Nancy on the Home Front

Goal Setting Week 10

My first goal was to update my goal list each week. I have to say having a post on goal setting has helped me to stay focused on what goals I want to accomplish this year.

The biggest drawback is to remind myself that I have the whole year to work on accomplishing these goals. Hopefully you, my faithful readers will remember this as well and not get tired of reading about my progress! I tend to get a little stressed when I realize just how fast the year is flying by. However, I am making progress!

~~Find a new hosting site for my blog and make the site secure.~~ Done!! So excited after all this time I finally have a secure website! Currently we are doing a little tweaking of the site behind the scenes. Next step is to work on monetizing the site.
Monetize my blog. Still on my to do list. Time to put this goal on the forefront! It would be nice to have some money coming in instead of going out. No progress yet on this goal.
Create a cookbook! One step at a time, get the blog running smoothly, increase readership and then I’ll be working on the cookbook!
Be diligent about getting 10 K steps in 5 out of 7 days each week. For the last ten days we have been in Colorado on a business trip. Part of the time there was taking part in movement classes. Didn’t get 10K steps in but I did work out while there. Arrived home to find that a lot of our snow has melted and the roads are very muddy. It won’t be long before I’ll be able to get out walking on a more consistent basis.
As we continue to prepare for an eventual house sale we continue to de-clutter. Get rid of at least 250 items from the house this year! 200 items to go! This week I attacked my sewing supplies. I inherited many sewing items from my husband’s grandmother and from my mother. I tend to hang on to everything thinking I might be able to use it someday. Now that I think of having to move everything I am being little more discerning. I also have a book to go to the library!
Read ~~more~~ 25 books this year! A nice thing about being away is that I tend to read more! I had four hours on the plane and then any downtime during the week I would read. Managed to finish two books last week. My favorite was Beneath a Scarlet Sky. Takes place in Italy during WW II and is based on a true story. Good read and could not put it down! The second book I finished was The Girl On The Train. This is a psychological thriller and a real page turner! Still keeping track of the books I’ve read on Good Reads, what a wonderful app. I can keep track of all the books I have read, the books I want to read and the books I am reading. I listed on the app that I want to read 25 books this year, 18 to go! Beginning to think my goal here should have been a few more books!
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! Home again and back to our daily routine which includes meal planning. Trying to eat light and make healthy choices! Meals this week included this delicious Baked Egg with Roasted Vegetables!
Finish 4 3 knitting projects. First project completed, second project started. I mentioned that I had my knitting with me while we were away. Managed to get the scarf almost finished! Still a little ways to go.
Clean out our freezer. Our freezer is actually beginning to look quite empty. We have used up all the soup I had frozen. Still need to eat the last of the cinnamon rolls! Notice the pizza sauce standing upright in baggies? I think we have some homemade pizza in our future!
Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see so often once we make a move to the west coast. We came up with a list of three people that we would like to visit while we’re still living on the east coast. Now to take a hard look at the calendar and plan these trips. Contacted our friends in North Carolina this week. I foresee a road trip in our future!

So we’re now into April and I’m continuing to think about my goals every week. I think having them on paper and reviewing them each week is really helpful! This might be the first year I actually complete the majority if not all of my goals!

SaveSave

Save

SaveSave

Exploring Colorado

Glenwood Spring, Colorado

Last week we were in Glenwood Springs, CO for a business trip. While we didn’t get to explore all of Colorado we did get to explore the small town of Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, and we spent an afternoon walking around Aspen. The majority of our focus during the week was helping a friend get their website launched for their business but we also got to do a little bit of exploring Colorado.

Glenwood Springs is about three hours west of Denver. We arrived late at night so we didn’t really have a chance to view the scenery. The next morning when we woke up I realized just how remote we were! The elevation was almost 9000 feet, quite a bit higher than he 1000 feet we experience in Vermont.

Gazing out the window in the kitchen you look over at Sopris Mountain, it was a view I never tired of all week.

We also spent several days enjoying the Iron Mountain Hot Springs. There were numerous pools all at varying temperatures. You could move from one pool to the next depending on how hot you wanted the water. They also had a large pool where you could swim if you wanted. The water felt so good.

