Here’s how I created a successful side hustle that brings in more dollars monthly than my social security income.
I joined Zazzle in 2009 – not thinking of it as an income-earning side hustle – but to have fun making Christmas cards and coffee mugs with my photographs of sunsets and flowers. I didn’t do much for quite awhile with my New Radiance Zazzle shop so did not keep up with the improvements that took place over the years on Zazzle. Then in late 2016, I discovered Elke Clarke’s website with loads of free material, an informative newsletter… and (at that time) a beginner course that helped me figure out the many improvements Zazzle had made for their designers and customers.
Learning about Elke’s personal success story with Zazzle earnings helped me understand that Zazzle could be a viable “side hustle” to augment Social Security. I had never worked for a company with a pension plan or 401K, so it was imperative to have a second income source, once my day job ended. I was so impressed with Elke’s free material that I signed up immediately when Elke launched the more advanced 5 Step Profit Plan Program the following July.
Then in 2019, Elke and her daughter, Jen, launched the Profit by Design Academy, which combines the beginner and advanced programs into an easy-to-follow course that is open to join twice a year. I’ve taken this course, too, and it is excellent. They added a coaching program to the PDA a few years ago, and that’s where you can find me now.
MY AH-HA MOMENT
During my training with the Clarkes, I truly understood that I could earn a living income with Zazzle, doing work I enjoyed providing products that people wanted and needed. In addition, Elke’s training helped me figure out a design niche that works for me.
Elke and Jen Clarke’s programs are simply the best online business investments I’ve ever made. The lessons are hands-on, how-to, and step-by-step. Easy to follow and spot-on for what’s needed.
After working with Elke and Jen, I’ve become a full-time designer with a unique, creative way to showcase my inspirational writing at the same time.
Even if you’re not an artist (and I’m not… I’m a writer), Elke and Jen will teach you how to use the Zazzle design tools to start earning income quickly. Here’s the link for more info on the Profit By Design Academy. See you there!
DISCLOSURE: I believe in the Clarke Courses so much, I also joined their affiliate program, the income from which helps me keep my websites going. The easiest way to check out Jen and Elke’s courses and programs yourself is by going here
Dental and medical problems often require a soft foods diet. And for vegetarians, this can require a bit of extra research and creativity.
Has your doctor or dentist ever told you to eat a “soft foods diet” for a specific dental or health problem? And did you find out, like I did, that most soft food menu lists are not vegetarian-friendly, since they contain a lot of ground meat and fish suggestions?
For vegans, a soft food routine would be quite tricky, because so many of the recommended soft foods contain dairy or egg products. I mean, how many smoothies can one person drink in a day, never mind for a week or two… or 5 weeks, in our case? The first time. We had two more dental situations after that requiring soft foods.
In August my dentist sent me to have root canal surgery and my son’s orthodontist installed a TMJ dental appliance with the instruction to “eat soft foods – almost liquid” for a month.
This page represents my research, quick fixes and make-do efforts to satisfy the hunger pangs of a 6 foot 1 inch male with food that isn’t boring, that IS sufficiently filling and that is nutritious enough to keep us ticking.
Did I say it was for a whole month? And me with no juicer. Guess how I spent the first weekend? Shopping for a blender, Googling smoothie recipes and researching protein powders.
On top of this, we’re becoming more vegetarian in our diet, so food such as ground beef was out… and menu creativity was most definitely called for. This page is a research record of how we handled our soft food lifestyle for four weeks in a row (it ended up being 5 weeks). Here’s what we came up with.
UPDATE 1: The permanently-affixed appliance was removed after 5-1/2 weeks of eating soft foods (that’s a LONG time to completely overhaul a family’s eating plans). My son now has a TMJ dental appliance that can be removed for eating. Whoopee!
UPDATE 2: I just had oral surgery myself and created my soft foods grocery list from… my own web page. Sure did make it easier this time around.
Smoothies Were Top of the List for Soft Foods
We had to run out and buy a blender, which I later found cheaper on Amazon.
My basic recipe was 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 fresh banana, sugar or stevia to taste. No need to add ice cubes when using frozen fruit.
UPDATE 2: Tried a home made “Orange Julius” and it wasn’t bad. I didn’t have most of the ingredients that the recipe websites suggested. I live in Florida… why would I buy frozen juice concentrate? So I combined some real orange juice with vanilla ice cream and it tasted just like an Orange Julius drink. Next time I’ll try adding whey powder for some added protein. I’ve seen them add it at Orange Julius restaurants; I think that’s what makes the drink frothy.
