Homemade Mosquito Trap
It is interesting how versatile food is, how much we can make just from our kitchen, we can use food not only for nutrition but for medicinal value, for sanitary reason and even for beauty.When I first saw this tutorial I was excited I just had to try it. Unfortunately the photos I took then got lost when I lost my hard disk and lost FOUR YEARS of work . Yes I died little.
Anyway you just have to try this, especially now when our homes seem to be breeding ground for mosquitoes, or is it just my house. It is so depressing when i open the wardrobes they come flying out like children who had the bell at 4pm and its home time, they are even in the drawers they are sooo annoying.
How this thing works is by attracting mosquitoes to the bottle using Co2 and moisture, which is what attracts mosquitoes to humans. It is quite easy to make a bit time consuming but worth it in the end. Let me know how you go
Bissous
Equipment
- Empty 2 liter bottle
- Ruler
- Permanent marker
- Utility knife or sharp scissors
- 1 cup Water
- 2 cups cool water
- 1 cup of white sugar
- Thermometer, preferably an instant read or candy thermometer
- Dry active yeast
- Black plastic shopping bag
Directions
Bottle
Take a 2 liter soda bottle. Cut off the top right below where it starts to narrow for the top, invert and place inside the lower half.
Sugar SyrupBring 1 cup of the water to a boil. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water.Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 2 cups cool water, stir well.
- Check the temperature of the syrup to make sure it is no hotter than 90 degrees F, if hotter, let cool to 90 degrees F (if you use your fingers to measure the temp it should be luke warm, not cool on your finger and yet not really warm IF it is hot it will kill the yeast) , add 1 tsp. active dry yeast, no need to mix. Put syrup in the bottom part of the bottle, using the cut off neck piece, leave in place.
- Seal the two parts of the bottle with the tape. The fermenting yeast will release carbon dioxide. Put black paper around the bottle since mosquitoes like dark places and carbon dioxide. This mosquito trap will then start working.
TIPS: Put the trap in a dark and humid place for 2 weeks, you’ll see the effect. You’ll have to replace the sugar water + yeast solution every 2 weeks.
Do post pictures on our Facebook page when you do make it.
adapted from Thrifty Fun and Hubpages
Sausages in Sweet Chilli Sauce
A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for Rye Bread. I showed you how easy it is to make bread at home. Can you imagine how fantastic it would be for Mr to come back to a home smelling like a bakery? or when the kids run into the house from wherever they were they just start shouting MUMMY MUMMY what are you baking??? BLISS 🙂
The morning after I baked the Rye I made this simple “dish” I am not even sure this is a recipe. I reckon its just a tutorial. Enjoy my darlings. HAPPY COOKING!!
Ingredients
- 4 Spicy pork sausages (cooked and sliced lengthwise)
- 1 Large onion, sliced
- 2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/4 Cup sweet chilli sauce
- small bunch of dhania (coriander, chopped)
- Chilli flakes (optional)
- Oil
Instructions
Place the onions and oil in a pan and cook till translucent. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant
Add in the sausages, chilli flakes and the sweet chilli sauce and mix till well incorporated. Let this cook for about 3-5 mins then mix in the dhania. Serve hot with your choice of bread.
HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/sausages-in-sweet-chilli-sauce-2/
Rye Bread
There a few things that intimidate me when it comes to cooking, I think my biggest intimidation comes from pastries. I mean the real pastries not the ones sold in most Nairobi eateries as meat pies yet they sugarless mandazi dough stuffed with meat uuuuuurrrrggghhhhh!! Quite annoying. I mean the pastries that melt in your mouth because they are so buttery, you the ones that when you take a bite then have a look at the pastry you see layers and layers and lots of tinny soft yet crunchy layers of dough. You know the pastry that makes you sin in your mind when you just think of the things it will do to your hips later but you honestly don’y give a hoot coz you know what it is doing to your mouth right now?? You know that kid of pastry right? now those make me soooo nervous to make because 1 batch of just the pastry can take you even 3 or 4 hours to make. The process is hard and tedious, it’s heat sensitive, even the temperature of your hands can mess things up dear Lord!! so when you pay 300 for a good pie understand how much work was put in.
Now this was the same notion I had about making bread, that it was this long tedious process that could easily backfire. The 1st time I made bread it was super easy I couldn’t believe it then a few times after that, my experience with yeast was not so great but I believe the problem was with the yeast. So last year my girl Fresh of Just Fresh showed me how to make sure my yeast rises by adding warm water and sugar to it then letting it stand for a while till frothy. I use that method often but not as much any more as I have also learnt that the yeast we have in our supermarkets can rise if you put the warm liquid and sugar in the dough as you knead.
Making bread is so easy, easier than chapati so do not be scared. after you knead the work is done. I had this bread with calamari on the night I made it, used it to dip in garlic sweet chilli olive oil…. it was heaven I tell you. The freshness of the bread combined with the hotness and subtle sweetness of the olive oil was so exciting to my taste buds, I’m telling you they jumped up and down in excitement.
The next morning I served it with sweet chilli sausages……. more heaven. This bread is not only tasty but rye is good for you to so go on……. GO BAKE YOURSELF!! HAPPY BAKING!!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (you can use margarine)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F) (you can use water)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup rye flour (available at Healthy U)
- 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds (Found in Nakumatt when I do not have I use rosemary but this changes the taste)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions
Mix the yeast,honey , melted butter, egg, and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Beat on low speed for 1 minute.
Mix in the salt, rye flour, all-purpose flour, and caraway seeds. Mix on low speed until all of the flour is fully incorporated. Change to medium speed until the mixture forms a ball, doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl and climbs up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the bowl.
Roll the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning it around to ensure its oiled all over. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. Sometimes if I am in a rush I switch on the oven for about 4 mins then switch it off and place the dough in it to shorten the time
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently a few times. Tuck and roll so that any seams disappear into the dough and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg lightly over the top of the dough. Bake until lightly brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/rye-bread/
