Crickets In The Basement

This is going to be a quick little blog.  Last weekend we were at my daughters old farmhouse that they recently bought.  They are still busy getting it ready to move in, but everything takes longer than it should.  They are close to finishing up and have done a ton of work.  She asked me if I had a home remedy for getting rid of crickets.  She said she can hear crickets in the basement, and the sound is annoying.  I had no idea.  We have had country critters, but crickets haven't been an issue.  I kind of like their sound, but probably not in the house.  She decided to search for a remedy and found a good solution.  Just take a strip of duct tape, lay it next to the foundation upside down so the sticky side is up, stick a couple pieces of dog food to the tape and wait.  This was what she found in the morning.  I think it works and doesn't use harsh insect sprays.  Sometimes the easiest method is the best.

Two pieces of dog food and sticky tape does the trick.

Light Alfredo Sauce

I had every intention of blogging about our dinner tonight.  However, life happens and we ended up with leftovers.  I was going to make a skinny version of Chicken Alfredo that I found on http://diethood.com/skinny-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-sauce/   Instead I made the major component, the sauce.  It is made with kefir instead of heavy cream or cream cheese.  There is no butter either so the calories are cut dramatically.  The calories in most Alfredo sauces are over 500 calories per serving.  This recipe has 170 calories.

The sauce is tasty and very creamy.

In this recipe you can use kefir from the grocery store.  I make my own, so I was able to use that.  I wrote a few days ago about the homemade kefir I make, and I have a lot of it on hand right now.  My grains are very prolific.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/09/update-of-my-kefir-miracle.html

Light Chicken Alfredo Sauce

3 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain, nonfat kefir
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add the garlic and cook briefly.  Garlic burns easily so watch carefully.  Stir in the flour and stir until combined, then whisk in the chicken broth.  Stir until the mixture thickens and then remove from the heat.  Whisk in the kefir and the parmesan cheese.  Season with the salt and pepper.

I also grilled some chicken breast strips, so I will have them ready for tomorrow.  I will cook some noodles, and toss the sauce with the noodles.  Then top with the cooked chicken.  This sauce could be used in alfredo lasagna. chicken alfredo pizza or any recipe calling for alfredo sauce.  It is low calorie and basically lactose free.

Prepared chicken strips.

Fruit Flies In My Kitchen

This post is disgusting but I didn't realize how disgusting until today.  For the past few days, I noticed a few fruit flies in my kitchen.  I couldn't imagine where they had come from, and then I found some over ripe tomatoes I had from my daughter's garden.  I tossed the tomatoes and thought that would be the end of it, but I still saw a couple flying around.  I heard that vinegar attracted them, so I set out a dish of vinegar.  In a few hours, I hadn't attracted any.  I had used white vinegar so I thought perhaps I needed cider vinegar instead.  Apple cider is made from fruit and fruit flies like fruit (and vegetables).  Without realizing it, I grabbed rice vinegar instead.  I sprinkled about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in the vinegar and a few drops of dishwashing soap.  I set the dish on the kitchen counter.  In a few seconds the fruit flies started to appear.  They would perch on the side of the dish and then fall into the pool of vinegar.  Obviously there were more than a couple fruit flies in my kitchen,  and I couldn't imagine where they all came from.

A lot of fruit flies in a short amount of time.

After a while we had some errands to run, so we left for a few hours.  When we returned, I checked the dish and it had many more drowned fruit flies.  I told you it was digusting.

Do we all have fruit flies in our homes, and we don't realize it?  I hope not.  I will use this combination in the future because it obviously works.  I hate to see how many will be collected by morning.  Hopefully there aren't many more.

1/2 cup rice vinegar (apple cider or red wine vinegar)
1/2 t. sugar
a few drops of dishwashing soap

*Note: After I posted this blog,  I got several comments about using a dish with the vinegar solution but covered with plastic wrap.  I decided to do a test.  Over 8 hours ago I set out a dish with vinegar, soap and a little sugar.  I covered it with plastic wrap and secured it with a rubber band.  I poked holes in the plastic wrap.  Next to it I put out an open dish of vinegar, soap and sugar.  I caught several fruit flies in the open dish and not one in the covered dish.  They crawled on the plastic but wouldn't go through. It seems that the open method is more effective.