Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Rotisserie Chicken, 4 ways!

Rotisserie chickens have become popular for the home cook, like me! 

Probably first made a "star" by restaurants such as Boston Market, this "gourmet" whole chicken has not only spawned other fast-food, but good-for-you food, restaurants, as well as making it super easy for the at-home cook get a quick and delicious meal on the table for the family!


One $6.99 grocery store rotisserie chicken can provide the base for a whole week's worth of mealtime recipes! And all without feeling like you're eating the same thing for 4 nights in a row!


Monday: Take your whole chicken and carve off one breast, slicing it into serving sizes. Serve it with seasoned roasted veggies and maybe brown rice (or - if you're like me - riced cauliflower!) and a simple salad.


Tuesday: Separate the leg and thigh meat and shred for amazingly delicious chicken tacos. Add seasoning and/or a marinade to the shredded chicken and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before dinnertime. (All day is good too:) Serve hot with all the taco trimmings: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I would eat it Mexican salad-style, but Taco Tuesday for most homes usually means warm tortillas and/or crunchy shells!


**Alternate Tuesday meal choice***: Warm the whole thighs in a non-stick pan with a splash of olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a touch of sugar or sugar substitute. Add some fresh minced garlic and green onions. Sautee all until the onions are opaque. Serve with steamed rice (or riced cauliflower!) and broccoli.


Wednesday: Remove the 2nd chicken breast and shred it over crispy oven-baked sweet potatoes "chips." Thinly slice sweet potatoes using a mandolin. Toss with a bit of olive oil, garlic pepper, and sea salt. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until desired crispiness. Top the chips with the chicken and whatever topping you desire! 


Thursday: Take leftover shredded chicken breast and serve it over a huge homemade salad! Drizzle with desired dressing, salt and pepper. (I am loving a good homemade ranch and avocado dressing at the moment!)



Monday, June 17, 2019

I am not a personification of my social media feed.

Let's talk social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram because they are the only two I can seem to keep my arms around. I confess, for a very long time I had a love-hate relationship with social media feeds. I was torn between wanting to share and also with feeling that posts had more to do with ego than actual sharing.

I finally realized that my feelings were spawned by others' views of media feeds. There seems to be two MAIN camps: those that poke holes at all positivity posts and those that feel some entire feeds are made up of negativity. There is a small segment of us in the middle - in the gray, if you will - that just enjoy viewing everyone's pictures of their families and pets and vacations, and tend to just overlook the more negative posts or the folks who are forever sick or being hurt or feel ignored by others.

While I hope people are "following" us - meaning the B&B - I can honestly say I have no idea how many followers we have on Insta OR Facebook. On the other hand, I spend several hours of research a week on how to use social media to promote our business. The reality is that social media is THE way to advertise today...and it's FREE!! We'd be nuts to NOT utilize this resource that will only continue to change and deepen and grow as the years go by.

Some days, I feel like the more I learn, the more I don't know. I finally switched my personal Insta to primarily business; meaning, I changed it from MY personal name to Wildernest Bed & Breakfast. Yes, I'll still post pics of the grands, the doggies, the food...but those things are WHO we are, so it makes sense to me that our potential guests would like to see what we view as important.

We spend ENORMOUS amounts of hours on our front porch, so front porch pics are important to me. Pictures of our cabins, the food we serve, and views of the property are paramount to - not only promoting our business - but also giving small glimpses into who we are as business owners. We're family people, first and foremost, so there will always, always, ALWAYS be crazy amounts of pictures and stories of our grands, our kiddos, and our pets.

The one area that I question the most is: am I being real? Authentic?

Because THIS I can promise you. For every delicious food picture I post, there are at least THREE that are HORRIBLE! My sweet husband is very vocal and descriptive during our meals together. When it's good, there is NO doubt. His vocabulary and adjectives (some appropriate and some not so much:) leave no doubt that it's a dish worth repeating. But when he is silent; eating but with no commentary, I know it's bad. Very, very bad, usually! Ha!

For every "positivity" post, I promise I could post three things that AREN'T going well in life. Sometimes I think our family could have their own reality show. We have SO. MUCH. GOING. ON. right now! Most good, but some sad, some scary, some uncertain...So, sure, I make the decision each and every day what I want to share with others. The truth is that I WANT to be a voice of positivity. I WANT to point others to what gets me through: JESUS.

At the same time, even though I don't post about it on a regular basis, we have our own set of difficulties that we deal with on the daily. We've given up a regular, dependable salary to take a chance on "us" and this dream of a B&B. We celebrate with our kids who have kids and who are expecting another! (Hopefully we'll have a gender reveal later this week!!!) We also have kids who are going through infertility treatments, including surgery, medications, injections...We celebrate and we console, and many times both on the same day. We have parents with new medical issues, and our place in the "sandwich" of the family is that of the meat that holds both ends together. That's just where we are.

