lifestyle

Five books to read while shelter in place

 in Entertaining / Home  tagged books / family / lifestyle by

5 books to read while sheltering in place

Do you always want to read a book, but find yourself complaining about not having the time to read one? Well guess what! Now you do! Since we are all staying home, social distancing, and sheltering-in-place, we have an increased amount of free time on our hands. Unless you are one of our community heroes at a grocery store, hospital, or other essential service. If you are an essential service employee, I salute you and I thank you for your dedication to the community. You are truly helping all of us get through this!

If you are like me, and are hunkered down at home, then you have time to read. After all, wouldn’t you like a reason to get off your screens? I would!

I am currently reading “Season of the Witch,” which is about how San Francisco shaped into the city it is today. As someone whose family has been in San Francisco since the gold rush, this is very interesting to me to read. While it’s opinion differs from those in my family who lived through it, it is an interesting read and perspective.

Another good read is “Modern Etiquette Made Easy.” This is a great book for seeing how etiquette plays out in our modern era. Many of us learned older versions of etiquette growing up, so this is a great way to see what’s new, and what’s still relevant. My teen girls really enjoy reading this book too. So if you have a teen, this is a great time to teach your teen modern etiquette through this book. even if you don’t have a teen, this is a fabulous read for any age. I believe it was written for adults like us. Love it!

Shop my favorite books to read while sheltering in place:

What are some of your favorite books to read right now?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Baked Scallops recipe

 in Entertaining  tagged cathys original recipes / lifestyle / main dishes / recipes / seafood by

Now that we are sheltering in place, there is plenty of time to try new recipes! My family enjoys eating scallops, but I always cook them the same way; I sear them. I decided to try something new this time, I baked them.

Baked Scallops are delicious! This recipe was a home-run on the first try. It is really easy. So, if you like Scallops, this is an easy recipe to try. It’s much easier to bake them than sear them! Love that!

Ingredients:

  • Large Scallops-20
  • 8 pats butter
  • 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Season to taste: Paprika, Lemon Juice, Basil, Salt

Preparation instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425, ensuring the rack is in the middle of the oven.
  2. Grab an 11×13 casserole dish and place 8 pats of butter, evenly spaced apart, in the casserole dish.
  3. Evenly space 20 large scallops in the casserole dish, ensuring the butter pats are spaced apart too.
  4. Evenly spread 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan across the scallops
  5. Season to taste: evenly spread basil, salt, paprika and lemon juice on top of the scallops.

Baking instructions:

  • Bake at 425 for 16 minutes
  • Scallops should be white and opaque; 130 degree Fahrenheit internal temperature.

Serving instructions:

  1. Place scallops on dish. My kids typically eat 4 large scallops, while my husband will 6, and I eat 5. With a tablespoon, scoop up the buttery sauce in the casserole dish and pour it over the scallops on the plate.
  2. Serve with your favorite vegetable. We used frozen peas melted in butter because we are sheltering in place, and that’s what I had in the freezer. Under normal circumstances, I might serve with cauliflower, sliced cucumber, and/or peas. Peas are mild and sweet, so they do pair well with scallops!

Things you might need to make baked scallops for dinner:

If you want a side dish, try mashed potatoes or jasmine rice. You can pour the sauce from the casserole dish over the rice or potatoes. Yum!

This dinner felt fancy, and was a nice change during our shelter-in-place. Sometimes it is nice to treat yourself with good food when you are feeling down; like most of us are feeling during this unprecedented time.

Bon Appetite! I hope you love this dish as much as my family does 😊

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Build your creative passion while sheltering in place

 in General Fashion  tagged lifestyle / spring 2020 / tips by

build your dream

photo credit: Her Creative Studio via Style Collective

We are currently in a shelter-in-place order here in the state of California. What are the conditions like where you live? If you are staying inside too, why not use this extra time to fulfill your life’s passion? This is the ideal time to start writing that novel you have always dreamed of creating, or painting that portrait you have haven’t had time to start.

Have you always dreamed of starting your own company? Start planning it now! Write a business plan, come up with a financial plan and marketing plan. Once you figure out your brand, choose a name! After ensuring the name is available, and not currently in use or trademarked by someone else, register the url! Be your own boss, you’ve got this!

Do you have an ambitious project in mind for your home? Have you been meaning to build a new deck, paint the house, or install new cabinets? Now is the time! Hardware stores are open, so you can pick up what you need in store, or order what you need online and have it delivered. So, start your project now; ensuring safety measures with any tools you use.

Think about something you have always been passionate about doing with your life, and make it happen. You have time. Social events and all extra-curricular activities have been cancelled or postponed until the shelter-in-place gets lifted. Your schedule is wide open! Go ahead and start your dream. This is the perfect time!

I would love to hear what you are working on. Share in the comments below, or email me!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy