Miscellaneous

Love Affair with PEEPS Recipe

Chloe Tuttle — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:58 +0000

Americans have a love affair with our marshmallow PEEPS

PEEPS come in all sizes but they taste the same as always

… and we eat more than our share – we will eat 600 million PEEPS this Easter. (I call them all PEEPS, even if they are bunnies.)

PEEPS marshmallow candy – those bright-colored chicks and bunnies that we see at Easter have a long history. In 1953, it took 27 hours to make one Peep. Now the factory in Bethlehem, PA makes a billion a year. The first PEEPS were squeezed out of a pasty tube and the eyes were painted on by hand. Each PEEP is a character – as they settle the nose and eyes rearrange and they get a personality.

The Washington Post has an annual PEEPS Diorama contest. One year they discontinued it but caught a lot of flack. Now the diorama back. I’m telling you, PEEPS’ mania is real, it’s fun and I am joining.

Some years ago, National Geographic did PEEPS in Places. There were PEEPS in Las Vegas, on the beach, in a subway, at Big Mill B&B Extended Stay.

Did you know that PEEPS go with fine wine?

Ever wonder what wine to serve with PEEPS? Someone has already done the wine pairing for PEEPS and the suggestions are Riesling or Chardonnay.

You can create your own Peeps character – pick a color, outfit, give him a name and POOF he will jump on Facebook if you want him too. I am telling you, folks really get in to their Peeps.

Can you believe folks cook with PEEPS? There are many PEEPS recipes out there, much to my surprise. So I tried one.

Peeps just make Rice Krispies treats better!

Rice Krispie Treats with PEEPS

Everyone loves Peeps - why not add them to the classic rice krispie?

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Peeps rice krispie treats, Peeps rice krispie treats recipe, rice krispie treats with Peeps

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Freeze 8

Total Time 20

Servings bars

Calories 191kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter
10 oz. pkg. Marshmallows about 40 or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
12 PEEPS
1 Tablespoon marshmallow cream for glue Optional

Instructions

Freeze PEEPS overnight.
Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan or dish and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tablespoons butter over low heat. In a small pan melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter (this is your glue) or you can use Marshmallow cream.
Add marshmallows to the large pan and stir until melted. Add Rice Krispies and stir until coated. Remove from heat. Using a greased spatula, press the marshmallow - Rice Krispie mixture into the greased pan. It is really sticky!
Press the frozen PEEPS on top, spacing each PEEP about 1 1/2" apart. Allow to cool and cut into 12 squares with PEEPS in the middle. Best served the same day.

Nutrition

I believe the old adage As American as Apple Pie, should be As American as Marshmallow PEEPS. A word to the wise: Don’t mess with PEEPS fans.

…from Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast Extended Stay 252-799-8787

Toasted Pita Points – a Crunchy Delight

Chloe Tuttle — Sat, 10 May 2025 12:15:42 +0000

Transform stale bread into irresistible treats with these toasted pita points! They are wonderfully delicious, proving that even old, stale bread can be a culinary treasure.

Not limited to pita, you can use baguettes, ciabatta, or even croissants—though croissants aren’t ideal for dipping.

To take these toasts to the next level, I brush them with melted butter and sprinkle them with flavorful seasonings.

Perfect for parties, great with soups and stews, and budget-friendly, these toasts are a delightful addition to any occasion.

Crunchy Pita Points - Perfect for Dipping & Snacking

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Servings

Author Chloe Tuttle

Cost $6

Equipment

2 cookie sheets 13'x18'
1 pastry brush
2 sheets of aluminum foil Optional

Ingredients

1 Package Pita pocket bread, Ciabatta bread or French loaf
8 Tablespoons Butter 1 stick
Badia Sazon Tropical seasoning or Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. You can cook at a lower temperature but it will take longer. Every recipe I read has a different temperature. Just keep a close eye on the toast points when they are cooking.
Line two large cookies sheets with foil.
Cut each pita bread in half and then cut each half into 4 triangles. Then separate pita into single pieces. (Be careful when you purchase - some pita bread does not have pockets.) You will get about 16 pita points per loaf. If the package has 6 pitas in it, you will get 64 pita points. You can also cut the triangles into smaller pita points.
Place all of the pita points on two cookie sheets. It is a tight fit, but you can do it.
At this point if you can't cook right away, you can just leave the pita out on the tray and allow the points to dry out a bit. I usually store in the oven.
Melt 8 Tablespoons butter.
Brush melted butter over each pita point.
Sprinkle Badia Sazon Tropical (or Cavender's Greek Seasoning) over both trays of Pita points.
Place both trays in the oven on 2 different racks and bake until top tray of pita is crisp and crunchy. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, checking at 15 minutes. Cooking times vary a lot.
You can also turn off the heat and allow them to crisp up a bit. Just pay attention!
Remove the top tray from oven and cool on the cookie sheet. Put tray that was on the bottom on top rack and cook several minutes more.
Store in plastic container or zip lock bag. They will keep for several weeks.
Note: Sometimes I bake at a lower temperature for 12 minutes and turn off oven, leaving pita in hot oven. Then I repeat several times. I do this if I am not going to be in the kitchen for an hour or more. I learned this trick from running Big Mill Bed & Breakfast when I was slow-baking the granola.
Note: If you don't eat them right away, you can pop them in the oven to crisp them up.
Note: Use this same recipe for baguettes or any old bread you might have.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina 252-792-8787

