Young Asparagus with Lemon Dipping Sauce

Asparagus is one of the earliest vegetables to come to us in the spring, so I knew I had to add this to our list of spring side dishes. Welcome to Our Dinner Table, hosted by Christie Campbell of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. This dish requires young asparagus, about the thickness of a pencil. You eat this with your fingers so those young stalks disappear in one or two bites.  Dipped into the lemon sauce, you can't stop yourself!  Perfect for a patio snack during these cooler spring days! One day I am going to start my own asparagus bed.  I have tried in the past, but I haven't really educated myself on what to do to be successful.  Any tips out there?  Pass them on.  Bucket List! Yield: 32 Author: Terri Steffes Print Recipe With Image Without Image Young Asparagus with Lemon Dipping Sauce Fresh and lemony dipping sauce for blanched asparagus prep time: 10 mins cook time: 30 mins total time: 40 mins ingredients: 1/2 c mayo 1 T fresh lemon ju

Almost Home #ourgoodlifebooklist

I am so eager to share with you this book that I read over vacation last week called Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse. I read Missing Isaac last year, so I was excited to see that this author had written a second book.  Maybe it was the region I was in (Sedona) but this book had a mystical quality I haven't heard any other reviewer comment on.  I think that the second story in the book is what gave me that feeling, a little bit like you feel when you feel another "presence" in the room. I highly recommend this novel, so if you are the sort of person who thinks all book reviews should be scathing remarks about the author's craft, you might want to move along to the next blog.  This book made me smile from the beginning to the end.   This adorable story is set in the 1940s, on a loop of road in Alabama. For those of you who know me well, you know that Bob's family lived on a loop in the middle of nowhere, Missouri.  I instantly felt at home and under

Preparing for Selling Your Home

Image Credit When it comes to getting ready to sell your house, it seems like there are a million things to take care of and organize before you can even think about moving to your new place, but as long as you have a plan and are able to stick to that plan, then you can make the process a great deal easier on yourself than it would have been otherwise, so in this post we’re going to share with you some tips on how to prepare your house for selling.  My husband and I have sold four homes over the course of our marriage, and we have found that these tips really work! Fix up any loose ends: Before people sell their house, they’re typically trying to focus on all the bigger things that need to get done, and while that’s also a good idea, the things that people are actually going to notice when they come to view the place and when they move in are really the small details. So if you’ve been putting off certain repairs or things that need to be done in the house, such as fixing th

Quick Asparagus Pizza

Welcome to the March Fantastical Food Fight sponsored by Sarah Ellis.  We are so happy to have such a wonderful and organized host for our monthly party!  This month we are sharing with you all things asparagus.  Soon you will be seeing asparagus shoots coming up and it will be time to starting eating these early spring treats. I am sharing my Quick Asparagus Pizza that can be used as a lovely dinner or as an appetizer when shared. It is so easy and so delicious that my family can have it any time they wish.  We keep blanched asparagus in our refrigerator which speeds up the process as well. Storing blanched asparagus is easy.  Drain on paper towels, then using dry paper towels, wrap the asparagus and place in a zip-style storage bag.  Lasts about 3 days. Yield: 4 Author: Terri Steffes Print Recipe With Image Without Image Quick Asparagus Pizza Using premade pizza crusts and previously blanched asparagus, this pizza goes together FAST! prep time: 10 mins

Aura Photography and Chakra Readings #pinterestchallenge

Welcome to the March Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! This month, I chose to explore my chakra as inspired by the pin by Sedona Crystal Vortex . To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ April Pinterest Challenge Let's meet this month's Pinterest Challenge hosts! Erlene - My Pinterventures   •  Jenny - Cookies Coffee and Crafts Debbee - Debbee's Buzz  •  Lynne - My Family Thyme    •  Pili - My Sweet Things Bri - Halfpint Design   •  Julie - Sum of their Stories Erin - The DIY Nuts   •  T'onna - Sew Crafty Crochet Beverly - Across the Boulevard •  Kristie - Love My Little Cottage Roseann - This Autoimmune Life   •  Terri - Our Good Life Ali - Home Crafts by Ali   •  Cherryl - Farm Girl Reformed Leslie - Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After •  Kelli - K's Olympic Nest

Travel in Style with your Romantic Partner

Pexels There are times in which we might wish to economize and ensure that our travel has true value for money dripping from every decision. But sometimes, it can be quite worthwhile to go extra, especially if this is for a celebration or for the wonderous pairing of two people in a romantic getaway. A little extra bravado and enjoyment can go a long way in remembering the trip, because after all, we only live once, so best to take life by the reigns and enjoy something you can cherish for some time in the future. But traveling in style still means conforming to taste. It doesn’t simply mean throwing money at potential options without any care for the end result. If anything, traveling in style can help you become more of a connoisseur of your options, and that’s where some of the fun is to be experienced. So without further ado, please let our travel advice take you by the hand and gently wish you well as we offer three tidbits of advice in this romantic direction: Find Bea

Enjoy Cooking at Home!