Soft Foods for Breakfast – Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
If you’ve ever had to prepare a soft foods diet for yourself or a family member, you’ll know what we’re going through. If you’re in this boat right now, I hope my research helps you in your own menu planning. And maybe my ah-ha’s will spur you on to even better ideas. I don’t think we can survive on ice cream and soup for a month.
I’m not much of a cook, so you won’t find too many recipes… at least until later in the month, when I’ve had a little more practice preparing mush three meals a day. And, while my tooth is currently covered by a temporary crown, I’m not eating anything chewy either. Mealtimes have become a bit of a challenge for sure.
The one meal that’s really easy, of course, is breakfast. Bless you, instant oatmeal! Thank goodness I already had some in the house.
Amy’s Organic Soups for Lunch
We had half a dozen cans lined up ready to use. Not only are we heading in a vegetarian direction, we’re now eating organic as much as we can manage… and afford. So the same trip to the health food store revealed a bonanza of wonderful Amy’s Organic Soups, which are lined up on the kitchen counter, ready to heat and serve… as you can see in the picture here.
So far, we’ve been very happy with Butternut Squash, Curried Lentil and Minestrone. Amy’s Vegetable Lentil Soup is a tried and true favorite and Field Day Spicy Chili was a big hit. Now that I’m planning our menus ahead, I can order by the case from Amazon, where the prices are 50 to 80 cents a can cheaper than at my health food store. Obviously, I could make soup from scratch and, depending on how long we’re going to need a soft foods menu, I may have to Google a few bean soup recipes… or buy a soup cookbook.
Here’s what we had for supper Sunday night – Mashed potatoes, soft mac ‘n cheese and peas
Saturday evening, my son’s 30th birthday – the day we should have been celebrating in higher style – we ended up at Panera Bakery. The Broccoli and Cheese Soup was a big hit and sufficiently nutritious to get us through that day. And because this is a temporary diet and my 6’1″ son is not overweight, he can handle the calories in the soup.
On Sunday, I made mashed potatoes with carrots in them (hence the orange specks), peas and leftover Panera macaroni and cheese. I wish I liked cooking more. I have no idea yet how we’re going to get through 4 weeks of this. Stay tuned, if you’re desperate for ideas. I’ll keep looking.
[NOTE] If you have a cholesterol issue, I’d steer away from Panera’s Mac & Cheese, however. It’s delicious – but with loads of cheese, according to one of their young cooks.
[UPDATE ON PANERA MAC & CHEESE] We recently found Panera’s Mac & Cheese for sale in Target – in a single serving size – and, on reading the list of ingredients, noticed the inclusion of chicken stock. Not quite vegetarian, in other words.
Birthday Cake was on the menu!
I asked… and the dentist said “okay”. Because our soft foods diet started the weekend of my son’s 30th birthday, we had to forego parties and chewy food. But the orthodontist said that birthday cake was considered “soft food.” Yahoo!
Here’s a picture of the birthday cake we got from Publix.
Here’s the soft food list that my research has come up with so far:
Soft cereals (oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat)
Ice cream
Pudding
Applesauce
Mashed potatoes
Mashed carrots
Macaroni
Bananas
Soft (pureed) fruits
Mashed pumpkin or squash
Baked beans
Pancakes (see my Swedish pancakes review below)
Scrambled eggs (we usually serve with grits)
Ground beef (not for “almost liquid” or vegetarian menus)
Yogurt and cottage cheese
Milkshakes
Soups (without crunchy bits)
Custard
Birthday cake!
Ramen noodles in broth
Ensure (recommended by the orthodontist… not gonna happen!)
Panera Macaroni and Cheese (better than my recipe, says my son)
Scalloped potatoes (soft, requires a bit of chewing)
Soft vegetarian chili worked well
Monday night was another Panera Bakery meal. My son’s a sucker for their Broccoli Cheese soup and mac ‘n cheese. Tuesday, I made scrambled eggs and grits. Then on Wednesday, we tried the chili we bought over the weekend at the health food store: Field Day Organic Spicy Vegetarian Chili.
We just added a little grated sharp cheddar and chopped sweet onions on the top and dug in. The texture worked well for my son’s dental situation and we’ll definitely get it again to make Cincinnati Chili when he’s allowed to chew spaghetti noodles.