Looking for extended stay lodging in Eastern North Carolina? Big Mill Extended Stay offers quiet, fully furnished rentals ideal for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests relocating to the area. Our accommodations provide comfort, privacy, and Southern hospitality, perfect for short-term and long-term stays. We also have three RV rental spaces.

Haint Blue – Why Southerners Paint Their Porch Ceilings Blue

Chloe Tuttle — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:10:34 +0000

If you were not born in the low country of South Carolina or Georgia – or other coastal areas of the south, then you’ve probably never heard of Haint Blue – it’s a southern thing.

But if you ever travel in the south, especially in coastal towns, you will often see porch ceilings painted a special robin’s egg light blue color. This is not because we like blue; it is because of our folklore and heritage.

Haints are restless ghosts who haven’t departed from the earthly realm. These spirits linger to haunt the living, often with harmless tricks, but occasionally they have more sinister intentions.

The lore of haints in the U.S. traces back to the low country, a coastal region spanning 200 miles in South Carolina and Georgia. Here, the Gullah Geechee people – descendants of African slaves – believed in haints. They used these Haint Blue colors to combat “haints” and “boo hags”

Haint Blue is not just for fancy houses in the garden district of Charleston. You will see these blue ceilings on fishing shacks, tenant houses, row houses – all over the coastal south.

There is no one color that is Haint Blue but paint companies like Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams and Behr offer quite a few Haint Blues.

The color was believed to trick these malevolent spirits into thinking they had stumbled into water (which they cannot cross). This is the same idea behind bottle trees – the marauding spirits are lured to the pretty blue bottles and they fly into the bottle. They cannot escape. And, yes, we have a Haint Blue ceiling here at Big Mill Extended Stay B&B.

Big Mill Extended Stay B&B:
Raleigh, NC – 100 miles
Greenville, NC – 27 miles
Outer Banks – 98 miles
Big Mill Bed and Breakfast in Williamston, NC

Purple Martins Return to South America

Chloe Tuttle — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:00:35 +0000

My faithful purple martins have left the farm. Where did you go?

The silence is awful – their chatter was so soothing. Now they are gone. They have started their long journey south.

A Family Squabble

They don’t head straight to South America. They “hole up” for several weeks in places just south of here like Mann’s Harbor, in the North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where they have been going for more than 50 years.

Those wonderful, rowdy purple martins that liven up our farms and backyards are gone from NC. They are headed back to Brazil – an arduous journey that they make every year. But they do make several stops along the way.

Vacancy at Big Mill B&B – Our Martins are Gone

The Crystal Dawn head boat from Manteo, NC used to offer a sunset cruise for folks to see the martins come home to roost. That is no more, the numbers of birds are not there.

Some purple martins are still roosting under the William B. Umstead Bridge, also known as the Mann’s Harbor Bridge. There just aren’t as many as before. No one knows why.

Sunset at Mann’s Harbor

As in past years, the N.C. Department of Transportation still temporarily lowers the bridge’s speed limit from 55 mph to 20 mph and added flashing lights during the roosting season to safeguard the purple martins from traffic. The numbers of purple martins who arrive in late spring seem to be the same as always. We just don’t seem to know where they go when they leave. They will eventually end up in South America, probably Brazil.

Until we see you at Big Mill Extended Stay B&B again in March, bon voyage to my purple martins.

Distances to Big Mill Extended Stay B&B from:
Raleigh, NC – 100 miles
Greenville, NC – 27 miles
Outer Banks – 98 miles

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina 252-792-8787

Tomato Jam – Sweet, Savory & Everything in Between

Chloe Tuttle — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:00:20 +0000

Tomato Jam – So Good You Won’t Believe It

If you have never tried Tomato Jam, you are in for a treat.

I have been reading about this jam and when I saw the recipe in the New York Times, I knew I had to make it. I didn’t like their recipe – too many conflicting spices. I tried several iterations and now I think I have the perfect recipe based on the Times recipe.

If you make this, it is mandatory that you use ripe, fresh, preferably home-grown tomatoes. I used several kinds of tomatoes; I even added a few golden cherry tomatoes to my jam. It does have a bite – if you don’t like spicy things reduce the amount of ginger and cracked red pepper. I like the bite!

It is so tasty on crusty bread or crackers with goat cheese, cream cheese, brie, or any mild cheese. Spread it on sandwiches or burgers for an extra layer of flavor. Tomato Jam gives a zesty bite to scrambled eggs.