Carbondale, Colorado

Carbondale was another town that we enjoyed exploring. It is a small town with numerous little shops. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at one coffee shop called Bonfire Coffee. They make a delicious cup of coffee and an awesome breakfast sandwich! Great breakfast spot.

I was amazed at all the artwork everywhere. Even the trashcans were brightly painted! Another thing that impressed me was that the coffee shop had cans for both compost and recycling. Carbondale is a fun town to walk around and such colorful architecture.

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen was about a 45-minute drive from Glenwood Springs. The ski season is pretty much over but you still saw folks with their skis. There were even skis leaning against the restaurant called The White House, where we went to for lunch! Aspen is definitely a ski town. Such fun poking in the various antique shops and art galleries.

While we didn’t spend a lot of time exploring Colorado it was the best business trip I’d ever been on! In fact I can’t wait to go back and spend more time exploring Colorado!

Poverty Casserole or Fancy Baked Hamburg and Macaroni Casserole

At first glance this may seem like just another macaroni and hamburger casserole. Not so! This Poverty Casserole recipe is good enough for company. The ingredients may start out like a normal casserole, but with the addition of sun dried tomatoes and a little cream this casserole becomes something special! This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Cold Weather Cooking. The story is that Sarah Leah Chase developed this recipe as an attempt to make a quick and humble supper of hamburg and macaroni. Like I’ve said before I’ve never made a recipe from this book that wasn’t absolutely delicious! This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Poverty Casserole or Fancy Baked Hamburg and Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
8 whole sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and minced
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
2 Tbsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Dried marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box (16oz) ziti
2 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 Tbsp. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Before getting started preheat your oven to 350. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for five minutes. Stir in the ground beef and cook until it looses it’s pink color. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Let the mixture simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the ziti in a large pot of salted water until al dente, and drain.

Whisk the eggs and cream together in the bottom of a 3 quart Dutch oven or other ovenproof casserole. Quickly toss the drained ziti with the eggs and cream. Add the meat mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Fold in 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella. Top the pasta mixture with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and the Parmesan.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole in bubbling. Serve at once with a salad and some bread. Once you try this Poverty Casserole you may never go bake to the basic recipe for hamburger and noodles again. The addition of the sun dried tomatoes gives this dish a wonderful flavor. Enjoy!

/* Kulinarian Recipe Embed (do not include newlines/breaks) */!function(e,n,t,a,i,c){function o(){getEmbed(typeof config == “undefined”?{}:config,a)}i=n.createElement(t),c=n.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],i.id=”kaembed”,i.async=1,i.src=a,c.parentNode.insertBefore(i,c),i.addEventListener?i.addEventListener(“load”,function(){o()},!1):i.attachEvent&&i.attachEvent(“onload”,function(){o()})}(window,document,”script”,”https://www.kulinarian.com/js/embed.js”);

DIY Seed Starting Mix

Do you have a vegetable garden each year? It’s a great way to enjoy fresh produce and save money. Another way you can save yourself some money is to make your own DIY seed starting mix. The materials you need are easily purchased at your local garden center. These mixtures for making your own seed starting mix must be sterile.

Your soil mixture must be firm and dense enough to hold cuttings or seedlings in place during rooting or germination. You also want the soil to be of a consistency that will not alter drastically either wet or dry, since this could cause root damage. The soil must be porous enough to drain properly yet retain enough moisture so that you are not constantly watering.

You can purchase large bags of pre-mixed soil especially designed for seed germination. You can also easily make your own DIY Seed Starting Mix. The mixture I use each year works well for me, as you experiment with various components you will discover what works best for you.

DIY Seed Starting Mix

Ingredients:

1 part sterilized garden loam or topsoil
1 part coarse sand or perlite
1 part peat moss

Directions:

Combine equal parts of garden loam, perlite or coasts sand and peat moss in a large container. Keep covered until ready to use.

Pearlite is used to increase aeration in a mixture. It is derived from a type of volcanic rock and is processed into light, porous, sterile particles that hold many times their own weight in water.

Sand is used to add body and drainage to a soil medium, and is also excellent when used alone for root cuttings.

Peat moss is used in heavy mixtures to lighten and increaser porosity; it is derived from partly decomposed aquatic plants.

