Yearly Archives: 2014

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts

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By Jodee Weiland

Sweet potatoes can be prepared in so many different ways, but one of my favorite ways to have sweet potatoes is Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts. Mashed sweet potatoes are always delicious, but when made with chopped walnuts and just the right seasonings, they have great flavor and crunch!

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Whenever I cook a baked ham or have a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings, I always find a way to add a side of sweet potatoes. Not only do they taste good, they are very nutritious as well. I make sweet potatoes in a number of different ways by roasting them, baking them, or mashing them, but this recipe is one of my favorites because of the crunch from the chopped walnuts that are added only after cooking and mashing the potatoes. Since the walnuts are not baked into the recipe, they retain all their crunchy goodness. Call me silly, but I really think that’s what makes this dish.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts

  • 4 sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup skim milk

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Boil the potatoes in a covered pot of water with a pinch of salt for 30 to 40 minutes or until done. When done, peel the skin off the potatoes and mash them in a bowl. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and butter blending it into the mashed potatoes. Then as you mash the potatoes, add in the milk a little at a time. When thoroughly mashed, add in the chopped walnuts stirring them in gently with a spoon. Once done, put the potatoes into your serving bowl.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts go well with so many different meals. This delicious side dish will enhance any meal you make with its rich flavor. Not only that, but sweet potatoes are a healthy choice, when choosing a potato for a meal. So if you’re wondering what to do make with dinner tonight, why not try this dish, and enjoy!

Baked Ham with Pineapple and Orange Glaze

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By Jodee Weiland

For many people, baked ham dinners are a favorite meal. My family loves baked ham when I make it, but the funny thing is that I was never a very big fan of baked ham. Nevertheless, I baked hams for my family because they wanted them. I decided right away that if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. For that reason, I asked my mother and anyone else I knew how they baked ham, and ultimately this is my Baked Ham with Pineapple and Orange Glaze, which evolved from all those conversations.

https://learnfromyesterday.comI wish I could say that this recipe made a ham lover out of me, but unfortunately, it did not do that. I eat a little when I make it, but my real enjoyment comes from the fact that those I love or care about enjoy this meal. Since cooking is about giving the best I can to those I serve a meal to in my home, that’s good enough for me when it comes to baking ham. The rave reviews I get from family and friends, tells me that I must be doing something right here, even though I really am not the one to judge the quality of this recipe. My family loves it, so that’s all I need to know!

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Baked Ham with Pineapple and Orange Glaze

7 to 8 pound fully cooked spiral sliced ham
1 fresh pineapple core with juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 cup Coke

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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the spiral cut ham face down in your baking dish. With a sharp knife, score the top surface of the ham in a criss cross pattern, slicing first one way and then the other. Take the pineapple slices and with toothpicks, secure three to four slices across the top of the ham.

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Using a hand blender, blend together the brown sugar, orange juice, pineapple juice, and Coke until completely blended. Once done, pour about 1/3 of the mixture over the ham and pineapples. Place the baking dish in the heated oven and bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes, basting the ham frequently with the juice mixture in the baking dish.

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Take the remaining two-thirds of the juice mixture and cook in the microwave for about ten minutes. Stir halfway through this time to make sure it’s thickening, but not over thick. Then finish microwaving the mixture. When done, it should be slightly thick and more glaze like. Pour this glaze like mixture over the ham and pineapples after 30 minutes of baking. Finish baking the last 30 to 40 minutes, continuing to baste every so often.

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Once done, serve the Baked Ham with Pineapple and Orange Glaze with sweet potatoes or yams, along with a green vegetable of your choice. I like to serve this dish with mashed sweet potatoes, a recipe of mine with chopped walnuts and cinnamon, and another vegetable, such as asparagus or broccoli. Whatever you choose to serve it with, I’ve been told that it will not disappoint you. My family loves my baked ham, and I feel certain that if you like ham, you will love this recipe. So give it a try, and enjoy!

 

Learn from yesterday, live for today…My Blog Celebrates One Year on April 12th!

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By Jodee Weiland

One year ago on April 12th, 2013, I decided to make it official and took my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, to the next level. I had actually been blogging for about a year before that on my previous site, but mostly only for family and friends. The goal was to share my recipes, travels, and thoughts with my targeted readers. Very few people outside of my immediate inner circle ever visited that site. There were a few visitors, who happened upon my site, but not nearly as many as there are today. I really did very little to promote my blog before that time, and any traffic other than family and friends was coming from search engines.

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That all changed when I finally admitted to myself that I actually had something to share with other people, outside of my family and friends, that might be of value to them. And so it began…I took everything off the old site, and began reviewing and rewriting it all one piece at a time…eliminating any pieces I felt weren’t good enough. From there, I went forward with my plans and began writing new ones. I started researching and learning about what I would need to do to make my blog more professional. I even began looking into how to create a blog environment for my readers that would be more user-friendly and make it easier for them to navigate my blog. But it didn’t stop there because I continue to do all of this and more every day!

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I just attended my first conference for bloggers this past weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, the Bloggy Boot Camp with The SITS Girls. This wonderful group of young women not only taught all of us some great things about blogging, but were inspiring and left everyone in attendance motivated to do more! Mirassou Winery gave a lovely reception for all of us at the end of the day and gave us an opportunity to connect with them as a possible sponsor. All of this was a wonderful experience and opportunity to learn more about the blogging process, while being able to connect with other bloggers. The bloggers who attended would become an invaluable source of support and information as well, but most importantly, they would become new friends!

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Improving my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, doesn’t stop there though, because I am also taking various online courses to improve different aspects of my blog, such as photography and artisan bread making. While attending the conference, I purchased the book, Social Media Engagement for Dummies to help improve my skills in that area of blogging. I want my readers to love coming to my blog to visit and to know how important each and every one of them is to me, so I want to make it the best I can in every way! How will I do this? As I approach the one year anniversary of my blog on April 12th of this year, I will be celebrating, while I continue working hard to make it even better in the coming year ahead! So what do you think? Is this a blog you want to come back to often?  If not, what can I do to make it more appealing to you? Hopefully, all of you will continue to come back and share your thoughts with me as I move forward with my blog, and always remember to enjoy!