Spray'n'Wipe - kills ants dead

I like using natural products, it’s no secret, but when the ants started invading my kitchen in force I resorted to the chemicals. It didn’t matter if I left crumbs out or not, they were there… everywhere… the place could be spotless and still they’d come in. The NO ANTS option worked for a while… then I swear they became immune to it. Last summer I had the ceiling sprayed by a pest controller for flies and while he was there he also threw down a barrier around the house - barely a dent. Then I tried Trina’s option… ant sand… but because the chickens still get out and we have a dog and cats and ducks, I didn’t want to throw too much of it around outside. So I put it on the holes in the grout… I swear my walls are full of ant sand. Go figure, I don’t want the animals to eat it but I put it on my bench for us to slowly ingest. Sadly, the only thing that achieved was for the ants to find a new entrance, just a little ways down. Grrr. Now, I’ve been using a vinegar, water, essential oil combination for some time, but that never kept the ants at bay. Recently though, I was given a concentrate recipe for a spray and wipe by an old friend Johanna. Her parents have been using it to kill the little blighters – on contact. At first I thought, well it’s the same ingredients roughly that I’m using plus a few other things, we’ll see… at least I’d get satisfaction from frying their little arses, I thought. So without further ado, here ‘tis (I made up a double batch) Ant-Killing Spray ‘n Wipe 40ml eucalyptus oil 200ml water 2 dessert spoons washing soda (use a funnel - I learned the hard way) dissolve in water add 200 ml white vinegar 200ml Ecostore dishwashing liquid (gonna try a sugar soap solution next) This is concentrated so dilute according to requirements. Roughly 1 part solution to 2 parts water for general use. Use neat for ants. contact only spray. use a bait like raid ant killer for the nest. Can be used on all surfaces, and given all the vinegar and eucalyptus oil would work well on the toilet to boot. The recipe states it is a contact spray only – as in spray them dead. However I have since learned that ants not only are repelled by vinegar (which wasn’t working) but also eucalyptus – and lets face it the washing soda probably doesn’t help them much either. So although the vinegar didn’t seem to be doing the job, the combination is successful. Now, I’m not saying that my problem is gone completely. I still need to attack the nest, but I can see a lot more of my bench now when they do come out. And I hear a sugar/water/borax solution works well for the nest that’s obviously still lurking in my wall... best get googling ;)

What's a cake decorator to do...

... when there's too much chilli in the garden????

Well put two and two together of course :)

Chilli Chocolate Cake and Chilli Brownies.

I found Jamie Olivers Chocolate Chilli cake recipe and from now on that is my chocolate cake recipe (minus the chillies), and for the brownie, I converted Trina's Best Brownie Ever recipe by simply adding freshly bashed chilli juice to the mixture.

It is still baking right now, but I just had to share this fabulous story of making them with you.

So I started off making the chocolate chilli cake. The cake part was of course straight forward, but having never pulverised chillies before I took a couple of tries. Firstly I opted to cut it, then realised that would take forever. Second, I thought I'd use my fancy Tupperware onion dicer... it got it a little smaller, but still too chunky. So next I thought - blender - yeah, we got them a little smaller again. Lastly, I just had to give up an do it in the mortar and pestle. I'd been avoiding that, thinking it was just too time consuming. Actually bashing it to bits was rather fun.

Taste testing my favourite part - the batter - as we went along was rather pleasant, even after the chilli paste went in. Into the oven goes the cake, (double mixture - naturally).

Next on to Trina's fabulous brownie recipe, got it all together, poured it into the tray and then remembered I'm doing chilli brownies.

Bugger I thought... oh, no big deal, I'll just bash it straight from a chopped up chilli. BASH, SQUIRT, AAARRRRGGGH... you guessed it, fresh chilli juice in the eye. It was already a irritated and puffy from a piece of grit that I'd got stuck in there two days ago, as if that wasn't enough.

It appears that when you use the tupperware slicer and then the blender, that half the juice actually leaves the chilli before you start bashing it, and that infact there is a LOT of juice inside a medium sized chilli.