If you’ve never had Cincinnati Chili, here’s how I make it. Basically, I boil spaghetti noodles, cook up some chili to put on top of the spaghetti, fresh-grate some sharp cheddar cheese and finely chop some sweet onion. You can get fancier, but this seems like enough steps for a chili-spaghetti dish. A little garlic bread and supper’s done.
Another winner: Swedish Pancakes – soft and yummy
I used Lund’s Swedish Pancake Mix the first couple of times and then made pancakes from scratch another. Though, I must admit… I like to have a box of Lund’s available for quick meals.
How many times did you watch the Pride and Prejudice mini-series when it aired on the A&E television network back in the 1990s? I mean… it was some of the best BBC TV ever imported into the U.S.
And if you’re of the female gender, can you still see Colin Firth emerging from his swim in the lake, with that clingy wet shirt sticking to his well-muscled chest? (See the video below.)
Amazing how some scenes stay with us like that.
Did you run out and buy the DVD as soon as it was available so you could watch all 6 episodes again and again… and again, whenever the fancy struck you?
What! Well, neither did I.
I just figured I could watch it again on television. Except in 2005, another version of Pride and Prejudice came out with Keira Knightley… and that’s the version that keeps playing over and over on TV.
All I could do after that was wonder, “What did they do with the real Mr. Darcy?”
So, in 2011, my Blockbuster video store announced they were closing and started selling off all their stock. I immediately grabbed up Rocky Horror Picture Show and (ta-da) the A&E 2-DVD set of the original BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. Now I can watch all 6 episodes whenever I want to be uplifted by excellence in… oh, heck… whenever I need a Colin Firth fix.
The “real” Darcy and Elizabeth
I was pleased to see that Amazon is offering the restored edition of Pride and Prejudice with almost 6 hours of high quality television… ah, heck, who am I kidding… hours and hours of Colin Firth. Though, Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet is pretty special, too. For me, it’s tough to imagine Lizzie and Darcy portrayed by anyone other than Ehle and Firth.
Just click on the graphic above if you’d like to read more about the remastered version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD. I’ve got what’s called “The Special Edition” as it was shown originally on TV. From the reviews, it sounds like the restored edition gives a better sound and picture quality than the version I have.
The “Lake Scene” – How could we forget the swim with clinging shirt
Do you ever get giddy about the products you love? Like soap, for instance? I am such a fan of Cal Ben’s Pure Soap that I even wrote a poem about it, my “Ode to Pure Soap.” I mean… this is a soap that doesn’t make me sneeze or itch.
I’m not a person who enjoys shopping. I don’t spend hours browsing the aisles, checking out the latest and best… of anything. So when I find a product that works for me, I tend to keep buying it.
That’s the case with the bath soap I’ve been using for the past 12 years or so.
I have allergies, so picking up a bar of soap in the supermarket is not something I can easily do – even if I’ve run out of soap for my shower. It’s tough for me to walk down that aisle, never mind stand there and choose the least-perfumed item on the shelf.
I like the Dr. Bronner Soaps that my health food stores have always carried – and which you can now buy at any grocery store or pharmacy… but, as a single parent, they’ve been a little out of my budget range.
When I started going to Sunshine Natural Foods store in Seminole, Florida (around twelve years ago), I was introduced to the nirvana of pure soaps and that’s what I’d like to tell you about today… Pure Soap from Cal Ben.
And, yes… I really did write a poem about it… you can see it below.
ODE TO SOAP – by Barbara Casey
Let me never run out of my favorite soap
I like it above all the others
It lathers and cleans at a price I can pay
A wonderful boon for us mothers.
I’ve loved you, dear soap, for a number of years
You’re the best that I’ve found on the market
And now that my health food store’s 10 miles away
I can’t even find you at Target.
With thinking cap on and budget in mind
I searched high and low for my bar
And found you online – at Amazon, too!
No need to climb into my car.
You can keep your old Doves and your Irish Springs, too
Finding a local resource for my bath soap was not easy
When I lived in Seminole, Florida, my closest health food store carried this brand of soap. In fact, they introduced me to Cal Ben’s Pure Soap many years ago. They still carry it.
But I’m clear across the county now and none of the local shops have it. So I went to the soap maker’s website and had them ship me a 12-pack, because I didn’t want to run out and my old health food store was a little far to go for one bar of soap. I paid $32.00, including shipping, for 12 bars of soap (in 2013), which arrived about a week after I ordered them online.
