Heather says:

I don’t talk about my life too much here on Home-Ec 101 because I want this site to apply to all adults (even those who feel like they are pretending) no matter where they are in their life. Whether you have just left college and are trying to figure out what you need to build a pantry (FYI I’m going to revisit this section and improve upon it) or if you have kids and are just trying to figure out how to get the kool-aid out of the grout, to the empty-nesters who are suddenly faced with the option of cooking for one or two instead of what feels like an army. For those that don’t know, I have three children, the youngest of which was born about six months after this site was launched. I’ve gone from potty training and just trying to keep them from offing themselves while my back is turned to trying to help them find their direction and strength.

I am currently visiting my father in Myrtle Beach, SC. I’ve visited Myrtle ever since I was a very young child and my own transition from kid jumping into the deep end, to angst ridden disdainful teen lurking in the deep water, to parent catching the kid jumping off the side is never more apparent than when I am here. I look around and wonder if some of those other moms and dads are the ones I hung out with over the years.

Yesterday my youngest child swam across the deep end all by herself, no floats, no swim-aids, just sheer will power and me treading water beside her just in case she ran into trouble. (Also she did this before either of her older brothers have even attempted.)

For a very long time I have felt like I’ve been treading water, knowing that I’m in way over my head. I rarely look back because I’m scared I’ll lose site of my goal, consequently I frequently lose perspective on how very far I (and Home-Ec101.com) have come. (We already passed 1 million unique visitors in 2012 -early July and July also saw well over 200k unique visitors.) For those who aren’t up on what those numbers mean, let’s just say it’s a good thing, a very good thing.

When I flew home from Minnesota earlier this month I came home to a dead car battery and I complained on Twitter. Of course I was able to get it jumped. (Do you want me to write about how to jump a car? It’s not that hard, it can just feel intimidating if you are unfamiliar with it.) I worked at my other job (at the Irish Pub) on my birthday and a bunch of friends I have met through blogging, Twitter, and all kinds of places showed up to wish me well. Among the completely unexpected gifts was a large, very heavy box. Since I’m somewhat responsible, I put the box in the storage room at work to retrieve the next morning, as I wasn’t going to make my designated driver play bellhop, too. See, I can be considerate at times.

When I arrived at work the next morning, I opened the box, expecting something along the lines of a cast iron pot. Nope, it was a brand new car battery. I burst into tears. -I’m human, shut up already.

Of course I said thank you.

It wasn’t until yesterday as I watched my daughter struggle with sheer determination across the pool that I realized that no matter what happens, I’m going to be okay. Those that care about me are close by and aren’t going to let me sink, but they know how important it is for me to meet these goals on my own.

To meet these goals, I need to know what you want from Home-Ec101.com. I know I need to get back into the habit of getting more recipes on the site.

As an example:

Would you like me to compile the recipes into a Kindle / eCookbook?

Would a compilation of kitchenware / small appliances with the Home Ec 101 seal of approval have any appeal?

What ideas do you have? I can’t promise I’ll get to them all, I just want to add to my pool of potential projects for those mornings I sit at the computer and draw a blank. (Yes, I always have a few reader questions in the queue, I just know that sometimes we’ve had too many in a row.)

Bring back Fearless Fridays?

What do YOU want?

Heather says:

I’m embarrassed to admit I messed up. I forgot to write up the post notifying commenter “ deneicer1″ won the Sierra Mist giveaway.

Amy and I agreed the Holiday Appletinis were right up our alley.

If you could email me your mailing address / contact info I’ll get it into the proper hands.

Congrats!

Heather says:

Every year I try to do a look back over what’s happened with the site in the past 12 months and just about a year ago I said:

“If 2011 is half as fun or productive, it shall go down as a win.”

Before I even bring out the numbers, let’s make it official: Total win, hands down, amazing year.

And here are the numbers, as accurate as I can share anyhow:

• 300 new posts which brings the total to just shy of 1900 posts.
• 1,070k+ visits. Do you see that? Over 1 million people have seen Home-Ec 101 in 2011. This blows my mind
• 1,778k+ pageviews Another crazy number.

That’s right around 139% growth. (And unlike most reports, I’m sharing the numbers so you have a concept of scale, but that’s a soapbox I won’t climb on right now)

So on numbers alone 2011 was better than I dared hope.

Events related to Home-Ec 101 and blogging in general:

Home-Ec 101 Skills for Everyday Living came out in late March and then, in November, on one of my best days ever, I was notified that Amazon listed it as one on Home & Garden’s Best of 2011.

In 2011 I spoke in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, NYC, LA, Nashville, Miami (ok it was Palm Beach Gardens), Atlanta, and Asheville. Many, many thanks go to Aliza Sherman and Danielle Smith for including me in part of their MOM, Incorporated book tour, they are both amazing role models and I appreciate their friendship. To those of you who knew me way back when, in college and *gasp* high school, yeah, I’m just as surprised as you.  Topics ranged from blogging how-tos and advice to how life skills are a tool for empowerment.