There is a very nice restaurant in “Little” Washington called the Mulberry Brewery. They serve tomato jam on their burgers. Try it!

If you decide to make this recipe when tomatoes are not in season, I think the Flavor Bombs or Sweet Pops grape tomatoes will work fine.

(Adapted from a recipe from the New York Times & Lucy Baker of Serious Eats)

Tomato Jam - The Best Ever

The Ultimate Tomato Jam: Sweet, Savory, and Everything In Between

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Tomato Jam

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 3

Servings

Calories 119kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Equipment

4 half pint canning jars, lids, and rings optional
1 Large stainless steel cooking pot
1 Hot water bath Canner
canning tongs for removing hot jars Optional

Ingredients

3 -3½ pounds tomatoes* chopped and preferably home-grown - you will need 4 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cups sugar
¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
¾ Tablespoon ginger grated
1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
¼ teaspoon cumin ground

Instructions

This jam condenses a lot as it is cooks and it isn't necessary to add pectin. You can store this jam in the refrigerator for several weeks without having to run through the hot water process. If you plan to keep for some time, then you should run through the hot water process.
If you have access, meaty tomatoes like Roma are best for this recipe. I used 4 kinds of tomatoes, even using grape tomatoes. You will need 4 cups total of chopped tomatoes. If your tomatoes do not have a large core, especially if you use Roma tomatoes, you will not use all of the 3 pounds of tomatoes.
Wash tomatoes and remove the stems, cores and blemishes. It is up to you whether you blanch the tomatoes. I have made both ways. If you plan to blanche the tomatoes, now is the time.
Chop the tomatoes - you will need 4 cups chopped tomatoes. Combine the chopped tomatoes, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 T grated ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin in a large, heavy pot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring.
Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring often and cook until mixture has a jam-like consistency. Cooking time is affected by the type of tomatoes used. If you have juicy tomatoes, this will take longer.
Ladle into jars and process in a hot water bath if you plan to keep for an extended time. Otherwise, ladle into jars and store in the refrigerator.
Hot water bath canning instructions are in the last part of post about Sweet Pickle Relish that explains Hot Water Bath: How to Do Hot Water Bath: https://chloesblog.bigmill.com/sweet-pickle-relish-recipe-southern-style
* Note: If you make this jam when you cannot find home-grown tomatoes, I suggest making it with grape tomatoes. The brand Sweet Pops is really good and you can buy them in a 1 1/2-pound package. You will only need a total of 3 pounds, maybe fewer, because there is no waste. Do cut the tomatoes in half. I might even try this recipe with canned tomatoes.

Notes

Nutrition

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina 252-792-8787

Senator Bob Martin Ag Center – Something for Everyone

Chloe Tuttle — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 15:00:14 +0000

Senator Bob Martin Ag Center: A Gem in Williamston, NC has something for everyone

The Senator Bob Martin Ag Center is named after the late Senator Bob Martin, who was a champion of rural development and agriculture.

It is located in eastern North Carolina in the small town of Williamston. It has 100,000 square feet of space with a 150′ x 300′ arena.

It’s heated, ventilated, and pulsing with energy. The center hosts rodeos, horse shows, concerts (Willie Nelson was here), farm shows, tractor pulls, and Monster Truck Jams. And Grave Digger was here at Big Mill to take some photos.

Monte Roberts, the real Horse Whisperer, stayed here at Big Mill B&B while he was doing a show at our Equestrian Center. As a teenager, he spent time in the wild with mustangs and learned their “language.” He can be in an arena with a horse that has never been ridden and by the end of the show, someone rides the horse.

Monte’s book “The Man Who Listens to Horses,” talks about his method. “NO violence, why would you want to break a horse’s spirit,” he asked me? A side note – he did all the riding in the movie National Velvet. Monte wore a cap with braided pigtails. Elizabeth Taylor didn’t get on the horse.

The permanent seating for 2286 is quite the grandstand. I saw the Lipizzaner here in this arena – what a show.

Adjacent to the arena, is a fully enclosed paddock for warmups and practice. There are barns that have 465 permanent horse stalls.

The barns have climate-controlled bathrooms for the horses, improved ventilation, and 18 heated wash bays—they’ve thought of everything.

Many of the “horse people” don’t like to leave their horses, so they can stay at one of the Ag Center’s 100 RV sites that have water, electricity, and a 4-station waste disposal site.

There is also a Meeting Center Exposition Hall where banquets, meetings, and trade shows happen. It is climate-controlled, of course. Ten thousand three hundred eighty square feet of possibility.

Whether you’re a seasoned horse whisperer, a curious first-timer, or someone who simply appreciates the magic of equines, the Senator Bob Martin Ag Center invites you to witness these captivating horse shows for free. Grab your hat and dust off your boots.

Distances From:
Raleigh, NC – 100 miles
Greenville, NC – 25 miles
Norfolk, VA – 110 miles
Big Mill Bed and Breakfast in Williamston, NC – 5 miles(252) 799-8787