It’s understandable that many people don’t enjoy cooking meals at home. It’s time-consuming, you have to clean up afterward, and the food you make doesn't seem as good as the food you get at a restaurant or takeout spot. But if you’re forever paying to have your food prepared for you, then you’re going to miss out on a couple of things. First, money -- it’s much more expensive to eat out than it is to cook your own food! Second, you’ll miss out on the joy of cooking. Once you’ve been bitten by the bug, you won’t look back. Below, we take a look at some tried and tested ways to fall in love with cooking at home. Source: Pexels.com Learn the Potential There are plenty of people who complain that they’re “terrible cooks,” but this patently isn’t true. They’re just not willing to learn. Cooking is one of those that you can get pretty good at with just a minimal amount of effort. In the early days you’re just following instructions -- how difficult can it be? You’ll also be hap

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood #ourgoodlifebooklist

When I saw this book come across my email I knew I needed to review it. As a child, I loved Mr. Rogers kind voice and gentle ways. I was much older than his normal audience, but my mom had a daycare and so I watched the programming with the little kids.  Mr. Rogers was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2003 by President George Bush. I was given this book for free in exchange for my honest review. It is no coincidence that this post is being published on March18.  March 20th is Wear a Sweater Day in honor of Mr. Rogers.  Let's participate!  If you wear a sweater, use the hashtags #wearasweaterday and #ourgoodlifebooklist and I'll enter you into a drawing for an Amazon gift card! The book contains the lyrics to 75 of Mr. Rogers poems and songs. The cover is colorful and joyful, showing Mr. Rogers with his famous puppets.  I remembered some of the songs, but most of the poems were ones I hadn't heard. I still enjoyed each and every one of them. As expected

Easy Tator Tot Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casseroles are our go-to dish for making breakfast quickly during the work week.  We also love to make these while we travel, so that we cook once and eat twice!  This is also great to make ahead as it heats up beautifully.  This could really save you some time on special breakfasts like Easter and Christmas morning! We recently vacationed in Sedona, Arizona.  We made this casserole and enjoyed it for a couple of days.  We save so much money by making our breakfasts.  My husband is the king of breakfast cooking so a restaurant has to compete with his yummy foods.  We typically eat breakfast out once or twice just to give the cook a rest! Yield: 8 Author: Terri Steffes Print Recipe With Image Without Image Easy Tator Tot Breakfast Casserole Delicious breakfast casserole using ingredients you typically have in your kitchen. ingredients: 12 eggs 8 oz shredded cheese 3 small peppers, one each of red, yellow, and green 1 lb sausage 1/2 lb hamburge

Should You Rush Your Move?

We all know that speed is often critical when you need to remove a cast. Pulling it off quickly doesn’t mean that the process will be painless, but it will over in no time. The idea that you need to get over a painful event as rapidly as possible to manage the ache itself is not new. In everything you do, you apply the same knowledge, following the belief that if you do it fast, then it won’t hurt for long. Whether you need to get an injection or you’ve decided to free yourself from the shackles of toxic relationships, you’ve probably got a little voice at the back of your mind that remains you that it’s like removing a cast. You need to get it done quickly to recover. The truth is that, if you were to ask a doctor or a nurse, the cast analogy is far from reality. Experienced nurses prefer to dissolve the adhesive by dabbing rubbing alcohol on the bandage for painless removal. They are the first to agree that it can be a time-demanding process but that, in the end, it’s what’s

Why Moving Abroad Could Be The Best Thing For Your Family And Finances

Image Credit: Pexels When looking for the best options for your family’s finances and future, the opportunity to move abroad may be one that you could consider. While moving overseas is a big step for anyone, it is even more so when you have more than just yourself to consider, and you have a family to think about too. However, there are millions of families who have done just that, moved to another country and have loved it so much they had made it their permanent home or others who went for experience, got what they set out to achieve and then moved back home when they were ready. You could be considering a move for work purposes or just seeking a new adventure for your family, but either way when moving with a family then finances will likely be top of the list of considerations, followed by finding schools and childcare services and healthcare facilities . Here are a few ideas of the best places you could move to with your family if this is something you’re considering doin