Nancy on the Home Front

Blogging Lessons Learned

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that one of my goals for 2018 was to transfer my blog to a new host and make sure the site was secure. This will allow me to eventually offer my cookbook for sale on my website. In finding a new host and transferring the site from one host to another there were some valuable blogging lessons learned.

Overall the transfer was seamless. I am very pleased with my new host and their team, Pancake Creative. They walked me through the process each step of the way and tried to oversee any potential problems that might arise along the way. Now that the site is completely transferred I couldn’t be happier.

However I did learn some lessons. While it’s impossible to foresee any problems that might arise ahead of time there are certain steps you should take before transferring your site, just in case the previous host makes a few wrong moves before you are ready for the transfer.

The most important lesson is to realize that your site may be down for a few days while the transfer takes place and to understand that not everything will transfer in one day.

The second blogging lesson learned is to make sure that all your email is backed! In the transfer process my old host took down the site before they were supposed to and as a result I lost every single email. They were just gone! Luckily the emails in my inbox had been backed up a few days previously, but all those emails I had put into folders were gone, all my contacts, saved emails, potential proposals, as well as the current emails were all gone. That’s one way to clean out your email! I don’t know about you but I get a lot of emails everyday and they were all gone. Make sure everything is backed up to an external hard drive. Most important lesson learned!

If I were to go through this process again I think I would take a blogging break. Instead of continuing to work and post drafts I would just take a break. Once I received word that the new site was up and running I would resume posting.

As I said overall the process went very smoothly and my new host is wonderful. They answer my questions immediately and have addressed any problems I’ve had. Valuable blogging lessons learned, I’m now ready to move on. Time to monetize my site and get working on my new cookbook!

Are you a blogger? What blogging lessons have you learned?

Goal Setting Week 7

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!

~~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! I’ve done one cookbook in the past but it was for a family Christmas gift. I’ve also had numerous recipes published in the Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks but this will be my first very own 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! Our weather has been crazy, nice weather followed by a snow storm. I think we have gotten more snow since March 1st than we got all winter! We did get a nice snow shoe in this weekend! We snow shoed for over two hours in deep snow and finally got 10k steps!! Maybe I should start with getting 10K steps for one day out of seven! It was a beautiful snow shoe and so much snow!
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! Went through the hall closet this week and pulled our a few jackets and coats. Then my husband went through his clothes and pulled out some shirts that he hasn’t worn in ages! Thirteen more items out and 209 items to go!
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, 23 to go! Finished The Book Thief this week, different writing style but a very good read!
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! Nice to be back on track with meal planning. Trying to keep the balance of having a few things in the freezer and not letting anything go to waste.
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. The infinity scarf I started last week I stopped and started another one with thicker yarn. Making progress and will hopefully finish it soon!
Clean out our freezer. Used up the soup I froze last week and made a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie for a dinner we had with friends. Nice to use up some of last year’s rhubarb, before I know it I’ll be harvesting again!
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 our bags for a business trip to Colorado!

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!

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Happy Birthday Son!

Our youngest son, Andrew, was born during the famous No Name Storm twenty-five years ago. At the time we were living in Florida and as a result of the storm we almost didn’t make it to the hospital. It was an exciting ride to the hospital to say the least! Transformers were blowing up and streets were flooded. I was sure I was going to end up giving birth in the car. Thankfully we made it to the hospital and despite the crazy storm going on outside our son arrived in the world without any problem. It was an exciting first happy birthday!

Since then almost every year around his birthday we have a storm. Especially after we moved to Vermont several years after he was born. Around every March 13^th we would have a major blizzard. It made planning birthday parties so hard! Inevitably we would be driving off to a pool party or the bowling alley in a snowstorm. Luckily we live in Vermont and most folks are used to driving in snow. We were always wishing Andrew a happy birthday during a snow storm!

This year has been no different. Since March first we have had two major Nor’easters and it looks like a third one is on the way! Must be Andrew’s birthday storm! Happy birthday son!

We’ve often thought Andrew’s name should have been Stormy, in fact my father in law insisted on calling him Stormy for the first couple of years!

