Koreshan State Park

Koreshan State Park located in Estero, Florida is a really unique and historic park. Founded in 1893 by a religious group by the name of the Koreshans and included sawmill, bakery, boat works, store and more. Located along the Estero river the property which is home to eleven restored historical buildings, is a great place to spend a few hours wandering the grounds. Or if you want to stay awhile you can camp here and it's a great jumping off point in South Florida. Just a short drive to Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, the Tamiami trai and Everglades, theres a lot to see in the area of Florida.

Winding through the park is the Estero river, which used to bring guest up to the property but now it's a wonderful way to spend the day. Kayaking and canoeing along the brackish river offer views of wildlife or you can try your hand at fishing. If you want to stay on your feet, the hiking trail along the river, through bamboo is really magical. Or you can stick to the paved path running through the heart of the original compound.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy some family time under the shade of old pine trees or grill up some burgers on the provided grills. Let the kids burn off some energy on the playground or just take a quiet walk through the grounds soaking up the nature and history.

The campground has sixty sites that accomodate both tent and RV campers with a length up to forty feet. These are all back in spaces and all have water, electric, picnic table and fire ring. Firewood is available for purchase but bring a hatchet since they are rather large pieces. Keep your camp supplies secure at night as there are raccoons in the park who are eager to see if you have any goodies for them. Bathrooms are a short walk from the campsites and have nice showers that were clean and tidy.

Koreshan State park is also home to a Farmers market every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m in the historic settlement area. Come for the day or spend a few. Weddings are also hosted here if you are looking for a beautiful location in South Florida. Open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to sunset. $5 per vehicle and $26 a night to camp plus a reservation fee. For more information or to make a reservation you can click here.

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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Spring is the perfect time to get out and explore Florida and we have a lot of interesting places to see! Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park located in Cross Creek, is one of them! Cross Creek is located between Orange Lake and Lochloosa lake, not too far off the major highways 441 and I-75. The park gets it's name from the famous author who called Cross Creek her home and wrote about it in her book "The Yearling". The subsequent movie was also filmed there. This historic homestead has been wonderfully preserved and really gives you a look at life in Florida back then.

Marjorie moved to Cross Creek to find inspiration for her writing and wrote many books about the area around Cross Creek. When you visit the State Park you can tour the grounds which all look just like it did when the author lived there. For a little extra you can take a guided tour of her house and see a little bit closer how she lived. I had visited the park both with and without touring the house and I would suggest you go ahead and take the time for it.

After you've spent the time exploring the grounds and seeing all the interesting things it has to offer you'll probably be hungry! Head on down the road to the restaurant named after the famous book. The Yearling serves an amazing hamburger, or you can go for something a little more exotic like Alligator tail! Listen to the blues played live while you eat and reflect on your day. You can check out my review on The Yearling restaurant here.

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park is only $3.00 per group or car. You'll need exact change as it's pay by honor box. The guided tour is extra and is $3.00 per adult and $2.00 per child. The park is open year round however tours only run October-July. Check their website for more information and hours here. The park is located at 18700 S. CR 325 in Cross Creek, Florida.

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General Tso's Chicken

One of my favorite dishes when eating out is General Tso's Chicken. I wanted to try my hand at making this dish to see if I liked it just as much at home. My local grocery store only had the Iron Chef brand of General Tso's sauce, so that's what I used. This easy and delicious recipe is something that I have really enjoyed making and eating! Here's the recipe:

3 Chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Tsp. Paprika

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/2 Tsp. Paprika

1/4 Tsp. Pepper

1/8 Tsp. Parsley Flakes

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Bottle Iron Chef's General Tso's Sauce

Add cubbed chicken, milk and paprkia to a medium sized bowl. Soak in fridge for two hours. Drain the liquid after the two hours and set aside. Mix flour and spices in a large bowl. Toss the chicken in the flour to coat. Heat oven to four hundred degrees. Place a 13x9 baking dish in the oven with the tablespoon of butter to melt. Once melted add the flour coated chicken and place in a single layer in baking dish. Bake for twenty five minutes, turning halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and add the bottle of Iron Chef General Tso's sauce. Toss to coat well. Put back in the oven for an additional five minutes. I served with white rice.

