4 minute read
Servin’ Up Good Eats
Easy Stir Fry
Ingredients: 1 pound beef, chicken or pork cut into strips 2 cups assorted vegetables (Cook’s choice) sliced 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion 1 cup chicken broth 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Peanut oil
Directions: 1) Marinate meat in soy sauce, ginger, sugar and sesame oil 2) Heat oil in frying pan or wok 3) Stir fry meat until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon 4) Add vegetable to same pan and stir-fry until crisp tender 5)
Combine cornstarch and chicken broth in cup 6) Return meat to fry pan 7) Add cornstarch mixture 8) Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally 9) Sprinkle with green onions
Serve with rice.
Recipe provided by Susan Walden, Connecticut Curtain Call: A colleciton of favorite recipes, Copyright 1996
shutterstock.com
Boston Bean Salad
This is a great recipe to take to a potluck or carry in event. Serves 10-12
Ingredients: 1 15 ounce can navy beans, rinsed and drained 1 15 ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup molasses 1/2 cup salad oil 1 Tablespoon Dijon-style mustard 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cups torn curly endive 2 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled green onion strips (optional)
Directions: 1) In a large bowl combine beans, celery and green onion 2) For dressing, in a screw top jar, combine vinegar, molasses, oil, mustard and pepper. Cover and shake well to mix. Pour dressing over bean mixture; stir to coat. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. 3) To serve, line a salad bowl or platter with lettuce leaves. Stir curly endive and bacon into bean mixture. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bean mixture to the salad bowl. If desired, garnish with green onion strips.
How Housing Affordability Challenges Are Hampering HOME BUYING
By Builders Association of North Central Indiana
Housing affordability has continued to be a challenge for the housing market as it grapples with a lack of inventory, due in large part to five key factors: labor, land or lots, lending, lumber and other material costs, and laws and regulatory burdens. COVID-19 has exacerbated a number of these factors — notably material costs and labor shortages — and kept inventory low, which have caused housing prices to soar and priced numerous Americans out of purchasing a home. According to recent research from the National Association of Home Builders, higher mortgage rates and double-digit growth in home prices are discouraging a growing share of buyers from engaging in the purchase process. At its peak in mid-2021, 61% of prospective buyers were actively trying to find a home to buy; that share has dropped back to pre-pandemic levels at 46%. Of the buyers who were actively engaged in the process of finding a home in the first quarter of 2022, 67% have spent 3-plus months searching for a home without success. Although the majority will continue to search for a new home, a growing segment of prospective home buyers are choosing to wait. According to NAHB’s latest Home Trends Report, the share of prospective buyers postponing their home search until next year has risen steadily from 20% in the second quarter of 2021 to 25% in the first quarter of 2022. Chief among this segment are first-time home buyers. Their share of prospective buyers has fallen from 65% in the third quarter of 2021 to 60% in the first quarter of 2022 — or roughly the same level as prior to the pandemic. This is of particular concern, as home buying can be a key factor in building wealth. Although some buyers may be willing to pay more for a new house, the share of buyers who can afford half or more of the homes on the market is down to 19%, after peaking in the fourth quarter of 2020 at 37%. Affordability concerns have risen in every region of the country, with the largest jump occurring in the Northeast. For more information on NAHB’s efforts to combat housing affordability and provide homeownership opportunities, contact Builders Association of North Central Indiana at 574-267-6125 or visit our website at www.buildnci.com or visit NAHB at nahb.org. n
Handcrafted Log Furniture | Heirloom Quality
Beautify your home or lodge with the rustic look of log furniture.
7275W 200N Shipshewana, IN 46565
1/2 mi. south from the main square in Shipshewana, then east 3/4 mi.
Custom Furniture Available
260-768-4140
Mon.-Fri. 10-5; Sat. 9-4:30 or by appointment
No two pieces are ever the same!
