recipes page

ear EarthTalk: I heard a reference to “Earth-friendly chocolate” and was wondering about what goes into chocolate that would raise environmental concerns.
--Ben Moran, Providence, RI

Like coffee beans, the cacao seeds from which we derive chocolate can only be grown successfully in equatorial regions--right where the world's few remaining tropical rainforests thrive. As worldwide demand for chocolate grows, so does the temptation among growers to clear more and more rainforest to accommodate high-yield monocultural (single-crop) cacao tree plantations. What are left are open, sunny fields with dramatically lower levels of plant and animal diversity. Adding environmental insult to injury, most cacao plantations use copious amounts of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides that further degrade the land that once teemed with a wide variety of rare birds, mammals and plants.--read more

Wine Making Equipment Kit

by
Amazon price: $76.95 USD

Amazon Review:This versatile equipment kit accommodates the winemaker using fresh fruit, grape juices and concentrates as well as those using winemaking kits. This kit contains equipment only, it does not include any Ingredients. If you are needing ingredients too, please click on the link above to see all The Home Brewery Products.  The Equipment Kit includes: 7 gallon Plastic Wide Mouth Fermenter, Lid, Airlock, and Stopper; 6 gallon Glass Carboy with Stopper; Hydrometer; Racking Tube with anti-sediment tip; 5 ft Flexible Tubing; Bottle Filler; Carboy Brush; Easy Double Lever Corker; 30 Wine Corks; Starter Booklet; and Sanitizer.

Lynn's Review:

A thick, delicious, stick-to-your-ribs soup that's almost a stew. It's really important to use a good stock for this; if the stock is watery or flavorless, the soup won't have much character. I strongly urge you to use homemade.--read more

This week's tips:

• If you love working on your computer, or need to for business, buy a laptop that can be used outdoors.
• Organize an area in a laundry room or the garage where you place hats for the outdoors, cushions, sports gear and any other seasonal "stuff."
• The next time you entertain, set up a croquet course, volleyball or badmitten net. Having games for family members makes being outdoors more fun for all ages.

Read on for more seasonal tips!--read more

• Host a Memorial Day party complete with flags, red, white, and blue paperware. Invite families for a multi-generational gathering.
• With wasps out and building nests, double check your screens for holes. Hire a pest inspector to remove any new nests as well.
• Weathervanes are chic once again. Now homeowners may choose from a menagerie of roosters, cows, pigs, quails, horses in classic, antique reproduction and modern designs. Even solid copper weathervanes are relatively affordable.

Click through for more tips!--read more

ost women love decorative soap. And most moms love a Mother's Day gift that shows off a child's creative work. For these reasons, personalized soap is an ideal gift for Mom, Grandma, godmother, or teacher. Decorative soap is so simple to make you might want to give several bars placed in a pretty basket, lined with a colorful napkin or piece of fabric.--read more

We've all been there. We see a pair of stunning high heels that we just have to have. Upon first wearing, however, our feet end up blistered and in pain for days. The shoes still look fantastic but your feet look like you've walked through a rosebush. Well, here's a solution your toes will tap to. A new lotion, Tippy Toes, actually prevents blisters before they ever start. Rub the soft lotion on areas of your foot that are prone to blisters before you slip into those super shoes. The lotion is non-greasy and will not harm your favorite shoes.--read more

• Shop local salvage shops and look for an old marble sink top. Revive it with a new stainless steel bowl, faucet, and fit it to an existing cabinet or add on stainless steel legs for a modern look.
• Consider buying a grill with style. Today's grills are made of stainless steel or copper with brass trim. Some fancy versions sport grills set into a stucco base with terra-cotta tile counter with a fireplace that doubles as a pizza oven. Others have warming drawers. Some are so high-tech that they feature a motorized rotisserie, outside temperature gauges, side burners and even wok burners with intensely high heat. Some also include refrigerators. But the price tags can be hot and hefty, too.