Geez... how am I supposed to fix this. Having been to the chemist this morning and sold a simple bottle of Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo sensitive for eyes for my already puffy eye I ran to the bathroom, filled the sink with warm water and semi-blindly squirted some shampoo in. Grabbed a flannel, dipped it and threw it at my eye. AAAARRRRRGGGGGGH, WORSE... so it appears that water makes chillies more intense when its in the eye too.

Well if milk works in your mouth, why wouldn't it work for my eye. Completely blind by now, scrounging around in the fridge to find the milk, not thinking particularly well and taking what seemed an eternity to realise that the milk was on the bench in anticipation of being used in the cake (which didn't call for it). Finally, remembering and finding the milk I grabbed the nearest measuring cup (previously used for cocoa and sugar). Lucky for me, a little cocoa and sugar doesn't hurt the eye too much.

If you are ever in this unfortunate situation, please heed my words and use milk the first time around... for around 15 minutes... and then do what I am doing now. Sit down and relax your eyes, think of the battle you just fought and the victory over chilli you achieved. Then, email me and commiserate and share battle stories...

PS, when you finally look at your eye and see a whole pile of white stuff on it, don't stress - its not puss... remember, you just used milk on your eye... LOL

Actually, its hard to even see in the picture...

Beetroot Chutney

3 lb Beetroot when cooked
1 1/2 Apples
1 pint Vinegar
1 1/2 lb Onions
1 tsp Salt
1 lb Sugar

Cook beetroot in salt water for approx 1 hr (until cooked)
Mince beetroot and put aside!
Put Apples, Onion through mincer and cook with other ingredients except beetroot. Boil for 20 minutes and add beetroot. Cook for a further 15 minutes.
Thicken as like & bottle while hot and seal

(Mother in-law thickens with about 1 teaspoon of cornflour (mixed in water first) repeat if needed!)

Bottling Beetroot

Cook beetroot and slice (slow simmer until you can put a fork in. Aprox 1hr)
Cool beetroot and peel
Slice into jars

Put the following together, then boil stiring regularly.
When boiling pour in jars of beetroot then seal!

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar (if spiced vinegar 1/2 and 1/2)
1 cup water (water from cooking the beetroot above is best)
Salt and pepper to taste

Best ever 'Chocolate Brownie' recipe!

300g butter
3/4 cup NESTLE baking cocoa
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 packet NESTLE milk CHOC BITS

1) Preheat oven to 180*C
2) Line the base of an 18cm x 23cm slice tin with baking paper
3) Place butter and cocoa in a large bowl and heat in the microwave until butter is melted, then stir
4) Add brown sugar and mix well
5) Add eggs and flour - 1 egg and 1/2 cup flour at a time - making sure to mix well between additions
6) Add CHOC BITS and combine
7) Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
8) Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack

PERSONAL TIP: I slightly under cook as its nicer when cooled and doesn't go as hard.

Brown Rice Salad

Boil:        2 cups brown rice (should be firm)

Soak:      ½ cup dark soya sauce.  (Should soak at least 2 hours - best overnight)

Chop:      3 spring onions, 1 red capsicum, ½ medium onion

Roast:     1 cup peanuts (or cashews), ½ cup sunflower seeds

              Mix with above.  Add ½ cup raisins, dried apricots optional

Whisk:     ¾ cup olive oil (or ½ cup cooking oil)  

              Juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp grated rind, 1 crush clove garlic

Pour:       Oil mix over rice and mix well

Then:      SERVE AND ENJOY!!

Russian Fudge

675g (1 1/2 lbs) Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
125g (4oz) Butter
1/8 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Golden Syrup

Put sugar and milk into a saucepan, mix, cover and slowly bring to the boil.  Add condensed milk, butter, salt and golden syrup.  Boil until it reaches soft ball stage, about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.  Cool then beat until thick.  Pour into sponge roll tin or shallow tin, mark and cut when set.  Vanilla and nuts may be added if desired. OR MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCE... 3tsp Ground Ginger added to the mix!!! YUM