to be approximately gnat sized so they can get in but have trouble getting out.

Put 1/3 cup of wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the bottle.  It HAS to be apple cider or wine vinegar.  White vinegar won't work as well. 

Drip a few drops of dish detergent into the vinegar and screw on the lid.  Gently agitate the liquid (don't shake it, you want to avoid soap bubbles).

Place the bottle in a problem area and watch your gnats disappear.

When the gnats are gone, just toss the whole bottle in the garbage (or dump the liquid in the toilet and recycle the bottle).

Why does this work?  As I mentioned, gnats LOVE rotting fruit.  Wine/Cider vinegar is essentially rotten fruit juice, so they go nuts for it.

Gnats can also walk on water.  Adding dish detergent to the vinegar reduces the surface tension of the liquid, so when they land on the vinegar, they sink into the murky deep rather than harmlessly walking on the surface before flying away.  Since the gnats can't resist the alluring odor of eau de vinegar, they all disappear into the bottle rather quickly.  My swarm was almost totally gone in 24 hours and completely gone in 48.

This trick will probably work for house/fruit flies, but you'll need a bigger holes in the bottle.


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Apple Chutney Recipe

About a week ago I bought a bag of small apples, and I just haven't been able to eat all of them. THERE WERE SOOOOO MANY APPLES!!  (I ate about 3 a day for the last week).  I'm not much of a fan of soft apples, so I decided to whip up a chutney with the rest. This is the simplest of the chutney recipes that I have created.

If you aren't a fan of raisins, feel free to replace them with some other dried fruit (I think chopped, dried apricots would be delicious - I just didn't have any).

I also wanted to lighten up the recipe a little. I cut back on the sugar and eliminated the oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1/2 tsp chile flakes
1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)
5 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Zest of one orange

Preparation
Spray a sauce pan with the cooking spray, heat the pan, and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to toast the chile flakes. Add the onions and sweat until soft.

Gradually add the diced apple.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, honey/sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Vegan Onion Soup

I'll admit it: I have Paula Deen cookware.  She puts her name on a 5 quart saute pan that is absolutely perfect for this recipe.  It has a non-stick coating, it is quite large, and it was on sale at Big Lots.  For this recipe, you are going to need a rather large pan with a large, flat surface area on the bottom.  You can probably get by with other pans but having a pan that fulfills these criteria will help immensely.

Admittedly, this soup is a little time consuming, but it is delicious!

Ingredients
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Sweet Onions (like Vidalia Onions)
2 Spanish Onions
2 Red Onions
3 Leeks
1 tsp Salt
3 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 cup Ale-style Beer (I used Troeg's Mad Elf)
1/2 cup Apple Cider
1 quart Low/No Salt Vegetable Stock

Preparation
Heat oil in a 5 quart pan.  Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise.  Remove the peel and slice.  Trim both ends off of the leeks (you'll be using only the whites).  Halve them lengthwise and slice.  Turn the burner down to medium and add the onions and leeks to the pan one at a time, stirring after each onion/leek has been added. 

When all of the onions have been added to the pan, sprinkle the onions with salt and toss in the bay leaves.  Stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and are reduced considerably.  This should take about 1-1.5 hours. Do not worry if they burn a little.  Stir regularly (around the hour mark you'll need to stir the onions every five minutes or so to keep them from sticking).

Add the black pepper, oregano, and beer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the apple cider and vegetable stock.  Simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes and serve.

Traditionally, French onion soup is topped with Gruyère cheese and croûtons and toasted in the oven before serving.  I think this soup is good enough to stand alone without the cheese (plus it won't be vegan if you do add Gruyère), but the addition of toasted croûtons is a nice touch. 

Pear-Apple-Cranberry Chutney

Well, I'm addicted to chutney.  I might have to start a support group, but before I take that drastic step, I decided to make some more chutney.

This recipe is based on my old recipe but without ginger and groundcherries (because I didn't have any). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

3 cups pear - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium pears)

2 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a sauce pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. 

Gradually add the diced pear and apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest (if you're using a grater, be careful of your knuckles). Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Apple-Cranberry-Groundcherry Chutney

First off, I don't know how I made it almost 33 years without this chutney.  Sweet, bitter, sour, tangy, and slightly spicy, it is absolutely fantastic.  Now here's the story behind the chutney:

In the not too distant past, I became the proud owner of a bag of groundcherries.  I wasn't very fond of the flavor, so I decided to make them into a chutney.  I did some research, found a mango chutney recipe that was a suitable base for my recipe, and got to work.  As it turns out, the foundational recipe bears only a passing resemblance to the chutney that I made, but that's just the way I roll.

The chutney is fairly mild but has surprising depth.  The sweetness of the apples and the tangyness of the cranberries makes this a perfect accompaniment for naan bread, toast, or Quorn fillets, or you can eat it straight out of the jar - which is probably what's going to happen to the batch that is currently chilling in my refrigerator.

If you can't get groundcherries, feel free to replace them with one cup of cranberries or diced apple (or cherry, if it floats your boat). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

1/8 cup minced fresh ginger

3 cups apple - peeled, cored and diced (approx. 3 medium apples)

1 cup groundcherries (aka cape gooseberries)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2/3 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a saute pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. Add the ginger sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the diced apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and ground cherries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

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Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

Another pumpkin recipe!  YAY!  There's nothing quite like the smell and color of a freshly opened can of pumpkin!

I changed this recipe a bit since I first posted it.  I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup and added a little more spice.  If you tried the recipe previously and had different results, that's why.

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)*
1 cup roasted, mashed pumpkin (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla (treat yourself to the real stuff; it's worth it!)
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.  Add the spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and combine.

