Laina Turner's Blog, page 43

Tasty Tuesday Sartori Cheese Dips

I love food. I especially love cheese. All kinds of cheese but one of the many things I LOVE my fiancé for is introducing me to Sartori cheese.

BEST CHEESE EVER!

For my friendsgiving a couple weeks ago I made these amazing cheese dips. I think we spent over $40 on cheese, but it was worth every penny.

The first one was Sartori Smoky 3 Cheese Artichoke Dip.

Spinach Artichoke Dip 2015-12-08 00:50:10






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Save Recipe Print Ingredients 2½ cups fresh spinach, shredded 1 teaspoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 8oz cream cheese 1½ cups artichoke hearts, chopped & well drained 1 cup Sartori® Pastorale Blend® cheese, shredded Salt & pepper to taste Smoky Paprika
Instructions Sauté garlic in oil 3-4 minutes over medium heat (not browned). Add spinach & sauté just until wilted. Remove from pan & stir in ricotta & cream cheese. Mix well. Add artichokes. Salt & pepper to taste. Spread mixture in a shallow baking dish or pie plate & sprinkle with Pastoral Blend. Garnish with a light sprinkling of smoky paprika. Broil until cheese has melted & top is bubbly with lightly browned edges. Serve warm with toasted bread, crackers, or vegetables.
By Sartori Cheese Laina Turner http://www.lainaturner.com/
I followed the recipe from the Sartori Cheese website (which is huge for me – I’m not known for following recipe directions). I did, however, make one substitution. I use Montemore instead of the Pastorale Blend because Montemore is my favorite and I wanted to try it. It still tasted fantastic, so I say use whatever makes you happy.

I believe the key to why this was FANTASTIC was sautéing the spinach in garlic. I used real garlic, not from a jar, and fresh spinach. I could have eaten just that it smelled so amazing.

The second one I made was Wisconsin Beer Cheese Dip. I used the parmesan it called for but may have added a little more. You can never have too much cheese.

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Dip 2015-12-08 00:31:25 A delicious appetizer






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Save Recipe Print Ingredients 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup ranch dressing 2 cups Sartori® Classic Parmesan, shredded 1/2 cup Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss or Sunset Wheat Dash of garlic powder Dash of onion powder 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
Instructions Mix cream cheese and ranch dressing. Add in beer, cheese and half of the green onions. Season with garlic powder and onion powder to taste. Top with remaining green onions. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Serve with crackers, potato chips or pretzels.
By Sartori Cheese Laina Turner http://www.lainaturner.com/

My friends and I keep going back and forth about which one we liked best, and none of can decide. I might just have to make them again and do another taste test.

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Be A Blogging Badass: 5 day email goal setting course to make money from your blog!

Goals!

Who doesn’t love setting goals?

It’s that time of year when you’re probably thinking about the New Year coming up and all the awesome things you want to accomplish with your blog.

What’s holding you back?

Do you find yourself setting goals and about 5 minutes later forget and are on to something else? (Of course this leads to getting mad at yourself when you’re not reaching those goals.)
Do you get frustrated because you know WHAT you want to accomplish but aren’t sure HOW to get there?
Are you unsure if your goals are the right ones?
Do you want to make a living from your blog and need to create a crazy kick-ass goal to get there?

If you answered yes to any of those questions then this FREE 5 day email course is for YOU!

You will get an email each day with exercises to get you on the right track to reaching your goals. Things like:

Determine your ULTIMATE BLOGGING GOAL and your WHY
Create short-term goals and milestones
Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.
Develop actions and timelines for your goals
Execute and follow-up

In addition:

There is a private discussion forum where you can chat with me or fellow bloggers about your challenges and successes.
At the end of the course you will be eligible for 50% off the full online Goals course and ebook along with the full workbook to really set yourself up for success.

Sign up here!

 

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Handbags & Hooligans – a cozy mystery – .99 cents today!

Presley Thurman is more than excited for a trip to Vegas. Headed there to celebrate her best friend Anna’s wedding, there is the added bonus of hanging out with her brother. But when her brother’s girlfriend goes missing, and Anna finds out her fiancé has been lying to her, can Presley save the day again? Secrets abound on this trip, and some of them are better left alone, or are they?