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Hornitos Tequila Surprise

This is my take on the Tequila Baybreeze, a drink that has tequila, pineapple and cranberry juice. I saw this Oceanspray Cran-Pineapple juice and I thought it would be a perfect fit with the Hornitos tequila I had. Here's the recipe I used:

2 ounces of Hornitos Tequila

6 ounces of Oceanspray Cran-PinappleJuice

Master of Mixers Margarita Salt for the rim

3 cherries

1 tsp. juice from the cherry jar

Ice Cubes

Fill your measuring cup with two ounces of Hornitos tequila. Wet the rim of the glass with the tequila and then dip in the margarita salt. Add your ice. Pour the Hornitos tequila into the glass, then add the Oceanspray Cran-Pineapple juice. Add the three cherries and the juice. Stir. Enjoy!

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Pantry Tuna Noodle Casserole

This casserole came about because I wanted a tuna casserole but didn't have any cream of mushroom or chicken soup. So I had to improvise with what I had on hand and it came out really good! So here's what I did:

Recipe: Pantry Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 Package of Wide Egg Noodles

2 Cans of tuna fish (I used albacore)

3 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 yellow onion chopped

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tst. Pepper

1 can Peas drained

1 can Queso Blanco Cheese sauce

3 Tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Sour Cream

1/4 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Topping: 1/2 C. Bread Crumbs

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/4 Tsp. Paprika

Boil the egg noodles in a large pot of salted water for about eight minutes or until done. Drain. In a saucepan combine the butter, onion, salt and pepper and cook about five mintues. Add the flour and stir till combined. Add the milk. Stir until thickened. Once thickened add the can queso, sour cream, peas and tuna fish. Stir till combined. Add egg noodles to a 13x9 baking pan and then combine with saucepan ingredients. Stir in the cheddar cheese.

For the topping toast the breadcrumbs, butter and paprkia in a small skillet for about five minutes. Once it starts getting a little brown sprinkle on top of the casserole. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for about a half an hour.

If you are not a fan of tuna fish you can add about a cup of shredded chicken. If you don't like peas you can leave them out or add something like chopped broccoli. Hope you enjoy this recipe. Find us on Facebook for more recipes, household tips and tricks, travel and more.

Doctored Up Canned Baked Beans

If you are a fan of easy but delicious then this recipe is for you! This super simple way to doctor up those can baked beans will give you so much flavor for not a lot of added cost and we all know how those grocery store prices are rising! You just need a few added things and those canned baked beans will be the star of your dinner table.

All you need is any old can of baked beans, it doesn't matter which brand. Pour those baked beans into a crockpot or large pot on the stove. To that add one tablespoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of ground mustard and about a quarter of a pound of bacon. That's it! Mix it all up and cook on low for half a day or so. This gives the regular can beans so much flavor without all the work! Find us on Facebook for more recipes, tips, tricks and travel!

What's The Deal With The Rise In Covid Cases?

I just want to start off by saying I'm not a doctor and I'm not one of those theory conspirists. I've been sitting here thinking about the rapidly rising cases of Covid, especially in my area. If you look back to the Spring things were starting to look up. Cases seemed to be down, things started fully opening where they had been closed and everyone was ready to move on from this Covid virus. Vaccines started rolling out and everyone was feeling pretty confident the worst was behind us.

Now Summer is nearing to an end and the cases are once again out of control. Hospitals are cancelling elective surgeries and numbers are rising. Everyone is blaming the unvaccinated for the rise in cases and hospitalizations. If the vaccines are effective then they alone are not enough. People who have gotten the vaccine are still getting Covid. They are saying that the symptoms would have been much worse if they haven't gotten the vaccine. How do we really know that though? Many people over the last year, previous to the Delta variant, had mostly mild cases. So I don't know how we can really tell if the vaccine is helping with symptoms, but I guess it does offer so hope to people anyway.