It’s no wonder that Andrew has since left New England and now lives on the west coast. No more enjoying major blizzards on his birthday. However we still live in Vermont and we’re still enjoying the storms on Andrew’s birthday each year! We may not be enjoying cake or birthday parties on Andrew’s birthday but we still have the snow!

Happy birthday son! We’ll enjoy the snow for you!

Smokey Corn and Shrimp Chowder

During the winter months we eat a lot of soup and chowder. Nothing tastes better on a cold day than sitting down to some warm comfort food. I have shared recipes for Corn and Shrimp Chowder before. I love shrimp and using it in chowder is top of my list. This recipe is a little bit healthier for you and the addition of paprika gives the chowder a slight smoky taste. Next time your looking for chowder to make try this Smokey Corn and Shrimp Chowder.

Smokey Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Flour
¾ tsp. Smoked paprika
2 cups fat free half and half
1 ½ cups corn (fresh or frozen)
¼ tsp. Salt
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about five minutes. Add flour and paprika and cook for another minute. Add the half and half and stir until smooth. Add the corn and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until shrimp turn opaque in the center, 3-5 minutes.

Serve at once.

This chowder is delicious for lunch or add a salad and it makes a complete dinner. This recipe makes exactly four servings; we enjoyed this chowder for dinner one night and then for lunch a few days later.

Are you a shrimp lover? Have you ever made shrimp chowder before? I would love it if you would share a link to your favorite recipe. There are so many ways to enjoy shrimp but I have to say one of my favorites is this delicious Smokey Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Ultimate Cinnamon Buns at King Arthur

At Christmas time our children got together and gave us a gift certificate to take a baking class at the King Arthur Baking School. After looking through the schedule we decided to sign up for the class called Sticky Fingers; Breakfast Buns. After reading the description we couldn’t resist. These are the old-fashioned ultimate cinnamon buns you crave. You’ll make two sweet temptations–the classic iced cinnamon buns, and sticky buns with a finger-licking gooey caramel topping! Who doesn’t want to learn how to make the Ultimate Cinnamon Buns!

We’ve both taken classes at King Arthur before and you not only come home with delicious baked goods but you always learn so many useful tips. If you’ve never checked out their website before it’s worth a look. Not only does their store carry everything you could possible need for baking from flour to the perfect cookie sheet but the site has wonderful recipes as well.

We were not disappointed with the class. We made two types of ultimate cinnamon buns, the classic cinnamon bun with icing on the top and a classic quick maple sticky bun. One was made with traditional dough, which you had to let rise and the quick maple sticky bun was made with a quick bread.

Both were delicious and our freezer (which I’m trying to clean out) is now filled with delicious cinnamon buns. Luckily both freeze well.

I will share the recipe for the ultimate cinnamon roll. Both recipes are can be found on the King Arthur Flour website.

Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls

Yields one 8×8 inch pan 9 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tsp. instant yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, soften
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk, more if needed
1 egg

Prepare a non-stick 8×8 inch pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir in the milk and egg to form a dough. If the dough feels dry and stiff, add a little more milk to create a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour only as needed to prevent sticking to your work surface. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover. Allow to rise until puffy, 30 minutes to an hour.

While the dough is rising prepare your filling.

Filling Ingredients:

Water to coat
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Cinnamon

Once the dough has risen roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Bush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the dough, leaving a small border free of filling.

Roll the dough from the rectangle’s longer sides and pinch the seams together well. Using floss or a serrated knife, cut off slices about 1 inch wide. Place the slices in the prepared pan. Let the rolls rise until they fill the pan generously, about 15-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350. Bake rolls for about 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.

Rolls can be glazed with a mixture of 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 6 tablespoons of heavy cream if desired or enjoyed warm from the oven.

If you want to learn how to make the quick maple sticky bun try King Arthur Flour’s recipe which can be found HERE Both recipes are prefect for a weekend treat.