Ready for the 2011 rundown of the best of Home-Ec 101? (I have altered some of the titles as on a blog, it’s always a work in progress)

January:

A reader wrote in to say: I Am Overwhelmed

Bran shared his Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

February:

How to Cook with Chicken Thighs

and A Lesson in Using Stainless Steel Cookware

March:

This month we learned that bleach spots can appear from a wide variety of sources in What Causes Bleach Spots

We also talked about Emergency Preparedness after the Japanese Quake

and we can’t forget this recipe for Country Fried Steak

April:

How to Deal with Mildew in a Front Loading Washer

oh and Shrimp Quesadillas? YUM!

May:

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches *drool* I’ve been craving these lately and to go with that Bobbie shared her Blue Cheese Dressing, which is a perfect accompaniment.

How to Remove Gum from the Dryer

and Vera began contributing posts with How to be a Fabulous Knitter / Crocheter – Introduction

June:

I was apparently on a big grilling kick:

• How to Grill: Bacon, Buffalo Wings, Meatloaf, Foil Vegetable Packets, Grilled Burritos, and Bratburgers
• Brian stepped up the grill with How to Grill Fruit and Fish

July:

I got to do my first cooking event with Cooking With the Troops and my life would never be the same.

Chipotle Mayonnaise (I really should have eaten before writing this post)

August:

A reader wrote in to say she was Feeling Desperate (and for those who didn’t see the updates, she is doing much better, hurray for happy endings!)

How to Soak Clothes with a Front Loading Washer

September:

How to Scrub a Tile Floor (why can’t I remember writing this, I obviously did) and How to Unclog a Kitchen Sink, Naturally

October:

I also had the very fun opportunity to travel to Chicago and attend Butterball’s Turkey University.

Can I Substitute Chicken for Fish in a Recipe (yep)

Chicken Gumbo

November:

I had an amazing opportunity to visit NYC with CWtT and be part of the NASDAQ Veteran’s Day Event.  (I’m sure some of you are more than tired of hearing me talk about it)

Bobbie shared her recipe for Homemade Substitute for Condensed Cream of Something Soup

And can I just say Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Cornbread Dressing?

And that brings us to December:

A reader felt she was Taken for Granted and wanted advice on getting teens to help around the house.

I also decided to have a little fun and dust off the Sunday Confessional.

And as we head into the new year, why not make a pot of Sue Polinsky’s No Tomato Chili, you won’t regret it.

Thank you all for being a part of Home-Ec 101 in 2011. Thank you for your emails, phone calls, and random texts of support and encouragement. I cannot wait to see what is in store for 2012. Hang on, I think it’s going to be fun!

Happy New Year to all of you!

Heather says:

Earlier this week Home-Ec 101 hit a major traffic milestone. Over 1 million unique users visited this site in the past 12 months. (In about a week, I’ll be able to say over a million in 2011).

That, my friends, is a lot of people (there are only 10k in my town).

Want to put it into perspective? That’s getting close to the population of Dallas, TX. You’ve heard of Dallas, right? It’s only the 9th largest city in the US.

I have an analytics addiction. Google Analytics recently released their Real-Time feature and my productivity has plummeted. As I write this, I can see there are between 20 and 25 of you on this site (no, I can’t see who you are, but you might want to put on some pants, Lexington, VA). I’m kidding all I can see are general locations and what brought you to the site -”how to freeze waffles” seems pretty hot this morning.

So if you’ve recently started checking out Home-Ec 101, I can see what brought you hear the first time. What I’d love to know is, what brought you back?

Heather says:

I’d like to thank all of you for commenting and sharing your favorite uses for Q-tips. I’ll be compiling the various tips into a future post.

The three gift card winners who will be notified by email are commenters 70, 53, and 36:

clc408
mammarachel
AndrewGordon

I used Random.org to pick the comment numbers.

I’d like to thank Q-tips for providing the gift cards. Don’t forget to check out their Q-Tip-a-Thon, it’s in the lefthand column on the fanpage. Share your tips, and you could win a $100 weekly gift card or the grand prize, a $1,000 gift card and a year’s supply of Q-tips.

Heather says:

First of all, if you are  Facebook fan and use Facebook to follow this site, you should be aware that the recent changes may be causing you to miss a majority of Home-Ec 101 updates. If you look at the upper right hand corner of this site, there are several other ways to stay current with Home-Ec 101. You can receive updates by e-mail, Twitter, or use an RSS reader. If you want to stick with Facebook and not miss any updates, it’s important to “like” a few things on the Home-Ec 101 fanpage. Facebook has its own method for determining what they think you want to see and it takes more than a single like to see the status updates in your news feed.  Trust me, I don’t enjoy saying, “Like my stuff!” In fact, it makes me feel a little dirty.

On to the Friday Free For All.