I don't know what we should do. Some things like wearing masks people feel very strongly about. They feel like it's a right being taken from them. I don't have any strong feelings either way, although it's not like I enjoy wearing it. If people who have been fully vaccinated are still catching and spreading Covid then maybe we should really be wearing masks in certain indoor situations.

Now there's a new lambda variant and they are saying this one could stick to surfaces longer. So maybe we need to go back to aggressive cleaning of surfaces and high touch areas in common spaces and bathrooms. Also, we don't know how well vaccines work against the Delta and Lamdra variants so we still need to protect ourselves and others, remember children under twelve can't even get vaccinated yet. We need to go back to the hand sanitizing, the cleaning of carts at the grocery store, masks, social distancing. I don't think we need to close business, people need to work, we need to live our lives. We just need to be a little aware of what's going on around us and realize it can start with us and one person can make a difference.

So what can you do? First you can stay home if you are sick. If you have to go out to get medicine or tested or whatever please wear a mask. The next thing you can do is keep some sanitizer in your car for when you can't wash your hands. Use it after the store, bank, pumping gas etc. Washing your hands when you get home is another key thing. Keep some Lysol spray handy to spray knobs and light switches from time to time. Little things can help make the difference of spreading Covid to our family, friends and neighbors. What are your tips for staying safe? If you are already sick check out my tips on feeling better fast here.

Easy Rib Rub

Let me just start off by saying that we love ribs in my house! I try to make them at least twice a month, not only is it a tasty dinner it's super easy. I always start off with a rib rub. I combine some of my favorite spices and bled them all together. The spices I use are as listed below:

1 Tsp. Paprika

1 Tsp. Garlic Salt

1 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Ground Mustard

1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

Once you blend the spices up it should look like the picture above. Now you're ready to start rubbing. Sprinkle half the mixture on the front and half the mixture on the back. That's all there is to it. Cook your ribs your prefered method. If you don't already have a favorite way to cook your ribs try it low and slow. I cover mine tightly with tin foil and cook at 200 degrees all day. Don't open and look at them, they'll be just fine. Half an hour before you eat dinner slather your favorite BBQ sauce on the ribs, recover and cook at the same temperature.

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Home Remedies For Colds and Sickness

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to use natural or home remedies versus store-bought items from the drug store to fight the common cold and sickness. Now in the time of Corona virus everyone is extra aware of staying healthy and taking care of themselves in the best way possible. For some people they have no problem guzzling bottles of over the counter cough syrups and other cold and flu medicines. For me I'd rather look to my pantry when I start not feeling well. I decided to put together some of my favorite at home remedies to share with you.

My number one go-to treatment for most ailments is water. Are you drinking enough water every day? The human body is up to sixty percent water and drinking soda and other high sugar drinks all day isn't going to keep your body running the way it should. Most of my headaches come from being dehydrated so the first thing I alway say is "Have you been drinking water?".

Another one of my must have's to get over not feeling well is hot tea. Never underestimate the power of a hot cuppa tea. There are many varieties of tea including green, black and earl grey. Peppermint tea is good to sooth a cough, so I always try to keep this on hand. With the Corona Virus making people have such bad coughs drinking hot tea can soothe your throat.

Something else to keep in your pantry medicine cabinet is honey. Coughing and sore throats are a very common symptom people are dealing with everyday. Honey is very effective as a cough medicine and can help to make a sore throat feel better. I like to take a teaspoon of honey a few times a day. You can also add it to your hot tea as a sweetener. Honey is full of antioxidants and can also be used on minor cuts and scraps as a natural antibiotic.

