What I Learned

I took ACC 255, which is Electronic Business Management, this semester at Illinois State University, so I am going to list 17 things that I have learned this semester.

1. The first thing I learned was how to start up a website, I used webs.com and was able to start a website in under ten minutes.
2. The next thing I learned to do was start up a blog, using blogspot.com I was able to design and start posting to my new blog in no time at all.
3. Another thing I learned how to do was set up a PayPal’s account, I have never had one before, so this was something new to me.
4. The next thing I learned was to set up a donation page on my website, because I had a PayPal’s account, this was very easy to do.
5. Another thing I learned how to do was to set up a contact widget and put it on my website, so people that view my website can contact me without using my personal email address. This way it still comes to my email, but I don’t have to worry about strangers having any of my personal information.
6. I learned how to set up an AdSense account and post adds on my website and blog
7. I learned what Café Press is and how to make and promote my own products on my website.
8. I learned how to put links from other websites on my website, using the link function.
9. I learned what a Pillar article is and how to write one.
10. I learned how to submit both my website and blog to search directories so others can see my hard work.
11. I learned what an ezine article database is, and submitted 3 of my own articles.
12. Another thing I learned was what Google Analytics are, and how to put them on my website.
13. I learned how to create and e-book and did.
14. I learned how to add page counters to pages on my website so I know how many people visited them.
15. I learned what a list post is and created one to post on my blog.
16. I learned what a landing page is, and created one for my website.
17. I learned how to promote a blog post from someone else’s blog, and posted on my blog.

These are 17 things that I learned while in my ACC 255 class this year at ISU.

For the Love of Cooking

If you like my blog, you will love For the Love of Cooking http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/. This blog has been around for a while and there are tons of recipes with colored pictures. She has many awards from other bloggers, because they like the content of her blog, and the look of it. She has also been featured in very popular magazines like Taste of Home and Yum Food and Fun Magazine. She has also been featured on other blogs and had interviews on websites. This information is all on her Featured in page. She is a stay at home mom, so she has time to perfect her favorite recipes, so everyone will enjoy them. This is a wonderful blog to read, you will get to try some amazing recipes and it is arranged wonderfully. Everything is so easy to find, with many of her favorites available to the right of her blog at all times. The owner of this blog’s name is Pam, and I recommend anyone that loves to cook, or if you are just trying to find a recipe that works to check out this blog, you won’t be sorry. And if you are anything like me, you will be hooked. I am constantly checking to see what is new on For the Love of Cooking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, and tell your friends what a wonderful cooking resource this is, and they are sure to love it too. Until next time, have fun cooking.

Restaurant Review: Olive Garden

The restaurant I am going to share my experience with you about is Olive Garden. My husband and I visited Olive Garden two weeks ago and had a very good time, once we got to our table. It was a Sunday afternoon, so of course it was busy, so we went to the greeters station and waited for one of the three greeters to acknowledge us. We stood there for about a minute before the head greeter got the persons attention that was supposed to get our name and number in our party. He was very friendly once he realized we were standing there, but he was just a little too involved in what he was doing, since he neglected his responsibility to greet the customers. We were told that it would be about a twenty minute wait, which was fine with us. However, the entire time we waited, the head greeter never smiled. She was able to get her job done, but didn’t look like she wanted to be there.

Once we were seated our waitress introduced herself and offered us a sample of wine, which we both decline because we aren’t wine drinkers. She also pointed out the waiter that was working in the same area in case we needed something and she wasn’t around. I found this to be very nice, since I know waiters and waitresses can get very busy. Once we made our selections, I ordered the cheese stuffed rigatoni and chicken with minestrone soup and my husband ordered the cheese stuffed rigatoni and sausage with the Zuppa Toscana soup and breadsticks, our soup and breadsticks came very quickly. We were offered parmesan cheese for our soup and they were both very good. I liked that they were a eatable temperature, some places you go have their soup so hot, you have to wait 10 minutes before you can eat it. Once we finished, our waitress asked if we would like more soup or breadsticks, we declined because we wanted to enjoy our main course. When our food came, it looked and smelled wonderful, and tasted just as good. Our waitress checked on us a couple of times throughout our meal and kept our drinks full. Once we ate all we could, our waitress put our leftovers in to-go containers and gave us our bill. It was a wonderful and tasty experience.