Snuggle up with a cozy mystery today at .99 cents!

Download now!

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Grab a .99 cent Cozy Mystery TODAY!

It’s cold outside and in some places starting to snow. So what better than to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate?

This weekend you can do that for .99 cents!

Download the 2nd Presley Thurman book, Necklaces & Nooses, on Amazon and spend your Saturday relaxing.

Presley thought her life was finally starting to get back to normal until she found her boss dead in a fitting room. It made her almost yearn for her old HR job where an idiot boss was her biggest worry.

What looked liked suicide quickly turned to homicide being investigated by hot detective Willie Landon. Presley’s determine to solve the murder but will the murderer get to her first?

Happy Reading!

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Fab 5 Friday – Favorite Outdoor Christmas Decor

Brentwood Cordless Garland

Love this statement piece! Even if you don’t want to wrap you entire house like Clark Griswold himself, this is an easy peasy way to add a pop of festive right where it matters most, the place where your guests will be entering your home.

Holiday Cheer Doormat

“Creating a festive mood starts at your front door.” Who says our feet can’t get festive too?!

Red Berry Artificial Wreath

“Twigs of faux berries wind a large wreath adding festive color above a fireplace or as a welcoming wall decoration in the foyer.”

Put Out Christmas Lanterns

“Arrange a grouping of festive lanterns at your entryway for quick-and-easy holiday style. Consider using flameless candles as a worry-free alternative to regular pillars. ”

PB Found Wood Sled

“These vintage wooden sleds, once used by children in the German countryside and the Austrian Alps during the early part of the 20th century. They’re made of European hardwoods with the original metal hardware on the bottom to protect the skis from the wet snow. Perfect as decoration in an entryway or by the fireplace”

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3 Ways To Stay More Focused

photo credit by Unsplash

I definitely have shiny object syndrome. I blame the Internet.

It’s not my fault.

No, not at all.

I do have discipline and I am good at planning.

However, there are a kazillion things that can get me off track.

I tend to take on too much, and then I make the mistake when working on a task to pop in to social media, just to see what’s happening, and then before I know it, 3 hours have gone by and I can’t even remember what I was working on. I also tend to overthink things and spend too much time planning and thinking instead of doing. I know that’s just a form of procrastination even though I like to I pretend I’m really thinking.

Fooling myself isn’t as hard as you might think.

So if I don’t actively refocus myself from time to time I’d get nothing done.

How can you get yourself refocused?

My top 3 strategies are:

Remind yourself of the bigger picture. That the small task you need to do today is important because it’s part of your big goal. If you don’t get it done you might not achieve that goal.
Shut out all outside influences. Your phone, social media, email, your kids (just kidding, sort of) and set a timer where you will just work on the specific thing in front of you.
Sometimes I long for the days where we had phones tethered to the wall and fax machines. It’s so easy to become a slave to email and it totally jacks with productivity if you’re checking it every 5 minutes and then acting on things. You should set aside scheduled times to check, sort, and respond to email. Don’t let it take over your life.

Focus and discipline are important to success and while it’s fun to go down the rabbit hole sometimes it won’t get me to where I want to go.

What are your go-to strategies for staying focused??

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December Instagram Challenge!

Who’s up for a healthy Instagram challenge?

Me, me, me!

I need some serious help staying accountable to not gaining 500 pounds during this last month of the year, which is THE BEST FOOD MONTH!

I have NOT been going about eating healthy and exercise these last few months. Going more in spurts of a few healthy days here and then 3 weeks of not so healthy days there, until I get back on the wagon. Not only do I not feel my best, but I’m also getting married in 8 months and right now I’m not sure I could fit into my wedding dress.

I know, right #firstworldproblems.

I have no excuse. Well, I could give you a million excuses but they aren’t legitimate ones.

Normally, this time of year I’d say the hell with it and wait until it was time for New Years resolutions to start fresh. You know, along with everyone else in the world. However, I can’t afford to gain anymore,  so I am starting today and want to drag all of you along with me for some fun.

Hence, the Instagram challenge named……..