The next item to pick up if you are feeling sick is fresh ginger. When the hot tea and honey aren't cutting it I have to break out the big guns. Take a little piece of the ginger and peel it. Boil the ginger for about twenty minutes to make a ginger tea, add some honey as well. The anti-inflamitory benefits of ginger can open airways and help ease cough. If you've never bought it before you can find fresh ginger in the produce section.

Chicken noodle soup isn't just good for the soul, it can also help clear up nasal passages when you are congested. The hot liquid broth can also help to sooth your throat like a hot cup of tea. Containing neutrophils, chicken noodle soup can also help boost your immune system. I love to make homemade chicken noodle soup but I always keep a few cans on hand.

Some people like to suck on cough drops, I like to use peppermint candies. Peppermint oil is anti-bacterial, not only can it fight bad breath it can help keep your gut feeling it's best. When I feel sick to my stomach I also turn to the peppermint candy, it supposedly can also help with anxiety. If I'm going on a long car ride I always make sure to have a purse full of peppermints.

For as long as I can remember if I had a sick feeling stomach I would turn to ginger-ale to help make me feel better. You don't always have the time to make some ginger tea and ginger-ale is a great option to use when you are on the go. Ginger-ale is a perfect item to add to you're at home medicine pantry, just try to find a brand that uses all natural ginger.

Lastly some of the vitamins I would add to my supplies are Vitamin C, Zinc, B-12 and Vitamin D. They are all good for different reasons. Another suggestion when you are sick is to get plenty of rest. It's not always easy to do when you are coughing like crazy and generally miserable. If you are super achy try taking a warm bath with some Epsom salts. Make sure you seek medical help if you have a high fever or trouble breathing. Otherwise try some of these home remedies to get you feeling better in no time.

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DIY Almost Free Fly Catcher

Have you noticed how bad the flies are this year? They are swarming at my house on everything and driving us crazy. We had an eight pack of those sticky fly strips lying around so I went about hanging them all over the yard. Every time I walked by one I was so disappointed not to see a single fly! Eventually after a full day I did catch a huge mosquito and they all had those little gnats, so it was barely doing anything. I remembered in years past I had tried to do some DIY fly traps and thought I'd go ahead and try again. I did some Google searching and read different techniques people used. I took an old sports drink bottle and cut the top off and then inverted it back into the bottle. I used clear tape to seal it shut. I then poured a mixture of sugar, water and molasses in along with a few drops of dish soap, it was now ready to go. The first night something must have wanted the molasses because it got knocked over and all the liquid came out, no flies. A bit later we were working in the yard and a cup of coffee my husband was drinking had a bunch of flies all over it. I figured if they liked the coffee I'd go ahead and use that as my bait in my replacement batch. I added the coffee, which had milk and sugar, molasses and the dish soap. Before I knew it the flies were flying in and then not being able to fly back out. My trap was working. I then came up with an idea to maybe use something sticky like straight molasses or honey so all they had to do was land and be stuck. I poured some molasses in a plastic container I had saved. It was catching some flies but it seemed by the next day they figured out a way to walk down the side and enjoy the molasses without getting stuck. My improvising had me take some plastic wrap and seal tightly with tape. I then cut a little hole so the fly's could come in but not figure out how to get back out. This worked so much better and I was catching so many flies. It's been about five days now and I'm very pleased with how well this has done.

I had everything I needed to make this lying around the house and you probably do too. You can use any type of bottle like a two liter or even a bottle of V8. I've also made some small ones out of little water bottles. Basically anything you put inside will work, it just needs to be sweet. Some examples would be honey, coffee, juice, just experiment a little and see what they like best. Some call for putting vinegar in but I didn't have any and I don't see the need. The dish soap alone seems to work well.

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Composting Benefits and Uses

We all have kitchen waste, from the peels of potatoes to the ends of tomatoes. What we do with that waste can really make a difference, in both your yard and the environment. When the scraps of food you toss out end up in the local landfill, it produces methane. Methane is harmful to the environment. The problem with the food waste is that it gets buried and doesn't get a chance to break down properly to form compost. When you compost at home and take care of your little heap of black gold it gets all the things it needs to turn itself into compost. Your plants will love it once it's all broken down and ready to go.

