News From The Nest, January 27
What’s up, Buttercup?
What’s the word Hummingbird?
What’s cooking, good-looking?
What’s the deal, big wheel?
What’s shakin’ bacon?
What’s the story, Morning Glory?
All this to say, “Hi! I hope all is good in your world!”
I sure hope you are coming off of an enjoyable weekend.
We are still digging out from our FIVE inches of snow last week! I know for you experienced winter weather pros, that’s nothing, but for us in southeastern North Carolina, it’s paralyzing! Needless to say, Elsa and Farrah had a BALL! And taking our walks through the snowy woods was a purely delightful change of pace. Since it just doesn’t snow here, we don’t have a snow shovel; the driveway outside our garage door just doesn’t get much sun and so is still a sheet of ice, almost one week later. It’s supposed to rain today, so guess that will take care of that!
Shockingly, it is still January! All the busyness of November and December makes January slog along rather slowly.
But, for two introverts, we’ve been exceptionally social lately! Yay us! We had a delicious dinner at long-time friends’ home Saturday, have friends stopping by to spend the night tonight, and then head out of town on Friday to visit more friends. Quite the social butterflies we are! 🦋
Last year, I heard someone define the difference between Introverts and Extroverts like this: Introverts charge their batteries by being alone, while Extroverts need people around to charge their batteries. By this definition, I fall smack into the Introvert category. What about you?
Table of Contents
New on the Blog
Apologies in advance for those of you trying to shed those holiday pounds. But…if you are looking for the best treat to prepare for your Valentine or Galentine or, heck, yourself, you are in luck. These Cherry Chocolate Brownies are the ultimate dessert for chocolate lovers looking to add a fruity twist. With their fudgy texture, bursts of cherry flavor, and rich chocolate chunks, they’re a dessert that feels indulgent but is surprisingly easy to make.
From the Knit Studio
- This Bridget Knit Dishcloth Pattern is a perfect pattern for new knitters as it uses only the knit stitch, as well as increasing and decreasing techniques. There’s a reason I call it the Bridget, but this pattern is also called ‘Nana’s Favorite Dishcloth Pattern.’
- The body of this simple baby blanket is comprised of basic knit and purl stitches. It is a reversible polka dot pattern and is perfect for new knitters. The crocheted bauble edge, while totally adorable, can be left off if you are uncomfortable with crochet.
From the Kitchen
- Made in mini-loaf pans, this homemade, gluten-free Fig and Nut bread recipe is perfect for snacking as is or for serving with your favorite cheeses. A relatively low carb bread recipe, it is especially outstanding with goat cheese & honey.
- This crockpot turkey chili recipe is the perfect ‘set and forget’ meal. Whether it’s a game day, a ski day, a busy day or just a cold night, this ground turkey chili will be a welcome meal come dinner time. A few minutes of prep time in the morning will yield a big batch of healthy and hearty turkey chili for dinner. Both crockpot and stovetop instructions are provided.
- Make this Spicy, Smoky Chili Seasoning Recipe in bulk, reducing the chance that you will ever run out of this vital seasoning mix!
- Rigatoni al Forno, literally ‘Rigatoni from the oven,’ is Italian comfort food at its best. Pasta baked in a flavorful tomato sauce with oodles of delicious mozzarella cheese. It is virtually impossible to mess up this simple recipe.
- Making Chocolate Truffles isn’t hard, but it is a bit messy. But, that’s half the fun, isn’t it? I came up with three different fillings for these truffles, which make the very best Valentine’s Day treats.
- These Valentine’s Day Napkins were made by block printing on fabric napkins. It was an easy and fun project, which would also be a perfect idea for a craft night gathering with a few of your favorite friends! I used heart shaped block stamps, but there is a wide variety of block stamps out there.
- These Conversation Heart Pillows are a fun and relatively easy DIY project for Valentine’s Day!
In the Home
- I’ll show you how easy it is to restore an old wood cutting board. We’ll walk through how to clean a wooden cutting board, how to sanitize a wood cutting board, how to sand a wooden cutting board and how to condition and refinish a wooden cutting board.
- We all know that cutting boards are useful and necessary kitchen items. But, they can also be unique works of art. Here are some ideas for displaying your cutting boards.
Whatcha Reading or Listening to?
