Don’t Let Bugs Bust Up Your Holiday Baking

Today is National Maple Syrup Day! It’s the perfect day of the holiday season to do a little baking with the family. Whipping up winter treats is a great tradition to start whether you have little kids, teenagers or it’s just you and a significant other. Here are a few ideas to try this year, along with advice on how to keep bugs away from your holiday baking.

Your Home as a Gingerbread House

Why make a regular old gingerbread house when you can make one that’s just like your own? Get gingerbread dough or mix some up from scratch to make walls and a roof that matches your own. Once those are done baking, it’s time to build.

Use different candies to make the exterior resemble your home, and use food dye to whip up icing that’s the same color as your house paint. Adding your house number and other little touches are the type of details that will instantly make a connection. Go the extra mile by making gingerbread men for each family member to add to the holiday display.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

Spread the holiday cheer with a different batch of cookies each day during the twelve days of Christmas. Warm baked goods make a nice surprise for someone you’re thinking about this season. Sit down with the family and decide which types of cookies you’ll make, as well as who you want to give them to. Some recipients to consider are neighbors, co-workers, teachers, local firemen and police officers.

Christmas S’mores

A crackling fire doesn’t just provide warmth and ambiance, it can also help you cook up Christmas s’mores. Get chocolate graham crackers, peppermint chocolate bars and a bag of marshmallows and you’re in business. Have one person get the graham crackers and chocolate ready while another roasts the marshmallows over the open fire. No fireplace – no problem! Just put everything together and cook it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Keep Bugs Away from the Baking

If there’s one thing that bugs want for Christmas, it’s a sweet treat. The aromas wafting from the kitchen will beckon all the bugs that are hiding in and around your house for the winter. But don’t let bugs bust up your holiday baking session – keep them far away from the holiday feast with these tips.

• Clean as you cook. The longer messes are left out, the more likely they are to attract pests.
• Don’t let treats sit out unattended once they’re cooked.
• Have containers on hand to pack up everything that’s not eaten.
• Carefully package up the leftover ingredients in airtight containers.
• Clean the dishes as soon as you’re done.
• Take out the trash at the end of the night.

As for that gingerbread house we mentioned earlier, if it’s not properly stored it will become an edible home for bugs. When the gingerbread house isn’t on display, keep it wrapped in plastic wrap. Double up the wrap for better protection from moisture as well as insects.

Image Source: www.flickr.com/photos/hinnosaar/3083897614

Original Source: https://www.vulcantermite.com/education-and-prevention/dont-let-bugs-bust-up-your-holiday-baking