Silly me… what I should have done is looked on Amazon.com first. With my Amazon Prime account, I get free 2-day shipping on most items I order.
Here’s how Cal Ben makes their Pure Soap
Cal Ben’s literature describes their soap-making process as the “Cauldron Method.” I don’t know what image that conjures up for you… but it sounded pretty cool to me.
They actually do make the soap base in open cauldrons, using high grade white vegetable tallow, pure coconut oils and a few drops of almond oil, which are mixed for five hours before a salty solution is added to separate out the impurities. Then the soaps are refined with “washing” three times to remove even more impurities. Blending takes place next to give the soap its smooth texture and rich lather. Then the soaps are dried for 48 hours, after which they are triple-milled to create a longer-lasting bar.
Cal Ben Pure Soap doesn’t contain any artificial detergents, toxic antibacterial chemicals, coloring dyes, lanolins or harmful perfumes. It doesn’t make me sneeze, itch or break out. I have fairly dry skin and I find it’s gentle enough to use every day. It rinses off cleanly and is just… a really good soap at an affordable price.
My order of 12 soap bars arrived on a Friday sealed in a cellophane wrapper. That night, I opened one of the packages of soap and noticed that the almond scent was a little stronger than I was used to.
Saturday morning I called the health food store where I used to buy Pure Soap and asked if the almond essence was normal… because I had never noticed it when I bought the soap at the store.
Here’s what happened.
At the health food store, I either grabbed a bar off the shelf or from the basket they kept the bars in when they had lots on hand. The almond scent had “gassed off” between the time they unpacked the case of soap and the day I dropped by to purchase some.
So that’s what I’m doing at home – storing my 12 bars of soap (well, 11 now… one’s gone into the shower) in a basket to allow the scent of the almond oil to dissipate some before I use the soaps.
Learn more about Cal Ben and their soap products here
To learn more about the Cal Ben products firsthand, you might want to visit the Cal Ben website. They also make laundry soaps, dishwasher detergent, liquid hand soaps and more.
Great American Cookies – A Vintage Cookbook That’s Worth Republishing
Lorraine Bodger’s Great American Cookies Cookbook
My favorite recipe books are now considered “vintage.”
I cannot imagine why Lorraine Bodger’s Great American Cookies hasn’t been reprinted, but the only versions I’ve found are dated 1985 (the one I have) and 1987 (with the same title but different graphics on the dust jacket).
This is the very best cookie recipe book I’ve ever seen and deserves a wider audience.
Fortunately, a number of affordable almost new and used editions are available at eBay and Amazon in good, clean condition and a few are even offered with Amazon Prime, so 2-day free shipping is available for them.
The recipes in this book are so tasty, it’s worth adding to your collection… even used.
Great American Cookies contains some of the best recipes for a variety of cookie types: drop cookies, bars and squares, chocolate and nut yummies, holiday treats, party delicacies including meringues and ladyfingers… plus there’s a fun chapter on cookie-cutter bears, gingerbread friends, funny faces and more that children will enjoy decorating.
Pecan Pie Squares – A recipe to cherish
My sticky notes permanently mark page 43 in the “bar cookies” section for the most delicious and easy-to-make Pecan Pie Squares, which I usually bake at Christmas time and page 63, with the easiest and tastiest Pecan Shortbread I’ve ever found. Here in Florida, I can buy fresh pecans pretty inexpensively, so that’s why the pecan cookies are front and center.
Oh well… at least I have my own copy. But I wish you could, too.
Fun cookies for kids
Lorraine Bodger wrote, designed and illustrated Great American Cookies. Here’s an example of the very clear diagrams she created for the children’s cookies section. I didn’t include the recipe, but I wanted to show how clear and instructive the illustrations are.
The example I chose (below) is for Mittens and Gloves cookies, but there are equally terrific graphics for Brown Sugar Bears, Jam Pinwheels, Funny Faces, Snowfolks and Greeting Card cookies.
Bodger’s illustrations make the recipes easy to follow
My favorite cookie cookbook – now a collectible
Here’s why I like this book so much:
The recipe wording is very easy to follow
The ingredients are mostly items I have in my pantry
The black-and-white graphics clearly demonstrate some of the more complicated steps, such as twisting the chocolate and vanilla ropes in a cool-looking twist.