- For the past several years, I’ve joined the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I didn’t meet my goal, again! But, in my defense, I read some BIG BOOKS! If you need some book titles to add to your reading queue this year, you can check out my quick and dirty reveiws here.
I mentioned that I’ve thoroughly benefited from every penny of my Audible subscription. Last year I listened to all of Charles Dickens’ books while I went about my daily chores and projects. I’ve decided that 2025 will be my year for Russian authors.
If you like to listen while you work (declutter 😉), here’s a list of podcasts I’ve enjoyed.
Things We Use and Like (Websites and Products)
- I have forever been concerned about the food that goes into my family’s bodies. We don’t eat processed food; I make and can my stocks, soups, and broths; eat organic as much as possible, etc… So, after our third Golden Retriever died way too early of cancer, it hit me that what we put into our pets’ bodies matters just as much! To that end, we wanted to feed Elsa as fresh as possible. But, it is costly to buy freshly made dog food, so I started making Elsa’s food. However, dogs, especially pups, have specific nutritional needs that must still be met. I was tickled to find Just Food For Dogs early on. I buy their nutrition packets, which come with recipes. I purchase as much as possible from Costco, set up my slow cookers, and quadruple the recipes. Recently, I made 80 pounds of dog food, which I then sealed in packets using my Food Saver and stashed in the freezer. So far, I’ve made three of their many recipes (Chicken and Rice, Turkey and Pasta, Cod and Sweet Potato), though we have a fourth recipe (Beef and Potato) on order. I like having different meal options for her. Because she’s still a puppy, and a large breed pup, it was recommended that we keep her on her large-breed pup kibble for an entire year, augmenting with the fresh and slowly transition her to all-fresh once she hits one-year. And, she actually turns one next week! Wow!
- For those of us still decluttering and organizing, Megan at The Homes I Have Made has a brilliant storage bin labeling solution that I wish I had implemented years ago.
- This website, Save the Food, is chock-full of ideas for reducing food waste, which is better for the environment and your wallet. Check it out!
Well friends, I need to get busy! I have so many posts to get published for you! I’ve been slacking.
Hugs,
Thank you for a wonderful newsletter. I enjoy many of the things you do and I always find a helpful hint to make my life easier! Off to walk the dogs in the snow (that we always have in the winter here in New England) 5 stars for sure!
Hi Nancy,
I love that I’ve found my digital community through this blog and I’m glad you find helpful hints through our newsletters. And I know our 5″ is nothing compared to many places…and it is already gone! But it sure was fun and lovely for the short time it was here. It will be 60 degrees today…one week after our 5″. 😉
Thanks for being a subscriber. I love this job of mine, but it wouldn’t be possible without readers like you!
Hugs, Lynn
Great recipes Lynn. Definitely going to try the fig and nut loaf and the rigatoni al forno thank you, but………that shot of Elsa in the snow is stunning!! That’s definitely a keeper! She’s really rather beautiful!!🤩
Aw, thanks Jill! I do love that fig and nut loaf, especially in small loaf pans. And then toasting it makes it hard to beat
And Elsa is a pretty girl, but boy, is she a nut! There’s no princess in that girl. The perfect example of ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover!’ She definitely keeps us on our toes more than any dog we’ve ever owned! Which is a good thing.
Thanks for all your kind comments! They are so appreciated.
Hugs,
Hi Lynn – Good on you, making Elsa’s food! Growing up we lived in places where one couldn’t buy dog food (or any other kind of pet food) and since my dad was a veterinarian we always had an assortment of pets. The birds and monkeys we could feed local fruits, vegetables and grains and the horses, goats and rabbits ate the available grasses and other vegetation. But for the dogs we had to cook up a mixture of rice, vegetables (usually yams if they could be grown wherever we were) and beef or chicken. There weren’t any recipes involved and it was definitely a chore but the dogs thrived and we never had to worry about what was in it or what the various components might have been sprayed with or anything. Simpler times!
Carla, I’m so jealous! It sounds like you grew up with Dr. Doolittle! Where did you live that you grew up with monkeys???
It’s definitely more time consuming, but I made my children’s food and it just became part of my routine. It’s the same with Elsa. It’s part of my routine now and I can’t imagine going back to straight kibble.