Christmas Calories Count! ( #christmascaloriescount )

Anytime between now and Christmas where you catch yourself doing something healthy; whether it be exercising or eating a salad, snap a pic and Instagram it with the hashtag #christmascaloriescount.

The week after Christmas I’ll pick a random winner who will receive a $25 Amazon giftcard!

Who’s with me?

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Stilettos & Scoundrels NEW Cover – FREE Download!

6 years ago I released my first fiction novel, Stilettos & Scoundrels. It was one of the most exciting memories of my life. A dream come true and something I’d been looking forward to for years. A lifetime really.

While I’ve always been immensely proud of this book, I’ve learned a lot over the subsequent years and have worked to improve this first book of mine (as well as my other backlist books) to make it even better.

I recently decided to redo all my covers starting with this one. I’m excited and proud to reveal this amazing cover to you today.

If you haven’t yet read any of the Presley Thurman mystery series, then there’s no time like the present to start!

Especially since this first book in the series is FREE and available on Amazon.

Download it now and let me know how you like it!

Sign up for my mailing list and get the 2nd book in the series, Necklaces & Nooses FREE also!

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5 Ways to Beat a Monday Slump

photo credit by Unsplash

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard for me to get going on a Monday. Even though I work on the weekends, it’s not as structured as during the week because the kids aren’t in school and we’re running all over the place. So for me weekends are usually more exhausting than workweeks.

I know you moms out there feel me on that!

Holla!

So after I kick the kids out the door to school, have sucked down my 4th cup of coffee, and still don’t feel like doing anything except watching my downloaded episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta, I have a few tricks that can get me going.

Pre-planning. This is actually something I do on Sundays. I find it’s that much harder to get going on Mondays if I haven’t planned out my week/day. Being able to open my planner (yes I do still love old fashioned paper and pen) and have the tasks that need done staring me in the face takes the guesswork out of things and I can dive right in.
Do something fun. I am normally an advocate of Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy, which talks about doing that big, important, challenging and maybe undesirable task first. Get it out of the way so you no longer have to worry about it. However, if I’m having a hard time motivating myself I will do one of the easier, more fun tasks just to get in the work groove.
Don’t work. If I’m feeling especially sluggish I’ll go to yoga or for a run. Something to get my body going and my blood flowing. Then I come back and work. I can make up the work time I missed later and I find I’m much more productive.
Chat with a friend. I know this might sound like goofing off, but having a peer whom you can call/text/email/Facebook/ tweet (you get it) and say “HELP! I need some mojo,” can get your butt in gear. Share your goals for the day and tell them to check in on you periodically and make sure you’re not napping.
If all else fails just take a nap. The work will still be waiting when you get up. Ok, I realize this tip probably isn’t all that helpful but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do.

What do you do to get yourself going on Mondays?

 

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Rainy Day + Netflix = Couch Potato

photo credit by Unsplash

I had some great intentions going into last Wednesday. I was going to take advantage of a few days without kids, without a huge work load, and most people doing the Thanksgiving thing so not a lot of people/tasks vying for my attention.

I planned on working out every day and getting back on the eating healthy train and getting a ton of work done. Since I was going to have all this uninterrupted time to do whatever I wanted.

Well, I did awesome Wednesday and Thursday. But then I woke up Friday to a grey, rainy day and my motivation went into the crapper. I decided it was ok. I deserved some down time. I watched Jane the Virgin on Netflix and was immediately hooked. Laughing out loud at times, hooked. I mean seriously, this show is funny as hell.

I went to bed Friday telling myself I’d get up Saturday and make up for all I didn’t do Friday. Until I woke up Saturday to another grey and rainy day. And guess what?

I wasn’t all that motivated and convinced myself a mani/pedi and Starbucks was about all I could handle on such a yucky day. I spent the rest of it binging on Netflix. I decide I will blame my laziness on the writers of Jane the Virgin. If they hadn’t written such great dialogue, I would’ve been bored and got to work, or to yoga, or for a run.

When I got up this morning, I realized I was actually motivated to work even though it’s still grey and rainy. I rarely get time alone to do absolutely nothing and even though I feel a little guilty for wasting it by not being uber productive (or productive at all) sometimes you just have to be self -indulgent and relax.

And not feel bad.

When was the last time you were lazy?

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