There’s a Refrigerator Cookie recipe on page 79 that I want to try, too, so I can compare it to the recipe my mom marked “Excellent” in her copy of The American Woman’s Cookbook.
Corningware Stovetop Cookware in Pyroceram is Back!
Were you even aware that stove-top-safe Corningware had gone off the market for a few years?
My stove top-safe Corningware casserole/pot
For the past dozen years or so, any home cook wanting to purchase Corningware cookware – that could be used on the stove top – had to settle for “vintage” pieces they could find on eBay or at garage sales. That’s because the company that bought the Corningware name in the late 1990s decided that the Pyroceram technology was too expensive to produce anymore.
It just wasn’t cost-effective… when the original cookware didn’t seem to ever wear out and was handed down from grandmothers to mothers to daughters (and sons, too).
The substitute products apparently worked okay, but you couldn’t take them from the freezer and place them directly into a hot oven, like you could with the Pyroceram pieces. And they had a stamp on the bottom saying they were not for stove-top cooking.
Well… shoot! My trusty old Blue Cornflower casserole dish is kind of the Superman of cookware.
And it came with a detachable pot handle for stove-top cooking.
Pyroceram was even used on the nose cones of anti-aircraft missiles in the late 1950s because of its ability to withstand extreme temperature changes.
Just like the Corning pots in my kitchen.
Here’s why the original Pyroceram Corningware is sought after
With my “vintage” Corningware pans, I can:
Reheat frozen leftovers in the oven (or microwave) without thawing first.
Saute onions, mushrooms or whatever on the stove top on medium-high – or high – heat.
Bake macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes and more in the oven.
Create killer cheese sauces when a “heavy” pan is called for.
Safely heat foods in the microwave.
Soak my casseroles in water with dish liquid and clean off any stuck-on food easily. Repeat, easily.
Store food in the freezer… because all my dishes have tight-fitting glass lids.
In short, we “vintage” Corningware owners got used to depending on cookware that was versatile, sturdy, and safe. And that didn’t crack or shatter under extreme temperature changes.
Corningware is hi-tech? Yes!
Corningware Pyroceram was invented in 1953 by Dr. S. Donald Stookey of Corning’s Research and Development Division. He was researching heat-resistant materials that would withstand thermal shock on the nose cones of ballistic missiles… and then adapted this technology for cookware.
That’s why the “original” Pyroceram Corningware dishes can go directly from freezer to stove top or oven without breaking. They were designed to withstand sudden temperature changes.
I still have my Corningware pot handle!
You can buy stove-top Corningware again!
After a long period of not being able to buy new Corningware sets to replace those we had accidentally dropped or given away, we can breathe a little easier now, because the manufacturer has (finally) re-introduced some Pyroceram-based dishes. They don’t offer many, so far… but at least they started with Cornflower Blue.
And just in the nick of time, as baby boomers like me start to downsize and hand down our cookery items to kids and grandkids. In fact, I inherited two of my mom’s Corningware casseroles and was very happy to add them to my previously small collection… especially after learning that the company that took over Corning’s cookware division wasn’t making their new products with the same glass-ceramic material (Pyroceram) that was used to make my own indestructible dishes.
If you want the “original” technology, look for the pans with the 10-year limited warranty. The Pyrex glass lids carry a 2-year limited warranty.
Corningware isn’t terribly sexy, as far as cookware goes… but you can’t beat the versatility of the Pyroceram casserole dishes. I use mine many times a week as saute pans, pots and casseroles… not to mention as storage containers and serving dishes.
I can’t imagine what I’d even replace them with, so I’m delighted to see the “original” high-tech dishes are available again.
Corningware Pyroceram Set – Click graphic for reviews
Info about “modern” Corningware stovetop cookware
I checked the manufacturer’s website (WorldKitchen.com) and they don’t offer that many stove top cookware items yet.
Plus… the stove top designs were easier to find on Amazon.
When you search for “vintage” Corningware, make sure you use the keywords “Pyroceram” or “stove top” so you don’t inadvertently crash and burn with the newer, less-heat-resistant models.
By the way, Amazon has all kinds of vintage Corningware for sale – used, of course – but it’ll save you schlepping around to garage sales. Here’s the link for Amazon’s vintage pieces, if you’ve been looking to add to your collection.
, if you’ve been looking to add to your collection.