Read on for more tips!--read more

Annie and the Wild Animals

by Jan Brett  
list price: $5.95 USD
Amazon price: $5.95 USD

Kids' Pumpkin Projects: Planting & Harvest Fun (Williamson Good Times Books)

by Deanna F. Cook  
list price: $8.95 USD
Amazon price: $8.95

Anhata's Review:

DD got this from her great-aunt last year. It's for kids from 4 to 8 years old. It's got pumpkin lore, how to grow a weird shaped pumpkin, and other fun stuff. It's a great book for kids who get into planting seeds and watching them grow. It goes through the whole lifecycle of the plant and fruit. Cool stuff in there, like, did you know you can make soap from pumpkin seeds?--read more

Kids' Pumpkin Projects: Planting & Harvest Fun (Williamson Good Times Books)

by Deanna F. Cook  
list price: $8.95 USD
Amazon price: $8.95

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Sarah Ban Breathnach's Mrs. Sharp's Traditions: Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations Of Comfort &

by Sarah Ban Breathnach  
list price: $30.00 USD
Amazon price: $30.00

This is the St Patricks Day section page.--read more

This is the Easter section page.--read more

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:I want to be able to landscape my yard, but flowers and shrubs are so expensive. I've tried to plant some perenials so they'll continue to bloom every year, but our yard still needs lots of work. Any suggestions on finding inexpensive plants, shrubs, and or trees? I'm tempted to go to the woods and look for things to steal every spring! And we all know that's not right. Please help if you can.

--Catherine--read more

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s a gardener, I really enjoy making decorations from my homegrown produce. One of the things I'm particularly fond of is growing miniatures, like miniature pumpkins and miniature Indian corn. Once I've grown them, I make them into Harvest Baskets, like the one illustrated.--read more

or any gardener who still hasn't been convinced about the need to garden organically, here are some statistics that may help change your mind. In March of 2001, the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. John Hopkins University also revealed that home gardeners use almost 10 times more pesticide per acre than the average farmer and that diseases caused by environmental illness, exposure to chemicals etc., is now the number one cause of death in the U.S.

With the EPA's recent phasing out of common pesticides such as Dursban and Diazinon, we are now realizing that many of the chemicals that we thought were "safe" were never actually tested to see what their affect on children, women, and the elderly could be. The time has come to reassess our dependence on pesticides. For anyone contemplating the switch to organic gardening, here are a few ingredients that should be in every gardener's toolkit.--read more

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nything can be grown in a container; there aren't many magical secrets to it. With the proper plant, soil, location and care, you can grow anything from trees to cacti in containers.
Containered plants can seem a tiny bit fussy. Not so. They just need the proper place and attention at critical times. If container gardening is new to you, here are a few simple starting tips.--read more

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inally, the days are growing longer. Soon our longing for warmer weather and sunny days will be satisfied. But for a bright fix now, stir up a batch of sun-kissed muffins. Sprinkled with flecks of orange and lemon peel, these muffins burst with flavor and splendor. Let the kids help with grating, mixing, and filling the muffin cups.--read more

eady, set, fly! You'll soon see flocks of birds flying back from the southern states - another mark of spring's arrival. Let your kids participate in the spring migration by making colorful birds to race on a string. Place some gummy-candy worms in a bowl at the end of the line to reward the winning bird of each race. It's a great group activity and party game.--read more

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The Sun Egg

by Elsa Maartman Beskow  
list price: $17.95 USD
Amazon price: $12.21 USD

Tissue Paper Flowers

by
list price: $16.95 USD
Amazon price: $11.53 USD

The basic flower patterns are easy enough for my three year old to help make. She loves playing with them afterward, they hold up surprisingly well unless your kid is pretty rough.

We made pink flowers from this book with twig stems instead of pipe cleaners for daughter's preschool teachers on Valentine's Day. We used three different colors of pink, light, med, dark, and they turned out gorgeous.--read more

atching sports on TV needn't be a parents-only activity. Share your love of the game with your kids, and rooting for your favorite teams can be fun for the whole family.

Get your kids into the spirit by donning team colors, and joining you in the kitchen to cook up these delicious pretzel chicken nuggets to set down in front of the couch. They're as fun to make as they are to eat, and there's a lot of kid-friendly preparation involved! So make sure everyone washes their hands, and let's get started...--read more