I could post all this, and I would never, ever discourage others from posting whatever they like. For me, I encourage myself with prayer, positivity quotes, and focusing on the good things in life. This naturally segues into my social media posts. It does as much, if not MORE, good for me than it could ever do for others.

Maybe most importantly of all is the growing of our family business - the B&B. We want that to be "the face" of our social media posts. We share certain pictures of family, pets, the grounds, the cabins, etc. because we want our potential guests to have a sense of who we are and what we value. We are two normal people: a couple who are deeply in forever love, who have grown children who are growing their own families, who have parents who are facing new challenges in life, who have meals that flop, ideas that fail, who laugh, cry, hurt, and rejoice.

We are normal.

We are not the personification of our social media feed.

Sunday, June 9, 2019

The Boho House

The Boho House has been a popular rental here lately. It's easy for ME to see why...after all, it is my Happy Place! Fun, flirty, and all things girly, this one-story log cabin welcomes, inspires, and encourages one to kick off their shoes and stay a while.

Formerly known as The Bunkhouse before its "makeover," this gem served as both my office and our brick and mortar boutique last summer before I ultimately decided to close out the retail and concentrate on what we do best...the B&B.

At the time, Ali and Peyton were both still working for me and - together - we were all "feeling" the Boho vibe. It's more than just a look; it's a message. Everyone woman and girl is beautiful. Be yourself. BeYOUtiful! We had such fun finding great deals at dollar stores on inspirational signs, pillows, and wall decor that so perfectly conveyed our message. Ali spent hours painting  - a bookshelf, a dresser, and wooden crates. Together, these sisters brought my vision to life.

In the Boho house, I can do all kinds of things that I can't in my own home. Or - I won't anyway! We mixed color in the most fun ways - bright yellows, corals, blues and greens. I spent hours deciding on bedding and even now - a year later - I am literally OBSESSED with my decision. The truth is this adorable cabin is STILL my hideaway when it is not rented. Sometimes I stop in just to sink into a comfy chair, kick off my shoes, and enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the space.

It's a joyful place. There is simply no way one can spend time here and leave feeling anything other than happy and at peace!








We're so happy to have recently updated our B&B website to take online reservations and payments! If you are interested in The Boho - whether it be for a personal retreat just for yourself, a girls night in, a full-blown girls' weekend, or a slumber party for your daughter, please give us a call or check out wildernestbedandbreakfast.com.

I can't wait to share this special space with you!

photo creds: Nichelle Martin

Friday, June 7, 2019

Spicy Meat Lovers Breakfast Casserole for (1) x 2

Happy summer, y'all!

I've been behind in blogging due to a cRaZy end of year in the classroom, plus a frenzied effort to pour every ounce of leftover energy into organizing things around my house to help ease the transition into working/officing from home.  (More about all THAT in a future post:)

We have cabin guests here at the B&B who are staying for 3 nights. Whenever we have guests who stay multiple nights, I always try to alternate savory and sweet "main dishes" for breakfast. This morning it was all about the savory!

It actually started last night since this dish is soooo much better after spending the night in the refrigerator. This gives all of these powerful flavors to mingle and marry nicely, all the while absorbing into the cubed French bread that lines the dish.

Ingredients:

6 oz of pork sausage ( I used hot, but you can use regular or even Italian sausage)
4 slices of bacon
1 cup of seasoned cubed potatoes (You can either boil your own and then saute with a little onion and green or red pepper, garlic pepper, and salt OR you can use Ore-Ida Potatoes O'Brien)
2 medium eggs
3/4 cup of milk (I used half and half for a bit more richness)
salt, pepper and/or garlic pepper to taste
2 cups of French bread, cubed (you can also use day old brioche or English muffins)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any kind you prefer)

Instructions:

  • In a medium-skillet, cook the sausage, drain, and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate
  • In same skillet, cook the bacon, drain, and crumble or chop into desired size pieces
  • Prepare potatoes 
  • In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
  • Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper.
  • Spray (2) individual oven-safe dishes with cooking spray. Line the dishes with the cube bread
  • Layer the sausage, potatoes, bacon, and cheese.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the entire dish. 
  • Cover securely with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Keep dishes covered with foil and place both on a cookie sheet. Bake covered for 30 minutes, until eggs are set.
  • Remove foil, sprinkle with a bit more cheese - if desired - and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
  • Garnish with parsley or thinly sliced green onions, salsa, and/or sour cream.
Enjoy!