Now that you have mixed up your own seed starting mix you are ready to begin planting those seeds, which must be started early. Some plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions and leeks need time to grown and establish themselves before they can be planted directly into the garden. I always enjoying mixing up my potting soil and starting seeds inside. It’s a sure sign that spring is coming!

Goal Setting Week 9

My first goal was to update my goal list each week. I have to say having a post on goal setting has helped me to stay focused on what goals I want to accomplish this year.

~~Find a new hosting site for my blog and make the site secure.~~ Done!! So excited after all this time I finally have a secure website! Now to work on monetizing the site.
Monetize my blog. Still on my to do list. Time to put this goal on the forefront! Be nice to have some money coming in for a change. No progress yet on this goal.
Create a cookbook! One step at a time, get the blog running smoothly, increase readership and then I’ll be working on the cookbook!
Be diligent about getting 10 K steps in 5 out of 7 days each week. This week has been a little different as we have been in Colorado on a business trip. No exercise program this week but we have been attending workout classes. Home soon and back to our everyday routine and hoping the snow melts soon we can get back to walking! We did have fun walking around Carbondale, Colorado!
As we continue to prepare for an eventual house sale continue to de-clutter. Get rid of at least 250 items from the house this year! 209items to go! No decluttering taking place this week!
Read ~~more~~ 25 books this year! Manages to get a book read this week! Read Before The Fall which is a great thriller. The book starts with a plane crash and the rest of the book is trying to figure out what happened. Maybe not the best book to be reading while you are flying, I couldn’t put it down. 20 books to go!
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! A week away from meal routine is nice. Trying to make good choices!
Finish 4 3 knitting projects. First project completed, second project started. Or maybe I should say third project as I do have the mini sweater ornaments in the works. Decided to bring my knitting with me and got a lot of knitting on our drive to Boston. I then decided not to bring the knitting on the plane. Expect to be finished with it soon!
Clean out our freezer. As soon as we get home we’ll be finishing up the prepared meals I left for us to enjoy when we get home!
Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see so often once we make a move to the west coast. We came up with a list of three people that we would like to visit while we’re still living on the east coast. Now to take a hard look at the calendar and plan these trips. Probably won’t happen until April at the earliest. This week we have been on a business trip to Colorado. Been working a little business with visiting some dear friends. Have to say it sure is a beautiful state! I’ve been enjoying the scenery while I work!

So we’re now into March and I’m continuing to think about my goals every week. I think having them on paper and reviewing them each week is really helpful! This might be the first year I actually complete the majority if not all of my goals!

SaveSave

Save

SaveSave

Are Baby Carrots Really Soaked in Chlorine?

Are Baby Carrots Really Soaked in Chlorine?

Recently I read an article that those baby carrots you buy in the store are soaked in chlorine. I wondered if it was true, are baby carrots really soaked in chlorine? Should we be eating them?

The first source I checked was Snopes.com and this is what they had to say, “Baby carrots are just small carrots or carrot chunks, not ‘deformed full-sized carrots that have been soaked in chlorine.”

I decided to investigate further. According to the food network, a carrot farmer, Mike Yurosek in the early 1980s, invented baby carrots. Yurosek found that many of his carrots were not saleable because they were “ugly” — they weren’t the size or shape that could be sold at the grocery store. Instead of tossing these “ugly” carrots, he used an industrial bean cutter to shape them into what are now called “baby carrots.”

Ok I understand how the baby carrots are made but what about the rumor going around that they are soaked in chlorine? Are baby carrots really soaked in chlorine?

According to one source, after being harvested, carrots receive a gentle wash in a small amount of chlorine (the amount is less than is present in everyday tap drinking water), a common practice used with fresh-cut produce. Before being dried and bagged, however, the carrots are thoroughly rinsed to remove any excess chlorine.

When purchasing baby carrots, check the “use by” date on the package. The wetness in the bag is normal. It’s actually filtered tap water that helps keep the vegetable hydrated. For the best quality, store unopened bags of baby carrots in the refrigerator and eat them within 30 days after the packaging date.