Today and tomorrow I’ll be gearing up for my big pre-Turkey Day cooking marathon. What is that, you ask? Well, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday and each November I put together a Countdown to Turkey Day series where I break up the monumental feat of hosting a company-worthy Thanksgiving into manageable daily tasks. Things like: finding your dining room table extensions, figuring out the guest list, determining how much to serve, getting the house company ready, etc. This Sunday, a bunch of local friends will descend on my home and pitch in with preparing many of the recipes I’ll be sharing over the month of November. I’ve found it’s a lot of fun to have extra hands in the kitchen and knock it all out in one marathon cooking session and photo-shoot. In the process my kitchen will be utterly destroyed, one of my tables will probably end up in the front yard for better light, and a lot of fun will be had.

How else would you end up with photos like this?

So the question for today’s FFA is:

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Dish?

Is there a particular recipe or technique you would like me to cover in this year’s series?

Foodies, feel free to link to your favorite recipe (one per comment or the spam filter will eat you alive).

Have a wonderful weekend, I have a turkey to brine, but I’ll be checking in throughout the day.

Heather says:

Hi! I’m currently in San Antonio, TX. I don’t have my usual level of connectivity, so please excuse the lack of regular posting today. I’m hoping to bring you a recipe for couscous tomorrow from Chef Ellen Adams. I’ll be playing sous chef and gopher today and tomorrow as we prepare for the Cooking with the Troops event. I’m hoping Marta from My Big Fat Cuban Family will let me share her recipe for black beans, too. If not, I’m pretty sure I can find where she has shared it in the past. Don’t worry, you won’t miss out.

I want to thank all of you. It is your support and encouragement that has lead to opportunities, like this one, to give back. I don’t have the right words to express how excited I am to be a part of this.

I want to send a special thank you to Rodney from Ace Mart Restaurant Supply for being extraordinarily helpful as we sourced some of the tools we needed.

I’ll be posting pictures regularly on my personal Twitter account throughout the next few days and I’ll share the rest after I return home.

 Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Heather says:

I hope all US Home-Ec 101 readers have a wonderful weekend celebrating Independence Day. The rest of you? Well, I still hope you have a happy 4th of July. (Remember that old lateral logic question -Do they have a 4th of July in England?)

I’m excited to announce that I’m working with the charity Cooking with the Troops.

CWtT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with 4 missions:

1. Providing a culinary change of pace for U.S. and Allied military personnel — particularly the wounded, injured, and ill — and medical caregivers

2. Providing educational resources, opportunities and transition assistance into food and beverage careers for those who serve

3. Gathering and sharing knowledge with and for troops on the front line and supporting same

4. Providing other direct and indirect assistance to support the care and well-being of U.S. and Allied military personnel and their families.

I met Blake at last year’s Blog World Expo in  Las Vegas. I happened to be lurking in a hallway waiting for a friend and he struck up a conversation. While we talked, Blake described his vision of teaching military dependents and personnel how to cook; as a military brat, a navy brat to be specific, and a former chef I knew I had to get involved. Military families hold a special place in my heart and I am beyond thrilled to be working with CWtT.

From CWtT’s FAQ:

6.  You want to educate the families?
Yes.  Cooking lessons that used to be passed down in families no longer are.  Those wounded are also going to have different nutrition needs.  We want to help families learn how to cook good food fast rather than depend on fast food.  In the process, we can teach both adults and children food and cooking basics, work with families and caregivers at need on special cases, and also let them all know that their sacrifices are appreciated as well.  That we can do so in a tasty and fun way is a bonus.

Do you see why I’m so excited?

Later this month I’m flying to San Antonio, Texas where I’ll be assisting with the launch of Homefront Support. As part of this event Cooking With the Troops will be serving lunch -a traditional Cuban feast done by Val Prieto and Marta Darby- to 250 wounded veterans and dinner to 150 by Ellen Adams.

When I’m not elbow deep in prep work or teaching, I’ll document the event so you can learn more about the non-profit and its mission. In the meantime, fan Cooking with the Troops on Facebook to stay up to date with their efforts to support American and Allied Armed Forces.

Have a wonderful Independence Day, take the time to thank someone who has helped preserve our freedom, and be safe out there.

Heather says:

It’s good to see all of you, hope most of you aren’t too hungover after celebrating the non-end of the world. If any of you have a cure for removing REM from my internal playlist, I’d be forever grateful.

Next week will be a bit unusual. I have posts from the Home-Ec 101 Crew lined up to keep you entertained while I’m in NYC for Blog World Expo. I have some time to explore the city on Friday before my afternoon flight. Is there something other than the usual suggestions (Statue of Liberty etc) that I shouldn’t miss? I do plan on visiting Ground Zero.

And finally, all electronic versions of Home-Ec 101 Skills for Everyday Living are on sale through May 25, 2011 for $4.99. If there is a new grad in your life, this may be a good gift idea.

If you have any wild parties while I’m gone, please clean up after yourselves. There’s a whole section on cleaning if you run into trouble.

See you next week!