Never too busy to make bread
By Ilene Duffy
Issue #114 • November/December, 2008
Summer vacation came to an abrupt end. Sons are back in school. My "soccer mom" folding chair is in the trunk of the car. The daytimer is getting...
With commonsense planning, you can survive hard times
By Jackie Clay
Issue #55 • January/February, 1999
Today, many people are afraid that hard times are about to descend upon us because of the Y2K computer date problem, also known as the Millennium Bug. Others...
Chocolate — Food for the Gods
By Richard Blunt
Issue #56 • March/April, 1999
My mother loved chocolate. She knew and understood it just as a wine master knows and understands wine. When she made some of her old world style bittersweet...
Build a holz hausen to dry firewood
By Doug Fluckiger
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
My secret passion is tall, dark, and handsome. I may find her lying luxuriantly among a dark grove of firs. She may be standing proudly on a sunny...
Eye-catching signs with mirrors
By David Lee
Issue #144 • November/December, 2013
The reflected image in the mirrored letters give a "see-through" illusion
to the sign and the tree. Stained glass nuggets add flashes of color.
Need a sign? Do you want...
Zucchini custard pie
Sandra L. Toney
Ingredients
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup evaporated milk
1 9-inch unbaked pastry or pie shell
cinnamon
nutmeg
Method
Preheat oven to 450°.
Mix zucchini (and any...
Man vs. the machine
By John Silveira
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
About 10 years ago, I was living in southern California and I was summoned for jury duty. I was glad to be called. I've always liked the concept...
Grilled Steak with Olive-Blue Cheese Sauce
Recipe of the Week
Grilled Steak with Olive-Blue Cheese Sauce
Courtesy of
Gail Chen
Ingredients
4 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1-1/4-inches thick
1 cup canned beef broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (or chopped onion)
1/2 cup sliced black...
Picking your pressure canner — All American or Presto?
By James Kash
Issue #143 • September/October, 2013
The garden is in full swing and you have baskets of vegetables piling up; what do you do? You can them, of course. Your mother's old granite-ware canner...
Installing your own small, remote off-grid solar system
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #116 • March/April, 2008
A typical residential-size solar system installation will involve properly sized and installed AC and DC electrical wiring to reduce the risk of electrical fire, a proper...
Maple Spiced Broiled Salmon
Recipe of the Week
Maple Spiced Broiled Salmon
Courtesy of
Barbara Sabek
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
1/3 cup real maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup!)
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons peeled, grated ginger root
2 cloves garlic minced fine
1/4...
Build a barrel stove
By Nick Weston
Issue #133 • January/February, 2012
This stove kept me warm and provided an excellent cooking surface for more than six months while I lived in my treehouse.
With a bit of nip and tuck...
Elegant desserts for entertaining
By Jennifer Stein Barker
Issue #48 • November/December, 1997
Early winter is my favorite time of the year to bake up a storm. Days are short, the weather is either rainy or cold, and it feels...
Slug Zapper
By Joel Winters
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I live in a small clearing in a big forest. This is on the rainy side of the mountains in the Cascade foothills. Slugs are underfoot nearly year-round...
Libertarian and Conservative
By John Silveira
Issue #133 • January/February, 2012
I cringe when I hear libertarians lumped with conservatives or at least today's conservatives. Liberals want you to view us as conservatives so you won't look any...
Cannellini Bean And Mushroom Casserole
Recipe of the Week
Cannellini Bean And Mushroom Casserole
Courtesy of
Wendy Nakken
Ingredients
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, for frying
2 tablespoons butter, cold
1/2 cup sour...






