Goal Setting Week 6

My first goal was to update my goal list each week. I have to say having an ongoing 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. I may not be getting my steps in but my husband and I continue to work out 5 days out of 7 using our online program! Our weather has been crazy, nice weather followed by a snow storm. Snow storms in March can be the worst as the roads are no longer frozen and when they plow it’s a muddy mess. Thankful I can get a workout in inside! I keep reminding myself that spring is coming!
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! Continuing to go through our closets, managed to pull another 6 items plus the book I finished reading means 7 more items out of the house! 222 items to go!
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, 24 to go! Good to be a little more specific in my goal. Finally finished the book Under the Wide and Starry Sky. I actually ended up liking it! I also started a book recommended by my daughter The Book Thief, really enjoying it.
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! Nice to be back on track with meal planning. Managed to make two batches of soup this week which means soup to enjoy now and another meal in the freezer. Also made some delicious Quinoa Spinach Muffins, perfect for a quick breakfast. I made enough for two breakfasts! It’s a fine line to make some meals ahead but at the same time I don’t want to fill the freezer!
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. However I have been meaning to knit an infinity scarf for ages. Love the colors of this scarf, it is supposed to be a present but blue is my favorite color and I may end up wearing it myself!
Clean out our freezer. Used up lots of fruit this week. Frozen blueberries work well in a smoothie but make it so thick!! We have friends coming for dinner next weekend and I’ll use up the last of my frozen strawberries and some frozen rhubarb and make a strawberry rhubarb pie. Little by little I’m getting there.
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. We will be flying to Denver on a business trip and at the same time we’ll get to visit some dear friends who moved there last year. Can’t wait!

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My Favorite Kitchen Tools

My Favorite Kitchen Tools

As we pack up and prepare for an eventual move there are certain items that will not be packed until the very last moment. These are my very favorite kitchen tools. They are the items that I can’t do without and make life in the kitchen so much easier. These are my top favorite kitchen tools!

Silicon Muffin Liners

I have both large and mini silicon muffin liners. I love them as they can be washed and reused. The muffins also come out so easily, no sticking. Plus I just love the bright colors!

Cuisinart Mini-Prep

I love my mini prep. It is powerful for such a small size, has 2 speeds for chopping or grinding and works perfectly for those small jobs when you don’t want to get the larger Cuisinart out.

Electric Tea Kettle

My husband loves a cup of tea mid morning. Often he would come out and turn the kettle on and go back into his office. Too many times the teakettle on the stove would come to a boil and boil away without my husband hearing it. The electric teakettle was the perfect solution. It heats the water quickly and then goes off. No danger of a hot tea kettle on the stove boiling away until the water’s gone!

Grater

This box grater was given to me when we were first married and it’s still going strong. Four sides with four different options; you can slice and then three sides just for grating depending on whether you are trying to zest something, coarsely grate or finely grate. This is one of those standard pieces of kitchen equipment!

Zester

Yes I realize I could use the box grater to zest lemons and limes but this stainless steel grater is perfect for zesting citrus. It’s easy to zest the lemon or lime, measure it out and then clean up quickly.

Measured Scoops

I have three of these measured scoops, one for muffins, one for cookies and one for mini muffins. They look like the old fashioned ice cream scoop. They are so handy for cooking when you want a uniform size.

Measured Ladles

These two ladles originally came from Weight Watchers. They measure out ½ cup or 1 cup. When you are trying to gauge your portions these are just perfect.

Nut Grinder

This little hand cranked nut grinder makes an easy job of chopping nuts. There are two sizes fine and coarse personally I don’t see a difference in the two sizes of chopped nuts. There are even measuring lines so you can measure the nuts as you chop them.

Egg Poacher

This egg poacher came from my mother. You don’t actually poach the eggs in the water; rather you poach them in little metal cups over water. The eggs come out perfect each time. I’m not sure you can even purchase one of these anymore but I have seen them on eBay!

Kitchen Aid

Years ago when my husband gave me this Kitchen Aid for Christmas I was so thrilled. It is a real workhorse and I use it for everything from making bread to mixing up cookie dough! I don’t do as much baking now as I used to but this will definitely be kept on hand until we pack up and move.

Wine Saver

Occasionally I enjoy a glass of wine on the weekend. The problem is what to do with the wine we don’t drink? Friends told us about this Vacu Vin Wine Saver with 2 vacuum stoppers. You just insert the wine stopper into the bottle and pump until you hear the “click” which signals an airtight seal. The wine stays fresh until the next time you want to enjoy a glass.

