My One and Only Home

by Emily Nagel

You are here: Home / Home

Make a Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

I had been putting it off for a while, but this was the weekend to make a magnetic chalkboard wall in the kitchen.  My kids Bubbe pointed out one day that this spot in our kitchen would be perfect if it had magnetic walls.

The old owners of our house were wine enthusiast and had a little alcove built into their kitchen for a beautiful rod iron wine rack that housed many a bottles of vino.  When they moved out they took that wine rack with them.  We were left with a tall and very narrow nook in our kitchen which houses our garbage can.  Did I mention that there is a spot light in there too – fancy garbage can location.

Over time I started decorating the nook with my children’s artwork.  It is a great place to rotate art and display their latest projects which they proudly point out to friends and guests who visit our home.

My husband was taking the kids over to the local nursing home where we volunteer, so I had three free hours!

The walls were already clean, so first I taped off the area and laid down some old t-shirts to keep splatters from landing on the floor and baseboard.

Next I put on disposable gloves – buy a lot.  The magnetic paint is [Read more…]

Mushroom Pate

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Mushroom Pate

Don’t let this gray matter fool you.  This creamy spread has a rich and spicy kick that you will love for both a formal or casual event.  My version is a spin-off of a mushroom pate I had years ago at a work function.  My colleague had said her mother-in-law taught her how to make it and after bringing it to a few parties it became a regular request.

My preference is to make it extra spicy so my version is heavy on cayenne and black pepper.  Feel free to eliminate that heat if your not a big fan. You could even make it smokey instead adding in smoked paprika or cumin instead of the pepper.

Oh, and please [Read more…]

Forty Days of Lent Clean Out

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Old shoes

A few years ago I read an amazing blog about a woman who took the time during Lent to remove excess from her life by loading forty bags (over forty days) worth of items from her house to donate or toss. Immediately I loved this concept. I am always looking at a way to connect to this time, but never was one to be successful in giving up something during the Lenten season.  There is so much “stuff” in my life that I knew I needed to really evaluate and eliminate.  So I decided to take on a similar task in removing items from my home during Lent. This physical removal of clutter was so eye opening and connected me to the fact that there are many others who could benefit from the items I just hold on to.  An old winter coat, a collection of used baby items, even old scrap metal can be of more use to someone else.

This is what I do, I have a pad of paper I got in the dollar bin at Target [Read more…]

Savory Stuffed Mushrooms

By: Emily Nagelcomment

savory stuffed mushrooms

I have been making this amazingly delicious savory stuffed mushrooms for more years than I’d like to count.  And absolutely love that its a gluten free option for my friends who have that dietary restriction.  This appetizer so popular I bring it many dinner parties, potlucks, and last minute get togethers.   It also helps that the ingredients are almost always in my refrigerator too. [Read more…]

Packed Lunches Made Simple

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Packed Lunches Made Simple

Sunday night is when I used to start mumbling about the lunches I need to pack for the next 5 days.  Aggh, I need to get the lunch box packed!

Its certainly not a hard tasking, and I only have one school-ager right now.  All I need to accomplish is making a kid-friendly sandwich and rounding out the meal with healthy sides and a drink, but it is ALWAYS a pain. I didn’t really understand why this task drove me nuts until one night I realized it took me at least 15 minutes every school night to make a packed lunch. That is when I took matters in to my own hands.

I started prepping. Sunday night pull out five sandwich tubs, a loaf of bread, my peanut butter and jelly and a [Read more…]

5 Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini

Sometime dinner is planned, sometimes its pieced together by what I have sitting around in the refrigerator and pantry. This delicious yet ridiculously easy  roasted red pepper and tortellini dish came from pulling together some ingredients laying around. Using a blender or food processor is the trick to making the roasted red pepper sauce extra creamy. Here is what I had sitting around the kitchen:

Tortellini with Red Pepper Sauce Ingredients

If you look carefully you will see that ALL of these items (actually, yes, even the onion) came from Aldi. [Read more…]

Saucy Barbecue Chicken

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Saucy Barbecue Chicken

It was time do some meal planning and I decided to make this sweet and tangy batch of barbecued pulled chicken.  This recipe evolved over time as I tried an ever ending list of ingredients to get the taste and juiciness I was looking for.  I finally toss these items into my slow cooker one day and this amazing dish was born.  Oooh, and it even is [Read more…]

One Pot Minestrone

By: Emily Nagelcomment

One Pot Minestrone

When the temperature starts to fall, my taste buds crave warm filling meals including this delicious yet healthy soup I make a few times in the Fall and Winter.  Being a fairly hardy dish, its is perfect for freezing in containers.  This batch is large enough to serve 4 hardy portions and freeze the second half for a last minute meal on a busy day.

I love to serve this minestrone with shaved Parmesan cheese, some extra cracked pepper, and a chunk of  french baguette.

Here is my One Pot Minestrone soup recipe. [Read more…]

Me Before You – By Jojo Moyes Book Club Discussion Questions

By: Emily Nagelcomment

Me Before YOu

Courtesy of Jojomoyes.com

Two of my top reads these past couple of years are written by the same author. The first was Me before You by Jojo Moyes.  A story of a young working class woman, Louisa Clark, who falls into a job of being a personal companion to a well-to-do paraplegic business man, Will Trayner. Will’s extreme obstinance to all things positive makes her days miserable, but she knows her parents and family depend on her financial support so leaving the job is out of the question.  Within time Lousia is able to break through Will’s tough shell and a mutual friendship abounds.  Its a story of  the companionship, wish fulfilling, and unabashed love.  Like any good book, it exudes fantastic character development and unexpected twists and turns.  When I finished this book I wanted more, and as luck would have it Jojo Moyes fulfilled my wish with her continuation in After You.

After reading this engaging and provocative book I was inclined to get other peoples’ thoughts and opinions.   Fortunately my book club was happy to oblige and we made it one of  our discussions.  There is some much I wanted to talk about with my group, here are my Me Before You – By Jojo Moyes Book Club Discussion Questions.  Warning:  Spoiler Alert [Read more…]

5 Ways to Get Books Free

By: Emily Nagelcomment

5 ways to get books free
I just can’t help myself. Its is not uncommon for me to read a few books a month with many many more waiting for me. One reason is because I belong to two book club groups and one of them I happen to be leading this year.

My book reading hobby has been an expense in the past, especially since I love a real hardcover book, and those are not cheap.  After buying my first house, having a few children, and running out of bookshelf space I have changed my ways.  There are plenty of ways to buy books on the cheap, here are some ways to get books free. [Read more…]

Popsicle Stick Star Ornaments

By: Emily Nagelcomment

popsicle stick stars

We find time for a few crafts during the holidays and these popsicle stick star ornaments were a big hit.  I appreciated that we had all the necessary items already in the craft closet.  These would make a great classroom holiday party craft, in fact I am already making a mental note for next year. [Read more…]