Pinterest SUCCESS!

So, what can I say, I'm a pinterest addict!!! However, for us, this has been a great thing. Not only do I find lots of scrumptious food, I also COOK it. We were getting a very boring repertoire of recipes, and eating the same thing every week. I have found some amazing recipes, that hubby loves as much as I do, and we are eating much better lately. And I am quite happy to say this is a post full of pinterest successes, instead of the usual fails everyone loves.

Below you will find a review of six recipes we have tried lately, as well as the links back to them. To get to the website of the original recipe, just click on the caption under the picture for the recipe you like. ENJOY!

Gluten Free Mexican Rice and Beef

One of the first ones we tried was Gluten Free Mexican Rice and Beef. It was pretty good. A few suggestions: make sure you have a 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice. Especially if you are at a high altitude like I am! Use a giant soup pot, not a pan. This gives you enough room to stir up the contents and not make a huge mess of your stove. I also added the tomato sauce right from the beginning, instead of waiting to see if it needed it. And just leave the meat in the pot the whole time, and let everything cook together.

Mongolian Beef

Next we had Mongolian Beef. I have tried quite a few Mongolian Beef recipes over the past few months, and this is by far, the best tasting one, and most like what we are used to from this fantastic Chinese restaurant we left behind in NC.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

CrockPot Shredded beef tacos were next. Not one of favorites. It was way too much chili sauce, but not enough flavor. The meat still tasted like beef, not yummy mexican flavors integrated in beef! Another favorite recipe of ours is crock pot salsa chicken, that is just fantastic. Its just a 24oz jar of salsa, a packet of taco seasonings, and juice of a lime (which I often leave out), and frozen chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. YUMMY!! I bet it would work just as well with the beef if hubby wanted it, and it comes out really flavorful with the chicken.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and sour chicken was another so-so recipe. It was a lot of work, and it wasn't that fantastic tasting. We usually use a sweet and sour sauce out of a jar, and its really good. And takes no effort. Think we will stick with that for now.

Lemon Chicken and Angel Hair Pasta

Our absolute favorite recipe we have tried was the Lemon Chicken with Angel hair pasta and spinach. I do suggest using a large pan for this. And do NOT get super zealous in zesting the lemons. I got every bit of zest off both of the lemons, and it was WAY too lemony. I also accidentally dumped a ton of red pepper flakes in, and couldn't get them all out. So it wound up super lemony and spicy!!! But that was just me and my stupid clumsiness. It was still fantastic, and we ate the leftovers the next day, and enjoyed it just as much!

Chocolate Cherry Bombs

And these chocolate cherry bombs were the best desert I have made in a LONG time. They are really labor intensive, and very very messy, but I think if you made them in a cake pop pan it would work, and be a lot easier. Only had one casualty, as you can see below.  I dipped the ball into the slightly cool chocolate, it was too thick, and when I pulled it out, the ball just crumbled. But dont worry, it tasted great.




Now, if that hasn't made you thoroughly hungry, I dont know what else to tell you!!!



(All pictures were taken from the blog/website of the original author. The cherry bombs is my personal photography)

2013 Goals

Well, 2013 is here, and like any good American, I have a whole list of resolutions to keep!! Most have to do with my jewelry business, and one is a personal weight loss goal. I am writing them out here, and plan to check back at the end of each quarter, so that I can make sure I am staying on track, and make any modifications that are necessary. So, here you go!

Goal #1
To double my revenue on etsy. Last year I made just shy of $1000. This year I want to make at least $2000.  With changes that etsy has made, they don't count items sold, so its too much work to calculate this. And just looking at gross sales is easy to track. I will not worry about taking out etsy/pay pal fees, or about taking out shipping. I will look only at gross income from sales.

Goal #2
To organize, and keep organized, my office space. This includes keeping track of all receipts and expenses, and logging them to make tax time a LOT easier. I bought a few "organization bundles" from HappyOrganizedLife on etsy, and have them all printed out and in a binder, so I am starting off the year very strong!

Goal #3
To spend at least 5 hours a week on designing and creating new products for both my etsy shop, and my friends gallery where I have a display. My new nifty organization goodies will make it easy to plan my week, as well as track what I actually did!

Goal #4
To have at least 150 items in my shop by the end of the second quarter, and 200 by the end of the third quarter. The more inventory, the more opportunity for people to fall in love and buy :)

Goal #5
One of my dearest friends, Libbi, of MtBaldyGlassworks, has opened her very own Artisan Loft and Gift Gallery. I have a nice little area in prime real estate in her shop. She opened on Oct 1st, and I had my jewelry in there since the middle of October. In both October and November, I made just over $100 per month, after all applicable taxes and fees were taken out. I did MUCH better in December, though I don't know the exact numbers yet. Since this is a brand new venture for everyone, I'm going to set my goals lowish, with the hopes of surpassing them. If necessary, I will reset the goals higher at the quarterly check in. So, my goal is $150 per month, for a total of $1800 for the year.

Goal #6
This one is my personal goal. I have gained a huge amount of weight over the last 6 or so years. Most of it was initially caused by medications, but I also did nothing to modify my diet. This weight has taken a tole on me, and its time for it to go. Last year I lost a total of 34 pounds. I still have about 93 pounds left to lose. My goal for 2013 is to lose at least 75 pounds. This progress will be easy to track, because I have a nice little widget at the top of my blog, which automatically updates my weight loss every time I log it.

See you in three months for a check up!!!!