These are my top kitchen tools. They make life so much easier in the kitchen. What are your kitchen tools that you can’t live without?

Vegetable and Scallop Curry

Sometimes you just want to enjoy a delicious curry for dinner. Where we live take-out is not an option so I have to make it myself. This Vegetable and Scallop Curry comes together with about twenty minutes of preparation and thirty minutes of cooking. Not bad if you’re pressed for time. You could even chop the vegetables ahead of time and make the prep even quicker. The recipe serves four and the leftovers are delicious for lunch the next day.

Vegetable and Scallop Curry

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (about1 pound of sweet potatoes)
½ head of cauliflower, cut into small florets (3 cups)
2 tsp. oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 6oz bag of baby spinach
1 tsp. curry powder
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup light coconut milk
1 pound bay scallops
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Directions:

Bring the potatoes and enough cold water to cover to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the cauliflower, return to simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 3-4 minutes longer. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.

Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add scallions and peppers; cook, stirring constantly, until scallions are wilted, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about one minute. Stir in curry powder and salt.

Add coconut milk and reserved cooking water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Stir in scallops, tomato, and potato mixture. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until scallops are just opaque throughout, about 2-3 minutes. If you like you can garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

This Vegetable and Scallop Curry is delicious, not extremely spicy but just a nice warmth.

Homemade Dryer Sheets

Growing up my mother never used dryer sheets. When our children were younger I used dryer sheets, as I loved that the clothes smelled “clean” and there was no static. As time went on and our lifestyle changed I began to experiment with making my own laundry detergent. I never thought of making my own homemade dryer sheets!

To deal with the static I made my own dryer balls. As you might remember I got carried away and made so many dryer balls! I’m still using them! Wool dryer balls remove static cling, and also shorten the time it takes to dry a load of laundry.

To replace commercial dryer sheets I decided to try making my own. Recently I received this wonderful recipe for homemade dryer sheets from a friend of mine. Jen is also the one who has introduced me to essential oils and I think I am hooked!

Directions for Homemade Dryer Sheets

Finding some old cotton t-shirts to cut up and use as cotton fabric squares was no problem. In fact since setting our goals to de-clutter we’ve been getting rid of a lot of old shirts. The first step is to cut up squares of cotton fabric, 4 inch squares seems to work well.

Add ½ cup of white vinegar to a 16 oz. jar, . I used a large mouth-canning jar I had on hand. Add 12 drops of Grapefruit essential oil to the vinegar. Or use an essential oil of your choice. If you do a lot of laundry this recipe can be doubled.

Fold each fabric square and place inside the jar. The cotton fabric will absorb all of the vinegar. The vinegar smell will evaporate during drying but the essential oil scent will remain.

Next time you throw a load of laundry in the dryer add one of these dryer sheets. Let me know how you think it works.

Goal Setting Week 5

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!

~~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.
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. Despite a houseful of company this weekend my husband and I did get our workout in 5 days out of 7 using our online program! We also had a nice long four mile walk on Saturday morning, the roads were muddy and icy so we stuck to the paved road. Nice to be out and about!
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! Too busy this week getting ready for company to do much de-cluttering however I decided I am not moving the Aerobed my husband and I slept on this weekend so that is going to be listed on FreeCycle! 229 items to go!
Read more books this year! Very little time to read this week! However I did connect with the rest of the family on Good Reads so I will have no shortage of ideas of future books to read. It’s a great app to keep track of what you read as well as give recommendations for books you might like! So many books, so little time!
Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead! Running late this week but I am determined to get back on track with consistent meal planing and having meals prepared ahead of time!
Finish 4 3 knitting projects. First project completed, knitting bag sitting by the couch but as I said no free time this week!
Clean out our freezer. With all the company here we did a bit of emptying the freezer, consumed two lasagnas, lots of bread and a coffee cake! Still have a bit of frozen fruit to use up. Maybe frozen blueberries in our smoothie this week!
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.

So we’re now into February and I’m looking at my goals and working on them. Having this post has kept my goals in the forefront of my mind. I just have to remember the key is to keep looking forward!

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