Quick and Easy Recipe: Caprese Stacks

Have you had a Caprese Salad lately? With Memorial Day and the season of picnics, BBQs and patio dining upon us, I always start to think about what kinds of warm-weather meals I can make.

I hate to run the oven or the stove top during the summer, and rely a lot on our grill or no-cook foods for dinner. Last year we had several Caprese Salads, I would slice up the mozzarella and tomatoes, lay them on a platter, sprinkle with basil and drizzle some olive oil over the top. Easy and delicious.

One Little Word - 2014

And just like that. . .the perfect word just jumps out and grabs a hold of you. . .that's how you know you've chosen wisely (or did it choose you?)

If you've been around the blog for a while, you may know that rather than make new year's resolutions, I choose a word. The inspiring Ali Edwards set me on this course, and I have chosen to follow it for 6 years (since 2008). Some years, the word flows through my life regularly. Sometimes - it hits in flashes of clarity.

Either way, for me this is the best way to set my course for the upcoming year, and for 2014, my One Little Word is Journey.

Journey - an act of traveling from one place to another

Where will 2014 take me? I am excited to see where my journey will lead this year. My journey of work in blogging and social media, my journey as half of a married couple, my journey as a mother to two wonderful boys, my journey as a woman . . . we set upon the path of many journeys in our lives, and this year, I plan to pay attention to mine - to chart a course if you will.

I hope you'll join me in my journey this year - I plan to check in here with you once a month.

Are you selecting a word to guide you this year? What's your One Little Word?

catch you soon -

Winter Driving Safety Tips

With two big winter storms in the last three days, staying safe on wintery roads has been on my mind.  While I think I'm doing "everything right",  I thought a little research to improve our skills couldn't hurt - right?

Here's what I learned:

Triple-A offers these winter driving tips:

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly to avoid skids. 
• Drive slowly, everything takes longer on snow-covered roads.
• Increase the normal following distance (3-4 seconds) to 8 or more seconds to provide a longer distance in case of a sudden stop.
• Know your brakes. Keep your heel on the floor and apply steady pressure with the ball of your foot.
• Don't stop if you can avoid it (obviously stop at all Stop signs)
• Don't power up hills or stop going up.

Best tip: Stay home.

If you have to venture out, be as prepared as possible with a winter weather emergency car kit. The Weather Channel suggests keeping these 10 things in your vehicle for winter emergencies.

• A blanket
• A snow shovel (there are many collapsible models)
• Flashlight
• Hand warmers
• Matches
• Bottled water and protein/snack bars
• Syphon pump (in case you run out of gas)
• Lightsticks
• Flares
• A whistle

You can store all these items in a plastic bin, car compartment or even a zippered tote bag in your trunk or cargo space. Preparing your car for winter travel is essential, and Lisa from A Daily Pinch offers even more tips and a Winter Safety Travel Checklist.

It never hurts to brush  up on your skills, check over your car (turn signals, lights, wipers and tire pressure) and be prepared.  Drive safe out there - even that awful man in the pick-up truck that yelled at me for driving too slowly on un-treated snowy roads the other day. My dad always told me, "it's the other people you have to watch out for."

What's your best winter weather driving tip? 

catch you soon -