Slowly incorporate the flours.

Scoop onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes.



The cookies turned out lovely!  They tasted a bit like oatmeal pumpkin cookies.

I changed the recipe a bit, but here's a link to the original.  It includes a glaze.  I think the glaze is a bit unnecessary (especially since I already think that they are too sweet).

* I'm really fond of the demerara sugar - it gives pastries a hint of a brown sugar flavor - but if you don't have any, substitute it with a 50-50 combo of light brown sugar and regular sugar.


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Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies

You may have noticed that there's a bit of a theme to the last few recipes that I have posted.  I love to cook seasonal food, so I have been trying to develop recipes that make the most of the season.  Seeing that many people aren't particularly fond of Brussels sprouts, I decided to focus on apples and pumpkins/butternut squash instead.

Lightly sweet, these Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies are somewhere between drop cookies and scones, but despite their existential crisis, they are delicious.  

Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies *

3 ½ c whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup cold butter

2 cups cooked pumpkin/butternut squash (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (homemade or store bought)

1/3 cup honey

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice. Cut in butter, adding a bit at a time until it is mostly incorporated (it will probably be lumpy, but that's ok).

Add pumpkin, applesauce, and honey.  Mix until combined, but try not to overmix.

Drop the cookies by the spoonful onto a lined/buttered cookie sheet. 

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.  Makes approximately 36 cookies. 

* This recipe can be easily converted into a vegan recipe by replacing the honey with 1/3 cup of sugar and by replacing the butter with vegan margarine.


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Pumpkin Scone Recipe

There is a conspiracy in your cupboard: most commercially canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash (or a combination of other winter squashes).  These squashes tend to be sweeter and less stringy than traditional "pumpkin", so by creating these blends, the commercial pumpkin companies are actually providing us with a better product. 


This is why I feel no guilt when I call the following recipe my "pumpkin scones recipe" even though I used butternut squash to make it.  Regardless of the controversy, these scones are delicious.

*note* I was a touch conservative with the spices, so feel free to tailor the spicing to your own personal tastes. 


Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
½ cup cold butter
2 cups mashed butternut squash* (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)
2 tbsp milk (or rice milk)

Preparation
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Cut in butter, adding a bit at a time until mostly incorporated (it will probably be lumpy, but that's ok because that will make the scones more flaky).

Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times.  Form 18 lumpy balls of dough (each will be about ½ cup) and put them on baking sheets.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until no longer doughy.





*Roasted Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.  Cut a butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds.

Place squash halves on a lined baking sheet flesh side up brush liberally with melted butter.

Bake the squash on a baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until fork tender.

Depending on the size of the squash, it may take 30-90 minutes to become fork tender. (I ended up having to toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the squash to help it along after 60 minutes) and it still took another 30 minutes).

When it is finally tender, scoop out and mash/puree the squash flesh. Allow to cool thoroughly. 



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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

When it comes to making delicious seasonal food, there is nothing more inspirational than seeing what's available at the local farmer's market.   Here's a seasonal soup that is made from some of the bounty that fall has to offer.  (Even I have to admit that that last part was a little corny, but fall just brings the corniness out in me).

Ingredients
1 butternut squash*
2 apples*
2 tbsp melted butter*

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp of black pepper
½ tsp of salt
1 quart vegetable stock
1 ½ cup apple cider
½ tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp butter
pinch of nutmeg

(You may need to add more salt, pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg depending on the size of the butternut squash. This recipe is also delicious with a touch of curry powder!)

Roast the butternut squash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cut the butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds.
Place squash halves on a lined baking sheet, flesh side up, and brush the flesh liberally with melted butter.

Bake the apples
Peel, halve, and core 2 apples.
Rub all four halves with butter.
Place the apples cut side down on a lined baking sheet.

Bake both the butternut squash and the apples at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The apples will take about 30 minutes before they become fork tender, but depending on the size of the squash, it may take 30-90 minutes for it to soften. (I ended up having to toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the squash to help it along after 60 minutes, and it still took another 30 minutes in the oven).

Prepare the soup base
While the apples and squash are in the oven, chop a large onion and sweat it in 2 tbsp of olive oil until it starts to become translucent.

Season the onions with ½ tsp of black pepper and ½ tsp of salt.

When the onion starts to brown, add 1 quart of vegetable stock and 1 ½ cup of apple cider to the pot.
 and
Simmer the soup base. When the apples are fork tender, mash them with a fork and add them to the soup base. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon and 2 bay leaves.

Continue simmering the soup. When the butternut squash is fork tender, scoop the flesh out of the squash. If you have one of those fancy immersion blenders, dump the squash into the pot and go to town with the immersion blender until the soup is smooth. If you have a regular blender, put the squash in the blender and puree it before adding it to the pot. If you're like me and have neither, mash the squash with a fork or potato masher (I call it “rustic”).

Add a tsp of apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp of butter, and a pinch of nutmeg.  (If you are adding curry powder, add it now.)

Stir the soup and taste it. If you would like it to be a little sweeter, add a tbsp or two of honey.  Add more salt, pepper, or cinnamon according to your personal taste preferences. If you used an especially large squash, you may need to adjust the seasoning quite a bit.

Allow the soup to simmer for at least 15-30 minutes. Serve hot.


* Quick option**: Skip roasting the butternut squash and apples.  Peel and halve both fruits.  Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes.  Toss the cubes into the soup base and simmer them until they are soft.  When they are soft, go to town with a potato masher and finish the job with an immersion blender (or regular blender).  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.

** Quicker option:  Skip the butternut squash and apples completely and just use one 29 oz can of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin (make sure that you aren't using the "Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix") and one cup of unsweetened apple sauce.  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.



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