I’m generally one of those people who is on the late train for social media. It’s not a tech thing, but more of a “what is this going to do that is different?” thing. From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram to Tumblr to Pinterest, etc., it is easy to get lost. How many apps do you need to share your life on? And do I really need to hashtag everything. At least, that is how I felt until I expanded my use of social media.
This year is the first year I decided to take myself somewhat seriously when it comes to sharing my experiences with food and motherhood. So I created a blog with a new name and new social media accounts to go with it. The source of my inspiration may be surprising. It was actually my Mom who encouraged me to leverage social media. She is one of those people who always gives everything more than 110%. And now that she is gradually decreasing her work hours, she’s found other things to keep her busy, including traveling the world with my Dad and blogging about it. She has all the various social media accounts and more than a 1,000 followers. I am impressed to say the least.
One thing my Mom really sparked me to do was to follow other food, mommy, and lifestyle bloggers, both experienced and new. Before that, I’d really only used social media to stay connected to friends and family. At first I was a little reluctant to expand who I followed. I think it was because I had only followed friends and family; it felt a little unnatural to follow people I didn’t know. But what I have found in the last 6 months is an incredible community and daily source of inspiration. It’s so amazing to see the level of creativity in food, motherhood, fashion, everything really. When you first start blogging and sharing, there is a tendency to think, “no one is reading this so why bother.” Outside of blogging, I have a full-time job and a family to take care of. Blogging takes time and finding time to do it well and authentically is certainly not easy. I have found that following other bloggers really keeps me inspired and reminds me it is about the journey of doing something I am passionate about. Plus, the social media community is a great source of instant feedback.
One thing I’ve really grown to love this summer are the contests on Instragram and Facebook. Using hashtags to get yourself out there is something I didn’t ever see myself doing. But it has been really fun! And it definitely gets my competitive juices flowing. Below are 3 recipes inspired by contests.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that if there is something you are passionate about, find time to do it at least once a week. It might not be possible to be your source of income. But I find that doing what I love at least some of the time makes me better in everything I do.
Strawberry Caprese Stacks with Strawberry-Rhubarb-Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients
10-15 strawberries, sliced into rounds
Fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch slides
Fresh basil leaves
Fresh mint leaves
Freshly ground pepper
Toothpicks (I like to use the bamboo ones for presentation)
For the reduction
5 strawberries
1 stalk of rhubarb, cut into half inch chunks
1/4 cup balsamic
Pinch of salt
1. Combine the ingredients for the reduction into a blender.
2. Once blended, pour the mixture into a small pan and bring to a boil.
3. Turn the heat to low and let summer for 20 minutes.
4. Let cool for 5 minutes and then you are ready to build your stacks.
5. I like to stack them in this order. Enjoy!
- 1 slice of mozzarella
- 2-3 strawberry slices
- 1-2 basil leaves
- 1 slice of mozzarella
- a spoonful of the strawberry-rhubarb-balsamic reduction
- 1 slice of mozzarella
- 2 strawberry slices
- 2 mint leaves
- Then keep it all together with a bamboo toothpick and top with freshly ground pepper
Mini Avocado-radish and cucumber open-faced sandwiches
These little beauties are proof that using cookie cutters on bread is not just for kids!
Ingredients
4 slices of Marble rye bread, cut into circles
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
2-3 Radishes (any variety), thinly sliced
1 Avocado, chopped into chunks
Cream Cheese
Lemon pepper
Sea salt
Avocado-radish sandwiches
1. Spread avocado onto 4 of the marble bread rounds.
2. Add 3-4 radish slices on each round.
3. Top with pinches of sea salt.
Cucumber sandwiches
1. Spread cream cheese onto 4 of the marble bread rounds.
2. Add 4-5 cucumber slices onto each round.
3. Top with pinches of lemon pepper.
Grilled cucumbers
When you run out of protein, grill up some cucumbers! I had initially tried grilling some fresh mozzarella to serve with these. That is the beautiful blob in the middle. I learned that mozzarella doesn’t really grill well and can become stringy quickly. Next time, I would leave the mozzarella fresh or top with freshly grated Parmesan instead.
Ingredients
3 Persian cucumbers, sliced lengthwise
Freshly ground salt and pepper
1. Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Place the cucumbers sliced side down onto the grill for 3-5 minutes.
3. Top with freshly ground pepper and salt.
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