Bob Borda, a spokesman for Grimmway Farms, the world’s largest carrot grower (they handle 10 million pounds every day), says that over the years the company has developed a hybrid that combines the best qualities from over 250 known commercial varieties.

In order to create thinner vegetables, baby carrots are planted closer together than traditional carrots. In as little as 120 days from planting, the carrots are dug up and trucked to the processing house to be cut and peeled. But before packaging, all carrots receive a brisk scrub accompanied by a chlorine bath.

Borda says Grimmway Farms, whose labels include Cal-Organic, uses a chlorine solution on all its carrots – organic and non-organic — to prevent food poisoning, before a final wash in water. Grimmway says the chlorine rinse is well within limits set by the EPA and is comparable to levels found in tap water.

So I guess it’s true, baby carrots, as well as some other fresh produce, are washed in a chlorine bath but they are also rinsed before ending up in the store. Bottom line if you are concerned about chlorine rinses just buy whole, unprocessed carrots and wash, peel and cut them up at home the old fashioned way!

Myself, as fun as those little baby carrots are to eat I think the best carrots are the ones we grow ourselves! I know exactly what’s in my soil and what’s in the carrots!

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

Scallops with Fresh Ginger

We use ginger in many different recipes, Chinese recipes like Beef with Oyster Sauce use ginger. The addition of fresh ginger to this Scallops and Fresh Ginger recipe adds a slight oriental flavor to the dish. My husband’s grandmother was a fantastic cook and living on an island had a local source of fresh scallops. Her favorite recipe for scallops was with Ritz crackers and lots of butter. It was delicious but so much butter! I once decided to serve her this Scallops with Fresh Ginger when she came to visit us. She had given us a gift of fresh scallops. At first she was a little hesitant, no Ritz crackers? Her only comment was , “this is different” and then she proceeded to enjoy every bite!

Scallops and fresh ginger is a quick recipe. Preparing the rice will take the longest and if you chop the vegetables ahead of time the whole dinner can be on the table in well under an hour!

Scallops with Fresh Ginger

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, peeled and trimmed (3/4 cup)
1 small zucchini, end trimmed (1 cup)
1 small leek, trimmed (3/4 cup)
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped ginger
½ cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
½ pounds bay scallops

Directions:

Cut the carrots into 1-½ inch lengths, and then continue slicing into matchstick like sticks. Cut the zucchini and the leek into matchstick like sticks as well.

Melt 2 Tbsp. Of butter in a skillet and add the shallots, cook briefly and add the carrots. Cook for about 30 seconds and add the ginger. Cook briefly and add the wine. Let the wine reduce almost completely and then ad the cream. Cook over high heat until reduced by half. Add the scallops, zucchini and leeks. Continue cooking until the scallops are done. Swirl in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter and serve over rice. Makes four servings.

The cream adds a delicious creaminess to the recipe and the fresh ginger ties it all together. If you are a scallop lover you will enjoy this Scallops with Fresh Ginger.

Goal Setting Week 8

My first goal was to update my goal list each week. I have to say having a post on goal setting has helped me to stay focused on what goals I want to accomplish this year.