So now lets talk about some of the things that I compost most often: coffee grounds, eggshells and the peels from things like potatoes, carrtos and onions. I save an old plastic coffee conatainer with a lid to keep my scraps in until they are ready to go out to the compost bin. Its a great way to reuse something that would normally end up in the dump and it keeps any smell or fruit flies away. What are your favorite things to compost? Find us on Facebook!

ReceiptHog: Earn Money From Store Receipts

In these days of Covid we are all looking for ways to save money or earn money. In case you haven't noticed prices at the grocery store are rising and incomes aren't! I've used apps like these on and off over the years and it was a nice way to make a few extra bucks with something you are doing anyway. Since the grocery store prices are sky high right now I thought it would be a great time to get back into some of these apps. ReceiptHog is a fun and easy to use app where you earn by uploading photos of your store receipts. You can cash out for Amazon, Visa or PayPal rewards. From time to time you can also earn extra coins by taking a survey, connecting your email and other various tasks. You can also earn spins on the ReceiptHog slot machine to earn extra coins. Sign up by downloading the app here, available on both iPhone and Android, then enter the referral code (map11372) to get your bonus spins!

I Just Moved To A Hurricane Area, Now What?

Hurricanes are a just a normal part of life living along the coastline. From Texas up to Maine and everywhere inbetween the threat of a tropical storm coming is very real. The season is from June first to the end of November but Hurricanes can pop up before and after those dates, which should serve more as a guide since they are unpredictable.

Quite often before a storm I see people on social media asking what should they do to prepare. No doubt if you ask a question like this some person will say something unhelpful like "move back to where you came from". I would be scared to drive on snow the first time, so it's no surprise if you have just moved to an area that gets Hurricanes you'd be a little fearful if one was coming at you. We just had Elsa pass through and luckily all we got in my area was rain. Over eight inches at my house! The real danger in one of these storms is the flooding. Storm surge if you are on the coast or just a overwheliming amount of rainfall can flood streets and homes and make getting around difficult. My biggest piece of advice is if you live in a flood zone and you are told to evacuate, do so. Never drive through flooded water either, the road could be washed out underneath and you can't judge the depth. Moving water can easily sweep your vehicle away as well, so just remember "Turn around don't drown".

Wind is a hazard as well since it doesn't take much to bring trees and branches down. Take a look around your home and cut down any limbs or dead trees that could fall in a storm. Hire a professional if you are unsure of your ability. Cutting trees down is dangerous! Keep in mind live trees can also fall in high wind. This is especially true if the ground is already saturated from rainfall. Trees with shallow roots are more likley to fall in my experience. If you are worried about a tree falling on your home and you can't safely remove it before a storm try to avoid that part of your house if you can.

Supplies to keep your family going if a loss of power takes place are very important. We can lose power during any afternoon thunderstorm here in Florida so being ready is always a good thing. Have on had plenty of water to drink for everyone in the house, including pets. Have a manual can opener and food that is easily prepared. Things like pop tarts, Ravioli and granola bars. These things will sell out when a big storm comes. Try not to be greedy and don't wait till the last-minute. Keep in mind stores could be closed for days following a bad storm that causes lots of damage and power outages. Make sure you have gas for your generator and chainsaw and know how to properly use these things. Many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning from using the generator in their house or where the fumes can come in. Always use in a well ventilated area. Things like a deck of cards or board games are helpful especially if you lose power for an extended time.

If you are planning to evacuate bring all your important paperwork and identifications. Make sure you have your medicines and things you'll need just like you would at home. Have patience because the roads will likely be bumper to bumper with everyone trying to leave at the same time. Hope some of these tips help ease your mind a bit. What are your favorite tips for Hurricane season?

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