Brown Eyed Baker

Brown Eyed Baker is a wonder blog for people that love to cook, or are wanting to learn to cook. She has everything from recipes to tutorials. There are recipes for every course imaginable. She also gives some very good advice when it comes to baking. She also knows a thing or two about cooking as well. The majority of the blog is about baking and sweets, but there are main dishes, appetizers, and more also. One of my favorite blog post of her is simply called Baking Faqs, here is a link if you want to visit it yourself:

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/baking-faq/

This post is arranged in a question and answer style, and she addresses many frequently asked questions. There are about 15 different questions she answers, and she goes into a good amount of detail, so anyone can understand. Another neat thing about this blog post is that if you have additional questions about baking that you would like answers, just comment on her post and she will answer your question to the best of her knowledge. Some followers have already done that, and they may have asked a question that you have been wondering about.

Brown Eyed Baker also has many good links on her blog that will help bakers of all levels. There are links to everything from cookbooks to cooking websites. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to baking, and if she doesn’t know something, she won’t make up an answer to make you happy, she will let you know she doesn’t know it, and point you in the right direction to find your answer.

Product Recommendation

If I had to recommend one product that could help anyone in the kitchen, it would be the Taste of Home Cookbook. This cookbook has every type of recipe imaginable, it has basics, appetizers, soups and sandwiches, pork, grilling, fruit, yeasts, candies and many, many more. The kitchen basics section is very helpful, it tells you proper measuring techniques, cutting and chopping techniques, how to choose bakeware and cookware, how to set a table, safety in the kitchen, and a glossary of the many terms you will come across when you are following a recipe. These are helpful for even an advanced cook, because there are some terms that aren’t used very often, so you need this glossary to either refresh your memory, or learn it for the first time.
Every section of recipes has different tips and suggestions. The different meat sections list the types of meats there are and how long and on what temperature to cook certain weights of that food. The pasta section shows you the most popular pasta shapes and how long to cook them. The vegetable section lists all of the different vegetables, and depending if you want to blanch, steam, boil, sauté or roast, it tells you how long to cook it and how. I use these all of the tips, suggestions, and instructions all of the time, and it would help anyone at any skill level. It is a nice book to have in your library if you like to cook, and especially if you like to mix it up every once in a while.

Family Tradition

Every year, my mom, grandma, aunts, and I get together for what we call Christmas Cookie Baking day, and that day is this weekend, so I thought I would share with you the cookie recipe I am making.

Red Velvet Thumbprints

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (11 ounces) white vanilla baking chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes or until creamy. On low, beat in flour, cocoa, and salt until blended. Add food coloring and vanilla; beat well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. On cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Press thumb into center of each cookie to make indentation, but do not press all the way to the cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; quickly remake indentations with end of a wooden spoon, if necessary. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 10 minutes. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave white baking chips uncovered on High for 20 to 50 seconds, stirring once, until softened and chips can be stirred smooth. Spoon melted chips into a resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag. Twist bag above melted chips. Squeeze bag to fill each thumbprint cookie, let stand until set.

More for Later

Green Bean Chicken Casserole

1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cans French style green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup chopped raw onion
2/3 cup chopped raw green pepper
1 envelope onion soup mix
¾ cup shredded Colby cheese
2/3 cup French fried onions

Prepare wild rice according to package directions. Stir in chicken, beans, soups, onion, green pepper, and soup mix Spoon into two greased 1 ½ quart baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake (one at a time) for 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with French fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden. One casserole can be covered and froze for up to 3 months. Then completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from 30 minutes before cooking. Cover and bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with French fried onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

With the holiday season near, I thought I would share with you a twist on a holiday favorite, green bean casserole. I myself could make a meal out of the original green bean casserole, but that wouldn’t be very healthy, and you wouldn’t get any protein. So when I came across this recipe, I had to try it. It is very good, and you have an extra casserole that you can freeze for later, or give to a friend. The whole family is bound to love this recipe.