~~Find a new hosting site for my blog and make the site secure.~~ Done!! So excited after all this time I finally have a secure website! Now to work on monetizing the site.
Monetize my blog. Still on my to do list. Time to put this goal on the forefront! Be nice to have some money coming in for a change. No progress yet on this goal.
Create a cookbook! One step at a time, get the blog running smoothly, increase readership and then I’ll be working on the cookbook!
Be diligent about getting 10 K steps in 5 out of 7 days each week. My husband and I continue to work out 5 days out of 7 using our online program! We managed to get a wonderful snow shoe in this week which helped in getting some steps in. We found the bear tracks from the bear that visited our bird feeder. Wondering just how big the bear is!
As we continue to prepare for an eventual house sale continue to de-clutter. Get rid of at least 250 items from the house this year! 209 items to go! We were getting ready to head out of town on a business trip so not much de-cluttering before we left! However I did get into my sewing supplies and realized that will be the next area that will be de-cluttered!
Read ~~more~~ 25 books this year! Last week I mentioned connecting with family on Good Reads, what a wonderful app. I can keep track of all the books I have read, the books I want to read and the books I am reading. I listed on the app that I want to read 25 books this year, 21 to go! Managed to finish two books this week. One called The Blueberry Years which has taken me forever to actually finish. I enjoyed the story but it was the kind of book you could put down for a while. Also read Charles Martin’s book Thunder and Rain which I loved and couldn’t put down! I love all of Charles Martin’s books! I have two books for our travels, Before The Fall and Beneath a Scarlet Sky. Already started Before The Fall, a sort of thriller about a plane crash! The book starts off with the plane crash and then goes back to before the crash. So far it’s a good read!
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! Nice to be back on track with meal planning. This week we were eating everything up to get ready to go away!
Finish 4 3 knitting projects. First project completed, second project started. Or maybe I should say third project as I do have the mini sweater ornaments in the works. Working on the Infinity Scarf and hope to finish it while we’re away.
Clean out our freezer. I have to say our freezer is getting emptied slowly but surely. I have some frozen soup so we’ll have a meal when we get home.
Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see so often once we make a move to the west coast. We came up with a list of three people that we would like to visit while we’re still living on the east coast. Now to take a hard look at the calendar and plan these trips. Probably won’t happen until April at the earliest. This week we are packing out bags for a business trip to Colorado!

SaveSave

Save

SaveSave

Making Elderberry Syrup

Most people would have made their own Elderberry Syrup earlier in the season. In fact I’ve been meaning to make this Elderberry Syrup ever since a friend of mine gave me the recipe! It still seems like folks are battling various colds and flus and I figured it’s never too late.

If you don’t have a local source for black elderberries you can actually buy them online. I found the best deal on Amazon but if you know of a better deal please let me know! Everything else I had on hand. You can actually buy Organic Elderberry Syrup kits online but I wanted to do it myself. Try to use local raw honey in the recipe.

Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients:

2/3 cup organic dry black elderberries (3 ounces)
3 ½ cups water
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 whole cloves
1 cup raw local honey

Instructions:

Pour the water into a medium saucepan and add your elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 45-60 minutes. The liquid will be reduced to almost half. Remove from heat and let cool. Mash the berries using a spoon. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar.

Discard the elderberry mash into your compost. To the elderberry syrup in the jar add one cup of honey and stir well.

That’s all there is to it! Store in the refrigerator and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Standard dose is ½ tsp. – 1 tsp. For children and ½-1 Tbsp. for adults. If you do get the flu you can take the normal dose every 2-3 hours. I am not a doctor so if you are really sick don’t hesitate to see professional advice from your primary care physician! Hopefully you are enjoying a healthy winter!

SaveSave

Zuppa Mariata or Italian Wedding Soup

You may have had a delicious chicken soup before but this Zuppa Mariata is the most delicious and comforting soup I’ve ever had! The recipe makes 4-6 servings. The first step in making this recipe is to make the Chicken Balls. They need to have some time to chill before they can be cooked.

Zuppa Mariata

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
½ cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. Lemon juice
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Oregano
¼ tsp. Pepper
8 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
3 ounces egg pastina (3/4 cup)
40 chicken balls (recipe below)
2 egg yolks
1 cup light cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper and oregano to taste.

Directions:

Before starting the soup make your chicken balls (recipe below). Then proceed with the soup recipe.

Sauté mushrooms and onions in oil in a skillet until tender. Sprinkle lemon juice, alt, oregano and pepper while cooking.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock to boiling. And the mushroom mixture and pastina. Boil 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken balls and continue cooking until the chicken balls are done. Turn off the heat and combine yolks, cream and cheese. Blend well and whisk into the hot soup. Season with salt, pepper and additional oregano, to taste. Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley if you like.

Chicken Balls

(makes about 40)

Ingredients:

1 cup ground, chicken (can use ground turkey as well)
2 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
2 egg whites
½ cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and blend very well. Chill until firm enough to handle. Shape into small balls. Chill until ready to cook.

Cook the balls, either in the soup or in boiling salted water, until they float to the top, about 10 minutes. The cooked balls also freeze very well.

Seriously, this Zuppa Mariata is so delicious I think I could have eaten it all in one serving! Luckily I refrained and we had the leftovers for lunch the next day.